Six Senses Laamu’s new overwater villas will have private pools at the edge of their decks, hammocks suspended above the water and upper-level spaces looking across the lagoon. Inside, panoramic windows and sea-facing bathtubs keep the ocean close, even on an afternoon spent entirely in the villa.
The resort on Olhuveli Island in the Maldives’ Laamu Atoll has announced 17 new overwater villas across four categories, available for stays from 6 December 2026. Two will be its first dedicated family overwater villas, giving children a bedroom and bathroom of their own. Six Senses says the additions begin a gradual transformation of the resort, with its house reef, resident marine team and barefoot pace remaining central to the experience.
Private pools and a second deck
Each new villa will have an 18-square-metre private pool, an expansive deck with outdoor dining and lounge areas, and a hammock suspended above the water on netting. The elevated deck adds another place to spend time outside, with views across the lagoon; the suite categories include a dining area on the upper deck, plus a viewing platform with daybeds.
The interiors have been reconfigured around panoramic windows, with dedicated seating and dining areas, expanded wardrobes and bathtubs facing the sea. The three new suite categories each measure 149 square metres and have one bedroom, with king or twin beds and a maximum capacity of four guests.
The family villas are larger, at 167 square metres. Their additional children’s bedroom makes the clearest distinction in the new collection: the suites offer different outlooks and jetty positions, while the family category changes how a household can share an overwater stay.
Three suites, three ocean outlooks
The Ocean Water Villa Suite with Pool is positioned farther from the main island, with ocean or lagoon views. Its open-plan interior includes artwork drawing on local influences, alongside the panoramic windows, extra wardrobe space and ocean-view bath. This is the category attached to the announced starting rate, making it the useful reference point when comparing prices across the new collection.
The Laamu Water Villa Suite with Pool sits towards the end of the jetty, farther from the island, with uninterrupted ocean views. Its 149-square-metre footprint matches the Ocean suite, as do the private pool, suspended hammock and upper deck. The distinction is its position and outlook, rather than a larger floor plan.
The Horizon Water Villa Suite with Pool is also towards the end of the jetty, with expansive horizon views and an emphasis on sunrise. For travellers who value an early morning outside, its upper viewing platform is a particularly appealing detail, with daybeds above the main pool deck.
All three suites include indoor and outdoor vanity facilities, an outdoor bathroom and rain shower, air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, a personal bar and tea- and coffee-making facilities. Their generous outdoor areas allow space for dining, lounging and swimming without leaving the villa.
Laamu’s first family overwater villas
The two Family Water Villas with Pool will sit in the middle of the jetty, with uninterrupted lagoon views. Each accommodates up to five guests, with a primary bedroom and a separate bedroom for children, each with its own bathroom.
The layout gives children a separate sleeping space while keeping the pool, lounge deck and outdoor dining area shared. Panoramic windows, a lagoon-facing bathtub, a suspended netted hammock and an elevated viewing platform with daybeds carry through the overwater experience. The pool measures the same 18 square metres as those in the new suites.
Families with small children should also consider the resort’s beach accommodation: Six Senses recommends beach villas for younger families. The new category adds a dedicated family option over the water, while the beach villas remain part of that choice.
The complimentary Den children’s club offers another place to spend time, alongside treasure hunts, games and sporting activities. Families travelling with teenagers may also want to compare The St. Regis Maldives’ teen club and expanded two-bedroom family villa, with a club designed for guests aged 13–17.
Marine science beyond the villa
Children can spend part of their stay with the marine team through Laamu’s Junior Marine Biology programme. Guided snorkelling and classroom learning are combined with science experiments and conservation filmmaking. Participants receive certificates as they complete courses and progressively collect equipment towards becoming a Junior Marine Biologist.
Sessions run for two hours, from 2pm to 4pm, and cost $80++ per child, per session. That makes the programme a separately priced activity to plan alongside time at the children’s club, rather than an inclusion in the villa rate.
The resort’s Maldives Underwater Initiative brings its marine biologists together with the Manta Trust, Blue Marine Foundation and Olive Ridley Project. In Laamu, their work includes marine research, educating guests and engaging with the community. Six Senses reports that its no-removal policy protected approximately 385,000 square metres of surrounding seagrass meadows in 2025, and that its coral restoration project released an estimated 1,048,000 coral larvae onto the house reef that year.
SHELL, the environmental learning centre, has exhibitions, a laboratory, a cinema room and a children’s zone with virtual reality, augmented reality and conservation art. Its Glass Bottom Boat gallery displays underwater scenes from the atoll on a high-resolution LED floor, with five booths for viewing.
The house reef includes green turtles feeding in the seagrass, stingrays and fish among staghorn and mushroom corals. Guided night snorkelling offers a different view, with the dive and snorkel team introducing guests to the reef’s nocturnal life.
Garden ingredients and Japanese dining
Dining at Laamu includes Leaf, an adults-only Mediterranean restaurant using ingredients from the resort’s organic gardens and neighbouring islands. Its adults-only setting is worth factoring into dinner plans for anyone booking the new family villas.
Zen serves Japanese cuisine through a changing set menu, while Kaji offers teppanyaki. Sip Sip has a sunken bar and poolside seating, with pizzas, grills, burgers and pasta among the dishes, giving families a relaxed option around the pool.
The complimentary outdoor ice-cream and sorbet parlour has 48 homemade flavours made with natural ingredients. Between the restaurants and each villa’s outdoor dining area, meals can be part of an evening out or time together on the deck. The announced entry rate includes breakfast, so dining plans matter when setting the wider holiday budget.
Beach spa nests and lagoon lessons
The Six Senses Spa has nine treatment nests positioned on the beach or among vegetation. Ayurveda and locally inspired coconut treatments feature in its offering, alongside meditation and yoga in an open-air rooftop studio. The beach and garden settings add another way to spend quiet time beyond the overwater decks.
Dolphin cruises aboard a traditional dhoni, diving, watersports and island excursions are among the existing activities. They give guests opportunities to explore the surrounding water and islands between time at the villa and spa.
Surfers can book instruction with Tropicsurf, ranging from one-hour lagoon lessons to guided boat outings. The boat excursions depend on weather and surf conditions, so they need some flexibility within a stay.
Rates, transfers and booking
The new categories are available from 6 December 2026, with rates starting at $2,185, approximately £1,621, on a bed-and-breakfast basis for an Ocean Water Villa Suite with Pool.
Arrival involves a direct seaplane journey lasting 65 minutes from Velana International Airport. Return transfers cost $1,199 per adult aged 12 or above and $700 per child aged two to 11, including taxes. Infants under two travel free on a parent’s lap. For families, these transfer costs are a significant part of the booking budget.
Seaplanes fly only in daylight. The resort advises arriving in the Maldives by 3pm local time for a same-day connection and booking international departures no earlier than 9.30am. Representatives escort guests to the seaplane terminal, where a lounge has refreshments, Wi-Fi and washroom facilities.
The luggage allowance is 20kg checked baggage plus 5kg hand luggage per person. Domestic-flight and speedboat transfers are available on request for guests whose international flights do not fit the seaplane schedule. The resort arranges transfers when a reservation is made.
Reservations can be made through reservations-maldives@sixsenses.com or +960 680 0800.
