The Maldives luxury real estate
Private residences at the world’s finest island resorts
The Maldives has more than a thousand islands and several hundred resorts—and remarkably few places where it is possible to buy a home. Private residences sit within a small number of resort estates, pairing the privacy of a villa with the infrastructure an isolated island demands: restaurants, spas, boats, housekeeping, maintenance, and staff.
Soneva established the model at the top end of the market. Now a new generation of branded residences is broadening it, with names including Aman and Baccarat bringing new projects to the islands. The proposition remains highly particular: a private home within a fully serviced resort, in one of the world’s most rarefied second-home markets.
Represent an exceptional property?
Boulevard works with leading agents, developers and owners to present exceptional properties to its international audience through film, editorial, print, digital and private distribution.
Boulevard Ultra Prime: Get the latest ultra-luxury listings delivered to your inbox
Our weekly property newsletter brings you a line-up of the world’s most desirable listings to hit the market—from city penthouses and waterfront mansions, to beachside, ski and country retreats to vineyards, private islands, hotels and beyond.
The Maldives ultra-prime property market
The Maldives is an unusual residential market because the resort is not incidental to the home; it is what makes the home possible. Sonu and Eva Shivdasani originally wanted a house in the islands in the late 1980s. According to Shivdasani, they were told they would have to develop tourism instead. Soneva Fushi opened in 1995, and its residences grew from a founder’s desire to stay longer rather than from a conventional hotel-development model.
That history still explains the buyer. Shivdasani says most purchasers are looking at a fifth home, after a city residence, a country house, a ski chalet, and a beach house. At Soneva, 35 families had bought residences by November 2024. These are homes for repeat use rather than a simple investment proposition, with owners buying into the resort’s service, infrastructure, and rhythms as much as the villa itself.
The next phase is likely to look more recognisably branded. Twist describes the Maldives as a genuinely five-star, lifestyle-led market rather than a yield play, and expects the recent run of hotel agreements to translate into meaningful residential supply. Baccarat Hotel & Residences is among the schemes bringing a more conventional global hospitality brand into a market long defined by a handful of resort operators.
Read the branded residences market report
View from the top
“Most people looking at the Maldives are buying their fifth home.”
Sonu Shivdasani, Soneva
Read the interview with Sonu Shivdasani
“Genuinely five-star and lifestyle-led rather than a yield play.”
Otto Twist, Savills
Read Otto Twist’s market report
“There’s rising interest in more exclusive, experience-led destinations — such as the Maldives, Seychelles, Tuscany, and Lake Geneva, where scarcity and privacy drive value.”
Lynn Villadolid, Lifestyle Capital Partners
Read Lynn Villadolid’s market report
Buying property in the Maldives
Buying a residence in the Maldives is structurally different from buying a freehold villa in most resort markets. The home is tied to a resort operation and depends on that resort for transport, utilities, staffing, maintenance, food and beverage, and the wider amenity programme. Buyers therefore need to assess the resort and its operating model alongside the residence itself.
Residence tenure varies by development, but is typically structured as a 30-year leasehold, with the potential for renewal.
For current availability, tenure details, ownership structures, and private or off-market opportunities, speak to the Boulevard Property Concierge.
Questions buyers ask
Can foreigners buy property in the Maldives?
Yes. Foreign buyers can purchase private residences offered within resort developments. These are generally sold on a leasehold rather than freehold basis, with structures varying by development but typically running for 30 years, with the potential for renewal.
Why are there so few private residences in the Maldives?
The residential market developed out of the resort model rather than alongside a conventional private-land market. At Soneva, the residences followed the resort: Sonu Shivdasani says he and Eva originally wanted a house, were directed towards tourism development instead, and built Soneva Fushi so they could spend more time in the Maldives. The result is a market in which private homes remain concentrated within a small number of resort estates.
What does owning a residence in the Maldives involve?
Owning here means buying into the operating infrastructure of a resort as well as the residence itself. On a remote island, the home relies on the resort for transport, kitchens and restaurants, staff, maintenance, wellness, and recreation. The quality and longevity of that operation are therefore central to the purchase.
Is a Maldives residence primarily a holiday home or an investment?
At the top of the market, the evidence in Boulevard’s current source set points first to lifestyle. Otto Twist of Savills describes the Maldives as genuinely five-star and lifestyle-led rather than a yield play, while Sonu Shivdasani says most Soneva buyers are adding a fifth home. Any rental programme or return should be assessed scheme by scheme rather than assumed across the market.
Do owners have to rent out their residences?
Not necessarily. Depending on the resort, residences may be reserved exclusively for the owner’s use, although most owners choose to place their homes in the resort’s rental pool when they are away, generating income from periods when the property would otherwise sit empty.
Properties for sale in The Maldives
Explore Boulevard’s portfolio of homes for sale across the Maldives’ most prized addresses, or enquire for off-market availability.
Boulevard Property Concierge
Some of the most exceptional property never reaches the open market. Boulevard works with leading agents, developers and owners across its core markets, with access extending beyond the properties published on the site.
Tell us what you are looking for, where and at what level, and we can make the appropriate introductions.
More luxury real estate for sale
Luxury holiday homes for sale
Sublime beachfront villas, premier ski properties, idyllic country retreats – and so much more…
Branded residences for sale
Amenity-rich condos by the world’s foremost design, hospitality, and luxury brands.
