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Maldives Villa Life
Hannah Kent
Even in a holiday destination as secluded as the Maldives, villa accommodation adds a further level of privacy and seclusion.
A villa allows you to enjoy, to the full, quality time with family and friends, in your own space, with your own facilities. Whilst great for multigenerational holidays, villas are also ideal for those who can justify more time away from the office by having sufficient space, and robust WiFi connectivity, to keep work ticking over while on holiday.
Here are our recommendations for:
Ideal for families
Soneva Fushi features 63 beachfront villas and eight water retreats ranging in size from one to nine bedrooms, located on either the sunset or sunrise sides of the island: sunset for snorkelling and dolphins, sunrise for tranquillity. Overwater one bedroom villa retreats with waterslide, offer plenty of space and facilities for families of four, and include private freshwater pool, upper deck dining, retractable roof and wine fridge. A two bedroom overwater villa can accommodate up to four adults and two children. Beachfront villas range from single storey to duplex arrangements, with many featuring private pools, and make a great choice for large families or groups of friends. These are mainly one or two bedroom villas, although there are five, six and nine bedroom residences available with private facilities such as gym, library, sauna, wine cellar, kitchen and, in the case of Villa 37 an 11 metre high moonlight viewing tower.
For families with older children Gili Lankanfushi Maldives features 45 luxuriously rustic overwater wooden villas, a limited number of which have private pools. Seven Crusoe Residences offer even more privacy as they are accessed via an on-demand pontoon boat service. The ultimate villa is the Private Reserve, only accessible by boat, and featuring private spa, pool, gym, cinema, two-storey waterslide and chef’s kitchen. There are four bedrooms including a duplex master suite with two bedrooms. Personal butlers have their own live-in quarters at the reserve. The villa can comfortably sleep eight and cater for gatherings of more than 20 people.
Overwater villas
Finolhu Baa Atoll features a vast choice of 125 beach, lagoon and ocean thatched villas. Beach Villas lead out to a private stretch of sand. Ocean Pool Villas allow you to spot dolphins from your deck. If you’re a family or group of friends go allout for the Two Bedroom Rock Star Ocean Pool Villa. Unlike most resorts in the Maldives, Finolhu’s entry-level accommodation is over water. The resort offers superb personal service and a stunning desert-island setting. The sweeping narrow sand bar that connects the main island to the three smaller islands is the longest in the Maldives. With humourous design motifs, and a fresh, breezy appeal, this is a luxurious, retro island getaway with a difference.
At the more remote Six Senses Laamu many of the resort’s 97 spacious thatched villas and its facilities are built overwater, but beach villas and on-land dining are an option. Eco-friendly, and yet supremely luxurious in every way, all villas are built to harmonise with the local environment and offer the utmost in privacy and seclusion.
Vakkaru Maldives enjoys glorious isolation amidst luscious tropical fauna. Overwater villas line the lagoon and beach villas are just a few footsteps from the sand. The high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling glass and open sides of the villas add to the sense of abundant space. The villas here are particularly spacious. Some come with private plunge pools, but all have outdoor living space. There is a four-bedroom overwater pool residence too
JA Manafaru offers overwater villas and beach bungalows, all with private pools and an emphasis on privacy, at the end of a spectacular seaplane transfer from Malé. While the Sunrise Water Villas bask in huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the idyllic Beach Villas are hidden tropical retreats, with a private beach cabana and open-air bathroom just steps from the pristine white sands. The dining choices here are excellent. The Cellar, an underground ‘wine cave’ that sits two-and-a-half metres below sea level, is the island’s exclusive French influenced haute-cuisine dining venue.
Milaidhoo Island Maldives is a small island: it’s a ten-minute stroll from one end to the other. Its Water Pool villas and Beach Pool villas are particularly in keeping with their environment and no less beautiful for it. Light and spacious, all have private pools. Beach Villas offer more space but have slightly smaller pools. Water Villas have infinity pools, day beds and easy access to the ocean. Upgrade to the residences for butler service, a private chef and an outdoor cinema. Ba’theli, the resort’s signature boat restaurant with towering mast and sail, offers the finest Maldivian cuisine.