Has the Maldives reached the top seaside shack? The iconic vacation spot for honeymooners, A-listers, and once-in-a-lifetime-blow-the-price range vacations is understood for its uber-luxe resorts, which take over whole islands.
But the present day commencing on this postcard-ideal archipelago is a world far away from the everyday thatched huts on stilts.
The LUX North Male Atoll is a group of glossy, cutting-edge white Art Deco villas, designed by Singapore-primarily based Miaja Design Group – who reputedly took a notion from superyachts. With the pink and turquoise coloration scheme, no longer to mention the radioactive sunsets you get within the flattest USA on this planet, it’s a touch of Miami glamour meets The Maldives.
The lowdown
LUX is understood for its glitzy inns and hotels throughout The Maldives, Mauritius, and beyond. Its property on South Ari Atoll is frequently voted one of the excellent motels in The Maldives, so it was a smart circulate snapping up this far off spit of land with multiple palm timber – locals used to call it ‘Picnic Island’ – and turning it into an ultra-cutting-edge motel whole with sixty-seven villas, an over-water spa, tennis, and seaside volleyball court docket and four eating places.
North Male Atoll is an hour’s speedboat ride from Male (the island capital), and you bypass stacks of bungalows on stilts on the manner. So while you see these white villas emerge from the horizon, they seem like a mirage. There isn’t certainly a phrase to do justice to how blue the water is right here because turquoise or sapphire doesn’t even come near. Imagine a totally minty-sparkling mouthwash and then dial the comparison as much as the max, and you’re almost there.
The beaches are that bleached-white powder-tender sand that holiday fantasies are the product of. There’s a coral reef to snorkel on. And… No longer a lot else. But permit’s face it, beach life is what The Maldives is all about.
The rooms
In a word: gargantuan. Whether you pass for an overwater villa with steps down to the ocean, or a villa at the seashore nestled among palm trees, you’ll sense quite a baller. The villas have spacious residing rooms with daybeds and sofas leading onto your own non-public terrace and infinity pool. The bedrooms have king-size beds, a blingy dressing room region, and pinch-me panoramic perspectives of the sea.
The bathrooms have a loose-status egg-formed bathtub, a couples’-sized indoor bathe, and an outdoor shower only for a desirable degree. And when you suppose you need to transport in and by no means leave – you find out that every villa comes with its own roof deck for stargazing, web hosting a BBQ, or for setting up your own Cinema Paradiso-fashion outdoor display.
Obviously, you received’t be putting it up yourself – your private Island Host can help with that. And some other requests for that matter, from snorkeling tools to a morning latte. My host even brought me a few Aloe Vera gel after a scorching day spent having a seashore picnic. It’s a tough life. The food
Barium is a secluded personal eating room with Romeo + Juliet-esque fish tanks as opposed to walls if you’re within the temper for privateness. INTI, a Peruvian-Japanese ‘excessive energy restaurant, is the location for Pisco Sours, ceviche, and a sushi bar in which your make is made in front of you.
GLOW – in which the luxurious breakfast buffet is laid out – is more well-being-targeted (think avocado on toast and kombucha), and Beach Rouge is a normal seaside bar serving conventional wood-fired pizzas and club sandwiches. You also can order a floating breakfast to your villa pool, which is tremendous for the ‘Gram. However, it additionally feels a bit distracting ingesting boiled eggs whilst bobbing approximately in a swimming pool.