the times Saturday December 4 2021
Travel 49
Ozen Reserve Bolifushirather than lovers strolling hand-in-hand
— walking the shoreline, picking up sticks
of bleached coral or looking for little
sharks in the shallows.
My villa — the smallest of its type, built
to sleep two guests in one king-size bed —
is decked out in dark hardwoods. The two
main rooms consist of a cavernous
bedroom-and-lounge connected by walk-
through wardrobes to a bathroom-and-
dressing-room (though the bath itself is
outdoors). The rainfall shower could
accommodate five people at once.
The word “minibar” is a misnomer here:
it’s a large armoire with a coffee machine,
drawers crammed with snacks, and a re-
frigerator stocked with champagne, an
assortment of quality whites, a few bottles
of bafflingly chilled reds, plus beers, soft
drinks, Toblerone and Ferrero Rocher.
They really are spoiling us.
When I jump on my bicycle to pedal
around the island, it becomes obvious
that the Ozen Reserve is a destination with
families and friends in mind. The first
thing I find is an open-air, beachfront
ice rink. With the Maldives at risk from
rising sea levels it seems like folly, but — as
convincing as it looks — it’s actually made
of synthetic ice. Nobody appears very
interested in it.
The same can be said of the Kids’ Klub,
in which I see no children. The two bright-
ly painted Morris Minors on site — one
red and one yellow — seem out of place.
And the British automotive vibe is carried
over into the Teen Lounge, an indoor
space for rare rainy days that features a
settee crafted from the front end of a
Union-Jack-emblazoned Mini Cooper.
The space is a half-hearted affair, with a
ping-pong table, the (mercifully) scattered
remains of a drum kit, and a PlayStation 4
with no games.
Instead, I find that families are hanging
out together. When I visit Tradition
Saffron, which has daybeds suspended
over pools, to sample the bottomless thali,
multigenerational groups of ten or more
are enjoying it too. And at the overwater
Origin, the groups beside me feast with
tots and tweens in tow. The restaurant has
a five-star feel; guests are greeted with a
glass of champagne and dining is from a
wine-paired five-course menu in haute
cuisine portions.
The family feel continues as I paddle-
board out from the water sports centre,
struggling to stay upright as I’m rocked by
the criss-crossing wakes of dads and child-
ren on jet skis. Middle-aged men drag
parents, wives and children into the water
to skim the surface, hanging on to diver-
propulsion vehicles, while teens line up to
levitate 20ft above the waves, attached to
water-powered jetpacks. It seems serenity
can only be found at the bottom of the sea.
Back beneath the waves, the two manta
rays disappear behind a coral reef. Check-
ing their oxygen tanks, the family of four
follow, ascending out of sight, leaving me
and my dive buddy alone. Just as we, too,
are about to head for the surface, we’re en-
gulfed in a maelstrom of flapping wings.
The manta rays have returned and they
have brought friends.James Draven was a guest of
Ozen Reserve Bolifushi and Scott
Dunn. Seven nights’ all-inclusive
in an Earth Pool villa for two adults
and two children from £14,649,
including flights and transfers
(scottdunn.com)Need to
know
The narrow beach is just a few steps from
the garden, accessed through lush foliage,
which also surrounds a private beach
lounger on three sides. I appear to have
this stretch of coast to myself. On just a
couple of occasions, over the course of four
days, I see mothers with young children —modern convenience, even if the service
itself can be a little lackadaisical at times.
I hop into the back seat of a golf buggy
for a quick tour on the way to my Earth
Pool villa on the sunset side of the island.
Bolifushi is diminutive, and it really does
take just a few minutes to get around. In
that time, I’m shown the dive and water
sports centre, the Arabian-flavoured
Sangu Beach bar and restaurant, and the
spa, where overwater cabins with plate-
glass portals in the floor allow guests to
watch tropical fish through the head hole
in their massage table.
Heading north, I glimpse Origin, the
fine-dining restaurant; Vista Del Mar, the
breakfast spot and buffet hall; Tradition
Saffron, the smart Indian restaurant; and
the circular Ozar bar at the water’s edge.
From here I can see that about half of the
overwater villas are equipped with their
own waterslide, snaking from the deck into
the shallows below. Then there’s the li-
brary, the art gallery, the beach shop, the
overwater fitness studio, the Kuda Koli
Kids’ Klub, plus a hangout for teens.
“After all the lockdowns and travel re-
strictions,” my butler, Hussain, says, “the
Maldives is seeing different kinds of visi-
tors. It used to be mostly couples, but now
we’re attracting groups of friends and
extended families. People want to be
together again.”
Cramming 75 villas and all these facili-
ties onto a relatively small island, Bolifushi
could easily feel over-run, but I’m sur-
prised to learn it’s booked to capacity —
with the considered arrangement of jungle
vegetation, there’s an illusion of blissful
isolation.
A rickety, fixed-gear bicycle waits at my
villa gates, which swing open to reveal my
private garden with enormous daybeds, an
outdoor bathtub and an L-shaped plunge
pool beside my thatched-roof villa. They
swing shut behind me with a closing mech-
anism made from a coconut counter-
weight on a string.
more
Indian
Ocean
retreats
LUX* Grand Baie
Resort & Residences,
Mauritius
Opening its doors on December 1
on the north coast of Mauritius,
the five-star, 116-room Grand Baie
Resort & Residences is the LUX*
brand’s new flagship. Channelling
a beach club feel, with contemporary
architecture in a tropical setting, it
offers high-end dining, drinking and
dancing at the water’s edge. Rooms
have been given the Kelly Hoppen
treatment with an emphasis on sleek.
The rooftop bar, restaurant and
state-of-the-art fitness facility —
which includes two 30m Olympic-
standard running tracks — offer
panoramic views of the Indian Ocean.
Details Seven nights’ B&B
from £1,979pp, including flights
and seaplane excursion
(southalltravel.co.uk)Malabar Hill,
Sri Lanka
Malabar Hill is a newly opened
nature-focused luxury resort in
southwest Sri Lanka, close to the
beaches of Mirissa and Weligama.
It’s perched on a hilltop and, as a
result, has views of the surrounding
jungle all the way to the coast. This
33-acre site is all about biodiversity:
the 14 private villas are surrounded
by jungle, while floor-to-ceiling glass
doors open on to private terraces,
each with its own infinity pool.
You are within easy reach of the
historic fortified town of Galle,
with its antique shops, ice-cream
parlours and cricket ground.
Details One night’s full board
from £220pp, including transfers
(mahoutuk.com). Fly to ColomboMango House,
Seychelles
On the island of Mahé, Mango House,
below, which opened in July 2021, has
views across the shallow, white-sand
bay of Anse Aux Poules Bleues from
each of its 41 rooms. Built as a home
for the Italian fashion photographer
Gian Paolo Barbieri, this five-star
boutique property is as cool as you
would expect. It uses natural rock and
ocean hues to mirror its surroundings
and minimise its visual impact on the
bay. Its Japanese restaurant, Azido,
overlooks the water, and the cocktail
bar, Kokoye, serves a signature gin
tea martini.
Details Seven nights’ B&B from
£2,649pp, including flights and
transfers (tropicalsky.co.uk)3
An Ocean Pool suiteEarth Pool villa pavilion