A rainforest island in Dhaalu Atoll with 77 pool villas, a butler for each, seven restaurants and bars and an award-winning overwater spa.
The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, opened in 2016, sits on Vommuli in Dhaalu Atoll, 45 minutes from Malé by seaplane. Unusually for the Maldives, the island has a dense rainforest interior ringed by white sand, and its architecture draws on the surrounding marine life, with overwater villas inspired by manta rays.
All 77 villas have a private pool and the St. Regis butler service: 33 on land and 44 over the water. The Beach Villas and Overwater Villas (182 m²) each have a king bed, a rainforest shower and a separate soaking tub, and the Overwater St. Regis Suite (282 m²) adds a separate living and dining area and a private cabana. There are also Garden Villas in the jungle, two-bedroom beach and overwater villas, two estates, and the John Jacob Astor Estate, which Resortlife calls the largest overwater villa in the Maldives at 1,530 m², for up to 12.
ALBA serves breakfast and Mediterranean lunches and dinners with a Middle Eastern accent; Orientale does pan-Asian on the beach; T•Pan is an intimate Japanese kaiseki counter with Dassai sake; Cargo cooks Indian Ocean dishes by lantern light in the gardens; Crust & Craft makes pizza by the beach; Decanter is a five-course dinner in an underground wine cellar of more than 2,000 labels; and the overwater Whale Bar serves Latin tapas with a nightly champagne sabering. The Iridium Spa sits over the water with a Blue Hole hydrotherapy pool, and Vommuli House has a yoga studio, a gym and the children's club.
This profile comes from travel agencies, because the resort's own website couldn't be checked. Prices start at about $1,600 a night, and several restaurants open only on some evenings.
A one-bedroom villa over the lagoon, inspired by manta rays, with a king bed, a large private terrace and pool facing the Indian Ocean, a rainforest shower and a separate soaking tub. Two guests.
King bed
A one-bedroom villa on the beach, with high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, a king bed, a terrace that steps onto the sand and a pool among the palms. Two guests.
King bed
A one-bedroom overwater suite with a king bed, a separate living and dining area, a private pool and a private outdoor cabana, looking over the house reef. Two guests.
King bed
The same resort and the same villa, booked through people who live here.
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Breakfast, then Mediterranean lunches and dinners with a Middle Eastern accent; open all day
Pan-Asian: sushi, sashimi, dumplings and wok dishes; dinner Monday to Saturday
Modern Japanese kaiseki with Dassai sake, at limited seats
Indian Ocean dishes with aromatic spices; dinner only, five nights a week
Family-friendly pizzeria, midday to 5pm
Five-course dinners paired with wines from a cellar of more than 2,000 labels, on selected evenings
Latin tapas, cocktails and DJ sets from 5pm to midnight, with a nightly champagne sabering
Bespoke treatments and rituals, with a Blue Hole hydrotherapy pool
Children's club and kitchen, with a yoga studio and fitness centre
A dive and water sports centre: Seabobs, jet skis, parasailing and glass kayaks
The shape comes from OpenStreetMap, simplified: a guide to the layout, not a survey. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
A 45-minute seaplane flight from Malé, after the St. Regis lounge at the airport, or about 65 minutes by domestic flight and speedboat.
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