St. Regis Vommuli, Maldives: luxury without limits

With its emphasis on architecture and design, the St Regis Vommuli is no ordinary Maldives resort. It has the same vivid water, the same white sand and the same balmy climate as its neighbours, but the quality of the service, the villas and the activities on this jewel of an island are a league apart.

Why St Regis?

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This relatively new resort, opened in 2016, combines the benefits of a super-luxury hotel with the unique appeal of the Maldives. The villas, some of them palatially proportioned, are beautifully furnished, their bedding soft and luxurious, and a wide range of restaurants offer international menus to suit every palate. The spa and the diving school are world class, providing a sense of indulgence and adventure that will elevate your stay out of the ordinary. And all guests benefit from the services of a dedicated butler.

What to do

The quality of the villas, which all incorporate either a garden, a beach terrace or a sundeck, provide the perfect excuse to sit back with a drink or a good book and while away an afternoon. Sooner or later, though, the call of the Indian Ocean will lure you out of your sunlounger and into the warm, clear waters.

Snorkelling is the simplest way to get to know the reef. The water around the beach and ocean villas is shallow, but a few minutes’ swim brings you to the edge of the reef, which plunges precipitously to the ocean floor. Throughout the Maldives, coral has suffered significant bleaching due to recent hot weather, but the brilliance of the fish remains undimmed. Brightly coloured parrotfish and angelfish abound, as do halfbeaks - long silvery fish with an extended nose.

Sea turtles, reef sharks and stingrays are less commonplace, but you’re likely to see them at least a few times if you spend any time in the water. A curious bunch, they may well come in for a closer look as you snorkel past. The luckiest visitors might see a giant manta ray, which can grow to a span of seven metres.

Divers can explore the reef in greater depth, and the dive centre at Vommuli runs a range of scuba excursions for novices and experts alike. Padi-certified courses are available. Other watersports on offer include jet-skiing, surfing, kayaking, underwater scooter trips and private charter trips aboard the resort’s yacht, Norma.

The Iridium spa occupies an impeccably designed promontory over the ocean, its timber walkways inlaid with glass panels offering a view of the luminous waters below. At the heart of it is the Blue Hole, a saltwater pool kitted out with therapeutic water jets, as well as a range of steam rooms, saunas and plunge pools. Treatments take place in six private villas arranged around the central complex, all air-conditioned and equipped with their own ensuite changing rooms and showers. Therapists offer an extensive range of massages and skin treatments.

The St Regis also makes a concerted effort to ensure that children feel as well taken care of as their parents, providing clubs and activities for teenagers and younger kids. A fully kitted-out kitchen, with ovens and equipment scaled down to child-friendly proportions, demonstrates the attention to detail. Older children can play table football, air hockey and a range of video games.

Adults and children alike will enjoy the Jungle Cinema, a private film screening in a forest clearing at the heart of the island. Choose from a range of three-course set menus, each of which is followed by popcorn, and then pick almost any movie you like - the butlers have access to a huge cinematic library and are happy to add to it at your request. Choose wisely: the jungle setting, amid a tangle of broad-leafed trees, can turn even the tamest of films into an atmospheric thriller.

What to eat

All the best days start with a great breakfast, and at the St Regis Vommuli, the first meal of the day is a study in excellence. A la carte options at the Alba restaurant include indulgent classics and their tropical reinterpretations: Maldivian eggs benedict is a delicious case in point: the ham is replaced with tuna fillets and soft shell crab tempura, while the hollandaise is infused with coconut curry. The buffet spread is equally alluring, as are the views from the beach-facing terrace.

After a long, lazy breakfast, Alba transitions towards an Italian-themed menu for lunch and dinner, while the nearby Crust and Craft offer pizzas, tacos and wraps in the middle of the day. In the evening, there’s yet more choice: Cargo, which serves Middle Eastern dishes in a tropical forest garden, and the beachfront Orientale (above), which brings together the finest culinary traditions of Japan, China and India.

Various meal packages are available, ranging from breakfast only to all-inclusive. Since the cost of eating a la carte can soon add up, the half- or full-board options may be a worthwhile investment

Which rooms?

Each style of villa is beautiful in its own way. The ocean villas provide the purest experience of the Maldives, with a wide glass frontage and direct access to the water from their pool decks (ocean suites, below, add a separate living area and more space inside and out).

Don’t overlook the beach villas, though. Their timber-themed interior decor and shady forest setting provide a cosier atmosphere than the glossy finish of the over-ocean rooms. For families, the pick of the bunch is the two-storey beach villas, with self-contained ensuite accommodation for parents downstairs and children upstairs, which can be connected or separated as required.

When to go

The Maldives are a year-round destination, although most people avoid the monsoon months of June to September, when persistent rain might put a dampener on your holiday. Prices are much lower, however, and you may be lucky with the weather: long sunny spells grace even the wettest month, and the temperature reaches 28C and 30C all year. Peak season falls between November and April, when Maldivian skies are clear and the European winter is pushing people to sunnier climes.

How to get there

British Airways flies non-stop from London to Male from October to March, from £710 return. Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad all fly to Male year round from a range of UK airports, with a connection in Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi, from about £650 return. The resort can arrange Trans-Maldivian Airways seaplane transfers between Male and Vommuli, a journey of about 40 minutes.

How to book

For more information and to book, visit marriott.com. Garden villas start at £865 per night, including breakfast.