Haa Alifu Atoll Deals

Haa Alifu is the Maldives' northernmost atoll — part of Thiladhunmathi, the long chain that marks the top of the archipelago, roughly 300 kilometres north of Malé. Up here the resorts are few and far between, the islands run larger than the central-atoll norm, and the lagoons are shared with fishing villages rather than with other hotels.

The distance from the capital is the point. Resorts in the far north sit on islands big enough for real gardens, long stretches of empty beach and sandbanks that walk out for hundreds of metres at low tide — room to spread out that the compact islands near Malé simply can't offer. House reefs here see a fraction of the snorkellers the central atolls do.

Getting there is a seaplane flight of a little over an hour straight from Velana International Airport, or a domestic flight to Hanimaadhoo followed by a short speedboat ride. Either way the approach — a scatter of green islands in a sheet of turquoise with almost nothing built on them — sets the tone for the stay.

December to April is the dry season with glassy water and the clearest visibility; May to November brings the south-west monsoon's occasional showers, greener islands and the plankton that draws mantas and whale sharks to the channels. When our Haa Alifu deals are live, they're all-inclusive stays with the transfers already in the price.