Luxury Maldives by atoll · Updated October 2026 · By Abdulla Maseeh

Luxury Resorts in Raa Atoll: The 5 Best of the Newer Islands

The best luxury resorts in Raa Atoll are JOALI Maldives, JOALI BEING, Alila Kothaifaru, Niva Dhigali and Cora Cora. Raa sits just north of Baa, 40 to 45 minutes from Malé by seaplane, and most of its luxury islands are only a few years old, with Baa-grade marine life and far fewer boats on the reefs.

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JOALI Maldives

JOALI BEING

Alila Kothaifaru

Niva Dhigali

Cora Cora

Why Raa

Why choose a luxury resort in Raa Atoll?

Newer resortsMost of Raa’s luxury islands opened in the last few years, so you get modern villas, new spas and fresh ideas, from art islands to a wellbeing island.
Fewer boatsRaa has marine life to match Baa next door, with manta cleaning stations, dolphins and turtles, but far fewer dive and snorkel boats on each site.
Two ways inSeaplanes take about 40 to 45 minutes. When you land later, a domestic flight to Ifuru and a short speedboat can still get you there the same day.

The resorts

The 5 best luxury resorts in Raa Atoll

Each card shows how the resort scores out of 5 in the eight categories we use on our resort comparison, so you can see the strengths at a glance.

Best for art and design lovers

JOALI Maldives

Villas73 villas and residences, all with pools
From MaléSeaplane, about 40 min
LargestThree-bedroom beach and ocean residences
ChildrenMuramas kids’ club

JOALI calls itself the first art-immersive resort in the Maldives, and the island lives up to it: sculptures, installations and pieces by international and Maldivian artists are scattered through the gardens, along the jetties and inside the villas. The best known is the Manta Ray Tree House, a woven pod in the palms where you can book a private dinner.

Every villa and residence has a pool and a Jadugar, JOALI’s butler. Dinner might be at Saoke, the overwater Japanese restaurant, or on the sand at TUH’U, and the Mura bar and pool look out to a sandbank by the arrival jetty. There is a JOALI Spa by ESPA, a padel court and the Muramas club for children.

Skip it if you want a simple, barefoot island. JOALI is polished and design-led.

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Best wellbeing island

JOALI BEING

Villas68 villas and residences, all with pools
From MaléSeaplane, about 40 min
LargestFour Bedroom Beach Residence, 1,260 sqm with two pools
ChildrenWelcome in family villas

JOALI BEING was the first island in the Maldives built entirely around wellbeing. The forest at its heart was left untouched, the buildings follow biophilic design, and every stay is shaped around the Areka centre, with hydrotherapy, sound healing, movement and treatments, plus classes and workshops at the Learning Centre.

The villas are some of the largest in Raa: the Beach Pool Villas cover 503 sqm, and the top residences reach 1,260 sqm. Each one has a Wellbeing Bar, meditative instruments and its own pool. You arrive at a sculptural seaplane jetty after about 40 minutes in the air.

Skip it if you want lively bars and lots of restaurants. Dining here is built around wellbeing.

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Best modern island for couples

Alila Kothaifaru Maldives

Villas80 pool villas
From MaléSeaplane, 45 min
LargestBeach Pool Villa, 202 sqm
ChildrenChildren welcome

Alila Kothaifaru breaks with the thatched-roof look: its villas are clean-lined and modern, built to keep about 70 per cent of the island’s original vegetation. Every one of the 80 villas has a pool, from 125 sqm overwater villas to 202 sqm beach villas, and the 11.2-hectare island has a treetop spa.

The Shack, a restaurant on its own sandbank, is the evening to book, with Seasalt, Mirus and Umami for the rest of the week. Alila was on Condé Nast Traveller’s 2023 Hot List and won Best Honeymoon Resort at the Travel Trade Maldives Awards 2024.

Skip it if you need two or more bedrooms. Every villa at Alila has one.

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Best value all-inclusive for families

Niva Dhigali

Villas166 villas
From MaléSeaplane, or flight to Ifuru and speedboat
LargestTwo-Bedroom Deluxe Beach Bungalow, 184 sqm
ChildrenPLAY kids’ club, kids’ pool

Dhigali, now part of the Niva collection, is a long, green island with two arms of water villas and a wide choice of rooms, from 70 sqm beach bungalows to pool villas and two-bedroom options. That range is why it works so well for families and groups with different budgets.

The Premium All-Inclusive plan gives unlimited access to its restaurants, café, pizzeria and bars, with premium drinks and a minibar restocked daily. Children have the PLAY kids’ club, and there is a five-star PADI dive centre. Guests landing between 3 pm and 4.30 pm switch from seaplane to a domestic flight and speedboat.

Skip it if you want a tiny, intimate island. Dhigali is one of the larger resorts in Raa.

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Best premium all-inclusive

Cora Cora Maldives

Villas100 villas
From MaléSeaplane 45 min, or flight to Ifuru and 20 min by speedboat
LargestTwo Bedroom Lagoon Pool Villa with Slide, 234 sqm
ChildrenCoRa kids’ club

Cora Cora opened in late 2021 and was built around its Premium All-Inclusive plan. It covers four à la carte restaurants, including Teien for Japanese and teppanyaki, Ginger Moon for Asian food and Acquapazza for Italian, plus champagne, premium wines and spirits, and a minibar restocked every day.

Families have the CoRa kids’ club and two-bedroom villas, including a lagoon villa with its own slide into the water. There is the Moksha spa, a small heritage museum and art gallery, and a choice of transfers: a 45-minute seaplane, or a 30-minute flight to Ifuru and 20 minutes by speedboat.

Skip it if you want a quiet, adults-only island. Cora Cora is lively and family-friendly.

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Marine life

The Big 5 of Raa Atoll

Alila Kothaifaru sums up Raa’s marine life as a Big 5: manta rays, dolphins, sharks, turtles and whale sharks. You will not see all five every week, but the reefs are healthy and quiet, and resort dive centres share their sites with far fewer boats than in Baa or Ari.

1Manta raysRaa has manta cleaning stations, and resorts run guided trips. Four Seasons, for one, schedules its Raa manta excursions from January to April.
2DolphinsDolphins are often seen on sunset cruises across the atoll.
3Reef sharksReef sharks are a common sight on house reefs and in the channels.
4TurtlesTurtles are regular visitors to most Raa house reefs.
5Whale sharksRarer here than in South Ari, but they do pass through, which is why Alila counts them in its Big 5 of Raa.

Scuba diver beside a dense school of yellow snapper on a reef in Raa Atoll, Maldives — Raa's reefs see far fewer dive boats than Baa's. Photo: Alila Kothaifaru Maldives.

Getting there

How to get to Raa Atoll

Raa is further from Malé than Baa, so check your landing time. Seaplanes fly in daylight only. When you land later, resorts such as Niva Dhigali switch you to the domestic flight and speedboat: Dhigali does this for arrivals between 3 pm and 4.30 pm.

By seaplane

Land in MaléMeet the resort team in arrivals
Seaplane loungeA short transfer to the seaplane terminal
40 to 45 minDaylight flight straight to the resort jetty

By domestic flight and boat

Land in MaléCheck in for the domestic flight
About 30 minFly to Ifuru, Raa’s airport, opened in 2014
About 20 minSpeedboat to Cora Cora, Dhigali and other Raa resorts

Seaplane and speedboats moored at the jetty of Niva Dhigali, Raa Atoll — Raa resorts are reached by seaplane or by domestic flight and speedboat. Photo: Niva Dhigali Maldives.

At a glance

Raa Atoll luxury resorts compared

Resort	From Malé	Villas	Largest unit	Children	Best for
1JOALI	Seaplane, about 40 min	73 villas and residences, all with pools	Three-bedroom beach and ocean residences	Muramas kids’ club	Couples, families, design lovers Get a quote
2JOALI BEING	Seaplane, about 40 min	68 villas and residences, all with pools	Four Bedroom Beach Residence, 1,260 sqm with two pools	Welcome in family villas	Wellness, couples, solo travellers Get a quote
3Alila Kothaifaru	Seaplane, 45 min	80 pool villas	Beach Pool Villa, 202 sqm	Children welcome	Couples, honeymoons, snorkellers Get a quote
4Niva Dhigali	Seaplane, or flight to Ifuru and speedboat	166 villas	Two-Bedroom Deluxe Beach Bungalow, 184 sqm	PLAY kids’ club, kids’ pool	Families, divers, value Get a quote
5Cora Cora	Seaplane 45 min, or flight to Ifuru and 20 min by speedboat	100 villas	Two Bedroom Lagoon Pool Villa with Slide, 234 sqm	CoRa kids’ club	Families, food lovers, value Get a quote

Transfer times are from Velana International Airport. Facts from resort factsheets and media kits, 2025 to 2026. Compare them on every score.

Choose

Other resorts in Raa Atoll

Raa has plenty of other resorts outside our luxury shortlist, several of them good value.

Why book Raa Atoll with HolidayVibe

Trusted brand

HolidayVibe is a trusted brand in the Maldives travel industry, licensed by the Ministry of Tourism (MOT.O1.RS.TA.25.RD9933).

Luxury travel experts in the Maldives

We are based in Malé and plan Raa stays every week. Our quotes are often better value than booking sites, and we will always tell you honestly which island fits.

How booking with us works

1Tell us your datesWho is travelling, your flights and roughly what you want to spend.
2Get a Raa shortlistTwo or three resorts that fit, with the right villa and meal plan at each.
3Receive a written quoteVilla, meals, seaplane or flight, taxes and green tax, all in one total.
4We book everythingIncluding the transfer that matches your landing time.
5One WhatsApp chatFrom the first question to the flight home.

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Questions

Luxury resorts in Raa Atoll: your questions answered

Which are the best luxury resorts in Raa Atoll?

Our five are JOALI Maldives, JOALI BEING, Alila Kothaifaru, Niva Dhigali and Cora Cora. JOALI is best for art and design, JOALI BEING for wellness, Alila for couples, and Cora Cora and Dhigali for all-inclusive family holidays.

Raa or Baa: which atoll is better?

Baa has the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and the Hanifaru Bay manta season from roughly June to November. Raa, just to the north, has newer resorts, similar marine life and fewer boats on each dive site, with a slightly longer seaplane flight of 40 to 45 minutes.

How do you get to Raa Atoll?

By seaplane in about 40 to 45 minutes, in daylight only, or by a domestic flight of about 30 minutes to Ifuru, which opened in 2014, followed by a speedboat. Cora Cora is about 20 minutes by speedboat from Ifuru.

What if my flight lands in the afternoon?

Seaplanes stop in the mid-afternoon. Some Raa resorts switch you to the domestic flight and speedboat instead: Niva Dhigali, for example, does this for arrivals between 3 pm and 4.30 pm. Later than that, a night in Malé may be needed, and we plan it for you.

Can you see manta rays in Raa Atoll?

Yes. Raa has manta cleaning stations, and resorts run guided snorkelling trips. Four Seasons schedules its Raa manta excursions from January to April. For the big seasonal gatherings at Hanifaru Bay, look at Baa Atoll from June to November.

Which Raa resort is best for an all-inclusive holiday?

Cora Cora and Niva Dhigali, both built around premium all-inclusive plans that cover à la carte restaurants, premium drinks and the minibar. See our luxury all-inclusive guide for more.

Which Raa resort is best for families?

Cora Cora and Niva Dhigali have kids’ clubs and family villas, and Cora Cora has a two-bedroom lagoon villa with its own slide. JOALI has the Muramas kids’ club and three-bedroom residences.

How much does a luxury holiday in Raa Atoll cost?

It depends on the resort, villa, meal plan, transfer and dates, and rates change often, so we do not publish live rates. Tell us your dates and who is travelling and we will quote two or three Raa resorts side by side.

More Raa and luxury Maldives guides

Tell us your dates and we will find your Raa island

Send us your dates, flight times and who is coming. We will suggest the Raa resorts that suit you, check whether you can fly by seaplane or need the Ifuru flight, and quote the villa, meal plan and transfer together.

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Written by Abdulla Maseeh, HolidayVibe Maldives, Malé. Updated 27 October 2026. Resort details from resort factsheets, presentations and media kits (2024 to 2026). Scores from our published comparison method.