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There’s a growing dilemma for those seeking the ultimate get-away-from-it-all idyll — everyone else wants to go there too. The Maldives, in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, once fitted the bill nicely, but its tourism levels have since exploded.
Arrivals in the first quarter of 2019 grew 15 per cent year on year, taking numbers to a 15-year high. Twenty new hotel properties opened in the past 12 months, with scores more launching soon. The idyll is becoming a little crowded.
But it’s still possible to achieve the dream — at a cost. One of the most exclusive Maldives openings of all is being launched by Raffles Hotels and Resorts and, as elsewhere with this Qatar-based group, it’s bespoke five-star (plus) luxury all the way.
An hour’s flight south from capital Malé, on remote Gaafu Alifu Atoll, Raffles Maldives Meradhoo is the very essence of cloistered discretion. There are 21 palatial villas, each screened from its neighbours by elegant courtyards and lush vegetation, each with private butler, marine butler, swimming pool and direct access to pristine white sandy beaches. Or, for thrill-seekers, there are the glamorous “overwaters”, villas on stilts directly over the ocean.
First impressions
A Raffles butler in white uniform approaches at Kaadedhdhoo Airport and whisks you away by gleaming speedboat. Staff in traditional attire line up on the swish hotel jetty to greet arrivals with ceremonial drum, seashell horn, broad smiles and refreshments. It’s like entering paradise.
The island and overwaters seem to hover gently above crystal-clear seas, teeming with exotic fish. There’s no checking in; your butler’s seen to all that. Electric carts swish guests past the imposing colonial-style Long Bar (it’s modelled on Raffles Singapore’s own), negotiating winding, neatly-tended sandy paths, past hammocks swaying under palm trees and through jungle vegetation straight to their villa.
Style
Each spacious beach villa radiates the sense of delicately restrained, colonial-style opulence evident throughout the resort. Sequestered by individual, private, restful gardens and courtyards ringed by shady thatched verandahs with gently whirring ceiling fans, there’s an infinity pool, several sitting areas, a decadent-looking cabana, a swinging couch, outside bar, pantry, dining area and shower. Inside the villas, there’s grand but easy-on-the-eye elegance; sumptuously comfortable 14ft beds as wide as a car is long, beneath muslin-draped four-posters and soaring vaulted ceilings.
Attention to detail is exquisite in the bathroom too, with a plunge-pool-sized marble bath, a dressing room equipped with (correctly sized) snorkelling gear and flip-flops, one-touch “romantic” lighting and scent-burners. Guests pre-order their desired aroma, room temperature, mood music and a baffling range of pillows from a menu. Pre-ordered wines for the “maxi bar” range from about £70 to £6,155. Don’t open the wrong one by mistake.
Eat and drink
Dazzling but unpretentious cuisine is offered in three restaurants: Thari on the main island beach, Yuzu on the overwater, and The Firepit, a grand barbecue-style dining area on a “hidden” beach. In each, a wide selection of delectable dishes is offered, and artistically pictured on leather-bound iPad menus. Yuzu specialises in Peruvian/Japanese fusion cuisine (main courses £14-£22), Thari offers courses ranging from grilled mahi-mahi (£23.50) to stir-fried spiny lobster (£61.55).
Alcohol, thanks to eye-watering local taxes, is costly. Two G&Ts? £31. Least expensive glass of white wine? £14. Most expensive bottle? Several thousand pounds. Individual guests routinely spend around £800 a night on wine.
Which room?
The slightly less private overwater villas (“Sunset” or “Sunrise”, depending on taste and budget) are worth it for the novelty. Propped above the ocean on “stilts” and connected by a deliciously sinuous timber jetty, they too have private pools, vast over-water hammocks, cabanas, outside sitting areas and private jetties from which to jump or climb into the bathwater-warm sea.
Do
Snorkelling tours with your marine butler are a must, to spot resident hawksbill turtles and “vegetarian” sharks. Ditto scuba diving. Waterskiing, fishing, sunset cruises and jet-ski rides can be booked; paddling in a transparent kayak and paddle-boarding are free. A sumptuous overwater spa immerses guests in treatments or yoga, and there’s a gym.
In a nutshell
Luxury, seclusion and contentment on an almost unimagined scale — at a cost. Pinch yourself as you rub shoulders with billionaires, successful entrepreneurs, celebrities and the occasional footballer. If there’s a paradise this is surely what it looks and tastes like.
Details
Raffles Maldives Meradhoo. Beach villas from £1,000 per night; raffles.com/Maldives. Qatar Airways fly from London Heathrow to Malé twice daily from £948 return.
