Thiladhoo Island, Baa Atoll
Maldives
Located in the heart of the renowned Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, The Nautilus Maldives is an ultra-luxury private island hideaway, enveloped by white sandy beaches and vibrant coral reefs – natural treasures we’re committed to conserving. Featuring just 26 boho-chic island houses and residences; ours is the only Maldives resort that offers a unique private island experience without the need for an exclusive buyout.
Your intimate island sanctuary takes bespoke luxury to a new level, boasting unrivalled space and utter privacy; personalised home comforts and a dedicated butler service; exquisite fine dining anytime, anywhere; and free-spirited experiences tailored to your every whim.
Conceptualised by a Maldivian hospitality icon and visionary entrepreneur who was instrumental in creating many award-winning resorts, The Nautilus is the result of his lifetime’s worth of expertise and represents what ultra-luxury should be – not just in the Maldives, but worldwide. The legacy of this visionary entrepreneurship is now carried forward by the next generation of the family. A celebration of the individual spirit, The Nautilus offers liberation and freedom unconditional.
Space to share, to meet, where guests are encouraged to be themselves and shape their own personal journey. Above all, The Nautilus champions it’s guests to reflect and celebrate with the people they’re with, in any way they choose. Because in the end, it’s these simple, elemental pleasures – that ability to simply be – that form the greatest luxury of all.
The Nautilus has gained phenomenal international recognition within just one year, most notably within Condé Nast Traveller’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2020 as the ‘Best Resort in the Indian Ocean’ and being recognised among the top 3 ‘Best Resorts in the World’. The Nautilus is also within Condé Nast Traveller’s highly prestigious ‘The Gold List’ 2021 as well as Tatler’s renowned Travel Awards 2021 as ‘Best Private Island Retreat’. Most recently, The Nautilus Maldives was named by Condé Nast Traveller’s 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards as one of the top resorts in the Indian Ocean and has also been recognised by TripAdvisor as one of the top 10% of hotels worldwide in the 2023 Travelers’ Choice Awards.
Highlights
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Time Stands Still - no clocks, schedules, opening or closing times.
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Unscripted Dining - eat when you’re hungry, create your own dishes and dine anytime – anywhere.
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CIP arrival service – direct pick up from the aircraft and individual escort to the exclusive CIP lounge (Maamehi Executive Lounge), no queuing for immigration and customs, minimised contact with other travellers
Location
Thiladhoo Island, Baa Atoll
Maldives
Immersed in the raw beauty of Baa Atoll at 5°15’44.4”N 73°09’18.6”E, in the middle of the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and renowned Hanifaru Bay, a hub for manta rays and whale sharks.
How to get here
The Nautilus encompasses 242 x 249m of natural beauty, merely 30 minutes from Velana International Airport, Malé, via private luxury Nautilus seaplane or shared seaplane. Alternatively, board a 20-minute domestic flight from Malé to Dharavandhoo Domestic Airport, then take a 20-minute speedboat. For guests arriving via their personal private jet, landing services are available at the international airport at Maafaru, followed by a direct transfer upon luxury yacht, Nautilus One.
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The Nautilus offers 26 ultra-private beach and overwater houses, each a world unto itself with spacious bedrooms including en-suite bathrooms and outdoor showers, a separate living room, a wide sundeck and a private temperature controlled infinity pool. Steps from azure seas, these bohemian, suite-style sanctuaries each come with private butler service. Whole-island bookings offer the ultimate in exclusivity.
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Early check-in/late check-out whenever possible
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Two children under 12 stay free and eat for free when dining with parents
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Private butler service (housemasters)
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Invitation to daily complimentary cocktails
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Complimentary deli-style small bites at Naiboli pool bar daily until sunset
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Temperature controlled freshwater private infinity pool
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Separate living room
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Packing/unpacking service
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Complimentary teas, coffee and tea/coffee machine
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Complimentary laundry service (four items, per villa, per day)
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Free wi-fi
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Personalised wine fridge (extra charge)
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Complimentary daily water and three soft drinks, Complimentary daily fruit platter
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Complimentary bottle of champagne on arrival
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Flat-screen satellite TV in each room with on-demand movies
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Spacious air-conditioned bathroom - Luxurious free standing bathtub Indoor walk-in rain shower
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Designer bathroom products - Penhaligons, Omorovicza, Maison Caulières, Hermès
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Personalised mini bar tailored to what you like to eat (extra charge)
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Free non-motorised watersports and use of snorkelling equipment
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24-hr access to fitness centre
This collection of 26 immensely private beach and ocean houses exists beyond the bounds of time. Our private Villas in the Maldives is a place where nothing is fixed, and anything is possible. Where you are free to set your own beat. Free to do – and to be – as you please.
Time Stands Still
The clock, it binds us. It ticks relentlessly, marching us forever forward with its unyielding beat. A tantalising slice of freedom in the Maldives’ stunning Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, The Nautilus offers life unbound. Every visitor to our shores discovers life’s rarest treasures. Gifts that money cannot buy – time, freedom, refuge.
The Nautilus transcends time. There are no clocks, no schedules, no opening or closing times. Here, every moment is fluid. Boundless freedom finds every guest…all in its own good time.
Unscripted Dining
The Nautilus delights in veering off-script. Eat when you’re hungry, have breakfast for dinner, sip champagne in bed. Curate your own dishes and dine anytime – anywhere.
Art of Bohemia
The Nautilus offers liberation - to share, to meet, to be yourself and celebrate with those who you love. In the end, it’s these simple, elemental pleasures that form the greatest luxury of all.
Free Spirited Experiences
Days dance to their own rhythm at The Nautilus. Impromptu adventures, bespoke wellness, starlit dinner dates: narratives unfold without an itinerary, and without inhibition.
Secluded and intimate, an entire island yours to command. Reserve The Nautilus for your family and friends to enjoy in complete and discreet privacy. Small and intimate weddings, opulent gatherings, anniversaries or multi-generational family reunions – whatever your occasion. The ultimate expression of liberation, forever etched in your memory.
Destination weddings (castaway wedding): Surrender to love’s embrace on the untouched shores of your own desert island or on a far-flung sandbank. Our wedding team will make all the preparations tailored to you before delivering you and your wedding party your dream event.
Destination weddings (boho beach wedding): Celebrate your much-anticipated union upon a private white sand beach all to yourself. Your vows will rise with the ocean-breeze, lofting over the surf in a timeless Maldivian wedding ceremony that both of you will never forget.
Meetings: The Nautilus has a private library/workspace by our reception, however your house or residence also has a fully equipped working desk station. The Nautilus’ workation package is most suitable for those who have a lot of work to complete during their stay. Any special work events or meetings our guests are participating in during their stay, their House Master can be of assistance in helping set up.
Activities
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Hanifaru Bay: just 15 minutes from The Nautilus, you may join the majestic manta rays in their whirling dervish. If you’re lucky, you can spot whale sharks too, at this beautiful marine reserve in the heart of Maldives UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
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Local island discovery – engage in the Maldivian culture and traditions by visiting a local island nearby The Nautilus
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Diving & snorkelling – Marvel at our house reef at the edge of the lagoon and with over 40 dive sites nearby The Nautilus, witness the majestic underwater world of the tourmaline Baa atoll seas.
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Complimentary non-motorised watersports: try your hand at wind sailing, paddle boarding, snorkelling and much more.
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Fishing: Fully equipped with all the best modern game fishing gadgets, put your skills to the test with the big-game tactics, or opt for bottom fishing if you prefer, and witness grouper, job fish, white snapper, barracudas or even emperor fish
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Fly in style: Step aboard The Nautilus’ private seaplane and take to the skies to witness the majestic views of Baa’s turquoise waters dotted with pearly white atolls. Enjoy this utterly liberating journey through the skies and admire the Indian Ocean from above returning to the island whenever you choose. Whether it’s a quick transfer to a nearby sandbank, an excursion to a remote island for snorkelling or a return trip to Malé – you are the captain and we tailor your flight plan to your needs.
Ocean House
Eight chic, stilted 282 sqm houses loom over the lagoon. An oval bedroom and separate expansive living room with a glass floor panel open up to a wide sundeck, with stairs descending to balmy blue seas. A private temperature controlled infinity pool gazes out to the horizon, while your glass-walled bathroom featuring Penhaligon’s bath amenities provide panoramic views of the brilliant Baa Atoll.
Beach House
Nine elegant 309 sqm beach houses line our silvery shores. Each spacious and elegant house is right on the beach, just steps from the ocean and house reef. An oval bedroom and separate expansive living room open up to a wide private sundeck, overlooking the beach, private temperature controlled pool and manicured gardens. A private, outdoor shower connects to the bathroom featuring Penhaligon’s bath amenities.
Ocean Residence
Two refined 453 sqm residences of bohemian bliss poised over the lagoon, both custom-furnished and richly decorated. Ocean residences feature a spacious living room with glass-floor panel and a separate bedroom. The dining room is adjoined by a powder room and wet bar, with doors that open up to an expansive sundeck with a private temperature controlled infinity pool and stairs into the ocean below. Expansive glass-walled bathroom featuring Penhaligon’s bath amenities.
Beach Residence
There are three of these elegant, 415 sqm beachfront residences, each a sanctuary of effortless chic. On the ground floor, spacious living and dining rooms with adjoining wet bar and powder room open to an expansive deck and a luxurious private temperature controlled infinity pool. Expansive bathroom featuring Penhaligon’s bath amenities. Upstairs, a sun-drenched king bedroom presides over glorious beach and ocean views. A terrace with a spiral staircase leads to the deck downstairs.
Two Bedroom Beach Residence
One extensive bedroom is on the ground floor, with living and dining rooms and a spacious master bedroom upstairs. These duplex 610 sqm residences ensure indulgent privacy and escape. Bespoke furnishings and curated objets d’art create a chic and cosy ambience, while panoramic views stream into every room. Expansive bathrooms featuring Penhaligon’s bath amenities. A private sundeck and azure private temperature controlled infinity pool sprawl from each of two residences across white, powder-fine sands.
The Nautilus Retreat
Sprawling on stilts over the lagoon, this 542 sqm two-bedroom residence boasts a wide, curved sundeck and sleek temperature controlled infinity pool for the quintessential Maldivian dream. Radiating from the central living and dining rooms, each bedroom offers brilliant sea views and an en-suite bathroom featuring a selection of Penhaligon’s or Hermés bath amenities. It’s a sanctuary for family reconnection, where lifelong memories are made.
The Nautilus Mansion
The 922 sqm Nautilus Mansion was designed by the owner as his ultimate beach home. Available for once-in-a-lifetime stays, our three- bedroom castle-on-the-sand occupies a spectacular spot on the beach, with custom furnishings created from hand-selected materials. The residence’s objets d’art and décor embody the island’s pure bohemian spirit. Its sunlit, breeze-cooled spaces promise serenity and privacy – absolute freedom.
Zeytoun
Our signature restaurant showcases Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern flavours – pure olive oils from the Aegean, freshly baked crusty breads, aromatic Turkish teas. All exquisitely crafted and served in refined comfort.
Ocaso
Smoke-laden flavours, infusions from distant shores – the grill embarks on a nightly journey from Latin America to the reaches of North Asia, specialising in Japanese, Mexican and Peruvian.
Thyme
Gourmet bounty in beach house ambiance: our beachfront all-day dining venue wraps you in a welcoming beach-house ambience with a bounty of gourmet flavours that bring happiness with every bite.
Naiboli
The ultimate poolside lounge: bask in the supreme comfort of loungers and cabanas – the ultimate seaside retreat with the refined ambience of a living room. Complimentary gourmet canapés are available throughout the day.
