Villa Park, Maldives: Scale, Jungle and Whale Sharks in the South Ari Atoll

The former Sun Island, one of the largest resort islands in the Maldives, has been rebranded and gradually reshaped. What it offers now is a property where size becomes an advantage rather than a compromise.

Nalaguraidhoo stretches nearly two kilometres in length and roughly five hundred metres across, making it one of the largest resort islands in the Maldives. For years it operated as Sun Island Resort & Spa, a five-star property under Villa Hotels & Resorts. In April 2023, alongside a broader corporate rebrand, the island was renamed Villa Park, repositioned as a family-oriented, experience-led destination within the Villa Resorts portfolio. The group, wholly Maldivian-owned and operating since 1986, now manages five private islands across the archipelago. Villa Park is its largest, and in many ways its most ambitious.

Getting here requires a short domestic flight from Velana International Airport to nearby Maamigili, followed by a speedboat transfer. The total journey takes under thirty minutes. The South Ari Atoll location is not incidental. The resort sits within the South Ari Marine Protected Area, known as SAMPA, one of the few places in the world where whale sharks are present year-round. For many guests, this proximity to large marine life is the primary reason for choosing Villa Park over properties closer to Malé.

The scale of the island is immediately apparent. Where most Maldivian resorts can be crossed in a few minutes on foot, Villa Park requires bicycles or golf carts to move between its various zones. Dense tropical vegetation covers the interior, with pathways cutting through coconut palms and thick foliage. The effect is closer to a tropical park than a typical atoll resort. There is space to walk without encountering other guests, stretches of beach that remain quiet even at capacity, and a sense of depth to the island that smaller properties cannot replicate. The resort holds 462 rooms across thirteen categories, from Sun Villas set within the interior greenery to Water Villas on stilts over the lagoon, Beach Pool Villas with direct shore access, and two-bedroom family configurations.

The most recent addition to the accommodation roster is the Two-Bedroom Beach Pool House, launched in March 2026 and now the highest category available on the island. At 456 square metres, it is designed for families or groups who want both space and separation. The master bedroom faces the pool and beach, while the second bedroom is configured with twin beds for children or additional guests. Two bathrooms, generous outdoor areas and a private pool are standard. An elevated terrace balcony offers views through the palm canopy. The landscaping around the villa has been designed to create a degree of seclusion that the island's size makes possible. It is a considered response to the growing demand for multi-bedroom accommodation in the Maldives, a segment where many resorts still offer limited options.

Dining at Villa Park is distributed across seven outlets, a number that reflects the property's scale. Maaniya and Southern Star handle the buffet service for beach villa and water villa guests respectively, with rotating menus of continental, Asian and Maldivian dishes. Southern Star, positioned along the beachfront near the water villas, tends to draw praise for its more intimate atmosphere and Indian-Maldivian live cooking stations. Al Pontile, the overwater Italian restaurant at the end of the jetty, serves handmade pasta and wood-fired pizzas. Sun Star covers Thai cuisine with lagoon-side seating. A Teppanyaki restaurant offers live grilling and sushi preparation.

The most distinctive dining option is ZERO, a split-level garden restaurant set within the jungle interior, accessible by wooden walkways and rope bridges through the canopy. The menu operates on a zero-food-miles principle: ingredients come from the resort's own hydroponic farm and organic gardens or are caught at sea the same day. Guests can visit the gardens beforehand to select greens and herbs for their meal. The resort produces roughly twenty thousand coconuts per month on the island, alongside other fruits and vegetables, using only organic pesticides. ZERO earned the resort its reputation as a sustainability-minded property, supported by a Green Key certification and the Maldives Leading Green Resort title at the World Travel Awards in 2022. La Tropicana, a beachside bar serving açai bowls, smoothies and fresh coconut, rounds out the food offering.

The Araamu Spa follows the same model as its counterpart at sister property Villa Nautica: a garden setting among tropical greenery, with treatment rooms that open to the outdoors. Ayurvedic therapies and massage treatments are available. Separate from the spa, the Kawa bath is among the resort's most distinctive wellness offerings. Located along a secluded jungle path, the Kawa is an open-air iron pot heated by firewood, filled with water, herbs and flower petals. The bathing ritual, drawn from Southeast Asian tradition, is offered in the early morning or at dusk, when the candlelit setting adds a visual dimension that photographs well but also works as a genuine wind-down.

The resort's activities list is extensive. DiveOceanus operates the dive centre, with access to sites across the South Ari Atoll. Whale shark excursions run regularly, taking advantage of SAMPA's year-round sightings. Manta rays are typically present from January to June. Water sports include catamaran sailing, windsurfing, jet skiing, kayaking and sea-bobbing. On land, Studio Park is the resort's fitness facility, designed around the LED-lit, music-driven group workout format. The Park Players Kids Club offers daily programming for children, including a splash pool, craft stations, and a nap lounge. A Coconut Craft Hut invites guests to carve souvenirs from discarded husks, while the Green Fingers programme involves tree planting and conservation activities.

The spring programme: Easter 

This spring, Villa Park has introduced an Easter programme that leans into the property's strengths as a family destination. The offer includes up to twenty-five per cent off accommodation for direct bookings, with an additional fifty per cent reduction on domestic flight transfers. The resort is framing the holiday period around its marine location: whale shark excursions, lagoon snorkelling and cycling across the island form the backbone of Easter-week activity. The Park Players Kids Club runs seasonal programming, while private dining can be arranged on the beach or over the water. The emphasis is not on themed entertainment but on the kind of unhurried days that the island's size and climate make available.

Who it suits

Villa Park occupies an interesting position in the Maldivian market. It is large enough to absorb high occupancy without feeling crowded, varied enough in its dining and activities to sustain a week-long stay, and located in one of the country's most significant marine areas. The ongoing renovation and the introduction of the Two-Bedroom Beach Pool House suggest a management team focused on moving the property upmarket without abandoning its broad appeal. For families, groups, and travellers whose priorities include marine encounters and room to move, the former Sun Island continues to make a clear case for itself.

Details

Villa Park, Nalaguraidhoo Island, South Ari Atoll, Maldives. Transfer: domestic flight from Velana International Airport (approx. 17 minutes) plus short speedboat. 462 rooms across thirteen categories. Seven restaurants including ZERO (treetop, zero-food-miles). Araamu Spa, Kawa bath, DiveOceanus dive centre, Park Players Kids Club, Studio Park fitness. Green Key certified. Part of Villa Resorts, Maldivian-owned since 1986. villaresorts.com/villa-park