Most of Cocoa Island’s rooms are uniquely inspired by dhoni boats, the style of vessel used by local fishermen. They are adjoined by simple wooden walkways built above the shallow lagoon.  From your room, walk out on to a private terrace and slip into a warm Maldivian sea.  The view from the wide platform bed is directly out to the watery expanse.  The bathrooms, a bath and shower, share the horizon views. Interiors are quietly contemporary with a nod to local rusticity in Maldivian kajan roofing.

All guest rooms have the following amenities:

* King or twin beds with handmade Italian linen
* Private sundeck with loungers and dining table
* Bathtub and separate shower stall
* Air conditioning and antique colonial ceiling fan
* Mini bar and snacks
* Coffee/tea making facilities (Nespresso machine)
* Bottled water and fresh fruit daily
* 42” LCD/plasma satellite TV
* DVD player
* International direct dial telephone
* COMO Shambhala bathroom amenities
* Hairdryer
* Electronic in-room safe
* WiFi and high speed Internet access
* Umbrella
* Beach bag and flip-flops
* iPod docks

Dhoni Suites:  split-level bedrooms have king-sized or twin beds. The spacious living area leads onto a chic private sundeck with two chaise lounges, a dining table and direct access to the lagoon.  A highlight is the sitting area with an outsize Balinese-style day bed.  The bathroom is large with a double-ended tub backed by a mirrored wall.

Dhoni Loft Suites:  distinguished by bedrooms on a mezzanine level beneath the rafters. Enjoy commanding views through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the ocean light softened by sheer white drapes.  A staircase leads to the loft, fitted with a king-sized bed and ensuite WC.  There’s a bathroom on the lower level as well as sundeck with direct lagoon access.

One Bedroom Villas:  have a private entrance deck leads into a calming, light-filled space. The bedroom features a comfortable king-sized bed and an ensuite bathroom with an island bath, separate walk-in and outdoor showers.  The spacious living room leads to the private sundeck with direct access to the lagoon, the interior style including chic whites, teaks, and contemporary, hand-finished furniture inspired by the colonial traditions of Southern India

COMO Villas:  both the king-size and twin-bedded rooms each have an ensuite bathroom with a bath, indoor and outdoor shower and private sundeck.  They also have a pantry with microwave, stove and fridge.  The spacious living room offers striking views of the turquoise lagoon through full-length windows.  Four decks overhang the lagoon.  Personal butlers attend to every request, making this the ideal family house for those with older children.  The COMO Sunset Villa is further distinguished by its own jetty, allowing private access to and from Cocoa Island.

Escape from the noise and hectic pace of modern living at the tranquil Cocoa Island resort. Renowned for its Asian inspired cuisine and wellness centre, Como Shambhala Retreat, this natural, yet luxurious, resort is a delightful respite.  Dust-white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, breathtaking sunsets – just some of the majestic sights you’ll see when visiting the Cocoa Island resort.  Rooms are inspired by Dhoni boats, adjoined by simple wooden walkways built above the shallow ocean.

TRANSFER: 40 minutes by speedboat from Male International airport.

FACILITIES:

• COMO Shambhala Retreat – equipped with several treatment rooms and steam rooms for guests seeking mental quietude, physical wellbeing and spiritual balance through Yoga, Ayurveda and other holistic treatments.
• Outdoor infinity swimming pool
• Indoor hydrotherapy pool -
• Yoga pavilion – with resident instructor
• Gymnasium – multiple state of the art workstations
• Water sports centre – kayaks, catamarans, sailing, snorkelling and windsurfing
• fully equipped certified PADI Dive Centre – lessons available
• Ufaa restautant – open for breakfast, lunch and dinner – a blend of Indian and sri Lankan traditions with emphasis on locally caught seafood and fresh local produce
• Faru resort bar – adjacent to the infinity pool leading to the beach
• Boutique
• CD, DVD and book loan library

COCOA ISLAND

“perfect get away”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 May 2012 NEW
i have been planning a trip to maldives for quiet some time.i have selected this resort after many considerations and checking other resorts i was actually lookin for a perfect getaway from daily routine i had a perfect holiday the resort was perefectly placed and have a wonderful reef the staff
are highly hospitable mainly the restaurant staff namely muru,vijay and ramesh well they were happy to see guests from their home we couldn’t eat anything on the menu as it was new to us you know continental but we only eat desi the cooked desi food for us daily.and one other thing is the dive center wonderful people i had my first scuba divin and it was awesome if i ever go back to maldives again this will be the resort iam gonna go
Jeevan G
Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India

“Belated Honeymoon in Paradise”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 May 2012 NEW
Our belated honeymoon in January to Cocoa Island was absolutely fantastic. From the moment we were met at Male Airport until the moment we were dropped back off there at the end of our break, I cannot find anything even mildly negative to say about either the staff or the island itself.
Cocoa Island was My wife Karen’s choice as she had seen it featured on a TV Holiday show and as soon as we discussed a honeymoon, there was only one place we were going to go. We stayed in one of The Dhoni Suites which to all intents and purposes looks like a boat on stilts ! (A Dhoni is a local Maldivian boat) – when you see it it takes your breath away and evokes all kinds of imagery. It may be worth mentioning that all guest accomodation are not on the Island but over the sea on a network of stits and walkways. The main room was clean, spacious with a functional luxury, the bathroom was very usuable with some clever features including storage space for our cases. From our back sun lounging area we had steps straight into the clear blue sea, which was absolutely teeming with Marine Life, it was not uncommon to see Reef Sharks, turtles and even Squids ambling past as you stepped into the water. Snorkelling is astounding, words cannot express the feeling when you swim over the edge of the reef for the first time and literally witness the multitudes of abundant sealife on display.
When not snorkelling we made use of a couple of glass bottomed canoes and paddled our way round the island along the reef edge – we can recommend this immensely, though be wary that the tide later in the day can make paddling a bit hard.
Food at Cocoa Island was quite Magnificent, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner everything was of the absolute highest standard, The setting of the restaurant and bar areas are great
and we found it very romantic enjoying dinner by candlelight in the sand.
We found the staff all to be absolutely fantastic in attitude, friendliness and efficiency. If either of us needed anything, whether it was help on a matter or even just information on the island area or sea life whoever we spoke to couldn’t have been more helpful. We did a snorkelling trip and the guide was fantastic going out of hisay to show hidden gems and making us feel very comfortable and secure in the middle of the Ocean !!
A very nice touch was the fresh fruit that miraculously appeared in our room sometime around mid morning, which provided very welcome refreshment after a hard morning of snorkelling and resting in the sun.
The Island is gloriously quiet and at times it feels like you are the only people on the island – it is strange to wander across for dinner and realise there are another 40 odd people staying there !!!. We also had a fantastic massage each, which left us both invigorated and relaxed as i can remember having ever been. The Shambala lotions used were amazing, so much so, i was dispatched a month or so after our return to purchase some more at a sister establishment in London.
Cocoa Island was our little bit of paradise
Mark W. London

“Almost Perfect…”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 May 2012
We just come back from Cocoa where we spent 10 days. Before I chose Cocoa, I read all the good comments at tripadvisor and that’s why I decided to book Cocoa for our honeymoon (I know Banyan Tree, W, Barros, Kanuhura). I booked Cocoa, because I wanted a small island, a very good house reef, good food, having wonderful suns sets from the terrace of my room and very important: a real island feeling. At Cocoa you almost have it all. I don’t want to repeat all the positive points of Cocoa, because they are all perfectly described by others and they are all true. Service, Food, Spa, friendliness of staff, two wonderful beaches, everything is close to perfection. The island itself is wonderful – a real paradise.
So please forgive me that I will mainly write about the only point I personally did not like – the islands around Cocoa. Cocoa is surrounded by five island, so you never have the feeling that you are lost on a small island. Two of the five island are very close on the southern side of Cocoa and they are nice, because you do not see any buildings (backside of two resorts). You have wonderful sunset between the two. Two islands, which almost all rooms of Cocoa are facing, are also very close and on the north side of the island. There is a local island and the Holliday Inn Resort, both not very nice, because you see a lot of buildings). Between these four islands there is a lot of boat traffic, so if the wind changes, you might often hear rumors. Island number five (the east side) is a little bit more far away, but really ugly with huge buildings and big lights at night. There is almost no place at Cocoa where you don’t see another island. I personally have never had the “island feeling” I was was looking for. So my rating is 4/5.
If you don’t mind seeing other islands or seeing/hearing boats (Dhonis, diving boats etc.), as my wife does, then go for Cocoa. You won’t be disappointed.
Docsch
Munich, Germany

“Home from Home – 6th Trip and still does not disappoint”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 May 2012
Just back from our sixth trip to Cocoa and pleased to say we had another great experience. We will definitely return again, so when reading this review you will just see some comparisons we are seeing compared with our last stay. This time we stayed in the one-bedroom villa for the first time and if you can afford it, it is absolutely worth it. Although I would be happy to stay back in the lowest category of room (Dhoni), there is just something special about the location of the one bedrooms and the bathroom is bigger and the great outdoor shower. 1004 is beautiful at sunrise. We dived again this year – 8 dives each this time – they have a great new dive boat which is alot more luxurious and faster than the old boat which meant that we could travel to other dive sites that we had not visited before and it was magical. We both had a number of massages (a variety of styles) and they were exceptional. They have also introduced a “clean up” community dive where we collected rubbish from the reef, which was also good to do. The massages are expensive, but they are worth the money as you never come away feeling disappointed with the quality of the massage. There has been some changes to the restaurant menu. We are on a health kick this year, so we were trying some of the healthier options and they did not disappoint – standards were impressive. The standard of ingredients and quality of the food is great given the remoteness of the location and they likely have to import alot of their food. We did notice a significant increase in price for food and beverages and felt that the cost is getting really expensive for the portion size. Not that we were looking for a larger portion size, but we did feel that it did not justify the price charged. The restaurant manager indicated to us that costs have increased in this area. I feel it could be restricting what people order when the costs are so high. Given all the diving, massage, great room and excellent food, we have no complaints as luckily we could afford it, but if you are on a budget, you will hesitate when ordering food and beverage as a result. Service is still good from all the familiar faces in all divisions. In general though the newer staff in F&B are not as passionate or as good as the long timers, so service was a bit slower from the new staff members. The long term staff really understand the value of their service, its what completes the overall experience and makes you want to return again, so they just need to make sure that they can maintain this. We recommend the place to everyone we know (much to the disgust of my husband who complains that we wont be able to get in with the amount of people I tell), but it is because it is a special location and we feel at home and ticks all the boxes for a great holiday.
Ionise. Perth, Australia