Vaagali Maldives Resort To Open In Late 2026

Published on Dec 11, 2025, 10:50 am CST

8 min read

Key points

IHG has signed Vaagali Maldives, Vignette Collection, a 52 villa resort in South Male Atoll set to open in late 2026
The all villa island will sit a 30 minute speedboat ride from Velana International Airport and feature land and overwater pool villas with private yoga pavilions
Naturally formed underwater caves around Vaagali support diving and snorkelling, positioning the resort for marine focused experiences
Plans call for a 3,000 square metre spa with aqua wellness, a freshwater pool, sports complex, paddle courts, kids club, and five dining venues
Sustainability measures include coral restoration, reef health monitoring, reduced single use plastics, and protection of native vegetation
The opening will become IHG's sixth property in the Maldives, as the country targets 2.3 million tourist arrivals in 2025 after reaching 1.7 million visitors by late October

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the biggest impact on premium leisure demand in South Male Atoll, especially for travellers combining diving, wellness, and small scale luxury stays
Best Times To Travel: Peak dry season from December to March will remain most popular, so value seekers should look at shoulder months once the resort opens in late 2026
Onward Travel And Changes: Travellers will route through Velana International Airport, then transfer by 30 minute speedboat, so itineraries should allow buffer for evening arrivals and weather delays
What Travelers Should Do Now: Travellers planning high end Maldives trips for late 2026 and 2027 should watch for booking opening dates, compare Vaagali with existing South Male islands, and lock in cancellable rates
Health And Safety Factors: Travellers should continue to track national advisories for the Maldives, and choose flexible bookings and travel insurance that cover weather and medical disruptions

IHG Hotels and Resorts has signed Vaagali Maldives, Vignette Collection, a 52 villa private island resort in South Male Atoll, scheduled to open in late 2026. The all villa property will sit a 30 minute speedboat ride from Velana International Airport (MLE), bringing a new small scale luxury option to one of the Maldives most accessible atolls. For travellers, the project adds another contender in the high end villa space, especially for those who are willing to trade size and nightlife for diving, wellness, and a quieter, family rooted story.

The Vaagali Maldives resort opening 2026 gives long haul visitors another branded choice close to the capital while still feeling removed from Male's busy channels and shipping lanes. It is aimed squarely at premium leisure travellers, including couples, multi generational families, and small groups looking for one to three bedroom pool villas with a heavier emphasis on spa and marine experiences rather than party focused amenities.

The nut of the change is that once Vaagali Maldives opens, travellers considering South Male Atoll will have another boutique scale resort option that mixes Vignette Collection branding with family ownership, underwater caves, and a strong sustainability message, widening the range of styles and price points near the main international gateway.

What IHG Is Building On Vaagali Island

According to IHG, Vaagali Maldives, Vignette Collection will offer 52 villas split between land and overwater categories, with one, two, and three bedroom pool villas, each designed with a private yoga pavilion. Plans also call for a 3,000 square metre spa with aqua wellness features and structured wellness programmes, a natural freshwater swimming pool, a sports complex including paddle courts, a kids club, and five distinct dining experiences.

The brand positioning leans on Vignette Collection's promise of one of a kind hotels that keep a strong local story. In Vaagali's case, that story is a Maldivian family that has used the island as a private sanctuary for decades and is now commercialising it in partnership with IHG. For travellers, that should translate to a smaller overall footprint than some large resort islands, more emphasis on place specific design cues, and potentially a quieter evening atmosphere than big entertainment led properties.

South Male Atoll is already a familiar name for holidaymakers who want to minimise transfer time after an overnight flight. Existing resorts like Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives are also reached by speedboat in under an hour, avoiding the cost, luggage limits, and possible weather disruption of domestic flights or seaplane hops further north and south.

Underwater Caves And Marine Experiences

One of Vaagali's standout features is its naturally formed underwater caves, a relatively rare geological feature in the Maldives that has already made the surrounding area a recognised dive site. Dive guides describe a mix of swim throughs, overhangs, and terraces between about 8 and 20 metres, with sightings that can include whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, groupers, bannerfish schools, and other pelagic visitors along the reef wall and channel.

For guests, this means the island is likely to be marketed heavily to divers and snorkellers who want more structure than a standard house reef, but who are not necessarily signing up for liveaboard level itineraries. The caves should also appeal to underwater photographers, provided conditions and currents are suitable. Travellers who are new to diving can expect the resort to offer training and guided dives that fold these sites into a beginner friendly progression.

Snorkelling opportunities are likely to be strongest around the reef edges and channels, especially on days with calmer seas and good visibility. However, as with any atoll channel site, currents can be strong and conditions can change quickly, so travellers should assume that some days will be better suited to pool and spa time than to open water activities.

Sustainability And Design Focus

IHG and the owners are positioning Vaagali as a sustainability focused project from the start. Announced measures include coral restoration and reef health monitoring, efforts to cut single use plastics, responsible energy and waste management, and protection and regeneration of native vegetation on the island. Locally sourced materials and craft led design elements are expected to show up in finishes and public spaces, reinforcing a more Maldivian sense of place.

For travellers, the operational details will matter more than the buzzwords. Concrete signs of follow through to watch for once the resort opens include whether snorkelling briefings emphasise reef safe behaviour, what kind of on site marine biology or conservation programmes are funded, and how the resort manages lighting, noise, and boat traffic around sensitive areas. Guests who prioritise lower impact stays should also compare Vaagali's policies with those at other Maldives properties that publish detailed sustainability reports.

Where Vaagali Fits In IHG's Maldives Strategy

Vaagali Maldives will be IHG's sixth property in the country, joining two Six Senses resorts, InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort, Noku Maldives, Vignette Collection, and Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives. Noku Maldives only joined the Vignette Collection portfolio in late 2025, giving the brand its first foothold in the Maldives ahead of Vaagali's opening.

In practice, this gives IHG a ladder of price points and experiences that runs from upper midscale and family oriented at Kandooma, through wellness and barefoot luxury at the Six Senses properties, to more intimate luxury at Noku and the forthcoming Vaagali resort. Travellers who prefer to keep their stays within a single loyalty ecosystem will have more flexibility to mix atolls and brands while still earning or redeeming IHG One Rewards points.

Maldives Demand And Booking Outlook

Maldives tourism has continued to grow, with more than 1.7 million international arrivals recorded between January and late October 2025, around 10 percent higher than the same period in 2024. The country remains on track to hit a government target of about 2.3 million arrivals by year end, building on a record of roughly 2 million visitors in 2024.

That steady demand is one reason why new properties like Vaagali continue to move forward despite global economic uncertainty. For travellers, it means that peak season dates in January, February, and March can sell out quickly across popular atolls, and that rates at high end resorts are unlikely to soften dramatically. Once Vaagali opens, it will add capacity in South Male Atoll, but as a 52 villa property it will not change pricing dynamics across the destination.

Travellers who want to try Vaagali specifically should treat opening season as a time when teething problems are possible, from staffing to service flow, but when soft opening offers or value adds may appear. Those who prioritise completely smooth operations may prefer to target late 2027 after the resort has settled into a rhythm, particularly if they are travelling for honeymoons or once in a decade family trips.

Transfers, Safety, And Practical Planning

Most visitors will arrive through Velana International Airport, then transfer by speedboat, which removes the need to connect to domestic flights but still leaves room for weather disruption. Stormy seas, strong winds, or late arriving long haul flights can delay or compress same day transfer windows, so travellers should avoid very tight airline connections on departure days and allow time for delays at both ends of the trip.

The Maldives currently sits under a Level 2, exercise increased caution, travel advisory from the United States, largely because of terrorism concerns that focus on locations frequented by tourists, including remote islands. This does not mean that resort travel is unsafe, but it does underline the need for standard precautions, such as situational awareness, avoiding demonstrations, and making sure emergency contacts and travel insurance details are in place before departure.

For deeper planning, readers can pair this resort specific news with a broader Maldives country guide and any Adept coverage of travel advisories or changes to entry rules for the islands, then decide whether to lock in dates early or to wait for more detail on room categories, opening offers, and soft launch timing. Related internal reading could include a Maldives travel planning guide that explains resort transfer types, seaplane versus speedboat trade offs, and how to align flight times with resort schedules, plus any future Adept news piece focused on the Maldives travel advisory and how it affects resort stays.