Quick Facts

Class:

Location:

Transfer Type:
Transfer Duration:

Island Size:

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Highlights:

★★★★★

South Malè Atoll

Speedboat
30-40 minutes

Very small

33

• Easy access from Malè
• Great house reef

• Very small & intimate
• Excellent service

Reviewed by Florian

Introduction

COMO Cocoa Island is one of the most intimate and peaceful resorts in the Maldives and one of our top recommendations for couples. With only 33 villas, it’s a tiny island that feels incredibly private and cal, the kind of place where you truly disconnect from everything. It’s not about extravagant luxury or over-the-top design. Instead, it’s all about simplicity, natural beauty, and total tranquility.

We stayed here for a few nights to experience this iconic property, known for its unique “dhoni boat” villas and minimalist style. It turned out to be a beautiful, slow-paced escape that felt incredibly relaxing.

Transfers & Arrival

Let’s start this review of COMO Cocoa Island Maldives with the transfers and arrival.

Reaching COMO Cocoa Island is very easy and fast. It’s just a 30 to 40-minute speedboat transfer from Malé airport, depending on the sea conditions. The short ride makes it one of the most convenient high-end resorts to reach, which is great if you want to avoid the seaplane.

When we arrived, we were warmly greeted at the jetty by the resort manager and our butler, who turned out to be one of the highlights of our stay. After a quick check-in, he walked us to our villa, no buggy, no bikes here, just a peaceful stroll through the island’s soft sand paths. That walk alone already gave us a feel for the resort: small, calm, and beautifully quiet.

Our villa: Two Bedroom COMO Sunrise Villa (N°1005)

We stayed in the Two Bedroom COMO Sunrise Villa (N°1005), which is one of the most beautiful villas we’ve ever stayed in. The villa is stunning: very large, modern but with a minimalist aesthetic that perfectly fits the atmosphere of the island.

The pool is huge, and the outdoor area feels completely private, facing the lagoon with an open, uninterrupted view of the ocean. The villa is located at the very end of the walkway, so it feels totally secluded. Inside, everything is bright, elegant, and filled with natural light. This is Exactly what you’d expect from COMO’s design philosophy.

We loved spending time outside, swimming in our pool, or watching the sunrise directly from our deck. It’s a really peaceful and intimate experience and would definitely recommend this villa for anyone traveling with family or friends.

The Island: nice, but far from perfect

COMO Cocoa Island is tiny, you can walk from one end to the other in just a few minutes. There are no buggies or bikes, because everything is within walking distance, which adds to the charm and sense of simplicity.

The lagoon surrounding the island is a bit mixed. On one side, especially near the reef and in front of the Dhoni water villas, the colors are absolutely beautiful: turquoise, clear, and full of marine life. But on the other side and near the beaches, we noticed a lot of seaweed, which makes the lagoon look less picture-perfect. If you want the best beaches in the Maldives, this is not the right resort for you.

Overall, the island is still very charming, but if you’re looking for a resort with long stretches of beach or dramatic blue lagoons, this might not be the most beautiful one in the Maldives. It’s more about intimacy and peace than postcard beauty.

The Service: really excellent!

Let’s continue this review of COMO Cocoa Island with the service.

Service at COMO Cocoa Island is one of its greatest strengths. Because the resort is so small, the service feels incredibly personal. It’s nothing like what you get at larger properties.

Here, your butler also acts as your waiter and even your housekeeper, meaning one person takes care of almost everything for you. It’s a very special concept, and it works beautifully. Our butler was genuinely amazing. He knew exactly what we liked, when we usually ate, and even our coffee preferences after just one day.

This kind of personalized service makes the experience feel much more human, warm, and memorable. It’s one of the main reasons why we’d go back to COMO Cocoa Island.

Dining: only one restaurant

Since COMO Cocoa Island is such a small resort, there’s only one restaurant, but it’s excellent. The menu changes every day, so you never get bored, and everything is prepared with care and attention to detail.

The food is very much in line with COMO’s philosophy: healthy, light, and fresh. Don’t expect a huge buffet or heavy international cuisine. It’s more refined, focused on quality over quantity.

Breakfast is one of the highlights: a small buffet with a generous à la carte menu, offering delicious dishes like avocado toast, açai bowls, and freshly baked pastries. Lunch and dinner were always great as well. Every meal felt fresh and balanced, and you could tell that the ingredients were top-quality.

This is definitely one of the favorite parts of our review of COMO Cocoa Island.

The Spa & Gym

The COMO Shambhala Spa is absolutely beautiful. It’s not overwater like in many other resorts, but instead surrounded by lush greenery, creating a peaceful and natural atmosphere. What makes it truly unique is that it has the only hydrotherapy pool in the Maldives, which is a very special and rare feature.

We had a massage during our stay, and it was excellent. Probably one of the best spa experiences we’ve had in the Maldives, thanks to the quality of the therapists and the serenity of the setting.

The gym is quite small, but very clean and well-equipped with modern machines. For such a small resort, it’s more than enough.

The Main Pool

The main pool at COMO Cocoa Island is lovely: peaceful, elegant, and always quiet. Because the island is so small and most guests spend time either in their private pool, swimming in the lagoon or snorkeling on the house reef, we often had the pool area completely to ourselves.

It’s a great place to relax with a book or enjoy a drink in total silence. The view of the lagoon from there is beautiful, even though, depending on the tides, it can sometimes look shallow and less turquoise.

An amazing house reef for snorkeling

If you love snorkeling, COMO Cocoa Island is a fantastic choice. The house reef is excellent, especially considering how close the resort is to Malé.

It’s very easy to access, you can swim directly from the beach or enter from the jetty and once you’re in the water, it’s full of life. We saw sharks, turtles, rays, and huge schools of fish, all within minutes of entering the water.

The corals are in relatively good condition, much better than many resorts near the capital, and the current is mild, making it perfect even for less experienced snorkelers.

Value for money

Before moving to the conclusion of our review of COMO Cocoa Island, let’s talk about value for money.

The value for money at COMO Cocoa Island is really good. For a resort of this level, the pricing is surprisingly reasonable, especially considering the quality of service, the privacy of the villas, and the overall atmosphere.

It’s a property that feels high-end without being pretentious. That said, because the island is so small and there’s only one restaurant, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend staying for more than five nights. After that, it might start to feel repetitive.

For a short, relaxing, and peaceful Maldivian escape, though, it’s an excellent choice.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Very private and intimate resort

• Excellent personalized service

• Delicious and healthy food

• Great house reef for snorkeling

• Hydrotherapy pool at the spa

Cons

• Very small island, not much to do

• Only one restaurant

• Lagoon not always picture-perfect

• Limited space and activities for long stays

Conclusion: a great resort, ideal for short stays

Our review of COMO Cocoa Island Maldives is overwhelmingly positive. It’s a truly special resort: small, peaceful, and authentic, offering an atmosphere you rarely find in the Maldives today.

It’s the kind of place where you go to completely disconnect, enjoy silence, and be taken care of. Everything feels effortless, personal, and serene.

It may not be the most visually striking island or the most luxurious resort in the Maldives, but it’s one of the most genuine and heartfelt experiences we’ve had, and that, in itself, makes it a real gem.

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

COMO Cocoa Island Resort Tour