Hotel Review: Soneva Fushi, The Maldives
After departing from our stay at COMO Cocoa Island, we headed onwards to our next stop in the Maldives: the inimitable Soneva Fushi. If you’re like me and spend your free time poring over Conde Nast Traveller’s annual Gold List, or you’ve ever endlessly scrolled through picture-perfect shots of the Maldives on Instagram, I’m willing to bet that you’ll have heard of Soneva. Undoubtedly one of the most luxurious hotel brands in the Maldives with two properties across the region, owners Sonu and Eva (Soneva, get it ?) have been setting the golden standard for Maldivian hospitality for more than 25 years. Their first property, the pioneering Soneva Fushi, was established in 1995, and quickly built its reputation as the most innovative hotel resort in the Maldives - it’s no secret that neighbouring hotels have tried to replicate aspects of Soneva in the hopes that it will give their islands the same X factor. Read on for my full review to see whether it lived up to expectations…
First impressions: 5/5
As soon as your host meets you at Malé International Airport, the Soneva charm will begin to work its magic. From this moment onwards, you’ll have a Soneva guardian leading you throughout your entire journey until you reach Kunfunadhoo island (the private island the hotel occupies), from the short ride in the shiny Tesla that will transfer you to the seaplane terminal, to the private Soneva lounge where you can graze from a spread of homemade chocolates (a taste of what’s to come at the hotel) and the seaplane ride itself where a linen-clad Soneva host will personally accompany you on the flight. And when you touch down, waiting on the jetty is your personal butler, ready to greet you and whisk you away to the hotel, where the General Manager Pjey will welcome you to the island with a fresh coconut - Maldivian hospitality is hard to beat, eh?
As soon as you commit yourself to the Soneva experience, you’re encouraged to embrace the resort’s back-to-nature approach: upon arriving, we were immediately stripped of our shoes and encouraged to spend our experience on the island barefoot, in line with the hotel’s ‘no news, no shoes’ mantra. Our villa itself was left unlocked throughout the entirety of our stay (such is the way at Soneva), and as we were set back from the beach in the dense jungle, it was only natural for us to encounter a few lizards and creepy crawlies in our bedroom - this was all part and parcel of the island experience.
Complete with a private pool, our villa was shaded by hundred year old trees just steps away from the beach, with plenty of sun loungers to sprawl on. The majority of villas here are on the island itself while only a handful are positioned on the water, and accommodation ranges from one-bedroom pads (the smallest of which still feel like mansions in themselves) to sprawling 6-bedroom hideaways. Our two-storied tropical retreat was designed in moody pine, offset by chic, soft furnishings in bright orange and a canopied four-poster upstairs, while our bathroom led into a leafy outdoor garden with a sunken bathtub and outdoor shower.
After settling in, we headed off to explore the island, and were immediately struck by the vastness of the resort compared to the one we’d previously been at: guests can weave their way through a den of pathways snaking round the resort that leads to various beaches, restaurants, and experiences. You’ll share the pathways with wild bunnies (over 400 of them inhabit the island), roaming chickens, and all kinds of birds. While it would take you 45 minutes to explore the island by foot from one end to the other, luckily your barefoot butler is available to shuttle you around in a golf buggy, or you’ll find bikes parked outside your villa so you can easily whizz around.
To do: 5/5
Upon arriving at Soneva, you might feel overwhelmed by the number of experiences available for you to enjoy, however large the size of your group: for outdoorsy types, choose from ziplining through the trees, to sunset dolphin cruises, and all kinds of water sports. Truly personalised experiences range from private cooking lessons with some of the island’s renowned chefs, picnics on nearby castaway islands, or dining on fresh sushi while enjoying a movie at the outdoor cinema - along with there being indoor and outdoor gyms, tennis and padel courts, a boutique shop, and even art gallery to browse. On our first day, we were whisked away to Soneva Soul, the peaceful hotel spa that snakes through the trees, where we were treated to a restorative couple’s massage in a beautifully designed indoor-outdoor treatment room. I’d definitely recommend a treatment here if you’re looking to fully unwind: we were impressed by how personalised our massages were based on our individual pressure points, and it’s worth noting that a rotating calendar of visiting practitioners also offer a range of treatments at the spa.
You could easily stay here for a couple of weeks and still feel spoilt with the number of things to do on the island. Alongside trying as many activities as possible, fitting in time to kick back and relax was high on our agenda, and thankfully each villa comes with its own private pool (some also with water slides) to fit this purpose - along with there being, of course, endless stretches of beach to enjoy across the island.
Food and drink: 5/5
With eleven different dining concepts, including a variety of seasonal pop-ups and an impressive number of visiting chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, you certainly won’t be disappointed when it comes to the culinary offering at Soneva Fushi. The day starts off at Mihiree Mithaa for breakfast, where a never-ending buffet spread awaits, from homemade pastries to tropical fruit selections - before you move on to the cooking stations, where the chefs will cook up whatever eggs or pancakes you fancy. My personal favourites were the Sri Lankan egg hoppers with coconut sambal, or spicy chicken curry mopped up with fresh chapatti, both cooked on the spot, of course. To wash it all down, help yourself from a steaming pot of homemade masala chai, or order whatever fresh juice concoction you fancy.
When it comes to lunch and dinner, there are multiple dining experiences and cuisines for you to enjoy, each as memorable as the next, whether you choose to zip-line to dinner in the treetops and feast on elegant Italian dishes, or indulge in comforting curries at an open charcoal grill while being serenaded by a live band - the beauty is that you can stroll into many of the hotel’s restaurants without booking in advance, allowing you to be as spontaneous as you’d like. None of the restaurants ever feel overcrowded as there is plenty of space to spread out, but if you’re looking for a buzzy atmosphere, Down to Earth, the casual all-day eatery close to the jetty and the hotel’s main bar, is the closest you’ll get to finding a hubbub of activity. All of the restaurants are open-air (so you can feel connected to nature as you eat), and our favourite dining experiences included Out of the Blue, a beautifully designed structure suspended above the water, complete with water slide and loungers for guests to sprawl on. Awash in pale blues and turquoise colours, the restaurant serves up a fusion or Japanese, Indonesian, and Vietnamese flavours: we enjoyed delicious, fresh sushi and ceviche, and would happily have eaten here again if there weren’t so many other restaurants to sample. Regardless of whether or not you choose to dine here or would rather just kick back on one of the loungers, waiters will pass around cooling popsicles for you to enjoy while you’re swinging back in one of the overwater hammocks - the atmosphere is laidback and reminiscent of an upscale but relaxed beach bar.
Another of our more memorable dinners was at Fresh in the Garden, where guests dine in treehouse-like pathways situated above the treetops. Dinner starts with a tour of the island’s kitchen gardens (where most of the hotel’s fresh produce is grown), before ascending into the trees, where you’ll dine on fresh, mostly vegetarian dishes while curled up on apple-green cushions under the stars. Our favourite dishes included the melt-in-the-mouth roasted Jerusalem artichokes, and a silky yoghurt parfait in strawberry syrup - all enjoyed while fruit bats circled above us. After dinner, guests can enjoy a drink at the bar or climb higher to the hotel’s observatory, where the resident astronomer (yes, really!) will guide you through the constellations.
And if you’re feeling peckish throughout the day, the hotel’s incredible 24/7 chocolate, ice cream, and cheese and charcuterie parlours are complimentary for all guests to graze at. You’ll find a never-ending spread of homemade chocolates and ice creams (mostly refined sugar and dairy free) with all of the toppings and flavours that you could possibly imagine - and you can even toss up your own salads at the cheese and charcuterie bar if you fancy a lighter lunch without committing to one of the restaurants.
Comfort and service: 5/5
We were bowled over by the level of service at Soneva Fushi, whose 600-strong team ensures that everything runs like clockwork and every guest feels personally attended to; your barefoot butler is always available and eager to correct any minor inconvenience that you’ll encounter - although it’s more than likely that you’ll leave here raving about your stay rather than having anything to complain about. Throughout the entire property, quite literally every single team member you’ll encounter is smiling and approachable, whether you’re simply passing them along the island’s pathways or dining in one of the restaurants - you’ll soon get to know a few familiar faces by name, and it’s clear that the team are all proud to be working here (we spoke to several team members who had been at the hotel for many years - even decades!).
Every single guest’s request is willingly accommodated, from the chefs cooking up off-menu items based on your dietary needs to the team arranging bespoke itineraries for you that best suit your interests: your barefoot butler is always only a Whatsapp message away, or you can even download the Soneva Fushi app to navigate the island.
Overall, this was one of the most unique and luxurious hotels that I’ve ever visited. The luxe interiors, coupled with the variety and quality of dining experiences available, the stunning location, and next-level service meant that my experience here was simply unparalleled to anywhere else I’ve stayed - of course, this is reflected in the cost of staying here, but happily, the resort is anything but flashy. There’s an unfussy, barefoot luxury across the hotel that is incredibly chic yet lacks any stuffiness. Even more so, it’s reassuring to know that behind the scenes, the hotel’s pioneering commitment to sustainability informs every restaurant, decision and experience on the island, with proceeds from the hotel’s charity Soneva Foundation going towards reforestation, coral propagation, and other eco projects. Frankly, I’m leaving Soneva Fushi very much hoping that I’ll be lucky enough to return in the future, and afraid that I might never be able to enjoy an ‘ordinary’ hotel again.
This was a press stay - all opinions are my own.
