Sundowner: 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