Indian Ocean’s version of paradise has just gotten bigger as The Fairmont Maldives are welcoming visitors to their new luxurious resort.
After an hour and twenty minutes on the sea plane, I was delighted to be able to step out onto their pier as an invited early tester.
Let me start off this review by explaining that The Fairmont Maldives is currently in the process of a soft opening. So, when I say ‘not ready yet’ or ‘still under construction’, the resort is by no means a building site. Most work is done out of sight and non-intrusive, which I feel it’s important to mention that from the start.
Our host in particular was extremely attentive and tried to keep us happy, hence why he kept us stocked full of complimentary Nespresso Pods. Whenever we tried to walk around the 16-hectare island for a bit of exploration, either our host or another member of staff seemingly turned up in a buggy ready to whisk us to wherever we wanted to go.
The 120 luxurious villas on the island are divided into three different categories. Each villa type has its own charm and are defined by their own uniquely charming characteristics. I didn’t get to stay at the Tented Jungle Villa as they weren’t quite ready yet but they nearly are and to stay there would be to immerse yourself into tropical greens.
We stayed at the Beach Villa and the Water Villa for two nights each. The Beach Villa was massive, and I do mean massive. High ceilings with several spacious separate rooms that were beautifully furnished in a Moroccan style. There was an option of either an indoor shower or outdoor, along with a bath that was outside in the midst of lush ferns. Out front was your own private sandy garden with your own hammock, daybed and private pool before spilling out onto the beach that’s crawling with amusing hermit crabs. This accommodation option was lovely and anyone would really enjoy staying in the Beach Villa.
We personally preferred the Water Villas, partly because they’re quintessentially Maldivian and also because they’re extremely Instagrammable. And The Fairmont Maldives’ Water Villa really were with their beautiful copper bath that looked out upon the turquoise lagoon, which you could step into from your private decking’s ladder. And if you happened to tire of the sea, you had your own pool to swim in to work up an appetite.
We ate at Raha Market for breakfast, lunch and dinner for every single day of our stay because the other restaurants weren’t ready yet. The food was of a very high standard. We naturally went through as much of the varied menu as we could and while there were so many delicious options available, our conclusion was that for breakfast, go with the pastries from their buffet as their onsite baker is exceptionally talented. For lunch, the Buffalo Mozzarella Salad and the Thai Chicken Wraps. And for dinner, you simply have to try the steak one night as they were, honestly, one of the best steaks we’ve both ever had. Extremely tender and succulent.
Located next to Raha Market is their 200-metre long pool. It is the longest pool in the Maldives and stretches across the island from one end to the other. The pool is integrated with the island’s palm trees and segregated into different sections of various depths, making it suitable for either swimmers and playful children. At one end of the pool you can enjoy the bustle and cocktails of their open aired bamboo bar, Onu Onu, while at the other end on the other side of the island you can bask in the tranquillity of the Willow Stream Spa.
I tried the spa treatment at Willow Stream Spa but my session was disrupted by an allergic reaction I had to the oil. Within moments of me realising that I was having a problem, their doctor was on the scene complete with an air-tank on hand. I was really impressed and grateful for their quick reactions and was back to normal soon after ready to try whatever the resort had to offer.
Activities are a plenty at the resort. You can take a snorkelling kit from the dive centre for your own enjoyment (from your Water Villa) or you can go on a two-hour snorkelling excursion in the surrounding pristine 600-hectare lagoon, one of the largest in the Maldives. The accompanying team of marine biologists were always pointing out marine life that we’d have missed with our untrained eyes, including an octopus and a moray eel (scary looking things!).
While we were at the resort, the underwater sculptural museum was still under construction but looked nearly finished. This was being createdby the specialist artist, Jason Decaires Taylor, who also designed the renowned Balinese equivalent.
I was so sorry that I missed out on this unique aspect as this feature is the only one of its kind in the Maldives and I’ve heard from visitors since that they’ve enjoyed this complimentary activity.
And my sunset dolphin sighting cruise was also rained off (cry), so I didn’t have much luck on the activity front during my stay at Fairmont Maldives.
Anyone going to the Fairmont Maldives will have a good time, though you do have to go with the mind-set that, at this moment in time, certain things are still in the process of being ironed out during this soft opening stage. For example, the arrival experience at Male International Airport as you await your seaplane needs polishing as they don’t have their own lounge yet and the complimentary meal and drink offered is just a measly sandwich and small water. Not comparable to the other airport arrival experiences we had. The main beach is still being manufactured and won’t be ready for a several months. And as nice as it was to get ‘What to Eat at Raha Market’ down to a fine art, it’d have been nice to have eaten somewhere else to vary things up.
The Fairmont Maldivesis not the finished article yet and won’t be for approx. 6-9 months more, but, it was the most luxurious of the three Maldivian resorts that we visited and we loved every moment of the four nights that we spent there.
