2023 SEANSES Awards: Resort, Villa, Spa of the Year & More
By Marilyne Morin, Founder of IMPACT M, Marketing & PR Consultancy.
About the author: Marilyne is a purpose-driven business leader with more than 15 years’ experience in Marketing, Public Relations, Branding, Digital and Corporate Communications. Having worked for a wide range of businesses in the fields of hospitality and tourism, arts and culture, events, entertainment, beauty and healthcare, she has a vast expertise and is driven by connecting emotionally brand personalities with their audiences. Her creativity, passion, and the unique stories she can unfold have allowed her to conduct successful communication campaigns worldwide.
As the year is coming to a close, we’ve selected the best Indian Ocean resorts in their category and compiled the best features at each property. From out-of-this-world settings to unforgettable experiences, here are our top picks of the year.
New Resort of the Year – SO/ Maldives
This exclusive retreat, just opened in November 2023, is set on a pristine private island surrounded by the Emboodhoo Lagoon, teeming with exotic sea life, making it a perfect spot for diving and snorkelling.
Located just a 15-minute speedboat ride from Malé’s Velana International Airport, the resort harmoniously blends accessibility with privacy.
Each of its 80 villas was created in collaboration with leading artists and fashion designers, and is nestled on its own slice of white-sand beach or on stilts above the lagoon.
The hotel offers three distinct dining options, each a unique innovative concept.
The Citronelle Club is inspired by the flavours of Asia, while the menu at Hadaba features slow-cooked dishes and smoked delicacies, using both local produce and the finest Levantine ingredients.
For a more laid-back vibe, guests can head to Lazuli, a beach bar and lounge oozing Cote D’Azur charm and elegance, which plays host to DJs and live music programming.
Surrounded by lush greenery, the spa features specialist treatment rooms alongside hammam, steam rooms and a full-fitted gym, perfect to relax and unwind in paradisiacal settings.
Spa of the year – AREKA at JOALI BEING
Designed as a nature immersive wellbeing retreat, the first of its kind in the Maldives, JOALI BEING offers personalised transformative programmes, with the ultimate aim for guests to return home feeling renewed, uplifted and inspired.
The retreat offers an array of the finest wellbeing facilities and unique transformational spaces, including hydrotherapy, movement, and sound healing experiences.
Built according to biophilic design principles, a scientific system of integrating architecture and design with nature, the retreat aims to achieve harmony and enhance energy flow.
Each of the 68 well living spaces come with private pools and special inclusions, such as wellbeing-bars, meditative musical instruments and wellbeing games.
AREKA opens doors to 39 thoughtfully designed treatment rooms and transformational spaces for fully immersive wellbeing experiences, scientific therapies, diagnostic services, and specialised therapeutic and alternative healing treatments.
It aims to provide guests with a transformative experience centred around the Four Pillars of Wellbeing: Mind, Skin, Microbiome and Energy.
Following an in-depth on arrival consultation with a personal wellbeing consultant, it offers each guest an individualised journey guided by nature, combining both traditional and modern methods to unveil a new sense of ‘weightlessness’.
Villa of the Year – One Bedroom Water Retreat with Slide at Soneva Jani
Nestled within the tranquil waters of the Noonu Atoll, where sun-drenched blue skies and azure seas stretch out in every direction, Soneva Jani offers some of the largest and most luxurious villas in the Maldives, each designed for the ultimate privacy, space and breathtaking ocean views.
Spread across two floors, the One Bedroom Water Retreat is the ultimate in castaway chic.
This extraordinary villa comes with a large outdoor deck on the ground floor, featuring a private pool, a sunken dining area, and daybeds for lounging and taking in the stunning ocean vistas.
The villa’s retractable roof allows guests to marvel at the stars at the touch of a button, from the comfort of their master bedroom.
The villa also features a children’s sleeping area, a study, a walk-in minibar, a dressing room, and a spacious living area.
The ensuite bathroom has an indoor and outdoor shower, a signature sunken bath and direct access to the lagoon.
The second floor offers a sala with a roof deck, perfect for al fresco dining, and a curved water slide taking playful guests to the turquoise waters below.
Restaurant of the Year – Aragu at Velaa Private Island
Velaa Private Island is a place of pure seclusion, a tropical paradise in harmony with the environment and the tranquil Maldivian way of life.
Located in Noonu Atoll, Velaa is a culinary destination of its own, home to an array of extraordinary dining experiences with venues that are unrivalled throughout the Maldives, and an extensive wine cellar with an exclusive selection from around the globe.
Presenting contemporary European cuisine with an Asian twist, Aragu has taken the dining experience to the next level, combining the passion for culinary art with sustainability.
Meaning Essence in the local language Dhivehi, Aragu is an award winning restaurant that elevates all your senses in an unforgettable dining experience.
The ambiance celebrates the ocean, a piano fills the conversation, the cuisine unites the East and the West, with wines imported from the very best.
Standing over the water in tranquil and elegant settings, the restaurant offers a fine dining concept, using the best organic produce and carefully selected ingredients from sustainable suppliers around the world.
To complement the refined cuisine of Aragu, guests can sample hundreds of varieties of sparkling wine at the Cru Champagne Bar.
Resort of the year – Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
In the heart of the South Malé Atoll lies a hidden gem on Ithaafushi Island. Just a 45-minute yacht journey from Velana International Airport, the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi and its lagoon awaits those seeking an unforgettable escape.
The 119 all-pool Beach, Reef and Overwater villas span three private islands, where guests can choose from one, two or three-bedroom villas, each with a private pool, swing daybeds, dining gazebos and in-water lounges – all with uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean.
Guests can discover indulgent choices from 11 celebrated dining venues, including Zuma, the globally-acclaimed contemporary Japanese concept, and Terra where they can dine in hand crafted bamboo pods amongst the treetops whilst enjoying spectacular views of the ocean.
Guests can unwind in one of the luxurious overwater spa treatment villas, explore the ocean’s incredible marine life or refresh at the Aqua Wellness Centre, set atop the crystal waters and featuring a custom-built hydrotherapy pool, ice fountain, steam room and sauna.
If travelling with young ones, the Stars Club & Club Nova offer an exciting water recreation area along with enriching activities for kids and teens.
For the ultimate in luxury, the True Waldorf Service offers personal concierges for those seeking a truly personalised experience.
JOALI BEING
- First nature immersive wellbeing retreat
- Biophilic design
- High-level wellbeing experts
- Transformational spaces
Soneva Jani
- All Villas with Direct Lagoon Access
- Cinema Paradiso
- Observatory
- Waterslides
Velaa Private Island
- Unique golfing experience
- Extensive kids' water park
- Wide scope of watersport
- Unique Velaa Wellbeing Village
Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
- Spa and wellness sanctuary
- 11 dining venues and bars
- Waldorf Astoria Young Discovery Park
- Watersports activities
