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All resorts, South Malé Atoll

SO/ Maldives

South Malé Atoll · Emboodhoo Lagoon

A fashion-house-designed resort on Emboodhoo Lagoon, about fifteen minutes from Malé, built around couture-inspired villa design and Hadaba, a Levantine restaurant named Maldives' Best Hotel Restaurant 2025.

  • Speedboat · 15 min
  • 80 villas
  • Kids' club
  • Pool in every villa
  • Reply within 24 hours
  • Maldives only for 8 years · 50+ resorts visited in person

Villas

A sandy path lined with hibiscus and palms leading from a beach villa's pool deck to the shore at SO/ Maldives — representative of the Beach Pool Villa category; a dedicated single-villa photograph was not available

Beach Pool Villa

The entry point into SO/'s beach collection — 228 square metres with a private infinity pool, set among the palms with CODAGE Paris toiletries and TWG tea in every room.

1 bedroom (king/twin) · max 3 · Private infinity pool · Beachfront, city or ocean view

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The path from a beachfront pool villa's garden to the shore at SO/ Maldives, loungers and a pool edge visible through the palms — representative of the Lagoon Beach Pool Villa category; a dedicated photograph was not available

Lagoon Beach Pool Villa

The same 228-square-metre footprint as the standard Beach Pool Villa, angled instead toward the lagoon — guests here step straight from their pool deck into snorkelling distance of the reef.

1 bedroom (king/twin) · max 3 · Private infinity pool · Beachfront, direct lagoon & reef access

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The open living area of a beach villa at SO/ Maldives, sliding doors leading onto a private pool deck facing the ocean — representative of the Family Beach Pool Villa with Capsule; a dedicated photograph was not available

Family Beach Pool Villa with Capsule

A 238-square-metre beach villa built with families in mind — a separate kids' capsule sleeps two alongside the main bedroom, all wrapped around a private infinity pool for up to five guests.

1 primary bedroom + kids' capsule (king, twin, twin) · max 5 · Private infinity pool · Beachfront, ocean view

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Two-storey beach villas at SO/ Maldives lit at dusk, their upper floors and private pools visible among the palms — representative of the Two-Bedroom Lagoon Beach Pool Loft; a dedicated photograph was not available

Two-Bedroom Lagoon Beach Pool Loft

SO/'s largest beach category, a two-level loft spanning 322 square metres with a king and a twin bedroom, built for two couples or a family of six sharing one private infinity pool.

2 bedrooms (king + twin) · max 6 · Private infinity pool · Beachfront, two-level, ocean view

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Overwater villas at SO/ Maldives lit at dusk, each with its own private pool on the deck — representative of the Water Pool Villa category; a dedicated photograph was not available

Water Pool Villa

The entry overwater category — 120 square metres over the lagoon, with a private infinity pool, an overwater hammock on the deck and a freestanding tub indoors.

1 bedroom (king/twin) · max 3 · Private infinity pool · Overwater, city or lagoon view

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The same row of overwater villas at SO/ Maldives lit at dusk, private pools glowing along the jetty — representative of the Ocean Water Pool Villa category; a dedicated photograph was not available

Ocean Water Pool Villa

The same 120-square-metre overwater footprint as the Water Pool Villa, facing open ocean rather than the lagoon or the island itself.

1 bedroom (king/twin) · max 3 · Private infinity pool · Overwater, ocean view

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Show all 8 villas

All villas at SO/ Maldives

About SO/ Maldives

SO/ Maldives sits on Emboodhoo Lagoon, about 15 minutes from Malé — 80 designer villas, 27 beachfront and 53 overwater, built around the SO/ brand's couture-inspired design language. Levantine restaurant Hadaba was named Maldives' Best Hotel Restaurant 2025; a resident marine biologist runs a coral-restoration programme in the lagoon, and a daily shuttle links guests to The Marina @ CROSSROADS, shared with sister resorts Hard Rock Hotel Maldives and SAii Lagoon.

Recommended For

Design-forward couples

SO/'s couture-inspired villa styling and Hadaba's award-winning Levantine menu suit guests who want their resort to feel like a fashion statement, not just a beach stay.

Families with young children

The Nest kids' club runs daily and the Family Beach Pool Villa with Capsule gives children their own sleeping pod alongside the main bedroom.

Divers and snorkellers

Direct reef access from the Lagoon Beach Pool Villas, PADI dive courses at The Zone and a resident marine biologist's coral-restoration project give the water-focused traveller plenty to do.

Wine & Dine

The Citronelle Club's dining room at SO/ Maldives at night, candlelit tables lined along a glass wall beside the open exhibition kitchen

The Citronelle Club

Pan-Asian fusion · All-day dining · dim sum & regional dishes

An all-day beachfront dining room built around an open, interactive kitchen, its dim sum and lighter Pan-Asian dishes plated within sight of the cooks preparing them.

Aerial view of Lazuli Beach Club's striped umbrellas, red and teal loungers and colour-blocked pool deck at SO/ Maldives

Lazuli Beach Club

Mediterranean & healthy · Lunch & dinner · themed barbecues and paella parties

A striped, art deco-styled beach club built around grilled seabass and vegetable skewers, with its own bar running creative cocktails and regular themed barbecue and paella nights.

Hadaba's dining room at SO/ Maldives, curved blue banquette seating beneath a suspended red string installation, lit for the evening

Hadaba

Levantine · Dinner

Named Maldives' Best Hotel Restaurant 2025 at the World Culinary Awards, Hadaba runs a Levantine menu of fresh-baked laffa bread, ceviche and slow-cooked lamb shawarma across two levels at the island's coastal tip.

All 4 restaurants and bars

Experiences

  • Art Studio & Craft Workshop

    A resort's own art studio, gallery or craft workshop where guests create or view local and traditional artwork — pottery, lacquer, glassblowing.

  • Cinema Under the Stars

    An open-air cinema screening, whether at a fixed venue, a jungle clearing, a sandbank or a private beach setup.

  • Coral Adoption & Restoration

    Hands-on reef and marine conservation guests can join directly — adopting or planting coral frames, mangrove planting, and turtle-rescue visits with a hatchling release.

  • Destination Private Dining

    A private meal on the beach, in a villa, a garden or an overwater deck, arranged by a private chef and butler outside the resort's own restaurants.

  • Floating Breakfast

    Breakfast served on a floating tray in the villa's own pool, with nothing scheduled after it.

  • House-Reef & Guided Snorkel

    A guided swim over the house reef, off the beach or a short boat ride out, with private, night and beginner variants at resorts that run their own dive centre.

All 14 experiencesWellness at SO/ Maldives

Good to know

Getting there

Malé · private transfer, about 15 minutes · Emboodhoo Lagoon, Kaafu Atoll

Nearest airport
Velana International Airport (MLE)
Transfer
Private transfer, about 15 minutes — SO/'s own site states the distance in minutes without separately itemising the transfer mode; a speedboat is consistent with Emboodhoo Lagoon's proximity to Malé, and IMJ confirms the exact mode and schedule at booking.
Location
Emboodhoo Lagoon, part of the CROSSROADS Maldives multi-island destination, Kaafu Atoll

At a glance

Villas
80 villas · 53 overwater · 27 beach · Private pool in every villa · Largest 410 m²
Dining
3 restaurants · 2 bars
Families
Kids' club (The Nest)
Diving & reef
Dive centre · House reef · Resident marine biologist
Spa
Spa at SO/ Maldives

Before you book

How do you get to SO/ Maldives, and how long does the transfer take?

SO/ Maldives sits on Emboodhoo Lagoon, about 15 minutes from Velana International Airport (Malé). The resort's own site states that distance in minutes without separately naming the transfer mode — a speedboat is the method consistent with Emboodhoo Lagoon's proximity to Malé, and it's what IMJ confirms, along with the exact schedule, before booking.

Are meal plans available at SO/ Maldives?

Yes — meal plans are available, though SO/'s own site doesn't itemise specific plan names or tiers. In-Room Dining and a Floating Breakfast are offered regardless of plan, and private dining can also be arranged (format not detailed by the resort). IMJ confirms the current board-basis options as part of booking.

Is SO/ Maldives suited to families, and is there a kids' club?

The Nest, SO/'s kids' club, runs daily 09:00–17:00 with nature discovery walks, island treasure hunts, cooking classes, tie-dye shirt-making and craft workshops. The Family Beach Pool Villa with Capsule sleeps up to five with a dedicated kids' sleeping pod. The resort isn't flagged as adults-only or family-only, and an age range for the kids' club isn't published on the official site.

What's the house reef like at SO/ Maldives?

Guests staying in the Lagoon Beach Pool Villas have direct lagoon and reef access from their villa for snorkelling. The Zone, the resort's watersports centre, runs daily 09:00–17:00 with PADI-certified diving, snorkelling, jet skiing, paddleboarding and parasailing, plus beginner scuba courses. Marine encounters include swimming with stingrays and nurse sharks in Emboodhoo Lagoon, and a resident marine biologist leads a coral-restoration project growing coral fragments on metal frames as artificial reefs in the lagoon.

What dining is there at SO/ Maldives?

Four venues: The Citronelle Club, an all-day Pan-Asian fusion restaurant with an open exhibition kitchen; Lazuli Beach Club, an art deco-styled Mediterranean beach club with its own cocktail bar; Hadaba, a two-level Levantine restaurant named Maldives' Best Hotel Restaurant 2025; and Pavilion Bar, an overwater cocktail bar with table-side service. None of the four publish fixed service hours on the official site, so IMJ confirms seating times as part of booking.

Is SO/ Maldives connected to other resorts or a shopping and dining area?

SO/ Maldives is part of CROSSROADS Maldives, a multi-island destination it shares with sister resorts Hard Rock Hotel Maldives and SAii Lagoon. A 'Discover Crossroads' shuttle runs daily to The Marina @ CROSSROADS, the shared retail and dining district, departing SO/ at 12:00, 15:00 and 18:00 and returning at 14:45, 17:45 and 22:00.

The factsheet

Every fact we hold on SO/ Maldives (villas, dining, transfers) in one document.

Download the factsheetPDF

The Citronelle Club's beachfront dining room at SO/ Maldives, tables lit for dinner beside an open, glass-walled exhibition kitchen

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