The Indian Ocean nation of the Maldives, with its 26 atolls linking 1,192 coral islands dotted across 35,000 square miles, has long been an idyllic getaway for travelers looking for rest and relaxation. Though with development in recent years impacted by the pandemic, inbound travel remains steady as demand for private beach and over-water villas has never been stronger. “The Maldives have become a very compelling luxury destination with no rate ceiling,” says Bruce Ford, senior vice president and director of global business development at Lodging Econometrics.

This year, data benchmarking company STR reports that the Maldives is expected to see 11 new properties with 1,797 rooms. Among those are the Alila Kothaifaru in Raa Atoll, starring 80 beach and waterfront villas by Singapore-based Studiogoto; Minor Hotels Group’s Avani+ on Fares Island in Baa Atoll, scheduled to open in August; and later this year, the Six Senses Kanuhura, comprising 80 over-water and beach villas, will join its sister property in Laamu. Further ahead, Mandarin Oriental is developing a resort across three private islands on the Bolidhuffaru Reef in the South Malé Atoll scheduled for 2025, and Accor has plans for the SO/ Maldives. Overlooking Emboodhoo Lagoon in Kaafu Atoll, the property will showcase 80 luxury villas, courtesy of Signapore’s eco.id, when it opens in 2023

A rendering of the forthcoming eco.id-designed SO/Maldives

Hilton is also making moves in the Maldives: the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi (led by Stickman Tribe) and the SAii Lagoon Maldives, a Curio Collection by Hilton hotel, opened in 2019. They were joined this February by the multimillion-dollar relaunch of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. From New York-based Yuki Yamazaki Architecture, the resort includes 50 reimagined over-water villas, the Muraka underwater suite, and new culinary venues like undersea restaurant Ithaa that channel an elevated barefoot luxury.

Despite the pandemic’s impact, the rush of development in the Maldives confirms people’s basic desire to travel and explore. Below, we highlight four that cement the Maldives as a must-visit destination.

Patina Maldives

Floor-to-ceiling glass doors slide onto private decks in the one-bedroom water pool villas at the Patina Maldives

Opened in May 2021 and designed by São Paulo-based Studio MK27 along with Kengo Kuma and Kerry Hill Architects, Patina Maldives is Capella Hotel Group’s lifestyle spinoff nestled in the Fari Islands in the North Malé Atoll. “In the Maldives, all architecture can do is humbly filter the light and frame the views, creating different narratives as one strolls around the magnificent surroundings,” says Studio MK27 founder Marcio Kogan. “At Patina, when arriving by air, it is like the hotel does not exist. Everything disappears.”

The 110 keys range from studios to three-bedroom villas, with wellness center Flow, dining options including a plant-based restaurant, and the James Turrell art pavilion Essence. “There is no difference between interior and exterior,” says Studio MK27’s Diana Radomysler. In guestrooms, a see-through linen curtain removes the boundaries between indoors and out, while artwork by Brazilian photographer Cassio Vasconcelos immerses guests in nature. Natural materials like wood and stone juxtapose calming, neutral hues and organic fabrics—all bathed by ambient light from a variety of different straw light pendants for a joyful and one-of-a-kind experience.

The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

The ring-shaped spa at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, designed by Kerry Hill Architects

The Ritz-Carlton opened in Fari Islands on the east edge of Maafalhu Lagoon a month after Patina, and is the brand’s first foray in the Maldives. Also designed by Singapore’s Kerry Hill Architects, the 100-key all-pool villas are supported by a spa and wellness center perched above the lagoon, children’s club, and several restaurants. The firm’s tropical modernism approach yielded a masterplan that encourages guests to explore the three-island chain along an almost two-mile-long circulation thread. Villas are clad in vertical wooden boards pre-weathered to bleached silver, with views of the horizon through fully retractable sliding glass doors. Green initiatives include prefabricated wood for walls, as well as roofs and columns that reduce waste and onsite pollution. Further, cross ventilation minimizes air conditioning while photovoltaic arrays on sloped roofs use the tropical sun for green energy. “Guests are looking for experiences that are contextual, curated, and bespoke,” says Kerry Hill director Tanuj Goenka. “Design will continue to play a major role in forming these experiences. Sustainability and how it is integrated into the design and running the resort is also important to guests.”

Naladhu Private Island Maldives

The Ocean Houses, complete with pools and private beach cabanas, at the revamped Naladhu Private Island Maldives

For the six-month-long renovation of Naladhu Private Island Maldives, New York-based firm Yuki Yamazaki Architecture “wanted to emphasize the surroundings by blurring the boundaries between indoors and out,” says principal Yuki Yamazaki. Here, guests are enveloped in nature while still “feeling a sense of adventure and solitude,” he adds.

Yamazaki has worked in the Maldives before—on the sustainable Kudadoo Maldives Private Island and the Conrad Maldives—and his understanding of the area’s design vernacular is apparent in his choice of materials. For instance, teak is used throughout in response to the humidity and heavy rainfall. “It contains natural oil within and ages to a silver gray tone when unvarnished,” he says. “This project will look better and better as the years go by.” It also is a reminder of European-inspired Southeast Asian hotels from the 18th and 19th centuries, creating an East-meets-West vibe throughout the 20-villa resort.

“Our aim was to advocate being slow and a bit lazy when the guests are using the rooms,” he continues. “A one-bedroom villa offers six different seating and lounging locations to create a moment of pause: breakfast by the sea, reading on the outdoor swing, sunbathing on the front deck loungers, catching up on news by the sofa, and enjoying a pre-dinner cocktail on the chaise lounge by the pool.”

Joali Being

A trio of pavilions tucked under an undulating roof define Joali Being, designed by Autoban

Joining sister property Joali Maldives on Muravandhoo island, Joali Being opened on Bodufushi island in Raa Atoll in November 2021. In keeping with the Joali brand’s commitment to sustainability, Istanbul-based Autoban left the island’s forests untouched, designing the resort around nature. Along with 68 beach and over-water villas, the firm created three pavilions “under a dramatic, undulating roof,” says Autoban cofounder Seyhan Özdemir. Facing a three-tier pool and the Indian Ocean, “it mirrors the movement of the ocean and takes inspiration from beach textures like driftwood, coral, shell, and fishnet,” she adds. “The layered outdoor seating platforms float straight down onto the beach with lustrous marble steps.” Villas are designed with bespoke furnishings in a palette of ivory and gold with muted tones of green, pink, and blue. “Every detail has been selected to evoke the essence of the ocean and the island,” she notes, “with sand grain patterning in stucco-coated walls and mosaics depicting the hypnotic traces of waves in the sand.”

This article originally appeared in HD’s February/March 2022 issue.

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