This Sustainable Island Resort Is Leading the Way in Eco-Luxury

What could be more relaxing than a luxury holiday retreat to an uninhabited tropical island? Unobstructed ocean views and vibrant jungle, all surrounded by spectacular coral reefs brimming with living colour and wondrous diversity. It is truly the stuff of daydreams!

Soneva Fushi makes this daydream a breathtaking reality. One of the premier destinations in the Maldives, Soneva Fushi combines luxury accommodations with genuine cultural immersion, in a setting of unrivalled privacy and natural beauty. Read on for a virtual tour of the resort and island to start daydreaming of a tropical island paradise today!

About Soneva Fushi

Soneva Fushi is a five-star luxury resort located on the picturesque uninhabited atoll of Kunfunadhoo, in the Maldives. It is also the flagship operation of resort founders Sonu and Eva Shivdasani, who pioneered the now popular ‘castaway resort’ model in the Maldives, back in 1995.

With a focus on natural living and sustainable business practices, the resort seeks to preserve the picturesque tropical ecosystem and encourage guests to fully immerse themselves in nature, enjoying the simple pleasures of life.

Celebrated by leading environmental thinkers and hotel industry giants alike, Soneva Fushi has won global acclaim for its environmental responsibility as much as its effortless luxury and comfort. With a wide variety of activities and cultural engaging programmes available for guests to experience, the resort is the perfect retreat for families, couples and friends looking to escape their busy lives and reconnect with themselves and the natural world.

Accommodation at Soneva Fushi

Soneva Fushi is home to a huge variety of accommodations to suit all holidaymakers, as well as their companions and families, including 63 beachfront villas and 8 incredible Water Retreats.

The beachfront villas are located on both the sunrise and sunset side of the island and come in a range of sizes and layouts. The 1 and 2 bedroom Crusoe suites focus on open spaces and rustic, natural features, with outdoor living areas and garden groves that will retread the steps of the original castaway himself. For families with younger children, the Sunset suites and Family suites are the best choices, featuring dedicated play-spaces for kids, nanny rooms as well as terrace dining and bars for parents.

The resort’s numbered Villas are larger accommodations, with up to 9 bedrooms. These grand estates offer a stunning array of amenities, including gyms, libraries, spa treatment suites and even a spa, all within stone's throw from the sparkling blue waters.

Those looking for modern, understated luxury and ultimate fun, Soneva Fushi’s Water Retreats are a perfect choice. The Water Retreats are fully-equipped 1 and 2 suites that stand in the calm, azure waters of the island’s lagoon. Featuring open terrace dining and a slide where guests can plunge straight into shoals of tropical fish, the Water Retreats are ideal for adventurous island hoppers and travellers.

What to do at Soneva Fushi

The resort offers a dizzying array of activities to engage adventurers of all types, from thrill-seeking free divers to cultural explorers and everything in between.

On the Island itself, activities include a glassblowing class, where guests can learn how the various recycled glass ornaments that decorate the island’s suites are made before they tour the art gallery and boutique that display these works.

The Wildlife Explorer is a tour package for kids that teaches them about the native inhabitants of the island’s tropical ecosystem. The Slow Life Journey is a similar tour for families that showcases the island’s permaculture and integration with the natural environment. By evening the Cinema Paradiso is the perfect place to recline and watch a suite of classic films, while enjoying a sumptuous buffet of local foods, arranged by the island’s skilled chefs.

Offshore, Soneva Fushi provides scuba, snorkelling and free-diving programmes, where guests can get up close and personal with the spectacular marine life among the atolls. The manta ray tour, guided by marine biologists, visits one of the world’s largest manta ray feeding grounds, offering unrivalled immersion among these majestic giants of the sea. Surfing tours visit some of the area’s most renowned reef breaks by day, while astronomical boat tours launch nightly, immersing guests in the true islander experience.

Sustainable, Responsible Luxury

As a central focus of its luxury offering, Soneva Fushi takes pride in its world-class sustainable facilities, as well as its socially responsible supply-chain and philanthropic actions, from India to Indonesia. As pioneers for the new ethos of luxury lifestyle, Soneva believes that social responsibility and environmental care should be of the highest importance in corporate governance and action.

The resort has taken many actions over the years to decrease their footprint, and revitalise the natural environment of its island and beyond. Chief among these are the island’s permaculture gardens and waste management facility, where food is grown and recycled for use in among the resort's many kitchens.

Paving the way for the Maldives and tropical islands everywhere, Soneva Fushi has implemented a completely pesticide-free mosquito trap and clean-up programme. This programme has eradicated 98% of the island’s mosquito population, reducing the risk of dengue fever that affect millions around the globe each year as well as other tropical diseases on the island.

Sustainable surfing tours also launch from the island and guests can enjoy the world’s first completely eco-friendly surfing programme, with surfboards, sunscreen and gear made entirely from recycled waste and eco-friendly products. This protects marine life and coral reefs from much of the damage that frequent tours incur on these delicate ecosystems.

If you’re looking to plan a trip to the tropics, the Soneva Fushi resort is certainly an institution worth supporting. The company evidently takes its hospitality and luxury just as seriously as it does its impact on the world, and the blending of sustainable practices with mindful, five-star experiences sets an example to the growing trend of eco-luxury.

Take a tour of the company's website for a closer look at their accommodations, activities and a complete profile of the Soneva Foundation’s work around the globe. I don't know about you, but this one has definitely earned a spot on my bucket list.

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