Filitheyo is a 500m wide and 900m long idyllic private island set on the eastern outer reef of Faafu Atoll. Just one of five inhabited islands in the atoll, this solitary resort is surrounded by a velvet soft beach, tropical foliage and stunning lagoon.
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Excellent house reef surrounds the island resort and has seven entry points. Known to be one of the best house reefs in the Maldives for divers and snorkelers, it is home to an array of marine life, a colourful wall on the north side and two shipwrecks. Marine life highlights in the house reef can include colourful reef fish, rays, turtles, sharks, lobsters as well as ghost pipefish, Napoleon wrasse, reef sharks, nurse sharks and frogfish. The north side of the house reef drops away to over 50m, where divers are sometimes lucky enough to spot whale sharks and manta rays.
Our partner dive and snorkel centre offers daily excursions to over 30 local sites within the atoll, all of which can be reached in less than an hour. Highlights here can include shallow coral gardens which are excellent for snorkelers and easy diving, with colourful hard and soft corals and schools of snapper. There are also exciting channel dives on the outer reefs with chances to encounter white tip reef sharks, eagle rays, barracuda, tuna and other pelagics. Away from currents, reef dives can include with caves, overhangs, coral blocks and great opportunities for macro photographers. . The secluded nature of the resort means that these reefs are normally exclusive to divers from this resort.
Reef Health in Faafu Atoll
As with almost everywhere in the Maldives, some of the shallow reefs here have been affected by coral bleaching, particularly during the 2014 - 2016 El Niño events. We have reviewed coral reef surveys conducted across 71 sites in 11 atolls, conducted within a 0 - 13m depth range. Eight of those sites surveyed can be defined as Hope Spots where by 2016, there was less than 45% incidence of coral bleaching and more than 25% live coral cover. Of these eight Hope Spots, four of them are within Faafu atoll. Fortunately, all reefs in the Maldives, including Faafu Atoll, have benefited from the opportunity to recover since 2016.
Our dive centre partners observe that their house reef is doing relatively well with some shallow sections more affected than others. Those sections in better health are mainly the deeper sites and reefs close to, or in the channels which are exposed to greater current. Marine life is good on the atoll and on the house reef. In some of the calmer areas there are some good table corals to be found.
Best time to see Manta Rays
Manta Rays can turn up at any time of the year on the island's house reef, but between December and April a cleaning station aptly called Manta Point provides increased potential to see them. Sea depth at Manta Point is 15 - 30 metres and between December to April, or partner dive centre will conduct boat dives there on average 2 - 3 times per week (2 dives possible on each boat trip).
Resort Details
| No of rooms: | 125 |
| Board options: | Half Board, Full Board or All Inclusive |
| Great for: | Diving, Snorkeling, Honeymoon, Family |
| Getting there: | Seaplane (approx. 35 minutes) + short dhoni transfer |
The resort is home to two restaurants, two bars, infinity pool adjacent to the sea complete with swim-up bar, spa, small gym, library, gardens with ornamental pond, a range of watersports, dive centre and offers optional excursions including island hopping to local uninhabited islands. The watersports centre offers a range of activities including windsurfing, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding and catamaran sailing.
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Accommodation Options
| Located on the eastern side of the island, the beachfront semi-detached Superior Villas are equipped with a king size four poster or twin beds, private verandah with day bed and a semi-open air bathroom with outdoor shower ... more | |
| Located on the western side of the island, the beachfront detached Deluxe Villas are equipped with a king size four poster or twin beds, private verandah with day bed, semi-open air bathroom with outdoor shower and bathtub ... more | |
| Standing on stilts over the lagoon, the spacious Water Villas have a king size four poster or twin beds, large bathroom with Jacuzzi, day bed and a private sundeck with and private steps leading directly into the water ... more |
All rooms are comfortably equipped with air-conditioning, Satellite TV, tea and coffee making facilities, mini bar and a personal safe.
