Luxury Holiday Destinations
By: Abby Hindle, Halal Incorp
Known for being a dream luxury holiday destination the Maldives, or the Republic of Maldives, is an archipelago in the Indian sub-continent, southwest of Sri Lanka. Luxury resorts, beautiful scenery, soaring temperatures and amazing diverse wildlife make it a gorgeous retreat for those looking to get away. The chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator and is the smallest Asian country with a native population of just over half a million inhabitants. Its climate is hot and humid, with an average high temperature of 31 degrees and an average low of 26 degrees.
These balmy conditions make it a year-round holiday location, especially in the peak of its dry season between December and April. The dry season occurring at the same time as the northern hemisphere’s gloomiest months makes getting a booking during this period a difficult task. Whatever time or place you choose for your stay, you are guaranteed the luxury trip of a lifetime.
Why the Maldives
Out of all the beautiful destinations in the world, why pick the Maldives? Several features make the Maldives stand out for holiday goers. There is, of course, the scenery; stunning soft white sand beaches, views of the Indian Ocean, and lush greenery everywhere you look. Tourism is important to the local economy, so there is much effort spent on providing an incredible tourist experience; of the many islands that make up the Maldives, 189 islands are inhabited by locals with the rest being reserved entirely for tourists or agricultural use. This provides a private, secluded experience for anyone who truly wants to get away from things. Once there you stay in your own private villa, all of which are beautifully designed and situated – around two-thirds of the 5000 overwater villas in the world are located in the Maldives.
The Maldives also has a range of activities that guarantee a memorable stay. It is home to an incredible amount of marine wildlife, with over 1000 species of fish, 21 species of dolphin and whale and 5 species of sea turtle making their homes in the ocean, lagoons, and reefs around the islands. Diving, snorkelling and boat trip to spot the wildlife are all very popular. Water sports, in general, are also popular, from kayaking to jet skiing to windsurfing, all with instructors on hand.
Vaadho island also has one special phenomenon to recommend; phytoplankton in the water emits a luminescent (safe to walk through) toxin that makes the water glow at night. On the topic of night-time activities, stargazing is also available, with one island having an observatory with a resident astronomer. There are also over 100 spas of incredible quality in the resorts, and more in the capital city Malé. The spas are known for the high quality of their design and locations, being situated on stilts over lagoons, on their own personal islands, or even underwater. See-through panels in the floor and walls allow you to watch the fish go by as you receive your treatments
On a practical level, the ease of acquiring a visa is also a big draw. There is no need to apply to assume you meet a handful of basic criteria: possession of a valid passport, proof of onward travel, and enough money to pay your way on the island.
While the reasons above may be enough to draw attention, it is only an overview of what all the resorts in the Maldives can provide. Individual atolls and resorts have their own character and different ways to appeal to every visitor.
Luxury Holiday Destinations: Places to stay
From being unknown as a tourist destination until the seventies to the development of the economy it has today, the Maldives have come to rely heavily on tourism. Tourism accounts for 28% of the Maldives’ GDP, so the pressure is high to provide the luxury experience travellers expect. The first resorts opened in 1972 with the Bandos Island Resort and Kurumba Maldives. Now there are over 130 resorts across the various atolls.
In 2009 guesthouses began opening, allowing visitors to stay among the locals and experience a more authentic aspect of life on the islands. Otherwise, resorts are hotels on private islands dedicated solely to tourists, with the only residents being visitors and workers at the resorts. Every resort and atoll has features to recommend it, all being suitable for a dream luxury getaway. Some especially notable ones include:
Luxury Holiday Destinations
Raa Atoll
One of the most visited of the atolls. It consists of 88 islands, with 15 being inhabited, and hosts multiple luxury hotels. All parts of the Maldives feature incredible wildlife but the conditions of the Raa Atoll make it so that it is especially abundant in coral reefs and fish. Raa Atoll has many hotels, including the ultra-luxurious Joali Maldives.
Baa Atoll
The only UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in the Indian Ocean, it is a year-round destination for those planning to snorkel and dive to see the stunning underwater vistas and marine wildlife. Hanifaru bay is the place to go for marine life spotting; manta rays and sharks gather in the hundreds to feast on plankton. The Maldives aris is also known for its spas and Baa Atoll is no exception, with Merana Spa providing options such as ayurvedic treatments, overwater treatment rooms, and an array of yoga and wellness activities to visitors.
There are open-air areas to get the most out of the island location, and transparent floor panels to allow visitors to watch the marine life below while they receive their treatments. While diving and snorkelling are obviously popular, other activities available include badminton, volleyball and tennis, with indoor libraries and a games room for quieter moments.
Faafu Atoll
One of the places to visit if you want a more authentic experience of the Maldives. There is only one resort on the atoll, the Filitheyo Island Resort which, as the place with one of the best house reefs, is ideal for diving and snorkelling. There are also a few guest houses on the atoll, allowing visitors to live among local residents rather than in the private resorts, allowing them to get closer to the real experience of life in the Maldives. Nilandhoo Island is the capital of the Faafu atoll. It is less developed than most of the islands, so retains more authenticity than the more tourist-focused areas.
For those interested in the cultural side of the country, Nilandhoo is also home to the historical site Foah’mathi as well as the second oldest mosque in the Maldives, the 800-year-old Aasaari Miskiiy.
In the atolls, visitors stay on a resort on an island. While all the resorts are outstanding, some are a cut above the rest. Some examples of the more opulent options available are:
Soneva Jani
Luxury Holiday Destinations: Soneva Jani has enjoyed a reputation as one of the most luxurious resorts since it first opened, and at prices of over £4500 a night you can expect it to earn that reputation. The resort takes the idea of getting away from it all to heart, with its slogan of ‘no news, no shoes. It is situated in Noonu atoll on Medhufaru island. It contains 24 private villas, each with its own private pool and personal butler. A waterslide comes attached to some rooms and can be attached to those without for $200 a day.
Each bedroom has a retractable roof for stargazing, which is a favourite activity at the resort. It even has an overwater observatory where you can watch the stars while being served a meal – there are four tables for dining out, each with a screen that allows you to view what the telescope is observing. There is the usual assortment of water sports of course – kayaking, diving, windsurfing, and more – but for more sedate outdoor activities you can relax on the private beaches or plug into a Bluetooth headset at Cinema Paradiso, a silent outdoor overwater cinema. As for eating out, there are many options.
The Gathering is a building at the centre of the resort that, in addition to having rooms stocked with cheeses, ice cream and chocolate for guests’ use, has an open-air restaurant serving drinks and tapas at all hours. So Imaginative provides experimental wine tastings and wine dinners, whereas So Fresh brings a healthy food option with juices, salads, and organic mains.
Joali Maldives
Joali Maldives is another of the many ultra-luxe resorts in the Maldives. In the Raa Atoll on Muravandhoo island, it has over 70 private villas. One of the draws of this resort is its unique focus on art. It has a private art studio for guests and offers art and sculpture tours of the island. It even has several art pieces created specifically for the resort. Continuing the educational offerings, you can visit the underwater museum to learn about the effects of climate change and pollution on the coral reefs surrounding the islands.
Of course, those aren’t the only options. Water sports like snorkelling and yacht trips to view the natural beauty of the ocean surrounding the island, a communal pool with an adjacent bar, private pools with each villa and gorgeous white sand beaches are all available. Each room also comes with your own personal Jadugar (butler) to attend to the residents. There is a fitness centre with professional trainers on hand and the Joali Spa where personalised wellness journeys are offered as part of their signature package.
There are multiple restaurants serving offerings of different cuisines. Vandhoo offers Asian and Mediterranean options, Tuh’u specialises in dishes from The Levant, Saoke is a Japanese restaurant designed by architect Noriyoshi Muramatsu, and Bellini’s offers classic Italian options. There is also the Mura bar, with its cabanas and infinity pods sitting looking out over the sea.
Six Senses
Luxury Holiday Destinations: The only resort in the Laamu Atoll. All the villas are designed to look the same, but each enjoys a stunning location; there are lagoon beach villas, lagoon water villas, ocean beach villas and ocean water villas that offer unparalleled views of the lush surroundings. Enjoy free yoga and aerobics sessions at the spa, or extras like acupuncture sessions.
For eating out, you have a choice between Longitude, an open-air buffet restaurant, Leaf, a Mediterranean restaurant above the organic gardens – because of course there’s an organic garden-Zen, a Japanese restaurant, Sip Sip, a poolside restaurant serving classics such as burgers, pizzas and homemade ice cream, and Chill Bar, which serves 14 signature cocktails
What really differentiates this resort is the effort it puts into sustainability. By working towards being plastic free and zero waste, producing drinking water on-site and donating water filtration systems to buildings across the atoll to cut down on single-use plastics, the resort appeals to those invested in green living. It also has an Earth Lab which recycles the resort’s waste and hosts MUI, one of the largest marine biology teams in the Maldives. A great deal of work is done by MUI in areas such as sustainable fishing practices and marine conservation.
If any of the above sounds tempting, you’re not alone. The Maldives was visited by 1.7 million people in 2019 and is a favoured destination for honeymooners, families and even celebrities looking for a private trip in a stunning location. The nation offers great natural beauty, water sports, interesting marine life and opulent residences, but every resort has something different to help make a holiday worth remembering and this is one of the key luxury holiday destinations.
Disclaimer: The view of the author does not necessarily represent the views of Halal Incorp