Heaven is a place in the Maldives
EDITED BY JANE MEMMLER PATRICK LION goes mad for Maadhoo as he gets the five-star VIP treatment in the Maldives’ luxury all-inclusive OZEN getaway
AFTER walking out from the shore, all the way waist deep, for several hundred yards into the main blue lagoon of Maadhoo Island, the promise of the Maldives is realised. There was still another 100 yards to go before I reached a reef “cliff ” and the beginning of the dark blue
Indian Ocean.
The water was flat, clear, more warm than cold and, importantly, shimmering turquoise just like all the social media posts promised.
Such is the high life at OZEN Maadhoo, the premier five-star luxury property in the region for Atmosphere Resorts – where couples will spend upwards of £1,700 a night for the standard all-inclusive seven-night “indulgence” package, to tick the famous Maldives over-water villa off their bucket list.
If you are aiming higher, there also is a 4,630 sq ft six-bedroom, water suite where British celebrity chefs, Indian cricketers and bank bosses are said to spend around £11,000 a night. But the incredible service across the resort was the key – and that is available to everyone.
The staff are like an army, I joked at one point. “Yes, we are ready to attack,” a team member laughed.
It was only when swimming out in the lagoon that I realised I was finally safe from ‘Moet Man’, a grinning resort staffer who had been tailing me with a Champagne bottle since I arrived, insisting I have another glass.
There was another guy who kept
sneaking into my room while I was at dinner, running a warm bubble bath in my outdoor jungle bathroom ready for my arrival.
But my favourite team were the guys who cleaned and raked the beaches non-stop throughout the day, ensuring the white sand stays that way, with no seaweed or leaves spoiling your Instagram shot.
One of the most noticeable things was the sheer lack of other visible guests – despite low-season occupancy sitting at 85 per cent, or about 200 people over 90 villas. Swimming can feel like you are on your own deserted tropical island, far from the sunbed-clogged spaces of the Mediterranean’s poshest beaches.
Dining feels like there are more staff than guests to the point that even when you are in buffet mode the ever helpful