Cocoa Island by COMO
Three hundred and fifty metres of sand with nobody sleeping on it: every villa stands out over the lagoon.
Makunufushi is a thin strip in the South Malé atoll, published at about three hundred and fifty metres long and a hundred and seventy across — roughly six hectares, and one of the few islands in this register whose dimensions anyone states. COMO holds it whole and has built nothing on it to sleep in. All thirty-three villas stand offshore along the southern side, on stilts over the lagoon, reached by planked walkways. The land carries the restaurant, the spa and a garden of palm, sea grape and hibiscus, and that is all it carries.
The resort opened in December 2002 as the group's first island property. The villas take the curved form of the dhoni, the local fishing boat, in bleached wood under kajan thatch, and the categories run from a seventy-five square metre suite to a two-bedroom villa. At full occupancy the island holds eighty-three guests against roughly twice that in staff. A house reef rings the strip and a sandbank offshore is used for private dining. Counts appear as thirty-three and as thirty-four, and the opening year is given variously as 2001, 2002 and, in one listing, 2020.
The same decision as Gili, at a tenth of the size. Both islands are owned and not slept on. On Lankanfushi that was a choice about forest; here the island is 350 metres long and the lagoon was the only place to put the houses.
No beach villa exists here. Not one room touches the sand. The register records that as a fact about the estate rather than a gap in the offering, because it defines how the ground is used.
Who it is not for
COMO Cocoa Island is wrong for travellers who want a beach villa: there are none, and every room is reached along a walkway. It is wrong for anyone who wants an island to explore, since this one is crossed end to end in a few minutes. It is wrong for guests who want several restaurants and bars, because there is one dining room. For a Maldivian island with an interior to get lost in, Soneva Fushi is on the same shelf.
Sources
- Operator and press material - the island, known locally as Makunufushi, lies in the South Malé Atoll about thirty kilometres from Malé; thirty-three suites and villas, all overwater on the southern side, reached by planked walkways; opened December 2002 as the group's first island resort
- Independent reviews - the island measures about 350 by 170 metres; maximum occupancy of eighty-three guests at roughly two staff to each; a house reef encircles the island and a sandbank offshore is used for private dining
Verification
- Official source
- Not yet checked
- Sources disagree
- villas are counted as thirty-three and as thirty-four; the opening is given as 2001, 2002 and, in one listing, 2020.
- Property confirmation
- Pending
- Last verified
- —
Booking
Private Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the resort and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
Request a proposalClassified by The Resort Collection House · The Register · Edition 2026 · LHL-E-212
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How this is verified