The Maldives had a strong night at the 33rd World Travel Awards, with several island resorts picking up top regional titles — useful signal for anyone weighing up which atoll and which property to book next.
THE OZEN COLLECTION took the biggest share of the spotlight. OZEN RESERVE BOLIFUSHI was named Maldives' Leading Luxury Hotel Villa for the fourth year running, thanks largely to its Royal RESERVE: a 3,000-square-metre villa with a private beach, its own pool, a personal spa treatment room with dedicated therapists, 24-hour butler service and a private chef. Sister resort OZEN LIFE MAADHOO won Indian Ocean's Leading Villa Resort for the second time (it also won in 2024). Its draw is the INDULGENCE Plan — a genuinely all-inclusive setup covering seven restaurants, premium drinks, excursions and spa — plus M6m, the South Malé Atoll's first underwater restaurant. Both resorts placed in the top ten percent of Tripadvisor's 2025 Travellers' Choice list, and the brand is expanding into India with planned properties in Kolkata, Jaipur and Goa.
Baros Maldives also featured, taking Indian Ocean's Leading Water Villa Resort 2026. The appeal here is simplicity: small island, private decks, lagoon access straight off the villa, and a house reef so close you can snorkel it within minutes of leaving your room. Water Pool Villas add 126 square metres of space and a private pool if you want more room.
Family travellers got good news too. Finolhu, in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, landed five nominations at the Luxury Childcare Association Awards 2026, spanning sustainable childcare, children's programming, family experiences, facilities and baby-and-toddler care. It runs a Kids Club, a separate Teens Hut for older children, and folds marine education into activities — plus a two-kilometre sandbank for burning off energy.
Cinnamon Hotels rounded things out with a double at the Travel Trade Maldives Awards, held at CROSSROADS Maldives on 27 August: Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon for Best Dive Resort (a North Ari Atoll island with a celebrated house reef, 24-hour diving and 50-plus nearby dive sites) and Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa for Best Honeymoon Destination.
Why it matters: awards like these are voted on by travel professionals and the public, so they're a decent proxy for what's actually delivering right now. If you're choosing between Maldives resorts, the shortlist is fairly clear — ultra-luxury and all-inclusive indulgence at the OZEN properties, classic overwater living and snorkelling at Baros, diving at Ellaidhoo, families at Finolhu, honeymoons at Hakuraa Huraa.
