Filitheyo

Accommodation in a Superior Villa or Water Villa

Filitheyo is the perfect place for a fantastically relaxing Maldives holiday - a superb house reef and sandy beaches; comfortable accommodation; exceptionally friendly service and consistently excellent food – all of this and reasonable prices too!

Out-of-this-world snorkeling on the island’s famous house reef – literally metres from the sandy beach and boasting a myriad colourful fishes!

Fantastic dining even though it’s buffet style – fresh, varied, and plentiful – prepare to come back having gained a few extra pounds

Filitheyo is quite a large island by Maldives standards – staff even use mountain bikes to get around! – so you never feel cramped and crowded and the beaches are often virtually deserted

This is the only resort in the unspoiled Faafu Atoll – so you truly have that feeling of being away from it all, without staring across at other resorts on neighbouring islands as in some of the more developed atolls

Water villas are quite close to each other and the decks aren't as private as water villas at other resorts

Coral from the reef offshore that gets washed up by the tide can be quite sharp underfoot

Rooms and public areas don't have the latest cutting edge style - but for us that's frankly half of Filitheyo's appeal (and keeps things reasonably priced too!)

unlike many of the ultra luxury resorts in the Maldives it doesn’t feel manicured within an inch of its life! Instead it has a much more natural, slightly rustic feel

125 - 94 Superior Villas, 15 Deluxe Villas, 16 Water Villas

Filitheyo has to be one of the most idyllic, authentic and natural feeling islands in the Maldives – unlike many of the ultra luxury resorts in the Maldives it doesn’t feel manicured within an inch of its life! Instead it has a much more natural, slightly rustic feel. Many people are here for the snorkeling as the house reef is regarded as one of the best in the Maldives; others are here simply to relax or for romance – and Filitheyo certainly delivers on all these counts!

This is one of the larger islands in the Maldives – about a kilometer long and 500m wide – and very beautiful and natural-looking too with lush green vegetation, many palm trees and colourful flowers. Romantic sandy pathways lined with palm trees form lovely avenues criss-crossing the interior of the island, hermit crabs scurry about leaving their unmistakeable little trails in the sand and there’re even fruit bats flying from coconut palm to coconut palm.

But whilst there are gorgeous sandy beaches around 2/3rds of the island, perhaps the biggest attraction of Filitheyo lies just off the beach. The coral here may perhaps not be as extensive and pretty as at some other islands, but for quantity and variety of fish Filitheyo takes a lot of beating – clown fish, reef sharks, moray eels, lion fish, large schools of beautiful banner fish, trigger fish, puffer fish, squid, porcupine fish, giant blue and brown clams, butterfly fish to name just a few – not to mention turtles! To make it easier to access the reef dropoff, 8 exit points through the coral have been created making this a really user friendly reef for snorkelers. One side effect of all that coral is that you often encounter sharp pieces of coral washed up on the otherwise soft sand beach by the tide, so reef shoes or slops are a good idea.

Perhaps the other highlight of Filitheyo is the food which attracts consistent rave reviews from guests! Buffets are the order of the day but these are a cut above the norm – fresh, tasty, lots of choice, constantly replenished, a changing menu each day and all well presented; check out the sushi station if you’re a fan of fresher then fresh sea food and the desserts and ice cream is to die for! The restaurant itself is comfortable in a rustic, casual way with largely sand floors so you can bury your toes whilst tucking in! and is set out in such a way that it never feels busy. At Filitheyo you are allocated your own table (with your room number on it) and your own friendly waiter for your entire stay - the benefit is that you will never have problems waiting for food and can go straight to your seat for dining and expect a speedy service.

There are 2 bars on the island – the Sunset Bar next to the swimming pool is definitely the place to relax over a long cold drink whilst watching the sun setting over the Indian Ocean. After dark most people head to the Main Bar where, although there is no real entertainment to speak of, a pleasantly convivial vibe exists amongst the happy guests. If you’re looking for something a little more romantic then try the lobster dinner by candle light on the beach!

The rooms at Filitheyo are pretty typical in style and decoration to other Maldives resorts of that vintage (the resort is about 10 years old) – thatched roofs over wooden walls with slightly dated interiors but spotlessly clean and quite spacious. The 94 Superior Rooms are semi-detached, so you share a wall with one neighbor – but you’re unlikely to even notice them. A lovely feature is the open-air bathroom and shower – we always love the experience of showering under the stars! A great option for families with kids is that a handful of these semi-detached units have interleading doors to create perfect Family Villas. But if you fancy a bit more privacy then it’s definitely worth upgrading to one of the 15 Deluxe Villas which are standalone units – they also add a bathtub to their otherwise similar open air bathrooms (although we always prefer showers in such warm climates to be honest!)

The premier accommodation option at Filitheyo are the 16 Water Villas built over the crystal clear waters of the lagoon and with sublime sea views. If you’re a light sleeper remember that you’ll be exposed to the sound of water slapping against the steps of the villa – however being able to watch a myriad colourful fish swimming around from the comfort of your deck (and shooting stars at night!) makes it a very special experience! In common with the other room types it’s also very comfortable with air-con, satellite TV/DVD and CD player (so remember to take some of your own CDs along to create your own holiday soundtrack)