Exquisite beaches, enticing food and luxurious experiences aside, the Maldives has a transparent legal system and is a mere four-hour flight from the UAE — details that will come in handy if you want to invest in your own island home, now possible with Soneva’s Private Residences concept.
The privately owned Soneva group unveiled 57 residential villas at its Soneva Jani resort on Noonu Atoll earlier this year, and the property’s only four-bedroom Island Reserve Villa is still on the market for US$8.5 million (Dh31.2 million).
Featuring a private cellar, pool and steam bath, the four-bedroom home is set on a 27,000-square-foot plot, with a living space of 15,330 square feet. Despite being just a few steps from the white-sand beach, the villa is cleverly hidden from view – a plus point given its outdoor bathrooms and large terraces. The house also has a dining room and mod-con television lounge, equipped with a Bose sound system, docking station and multiple flat-panel screens, while the master bedroom has a walk-through dressing area.
The Island Reserve Villa is a short walk from The Gathering, a communal area exclusively designated for home owners and managed by the Soneva Jani hospitality team. The Gathering is an overwater, three-storey building with multiple restaurants, a juice bar, and cheese and charcuterie room. In addition to seafood caught fresh each morning, the healthy menu features dishes that include produce obtained from the organic fruit and vegetable gardens that are part of the main resort. The Gathering also has a space for live-music performances, a spa and yoga room, and an outdoor cinema. A resident marine biologist can arrange dives, snorkelling, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking, plus private picnics and cruises to nearby islands, and moonlit meals on the beach. Noonu Atoll is one of the largest clusters of islands that make up the Maldives, and the Soneva Jani property is 35 minutes by seaplane from Malé International Airport.
Soneva was the first developer to open up real estate to overseas buyers in the Maldives, and the Private Residences concept promotes “intelligent luxury” – translating into a home that’s at once elegant and mindful of its environment. Soneva Jani works closely with the acclaimed Eco Centro Waste-to-Wealth recycling facility housed within the Soneva Fushi complex, which is an hour away by speedboat.
The villas are constructed from sustainable materials and generate jobs for the local population, including a private male or female butler. These are known as Mr and Mrs Friday, and are on-hand for the Island Reserve Villa and each of the other 24 overwater and 32 on-land villas, which have between one and three bedrooms.
The group also offers owners a Villa Rental option; discounts on food and flight transfers; and club membership for all Soneva properties, including Soneva Fushi on Kunfunadhoo Island and Soneva Kiri in Thailand. A private yacht experience can be booked aboard the Soneva in Aqua.
Soneva Jani Private Residences are listed with the United Kingdom-based Prime New Developments.
Read this and more stories in Luxury magazine, out with The National on Thursday, November 3.
pmunyal@thenational.ae
