Our third and final stop on our Maldives adventure brought us to Soneva Fushi in the Baa Atoll. We were first introduced to the Soneva brand in Thailand earlier this year when we visited Soneva Kiri on Koh Kood, and we've been frothing about them ever since. There are some brands that nail the ultra-luxury experience, and some that excel at making you feel relaxed and at home- but few that merge the two as effortlessly as Soneva. The entire concept is based Defoe's classic novel Robinson Crusoe, where a the protagonist spends 28 years on an remote tropical island with his servant, Friday. You're assigned your own personal butler (or your "Mr/Mrs Friday") for the duration of your stay, available 24 hours a day and ready to assist you in whatever you could dream up. The Soneva experience is what vacation dreams are made of, and it officially ranks as one of our favorite resorts in the world. (They also actually regularly win awards from media like CNN and Conde Nast and Travel + Leisure and Jetsetter, so we aren't the only people who think so!)
Situated on their own private island just a 30 minute seaplane flight from Malé, Soneva Fushi is densely jungled and strikingly large compared to most resort islands in the Maldives. Each guest is provided a bicycle as primary means of island transportation, but your Mr. or Mrs. Friday is happy to whisk you around via buggy if it suits you better. There's a huge variety of villa types- everything from 1 bedroom accommodation to massive 6-bedroom villas complete with sauna and game room and everything else you could dream up! The "no shoes no news" mantra means your time on the island is a true escape from reality- and barefoot luxury only begins to touch on the insanely luxurious and the utterly zen-like atmosphere you'll find during your stay.
Our favorite part of our stay may or may not have been the complimentary ice cream parlour and chocolate room, and we may or may not have eaten our weight in both- but you'll just have to book your own trip to Soneva to choose your own favorites!
It honestly feels too good to be true, but we left our second experience with Soneva even more impressed than we were after the first- something we thought impossible considering the world-class experience we had a few months ago with Soneva Kiri! It's a foodie's paradise, a nature-lover's sanctuary, and everything we could ever want in a resort (and far more). The magic of Soneva is hard to explain, but it's just that- magic. They've perfected the experience and you can tell they've never stopped dreaming about the future and figuring out new ways to delight guests in luxurious, breathtaking and sustainable ways- and we could have cried when the time came for us to head home.
A Day at Soneva Fushi, Maldives
6:00 AM
We snuck out of our villa just before the sunrise to go for an early morning walk on the beach. There's nothing more romantic than witnessing that first morning light over the ocean!
7:30 AM
Every dining experience at Soneva is pure magic, and we literally couldn't get to breakfast fast enough after enjoying the sunrise!
9:00 AM
Considering how much we just stuffed our faces at breakfast, we were in much need of a bike ride to work off the damage that had just been done... in the best way possible. ;)
10:00 AM
We took a boat out in the middle of the Indian Ocean for the most epic snorkeling experience we have ever had! The Maldives is a diver/snorkler's heaven, and we spent a few hours swimming along the reef with schools and schools of exotic fish and stunning creatures- all being lead by a marine biologist to tell us about what we were seeing!
12:30 PM
We got back to the island just in time for a lunch experience called 'Fresh in the Garden'-- which was a really special experience because it was all fresh + organic produce from Soneva's garden! Focused around traditional Sri-Lankan and Maldivian flavors and dishes, this amazing meal was one of our favorites and a much-needed injection of veggies!
2:00 PM
After lunch we rode our bikes over to Soneva Fushi's new restaurant, Out of the Blue, to see what all the hype was about. It's a brand new 2-story overwater structure with tons of hammocks suspended over the water, a gorgeous restaurant complex with bars and kitchens and dining rooms up and down, and our favorite- a 2-story slide right into the azure ocean water!
3:30 PM
We finally made our way back to our villa for a little rest + relaxation.
5:00 PM
After showers + freshening up a bit, we made our way to the dock to board a speedboat that would take us on a sunset dolphin cruise. Before the boat even left the dock, we had already seen several dolphins!! We enjoyed some light snacks and champagne, watched the dolphins playing and swimming, and took in the incredible sunset before heading back to the island.
8:00 PM
Our trip just so happened to correlate perfectly with our 4th wedding anniversary, and our Mr. Friday had taken the liberty to arrange the most romantic dinner for us under the stars in the Fresh in the Garden treehouse!
Thanks for joining us for A Day at Soneva Fushi, Maldives! If you haven't had enough yet, you can view our Soneva Fushi Photo Journal!
You can book your stay at Soneva Fushi by clicking here!
Adventures away! -Zach & Tara