It’s hard to call any luxury resort in one of the world’s most beautiful patches of ocean “cookie cutter” but sometimes you want to step the aesthetics up a notch. One T+L writer who’s been to more Maldives hotels than anyone we know dials in from paradise with her picks of the best in design right now.
DOES A THATCHED ROOF ever go out of style? Not in the Maldives. But cutting-edge design is becoming the new draw in a tropical locale as resort-saturated as this island nation. Sophisticated, stylish and often – the best part! – sustainable, this design-centric boom is sparking a wave of creativity across hotels in the Maldives. From properties crafted by legendary architects to islands with villas inspired by the local marine life, these eight resorts are designed to impress.
Alila Kothaifaru Maldives
It’s a mix of Japanese minimalism meets Scandi-chic at this Maldives newbie. Opened in 2022, Alila’s 80 beach and overwater villas embrace a tropical brutalist exterior of light gray timber-etched concrete. Inside, dark stone flooring, clean-lined wood and earthy tones invoke island Zen. While the overwater villas focus on the blindingly blue waters, the beach villas are all about the greenery. A tiered, vertical green wall decorates the open-air bathrooms and plants dangle over the flat exterior roof.
www.alilahotels.com/kothaifaru-maldives
The Nautilus Maldives
Ocean Houses and Residences Ocean Residence Living Room
Bespoke bohemian luxury is the design ethos at this Maldivian-owned Baa Atoll outpost. Encouraging a no-clock, no-schedule vacation, it doesn’t get more relaxed than this in the Maldives. Nautilus’s 26 all-pool overwater and beach abodes have curved walls inspired by the flow of the waves and time. Houses are outfitted with glass-bottom living rooms and custom-design decor, wood thatched furniture, a large wood-beaded chandelier, and macrame hanging tapestries.
JOALI Maldives
Your introduction to JOALI starts inside a giant manta ray. OK, not a literal manta ray; its arrival pavilion inspired by Zaha Hadid is a thatched roof manta or two fishes kissing, depending on how wild your imagination is. Owned by the effortlessly stylish Turkish businesswoman Esin Güral Argat, her feminine vision is evident. From the rose gold finishings to the forest green marble shower to the soft pinks decorating its 73 villas, this art-immersive resort has a beautiful and delicate design.
St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort
Hovering over the crystalline waters, you may notice the resort’s Iridium Spa, designed to look like a six-legged crustacean from your seaplane. Maldivian marine life inspires the buildings here, including its 44 overwater villas that resemble manta rays with wide open mouths. The aptly-named Whale Bar is inspired by a graceful whale shark that glides in nearby waters. And on land, their 33 beach villas are sketched from local fisherman’s huts that once dotted the island.
www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/mlexr-the-st-regis-maldives-vommuli-resort
Patina Maldives, Fari Islands
The Beach House Two-bedroom Sunset Water Pool Villa
Pulling up to Patina, you may as well be entering the tropical lair of a Bond villain. Its gunmetal gray superyacht, ADASTRA, and tropical brutalist exteriors create a super sleek and sexy vibe that permeates through this 90-villa island. Designed by beloved Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan, the use of lines playing off the moving Maldivian sun is a big part of the resort’s aesthetic. Subtle tones, soft timbers, matter surfaces and rattan furniture add to the stylish yet relaxed feel. Plus, the massive James Turrell pavilion planted in the sand is a major design draw.
patinahotels.com/maldives-fari-islands
Naladhu Private Island
Ocean House Bathroom with View Ocean House Outdoor Bathroom Beach Houses from above
A resort sans overwater villas is a rarity in the Maldives, but that’s not a bad thing. Home to just 20 beach and ocean houses, this private island underwent a facelift in 2021 and came out looking brand-spankin’ new. These thatched-roof villas have a massive floor plan with a private pool, personal sauna, outdoor shower and plenty of places to lounge. Bright whites against dark woods, exposed beams and pops of cobalt blue channel a Southeast Asian style that’s fresh and airy.
The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands
Living Room, Two-bedroom Water VIlla
One of the last projects by the late famed Australian architect Kerry Hill, The Ritz-Carlton Maldives wows with its circular design. Created to mimic the motion of the ocean, all the resort’s one-bedroom villas are round with solar panels on top but the resort’s nine-room spa wows. In the center of the lagoon, surrounded by circular overwater villas, the spa is shaped like a ring, with the middle open to the ocean it was modeled after.
www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/maldives-fari-islands
Jumeirah Maldives Olhahali Island
Three-bedroom Beach Retreat Three-bedroom Overwater Retreat
A bit of the Med mixed with Miami, Jumeirah’s striking design leans younger and edgier with 67 all-white, flat-roof villas. Besides the extraordinarily large square footage, each villa’s private pool and rooftop lounge area with camel-coloured sun shade is a bonus. The best design highlights in this resort include curved walls, pops of color against natural tones and a statement bathroom, one of the coolest in the Maldives. Elongated silver faucets plunging into wood sinks, concrete flooring and a soaking tub surrounded by mosaic tile are a major style surprise.
Katie Lockhart
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