JULY 2019 115Raffles in the Maldives
Recently opened is Raffles Maldives Meradhoo, a 21-villa
“beach island experience” in Gaafu Alifu Atoll, in the south of
the Maldives. This is Accor’s fourth property in the country and
the first under the Raffles brand.
The main island is home to Beach Villas and Beach Residences
with private pools, generous living areas, lavish marble
bathrooms with sunken bathtubs, and outdoor showers. The
Raffles Royal Residence and a collection of overwater villas and
residences will launch later in 2019.
The resort occupies two reefs that provide a thriving habitat
for marine life including baby sharks, turtles and tropical fish
- all of which can be marvelled at from your villa, courtesy
of glass flooring panels. If you’d like to learn more, a resident
marine biologist and a team of “marine butlers” are on hand to
personalise your experience.
There’s a huge range of gastronomic delights on offer at Raffles,
from Peruvian and Japanese fusion dishes at Yuzu, to a private
caviar breakfast on a sandbank accessed by jet ski. And, this
being Raffles, there’s a Long Bar, where you can enjoy the world’s
best champagnes and wines.
The spa offers luxury facials by Biologique Recherche, body
treatments by Aromatherapy Associates, and a high-end mani-
pedi concept by Magaret Dabbs London.
+960 6828800 | [email protected]
Dive into Romance
Tying the knot and keen to do things a bit differently? Make a
statement with an underwater wedding at Anantara Kihavah
Maldives Villas, where you can exchange vows with a dive-
certified minister as your witness, and with each moment
captured by an underwater photographer. Your altar is a coral
bed, your rings presented in a white shell; you can even adopt a
coral to memorialise the occasion, returning on an anniversary
to see how it has bloomed.
The package begins back on land with professional hair styling
and make-up for the bride. Following the wedding, a dinner
of barbecued lobster is served by a butler on a candlelit stretch
of beach, and then you’ll enjoy a Slumber Guru experience in
your villa, with a lavender oil massage. Champagne breakfast
is served in bed the next morning.
If you prefer to keep your feet on dry land, you can exchange
vows in Kihavah’s underwater venue SEA as fish swim past floor-
to-ceiling glass, or on a palm-fringed beach at the resort, a deserted
island at sunset, on a private yacht, or in an overwater residence.
Wedding packages start from US$4,400 for two. (Note:
ceremonies in the Maldives as a Muslim country are not legally
binding.) To start planning, call +960 660 1020 or email
[email protected].kihavah-maldives.anantara.com