Club Med Kanifinolhu North Male Atoll Maldives
North Male Atoll Maldives
Resort Rating:
Status : Not In Operation

Only 30 minutes by speedboat from the Male' International Airport, Kani is located in North Male' Atoll. Sitting atop the eastern reef of the atoll, the resort is close to some of the best dive spots and surfs in the Maldives. Kani is quite a unique resort. While you approach the resort on board the transfer boat which ferries you from the airport you will notice the dense vegetation. Buildings virtually cannot be seen. Then you walk along the wooden jetty towards Kani’s palm-fringed shore and finally find yourself captivated by a new experience. Entering the centre of the island you will be welcomed in the shade of a majestic old banyan tree and your holiday really begins.

The feeling of being at home with nature and in touch with tradition begin as you walk across the sands to the Reception right under this venerable tree, around which all the main buildings are grouped and whose broad branches span the entire area. Banyan trees are worshipped in some Asian countries and can sport a crown bigger than a soccer-field. Even in Kani this grand tree with an entanglement of roots as a trunk, forms the spiritual heart of the resort. The tree is estimated to be more than 100 years old and quite a few smaller versions are found all around the island.

Kani is level with the horizon. You walk along the beach or by jungly paths to your room. As in every village, not all the rooms are alike, but all are air-conditioned and large and comfortable to make you feel at home. Every guestroom has its own attached bathroom with hot water and a veranda or balcony.

Kani has 150 individual accommodation units. These are in bungalows or two storey buildings, each graced with fine wooden facades, with wooden balustrades and panels adding an ancient Maldivian touch. Surrounded by trees and bushes and borders of tropical blooms it is sheltered by nature, while the lagoon washes the beach only a few feet from its door.

Whether you stay at Kani on an all-inclusive package that includes most drinks as well as meals, or on half-board basis, a choice of four restaurants offers a gourmet selection of international cuisine.

• The Main Restaurant: With views of sea or garden, surrounded by flowers and tropical vegetation, the main restaurant extends through several linked pavilions serving meals included in the room rate. For vegetarians, special menus are available on request.
  
• Riya Grill: Riya means sail. This beachside open-air barbecue restaurant has sails slung across tree trunks to add to the natural atmosphere. With gently illuminated foliage, candles on the wooden dining tables and the moon bathing the beach with its silvery glow, the Riya Grill is for the romantic, as well as for those yearning for delicious, freshly barbecued dishes. Open every night, the Riya Grill features special theme evenings too.
• The Haruge Restaurant: Located at the beachside on its own deck, the Haruge Restaurant specialises in Asian cuisine, with Chinese, Sri Lankan, Indian and of course, Maldivian dishes. The Restaurant is named after the Maldivian ‘Bodu Haruge’ which traditionally is a community house used for festivities and official gatheriings.
  
• Coffee Shop: The Kani Coffee Shop has a wooden deck over the beach and sits on the edge of the Indian Ocean. Under the shade of trees, or in its pavilion, snacks and light meals from pizza to jumbo prawns are served throughout the day.
  
• Bonthi Bar: There is no need to go thirsty at Kani. There are four bars on the island, just where you need them.
  The Bonthi Bar is next to the main restaurant and is popular for pre-dinner cocktails or a midday refresher. Happy Hour and special promotions add to the fun.
  
• The Surf Bar: Between the Riya Grill and the Haruge Restaurant, the Surf Bar links the dance floor with the ocean. The caress of surf on the sand below the wooden deck suspended above the shore provides softer music as guests sip a sundowner or a nightcap. Open all day and late into the night, the Surf Bar is popular for partying or simply to enjoy a peaceful drink and listen to the ocean.
• The Beach Bars: At Kani’s northern tip is a Bar right on the beach. Another beach bar is close to the Seasports Centre and Windsurf School on the south-west side.

• Water Sports: Kani offers daily free snorkelling trips to the house reef, at a distance of approximately 400 metres and boat diving 2-3 times daily to the numerous dive spots in the North Male’ Atoll. While the lagoons are tranquil for swimmers and wind surfers, close by, there are surf spots that impress the wave surfer.
• Scuba Diving: Just a few dive locations in the world will stand the comparison with the fantastic diving environment in Maldives where you find an all year diving season. The water temperature stays more or less constant throughout the whole year, with hardly any variations outside of the range of 27-30 degrees Celsius. There are more than 1000 species of fish in Maldives, many of them endemic and most of them living in direct connection with the reef.
  Thanks to the location of Kani, you will have easy access to all kinds of reef formations, long out drawn outside reef, channels, inside reefs and thilas - submerged reefs. Further the open ocean adds to an even broader variety of aquatic animals both vertebrates and invertebrates.
  
• Fun & Sports: If you have had too much of the sea, spend time enjoying the sports facilities available on the island itself. A well kept and lush grass soccer field is to be found inland. Good for a kick around and for the occasional guests versus staff matches.
  The Kani volleyball court is another place where you can flex your muscles and enjoy the adrenaline of competition. There is a beach volleyball court too. Badminton, table tennis, or a good game of tennis (under floodlights), billiards, a football table game, and indoor board games are other options.