If you have been to the Maldives before (read our guide to the Maldives), lingered over a sunset cocktail and woken to the sound of the tide beneath your villa floor, the question is what comes next? The answer is Nala. Opened on 1 December 2025, Nala Maldives by Jawakara Islands is the latest addition to Crown & Champa Resorts’ portfolio. Set on a 10-hectare island in Lhaviyani Atoll, just 35 minutes by seaplane from Velana International Airport. Adults only in format, and deliberately intimate.
What differentiates Nala from other hotel experiences in the Maldives is its dual-island concept. Guests have access not only to the seclusion of Nala itself, but also to the fuller roster of restaurants, sports facilities, and experiences at the neighbouring Jawakara Island, a convenient three minutes away by speedboat.
Nala’s 80 one-bedroom villas are arranged across four categories: Sunrise Beach Villas, Romantic Beach Villas, Sunset Beach Pool Villas, and Ocean Pool Villas. Tropical interiors give way to private porches, select villas run on solar-powered energy systems, and every category offers either a private pool or direct lagoon access. The views, in every direction, are uninterrupted.
The Sulha Spa has a Himalayan Salt Room, Red-Light Therapy Room, Sauna, and Cold Bath, sitting alongside a full menu of treatments: traditional massage, hydrotherapy, Ayurveda therapies, yoga, and organic skincare rituals. It is a programme that understands wellness not as an add-on, but as the point.
Three dining destinations are on offer. Velu presents international cuisine through live cooking stations, Milos brings a Mediterranean sensibility to the lagoon’s edge and Kumo offers vibrant Asian flavours for those who prefer spice over salt air.
On the water, kayaking, windsurfing, catamaran sailing, snorkelling, wakeboarding, and jet skiing are all on offer and below sea diving in partnership with Prodivers Maldives, with access to more than 60 sites across Lhaviyani Atoll and a full suite of PADI-certified courses. On land, tennis, padel, futsal, volleyball, badminton, pétanque, and a serious fitness centre. And via Jawakara a 9 or 18-hole golf course, complete with a driving range.
The Details
Rates at Nala Maldives by Jawakara start from £750. Reservations and further information are available at nalamaldives.com.
