+The World’s Best Overwater Resort: The Soneva Jani in Maldives
Soneva Jani provides the most luxurious experience among all the resorts in the island nation of Maldives. Here’s all about it.
Amidst all the luxury resorts in the Maldives, Soneva Jani is considered the best. The sustainable resort, with a low impact on the environment at its core, has managed to outdo the traditional big names in the hospitality business. This resort has not only created a name for itself but only charges a hefty premium from its customers. The resort also excels at offering stunning hospitality, innovative new dining concepts and the pampering Soneva Wellness Centre.
The Soneva Jani features 27 Overwater Reserves, complementing Soneva Jani’s existing 24 reserves. They can be accessed via a winding jetty off the southern tip of the resort’s main island. Each villa also aims to maximize privacy and allows guests to bask in total seclusion, where all reserves offer 360-degree ocean views with unmatched vistas of either the sunrise or the sunset. There is a Mobility Friendly 2 Bedroom Water Reserve wheelchair accessible, and it has a special bathroom for inclusivity.
One bedroom up to four-bedroom is provided in the new water reserves for families and group getaways. Ideal for families, all the rooms can be closed off, with a children’s sleeping area located just behind the master bedrooms. There are also contemporary indoor and outdoor spaces that blend seamlessly, with private pools, retractable roofs and sweeping terraces among the standout features. Some overwater villas also feature famed slides which direct into private lagoons.
To reduce negative environmental impact on the planet, the owners used sustainable materials such as Forest Stewardship Council-certified wools and state-of-the-art technology to craft the resort and be an environmentally friendly building.
At this luxurious resort, you can also find casual overwater restaurants, where impressive plant-based, vegetarian and pescatarian dishes are offered in a spectacular setting. The So Wild by Diana von Cranach is one of the fully plant-based restaurants in the Organic Garden. It offers residents a healthy menu that draws inspiration from Ayurveda and highlights ingredients grown at the resort. Chefs have incredible cooking techniques based on roasting, salt-crust baking, grilling, and more, with a menu that features fresh seafood, meats, and plant-based dishes. Ingredients are prepared using techniques like streaming, flash-frying, and dehydrating when they are not presented raw.
The other new culinary destination is the So Primitive set around the central fire pit. Fire is the central element of this dining experience. Roasting, grilling, searing, salt-crusted baking, and cooking in kettles and clay pots over coals become some cooking techniques implemented for fresh seafood, meats, and plant-based dishes.
Located on South Beach, the 1,742 Wellness Centre is also as important as the resort, offering a sanctuary of holistic wellness to guests, combining ancient Ayurvedic techniques with cutting-edge therapies. Guests can relax and enjoy the therapies offered at one of two indoor therapy rooms or three open-air treatment pavilions with unmatched views of the spectacular natural surroundings.
With a new all-inclusive package, Soneva Jani becomes one of the most recurrent places visitors choose to book a stay in and relax. Its latest “Soneva Unlimited” offers residents unlimited access to the very best of the barefoot luxury resort, dining at all bars, restaurants and in-villa dining, as well as spa treatments, diving, transfers, and daily replenishment of the in-villa minibar.