Como Cocoa Island

On a teardrop-shaped island in South Malé Atoll, twenty-five kilometres from Velana International Airport, Como Cocoa Island is among the smallest resort islands in the Maldives, with an intimate atmosphere that comes naturally from a property where the distance between the two ends of the island takes minutes to walk rather than the longer transit times of the larger resorts. The 33 over-water suites are designed in a dhoni-inspired form — the traditional Maldivian fishing boat — with gabled roofs whose aesthetic reference connects the architecture to the island culture of the atoll rather than to the generic tropical luxury typology. The house reef, accessible by ladder from each suite’s private deck, provides direct entry to a coral garden of good health and diversity for snorkelling at any hour.

The Como wellness programme at Cocoa Island applies the Shambhala diet and holistic treatment philosophy with the full rigour of the Como standard, and the spa’s position at the island’s tip — surrounded by water in three directions — amplifies the contemplative quality of the treatment experience. The diving programme in South Malé Atoll covers several of the most consistently productive dive sites in the central Maldives, including the Cocoa Thila pinnacle, which supports large grouper, Napoleon wrasse, and passing pelagic species. The restaurant’s menu draws on Asian-influenced cuisine using the freshest available seafood from the surrounding atoll.

Como Cocoa Island’s scale gives it the character of a private island retreat rather than a resort, with a guest count small enough that the service is genuinely personal and the rhythms of the day shaped by the atoll environment rather than by a resort programme designed for larger numbers. The island’s proximity to Malé also makes it a natural choice for guests combining a Maldivian island stay with time in the capital’s mosques, markets, and evolving cultural institutions.