The Maldives are already pretty close to the Platonic ideal of the island escape. Thousands of tiny semi-private islands, ringed by soft sand beaches, surrounded by the crystal-clear Indian Ocean — by now you know the sales pitch by heart. It’s no wonder, then, that this place seems to lend itself to the highest of high luxury — a hotel like Naladhu just wouldn’t be quite the same anywhere else.
In typical Maldives style it’s set in a perfect island idyll, all blue seas, beaches and thick stands of coconut palms. There’s no overwater gimmickry here, just 19 freestanding houses — the views may be less spectacular, but only marginally so, and what you lose in instant water access you more than gain in privacy and square footage.
What makes Naladhu especially luxurious, even for the Maldives, is its scale. The ideal, one imagines, is one room per island, and Naladhu is small enough that the illusion is fairly persuasive. Yet the small size requires very few sacrifices: you’ll still get butler service, a dive center, a spa, and an al fresco restaurant, as well as access by boat to the sister resort, the Anantara, where you’ll find a handful more restaurants and a fitness center. Desert-island seclusion with luxury-hotel services — it’s just that simple.
author Daily Tablet Hotel, source www.tablethotels.com
