COMO Cocoa Island is what happens when a wellness-minded hotel group takes a tiny Maldivian island and resists every temptation to overbuild it. There are just 33 villas, all over the water. Many are shaped like dhonis, the curved wooden boats that Maldivians have sailed between atolls for centuries. Walk the boardwalk at dusk and the row of gently arching roofs looks like a small fleet that has dropped anchor in the lagoon for the night.
The result is an intimate, almost hushed resort. That is precisely why honeymooners love it. There are no grand entrances, no sprawling buffets and no crowds at the pool. Instead you get clean, light-filled villas with steps down into the water, a COMO Shambhala retreat that takes wellness seriously and a long white sandbank where your butler will set a picnic for two. Locally the island is called Makunufushi. It sits in South Malé Atoll, a speedboat ride from the airport. You can trade the seaplane for a 40-minute cruise and be in the lagoon before your jet lag has even caught up with you.
Highlights at a glance
- Just 33 villas, all over the water
- Distinctive split-level villas shaped like dhoni boats
- Long sandbank for picnics and sunset dinners
- COMO Shambhala Retreat with daily yoga
- Speedboat transfer of about 40 minutes, no seaplane
- Nurse shark snorkeling trips to Vaavu Atoll
Small Island, Big Sandbank
Makunufushi is slim enough to stroll end to end in minutes, but it doesn't feel cramped, because almost everything that matters happens over the water. The villas curl out on a timber boardwalk and the main restaurant and pool sit near the beach. At one end a long finger of sand stretches into the lagoon, shifting a little with the tides and seasons.
That sandbank is the island's signature. It's where couples wander at sunrise, where the resort sets up picnics and dinners and where you'll take the photos you frame back home. The lagoon around the island is shallow and clear, ideal for paddleboarding. A short distance away, the house reef offers good snorkeling. South Malé Atoll's channels bring turtles, rays and, on some boat trips, dolphins into the picture.
The Dhoni Villas
All 33 accommodations sit over the lagoon, each with a private terrace that opens onto the water. The smallest is the Dhoni Water Villa, a split-level space with a generous living area under the curved roofline. The Dhoni Loft and Loft Water Villas add a mezzanine bedroom, so you wake up above the living room with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the lagoon.
For most honeymooners, the sweet spot is the One-Bedroom Water Villa with Pool, located at the quieter eastern end, with an expansive sundeck, a private plunge pool and a dedicated butler. Larger groups or families can book the two-bedroom COMO Sunrise Villa or the multi-bedroom COMO Sunset Villa, which has two pools. Interiors across the board are pared back and calm, in COMO's signature understated style, with little to distract from the view.
Dining at Ufaa and Beyond
Ufaa is the island's main restaurant, an indoor-outdoor space beside the pool and beach. The menu offers modern takes on Indian and Mediterranean cooking with an emphasis on local produce and sustainably caught fish. Alongside it, COMO Shambhala Kitchen offers lighter, nourishing dishes, many cooked in the tandoor, if you want to balance out the richer meals.
Faru Bar, by the pool with steps to the beach, is the place for sunset cocktails, a glass of wine or a late-night nightcap. Where Cocoa Island really shines, though, is private dining. Book a three-course picnic on the sandbank served by your butler with a chilled bottle of prosecco, a candlelit dinner on the sand, a floating breakfast in your pool or a yakiniku-style grill dinner cooked on your own deck with a selection of sake.
Why guests fall for it
COMO Shambhala Wellness
Wellness is part of COMO's DNA. The COMO Shambhala Retreat here is one of the reasons couples choose this island over flashier neighbors. Treatments draw on Asian therapies, from deep-tissue massage to holistic rituals. The facilities include a steam room, a hydrotherapy pool and a gym.
Daily yoga classes keep the morning routine gentle, while scheduled wellness sessions let you go deeper if you wish. Honeymooners often build a simple rhythm: yoga at sunrise, a swim, a long breakfast, then a couples' treatment in the heat of the afternoon. You leave feeling genuinely restored rather than simply rested.
Into the Blue
Complimentary kayaks, paddleboards and snorkel gear mean you can explore the lagoon on your own schedule. The resort's dive center runs house reef snorkels, diving trips and courses. A marine biologist also hosts weekly talks on the area's reef life, a good way to understand what you've been swimming over.
For a bigger adventure, join an excursion to neighboring Vaavu Atoll to snorkel with nurse sharks, an exhilarating but surprisingly calm experience. Ultraviolet night snorkeling reveals glowing corals after dark. A private yacht charter lets you chase sunset across the atoll with a bottle of champagne. Ask your butler to arrange whichever combination suits your pace.
Why Guests Fall in Love
Again and again, guests point to the sense of intimacy. With only 33 villas, the island never feels busy and staff quickly learn names and preferences. Service is often described as gracious and unobtrusive, the kind that appears exactly when needed and disappears when you want to be alone.
The villas get consistent praise for their clean, calming design and their direct access to the water. Many reviewers call the sandbank the most romantic spot they've found in the Maldives. The food wins fans (particularly the Indian dishes at Ufaa) and wellness lovers appreciate COMO's thoughtful approach. The resort's recognition backs this up, with regular places in Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice rankings of top Indian Ocean resorts.
Good to Know
The transfer is about 40 minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, which means there's no dependency on daylight seaplane schedules and less hassle with luggage weight limits. It also keeps costs down compared with seaplane-access resorts.
Cocoa Island isn't officially kid-free and some villa categories can sleep children. Still, the small scale and calm atmosphere mean it skews strongly toward couples. Because there is just one main restaurant, consider how much variety you want on a long stay; many couples break up the week with private dinners, which are easy to arrange. Only the larger villas have private pools, so book early if a plunge pool is a must for your honeymoon.
The Maldives is a Muslim country with conservative laws.
Insider tips
- Book the One-Bedroom Water Villa with Pool for a private plunge pool and the quieter eastern location.
- Reserve the sandbank picnic early in your stay; it's the experience guests talk about most.
- Arrange the nurse shark excursion for calm-weather days, ideally in the drier months.
- Take advantage of the complimentary paddleboards at sunrise, when the lagoon is mirror-flat.
