Four Seasons adds more luxury to resort in Maldives

Wednesday, 4 September 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Stays at the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru should probably come with a government health warning, as I doubt any guest ever wants to leave!

And the luxury resort will soon make leaving even harder, as its reimagined all-pool water villas will open on 1 November.

The new villas will feature twice as much living space outside than in to create vastly extended indoor-outdoor hideaways that bring the ocean closer at all times.

A spectacular extension brings the total outdoor area to 182 square metres (1,960 square feet), split into multiple, dedicated zones: sun-drenched decks, shaded social spots and dining areas, over-water hammocks, day bed and an al fresco shower.

A new shaded oceanside living and dining pavilion with swing couch flanks the 12-metre (40 foot) pool, which extends into the lagoon for uninterrupted Indian Ocean views.

Pale wooden indoor floors mimic the external sun-bleached decks for a seamless inside-out connection, which combines with the elevated second floor lounge for a sense of space that extends both horizontally and vertically.

Inside, suspended feature walls, floor-to-ceiling windows and a contemporary design with light colours and dark blue accents imbue the 90 square metre (970 square foot) space with a sophisticated serenity.

Reconfigured bathrooms include sea-view bathtubs and direct deck access, while new overwater hammocks and steps directly into the blue ensure maximum connection to the sea. Commenting on the new Water Villas, General Manager and Regional Vice President, Armando Kraenzlin said, “In an ever-crowded world, luxury is increasingly sought in a sense of space and an ability to enjoy an unrestricted connection with the natural world. Our new Water Villas not only offer twice more space outside than in with pools that make you feel as though you are swimming out into the ocean but also extend upwards into a sea-view loft and downwards via steps into the ocean for an enhanced sense of space and connection in all directions.”

Declared the Maldives’ first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2011, the Baa Atoll ecosystem is renowned as one of the most beautiful in the country, home to the world’s largest known population of manta rays, scores of whale sharks, towering thilas, exhilarating kandus, and stunning coral gardens.

In addition, the waters directly around Landaa Giraavaru are home to one of the world’s largest and most successful coral propagation projects. With its 4,000th coral frame planted in May 2019, the Reefscapers project has been working to support the existing reef since before the Resort opened, and is now even putting robots and artificial intelligence to work placing the Resort’s Marine Savers team at the pioneering forefront of global coral reef restoration.

Turtles, baby sharks, mantas and even dolphins visit the Resort’s lagoon while the coral frames attract an ever-expanding abundance of exotic flora and fauna to within a close snorkel of each Water Villa deck.