I Went to the Maldives...for a Club Sandwich
23 FEBRUARY 2024
Whilst we at Smiling Albino have made a name for ourselves for designing experiential trips in Southeast Asia, we do occasionally travel further afield in search of inspiration and ideas. Recently our co-founder and CEO Dan Fraser made a flying visit to the Maldives, to check out the stunning Soneva Fushi resort and, of course, to try their club sandwich…
As anyone who knows me will tell you, I’m not a beach guy. So what, you may ask, am I doing in the Maldives?
This is, after the all, the ne plus ultra of high-end beach destinations, an idyllic island paradise consisting of 26 atolls which are home to some of the world’s leading brands in beach escapism – St Regis, Four Seasons, Cheval Blanc, Ritz-Carlton, Six Senses; they’re all here and all offering that unique Maldives experience of crystal clear waters, private over-water bungalows, butler service, and private planes. Definitely the kind of luxury we espouse at Smiling Albino, if lacking the immersive, gritty experiential parts that have been our speciality from day one.
So why am I here, other than the club sandwich? I’m on a holiday / workshop with our friends at Soneva Fushi, whose partner resort on Thailand’s Koh Kood – Soneva Kiri – is a longtime favourite of ours. But as well as taking part in some interesting discussions, I’m also here to learn about how Soneva are changing the paradigm of what “luxury travel” might mean.
Barefoot Luxury
Pioneers in the concept of barefoot luxury, Soneva are all about privacy, ultra-luxe, and ultimate relaxation. The resort is all-villas, with 55 in total ranging from the intimate one-bedroom pool suites up to the ultimate – the Sunset Reserve, a private seven-villa compound right on the beach. Villas are all nestled in green jungle whilst being just a short walk from the beach, and guests can choose between the sunrise or sunset sides of the island. Villas are designed from natural materials and have a very rustic vibe, whilst not skimping on luxury.
The villas are so beautiful that, once checked in, guests will find it hard to drag themselves away, but the resort goes the extra mile to keep guests entertained during their stay. Soneva is famous for its open-air big-screen cinema, but it also offers diving, various wellness activities, and its innovative Soneva Stars programme, which sees some of the world’s best known chefs, wellness specialists, writers, sports stars and more visiting the resort to share their expertise – and stories – with guests.
Regeneration
But what’s really special about Soneva Fushi is the resort’s efforts to be not just as sustainable as possible, and make its destination a better place. The resort is located in the Baa Atoll region, a listed UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Soneva runs several projects there including Soneva Namoona, which tries to reduce waste by banning single-use plastics and teaching locals to farm their own food, and the extraordinary coral nursery, which aims to restore the area’s coral reefs by producing over 100,000 new coral fragments each year. Guests are welcome – and encouraged – to get involved with both projects and to learn that luxury travel, which has a bad name in some circles, can be fully sustainable. It was a real eye-opener into what is possible with a little bit of imagination and fresh thinking, and I would encourage all hoteliers to take a look at what Soneva Fushi is doing and think about how they can adopt a similar approach, however small the scale, at their own properties.
Oh, and the club sandwich? As you would expect, it was very good indeed.
We suspect this post has you packing your flip-flops and swim shorts already, so to book your stay at Soneva Fushi – which Smiling Albino can facilitate with great rates and benefits – please contact us!