Coral calm

It’s hard to resist the charms of Gili Lankanfushi, an eco-friendly island resort in the Maldives known for its serene atmosphere and barefoot luxury.

Closed for renovations for the past year, beloved Gili Lankanfushi in North Male Atoll is looking better than ever. The award-winning resort took this opportunity to further diversify its accommodation portfolio, adding villa suites, residences and two-bedroom family villas – all with private pools, direct water access and butler service.

Today, guests can choose between 45 rustic-chic thatched villas, including the 1,700-square-metre

Private Reserve – the largest overwater villa in the world, complete with four bedrooms, a private cinema, a water slide and an infinity pool.

Fringed with coral sands and lapped by a crystalclear lagoon, Gili Lankanfushi’s location puts it in prime position for snorkelling, diving, windsurfing and even surfing, with three of the Maldives’ best breaks within a five-minute boat ride of the resort. If you’d rather keep your feet on dry land, tennis lessons and cooking classes are always a highlight.

Set in its own bay, the Meera Spa comprises six overwater treatment rooms and a menu drawing on ancient rituals, using Voya and Sodashi products as well as house-made organic plant and herb concoctions.

The resort’s Japanese restaurant By the Sea delivers fabulous fusion dishes and an extensive sake list, while the beachside Kashiveli Restaurant hosts themed dining, from Mediterranean Spice Souk to Asian Street Market.

In this fragile environment, sustainability is at the forefront of everything the resort does. All the furniture is custom-made using upcycled materials: think recycled teak beds and lamps fashioned from bamboo prawn catcher baskets. And then there’s an on-site desalination plant, to remove the need for bottled water; the marine centre, supporting coral rehabilitation projects; and the organic garden, run by the resort’s executive chef. Going green never looked so good. gili-lankanfushi.com