Sundowner: Autumn/Winter 2018

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OPEN OCEAN THE INDIAN OCEAN ISLAND RETREATS OF THE MALDIVES AND SEYCHELLES ARE BEING RESHAPED BY NEW LUXURY RESORTS WHERE ART, NATURE, AND FORWARD-THINKING DESIGN ARE MAKING A SPLASH. HERE’S THE FIRST WAVE OF EXCITING ARRIVALS MALDIVES Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi, Shaviyani Atoll Opened: April 2018 Best for: Families and sculpture spotters What’s in a name? Sirru Fen Fushi means ‘Secret Water Island’ and it’s an apt moniker. The pristine 600-hectare lagoon – the largest in the archipelago – that surrounds the resort contains the Maldives’ first underwater art gallery, by British artist Jason deCaires Taylor. The Sculpture Coralarium – a semi-submerged tidal art space – is a unique eco-art attraction, which will double as the foundations of an artificial reef. It exhibits a series of artworks on the skyline, intertidal waterbed, and seabed. Tours are conducted daily by the Fairmont’s resident divers. Back on land, the Fairmont Maldives is a 120 luxury all-villa resort. Accommodation is rustic chic – champagne-coloured wood, thatched roofs, macramé cushions, and over-water swings. Not just a honeymooners’ hideaway – there’s a toddler play garden, a kids’ club, and dedicated Teen Town. While offspring are cosseted in clubs, the Willow Stream Spa is a veritable oasis, offering authentic local island culture treatments. There’s a buffet-style restaurant, a seafood restaurant supplied by local fishermen, and a signature Japanese dining space. The open-air bamboo bar is reminiscent of Balinese hangouts. The eco-creds check out too: solar panels have been installed and desalinated water is served in reusable bottles all over the island. LUX* North Malé Atoll Opening: Early 2019 Best for: Future-focused folk and party people The second Maldives getaway from the LUX* group, the resort in the Olhahali Atoll will turn the typical Maldivian trope on its head when it opens in early 2019. Forget wood and thatch, instead there are space age-style, white pod villas. By Singaporean design house Miaja, each of the 67 double-storey residences features hand-polished wood, indoor/outdoor spaces, and white and neon-pink interiors. They have been imagined as South Beach superyachts and will be crowned by spacious Sky Lounges. These ultra-modern ‘penthouse paradises’ aim to elevate the archipelago experience. Facilities on the island include an outdoor cinema; kids’ club; brunchserving, international DJ-headlining beach club; an art studio; holistic spa; dive club; and superyacht for bespoke sailing trips into the sunset. WORDS: ALICIA DEVENEY 66 | AUTUMN/WINTER 2018
Kudadoo Private Island by Hurawalhi, Lhaviyani Atoll Opened: Early 2018 Best for: Recluses and marine-life lovers Straw hats off to the team behind just-opened Kudadoo Private Island by Hurawalhi. Forty minutes by seaplane from Malé, it’s joined the ranks of a select few private islands already raising the bar for chic castaway resorts in the archipelago. Serviced by the adjacent Hurawalhi Maldives resort in the Lhaviyani Atoll – a Maldivian manta ray hot spot – a mere five-minute boat ride away, this exclusive-use, grown-ups-only island features 15 villas. Roomy and spacious, the onebedroom villas are 303 square metres, while the two-bed residences are 380 square metres. Designed by Yuji Yamazaki of YYA New York, all the elegant, Japanese style-influenced villas are over-water and butler-serviced. If guests can bear to leave their patch of private paradise, Hurawalhi features the amenities that could be expected from a Maldivian resort hotel, plus a fun, all-glass undersea eatery – the largest in the Maldives. Enjoy a multi-course tasting menu at 5.8 restaurant, while marvelling at the occasional octopus, manta, and eagle ray that pass by, not to mention zebra-patterned bannerfish, glass fish, and yellow long-nose butterfly fish. JOALI, Muravandhoo Island, Raas Atoll Opening: Late 2018 Best for: Imaginative kids, their arty parents and foodies As part of the new wave of hotels that are reimagining the Maldives as a family friendly destination, JOALI will offer giggle-inducing, fun activities for all its mini guests when it opens later this year. Treasure hunts, storytelling sessions, special mini spa treatments, and a junior chef programme will engage and entrance little visitors. And they’ll love the artisanal chocolate and ice-cream store. Grown-ups will praise each of the 73 one- to four-bedroom thatched beach or over-water villas, the Bellini bar, the ESPA spa, and inventive fusion cuisine, such as Peruvian-Japanese. With interiors by Autoban and Tokyo-based Studio Glitt, all villas are adorned with objets d’art by young artists – many using recycled materials. JOALI proves that even resort construction doesn’t have to be destructive – it has been designed in and around every swaying coconut palm and native tree on the island. SEYCHELLES Four Seasons Seychelles at Desroches Island Opened: March 2018 Best for: Happy couples Fresh from a two-year-long revamp, this overhauled resort (formerly known as Desroches Island) has been remade as Four Season Seychelles at Desroches Island. A 35-minute seaplane flight from Mahé, the resort has been curated as the perfect blend between the pulse and pace of the larger sister Four Seasons resort in the Seychelles and a private island getaway. The 40 beach suites have been redesigned and now boast private pools, outdoor/ indoor bathrooms, and a castaway-chic vibe compete with unfinished wood, rattan and unbleached linens. Each room faces the Indian Ocean and guests are encouraged to explore the 14 kilometres of white icingsugar beaches or freewheel via palm-lined paths by complimentary bicycle. Each of the 11 new private residences has the boon of a butler, perfect for larger groups. There’s a state-of-the-art anti-gravity yoga pavilion and an Aldabra giant tortoise sanctuary to explore. In the turquoise waters around the island there are no fewer than 14 world-class dive sites including the Desroches Drop. CONTACT ABERCROMBIE & KENT For more information, or to discuss your next holiday to the Maldives or the Seychelles, call to speak to our beach-holiday travel specialists on 01242 547 708. abercrombiekent.co.uk | 67
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Page 47 and 48: BARCELONA THE EXPERIENCE Enjoy the
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Sundowner: Autumn/Winter 2018

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