“Luxury is in each detail.”
– Hubert de Givenchy
Even among the many luxurious outposts in the Maldives, Cheval Blanc Randheli stands out. When it first opened around five years ago, it raised the bar for what a luxury resort ought to be – or maybe, just showed everyone how understated luxury, style and taste combine to make this one of the most exclusive resorts in an area replete with them.
Designed by architect Jean-Michel Gathy, who is behind some of the world’s most beautiful resorts, the 45-villa property is nothing short of sensational, with just the right touch of elegance and simplicity that are the hallmark of the resort. In the property, nothing screams designer or luxury, nothing is out of place. Nothing is ostentatious or loud, it’s all very tasteful and subtle.
The villas are contemporary and painfully elegant, done up in an an elegant colour palette of the resort colours – taupe, white, oyster gray with accents of bright yellow. Vast in scale and detaildriven, the one- or two-bedroom villas, some of which are built over water or on the island in private beachfront locations, feature a sleek swimming pool (which I only got to use once), loungers and a huge daybed.
The interiors are spectacular. As looks go, it doesn’t get any more chic than this. A huge living room greets you as you enter the villa, further down is the bedroom, and beyond that is the huge tub and his-andhers toilet areas, complete with Guerlain toiletries. There is a choice of two rain showers, inside the villa or al fresco. The living and sleeping areas are separated by impressive seven-metre handcrafted wooden doors that can be swivelled to close should you want to be cocooned in your bedroom or bath. Left open, they stand sentinel in the lofty space. Angled cathedral-style ceilings create a sense of openness and space, not that you’d be wanting more – the smallest villa is nearly 2,600 square feet.
The villas are a contrast of contemporary and beach chic – travertine, cinammon wood, soft leather and contemporary coffee table books all blend together with the organic materials that the villas are furnished in, like rattan, bamboo, thatch and coconut shell. Contrasting the beach vibe are bespoke design elements and artwork – for instance, 45 “colour spots” by artist Vincent Beaurin, different for each villa – hang above the huge bathtub. Throughout the resort and the restaurants, artwork is used as decorative elements to delight and surprise guests.