TOP 10 Best & Most Exclusive Beach Resorts in the World

About The Resorts Collection and our luxury portfolio

The Resorts Collection is a luxury travel agency specialised in the most exclusive and unique resorts in the world, with a main focus on tropical and beach destinations.

Over the years, we’ve had the chance to visit the most amazing places and most unreal resorts around the world, giving us first-hand experience to recommend the most appropriate resorts to our guests.

If you have any questions about the resorts below or want any help to plan your dream getaway to the most unique destinations, feel free to contact us.

The 10 best luxury beach resorts in the world with next-level exclusivity

Below are ten resorts that represent the highest level of privacy, service, and location. For each of these luxury resorts, we tell you why they appear on our ranking of the most exclusive beach resorts in the world.

As a summary, here are the 10 best and most exclusive beach resorts in the world for 2025:

1. Soneva Secret (Maldives)

2. Fregate Island (Seychelles)

3. North Island (Seychelles)

4. Kudadoo Private Island (Maldives)

5. Shebara Resort (Saudi Arabia)

6. Como Laucala Island (Fiji)

7. Kisawa Sanctuary (Mozambique)

8. Six Senses Zighy Bay (Oman)

9. St Regis Bora Bora (French Polynesia)

10. The Nautilus (Maldives)

Soneva Secret, Maldives

On top of our list of the best and most exclusive beach resorts in the world comes Soneva Secret.

We found soneva secret to feel deliberately small, built around the idea that a handful of villas makes nearly everything possible. The island hosts just 14 villas, a choice that shapes daily life there: meal times are flexible because staff can prepare private dining on short notice, activities are scheduled to suit a single party, and everything is made as personnalised as possible.

From our point of view, exclusivity at Soneva Secret is practical rather than showy. Villas are a mix of beach and overwater designs, each with enough indoor and outdoor space to live in for several days, and the villa team works like a household staff, not a hotel front desk. The resort’s layout keeps neighbours distant, so walks along the shore often feel private even when the resort is at full capacity.

The small size also affects logistics in a positive way: boat or seaplane transfers are timed to the guest rather than to large arrival windows, which reduces waiting and stress. For travellers who measure exclusivity by space, quiet, and staff attention, Soneva Secret delivers in the best possible way.

This is really the most exclusive and our favorite luxury beach resorts in the world for 2025.

Fregate Island, Seychelles

On second position of this ranking of the best and most exclusive beach resorts in the world comes Fregate Island. This resort, which is currently closed for renovation and is planned to reopen in early 2026, is extremely close to perfection. It’s also why we’ve ranked it as the #1 best luxury resort in the Seychelles.

What is so special about Fregate Island is, first of all, the fact that it is located on a private island with more than 3000 huge tortoises. The nature at this resort is unmatched and guests will have plenty of time to explore, thanks to the private buggy assigned to each villa. Yes, you read that right: you’ll be able to drive your own buggy around the island, and, believe us, that’s pretty cool!

But what makes Fregate Island one of the best luxury beach resorts in the world, and without a doubt, one of the most exclusive, is the super limited number of villas. While we were there, the resort only counted 11 villas. There are now a bit more, with 17 planned for the reopening in 2026. The villas are extremely spacious, all with a huge private pool and unobstructed views on the ocean.

Food and service were also a highlight, as well as the natural beauty of the island with some of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever seen!

If you want to experience true luxury at one of the most exclusive beach resort in the world, you should really consider Fregate Island.

North Island, Seychelles

Let’s continue this top 10 of the best and most exclusive beach resorts in the world with North Island.

This resort is the direct competitor of Fregate Island and also delivers one of the best experiences ever. Located on a private island, it also boosts an extremely limited number of villas (11) and everything comes super close to perfect.

Food, service, villa size and comfort, you’ll get the best that luxury resorts have to offer. Even though some people may find the villas a bit old and not modern enough for the price point, we believe that the style, very raw and with natural elements, is really part of the global experience that North Island tries to deliver.

The beaches at North Island are definitely some of the most beautiful you will ever seen, and the all-inclusive package will enable you to enjoy your stay without ever having to think about costs (well…you paid enough before getting there, didn’t you?).

If you are looking for a ultra-luxury and super exclusive beach resort in the Seychelles that ranks among the very best properties in the world, North Island won’t disappoint!

Kudadoo Private Island, Maldives

When it comes to ultra-luxury and super exclusive beach resorts in the world, we have to talk about Kudadoo Private Island, Maldives.

This is currently our favorite luxury resort in the Maldives, and you’ll very soon understand why.

Kudadoo Private Island has a very unique concept: AAA, for Anything, Anytime, Anywhere. It is a next-level all-inclusive plan with everything included. You will get to enjoy unlimited spa treatments, water activities like jet-ski, water skiing, wakeboarding, flyboarding, diving, but also destination dinings on the beach or on a private sandbank and, of course, access to a very extensive list of premium champagnes and wine.

All this creates an experience like nowhere else and with the pure beauty of the Maldives.

Kudadoo Private Island really deserves to be among the 10 best and most exclusive resorts in the world, with just 15 overwater villas and a super small and beautiful island.

As you can imagine, the service there is excellent, super attentive and going above and beyond to make your stay memorable.

For more information about this resort, you can read our in-depth review of Kudadoo Private Island here.

Shebara Resort, Saudi Arabia

Opened at the end of 2024, Shebara has swiftly made a name as one of the best and most exclusive beach resorts in the world.

With just 73 villas (spread between overwater and beach) it stands out with a very unique and futuristic design. If you’ve seen photos of Shebara resort before, you most likely must have believed that it was AI generated.

The UFO-shaped villas are spacious and super comfortable with large private pools and the most amazing bed we’ve ever stayed at.

The property itself feels brand new, and while the vegetation still needs a few more years to grow nicely, everything there feels super luxurious and exclusive.

Service is extremely personnalised and the spa is one of the best in the world, with, without a doubt, the most comfortable massage bed we’ve tried in our life.

As it is located on the Saudi Arabia coast of the Red Sea, it also gives you access to some untouched reefs for snorkeling. We only had the chance to snorkel for 45 minutes, but we are already looking forward to going back and do way more snorkeling and diving, given how beautiful the reef was.

If you are looking for the best and most exclusive resorts in the world, Shebara SHOULD be on your list! Learn more in our detailed review of Shebara Resort.

Como Laucala Island, Fiji

Next in our ranking of the best and most exclusive resorts in the world is Como Laucala Island in the Fiji.

This place reads as an owner-managed estate: villas are large and the island has the infrastructure to support genuinely private options, everything from farms and a golf course to bespoke outdoor activities. The scale is different from a standard resort, and you notice that in the villa staffing model, which operates more like a private household than a hotel.

Daily life is designed to be leisurely: villa managers coordinate everything, chefs adapt menus to your tastes, and activities can be scheduled to your timetable rather than the resort’s.

If you are booking for a family or a small group and want the feel of a private island with broad amenities, laucala gives you space and a team that treats requests as household tasks rather than service transactions.

With its very high price tag and super limited number of villas, it really ranks among the most exclusive beach resorts in the world in 2025.

Kisawa Sanctuary, Mozambique

At number seven in our ranking of the best and most exclusive beach resorts in the world sits Kisawa Sanctuary. With just 8 residences, this is as exclusive as it is going to get and you can be sure to live an experience like nowhere else.

The luxury there starts, for most guests, with a Helicopter transfer to the resort, in order to arrive in style.

The property is like a cluster of individual beach houses rather than a single hotel block, and that layout matters: each unit has a clear sense of territory, a private deck or pool, and easy access to the beach.

What we liked most was the straightforward, unshowy approach to exclusivity. The service is really at the highest level, with each and every member of the staff knowing you by name and knowing your preferences, likes and dislikes.

If you value time on a wild, less developed coast, Kisawa’s combination of roomy beachhouses, simple but efficient service, and authentic local experiences make it a quietly compelling choice. It is not about flashy design or headline wellness, it is about getting good, private days by the ocean without hassle. If your idea of exclusivity is space, calm, and easy access to genuine coastal life, Kisawa Sanctuary will be one of our most recommended exclusive luxury beach resorts in the world.

Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman

To continue in our list of the most exclusive beach resorts in the world, we’ll move to Six Senses Zighy Bay, a beautiful property on the coasts of Oman.

Even though the number of villas is much higher (82) than other contenders in this ranking of the most exclusive beach resorts, it is still a truly unique and beautiful property that you should consider.

Villas are great, spacious and all with private pools. We would recommend a beachfront villa in order to get the direct access to the beach, which the entry-category villas don’t have.

As always with Six Senses, nature and eco-friendliness is at the core of everything. So you can experience luxury while still protecting the environment. It’s not just about greenwashing at Six Senses, the initiatives are real, and you should definitely do the eco tour while staying at Six Senses Zighy Bay. That will help you understand all the initiatives implemented in order to reduce their environmental impact.

The service is excellent, even though less personalised than resorts like Soneva Secret, Fregate Island, or Kudadoo, but still extremely friendly and helpful.

Food is a key highlight at this resort, as you would expect at one of the most exclusive luxury beach resort in the world.

St Regis Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Let’s move to the other part of the world for an other ultra-exclusive and world-famous beach resort: The St Regis, Bora Bora.

This property is likely one of the most famous luxury accomodations in the world, with its unique view on the Mount Otemanu.

The number of villas at St Regis Bora Bora is much higher than at other resorts listed in this ranking, but it still remains an ultra exclusive property totally worth adding to your bucket-list.

The villas are spacious, some with private pools (but most without) and the service is of very high standards, as expected in such resort.

Food was a little bit disappointing at breakfast, but the dining outlets for lunch and dinner were excellent.

If you want to travel to one of the best resorts in Bora Bora, and one of the most exclusive beach resorts in the world, make sure to add St Regis to your list.

The Nautilus, Maldives

Last but not least in this top 10 of the most exclusive beach resorts in the world: The Nautilus, Maldives.

With just 28 villas (11 overwater and 17 on land), this resort stands as one of the very best in the Maldives, and definitely one of the most exclusive in the world.

In addition to super spacious and comfortable villas, its key highlight is the food. You can expect Michelin level food everytime you go to a restaurant at The Nautilus.

Given its small size, it is able to deliver super personalised service and each villa will come with its private buttler, here to assist you for all your needs.

During our stay at the Nautilus, we stayed in an Ocean House, but, if you’re more into beach, we would very strongly recommend the Beach Houses, which are some of the best in the Maldives.

Finally, if you like underwater life, you should defiitely explore the house reef at The Nautilus, as it is one of the best, with excellent marine life and pretty healthy corals.

The Nautilus is an excellent option for anyone looking for the best and most exclusive resorts in the world.

Conclusion: why these resorts set the standard for exclusivity

Luxury and exclusivity in resorts comes down to a few things: small size of the resort, excellent and personalised service, Michelin-level food and high price tags. Without the latter, it would not be so exclusive, would it?

If you are looking for the best and most exclusive beach resorts in the world, these 10 contenders should suit your needs. Between the Maldives, Seychelles, French Polynesia, Fiji, Mozambique or Middle East, your dream escape is just waiting for you.

If you had to choose only ONE in this list, our top recommendation would be Soneva Secret, with the Soneva Unlimited package. This will give you an experience like you most likely never had before.

Contact us for more information or to book with the most competitive rates.