Prestige Singapore – July 2019

DETOUR

196 PRESTIGE J U LY 2019

W

ith clear azure skies and an endless expanse of

turquoise and teal stretching into the horizon, the

Maldives’ idyllic postcard-perfect scenery makes

your heart skip a beat as your plane approaches

Velana International Airport.

This timeless magic is precisely what Waldorf Astoria Maldives

Ithaafushi, opening this month, is banking on, despite the country

already having over 132 island resorts – and counting. It is

Hilton’s second property in the Maldives, the first being Conrad

Maldives Rangali Island. The good news is, unlike for the Conrad,

I don’t have to wait for seaplane operational hours to reach

paradise. Waldorf Astoria’s private yacht, parked a short distance

from the arrival hall, whisks me to the 122-villa resort in the

South Malé Atoll in under an hour, with the wind tousling my hair

and briny ocean spray caressing my face.

The legendary Waldorf Astoria service begins the moment

I arrive at its jetty to begin my two-night stay. There are 18 to

20 people in my group and each of us is assigned a personal butler,

who apparently has done a Secret Service-worthy study of everyone’s

The Grand Beach

Villa (above) has an

expansive outdoor

terrace (left) that

leads to a tropical

garden and the

ocean beyond

On a clear day, you can see

forever and ever...