It’s not difficult to spot Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac Champagne from the stellar line-up of labels on offer at Siyam World’s wine cellar-cum-private-restaurant, Barique.
The creme de la crème of wines from around the world would surely please the most discerning of palates. There are around 17 Champagnes to choose from, including a magnum of Ruinart Blanc de Blanc ($599), a Roederer Cristal Brut ($2,299) and a 2005 Dom Perignon Brut Rose ($1,949).
But it’s the metallic gold bottle with its embossed ace of spades logo that I want to stroke, open and drink. And at $300, the Armand de Brignac is actually something of a bargain.
If proof were needed that holidays to the Maldives are in demand, or that customers are choosing to spend a little more when flying to this dream destination, consider the popularity of Virgin Atlantic’s new direct route from Heathrow to Male.
Muscling in on British Airways’ monopoly on direct service from the UK, Virgin has launched a thrice-weekly winter service on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner. A month into the new route, Virgin’s flights are already running at almost full capacity across all classes.
“We’re seeing our Upper and Premium cabins performing particularly well for this route,” says director of agency sales Nicki Goldsmith. “Following pent-up demand for luxury travel, we have seen our premium sun portfolio, including the recently launched flights to the Maldives perform very strongly this winter.”
When I flew late November, Upper Class was busy in both directions – with couples and families and – on the return leg – a 30-plus party of construction workers returning from a work’s incentive trip; another sign of the times of how the country’s guest demographic has been evolving.
Two couples were off on honeymoons that were delayed due to Covid. One of these, travelling with their 22-month-old, were staying two weeks at Siyam World, the newest resort in a Maldivian-owned portfolio that also includes Sun Siyam Iru Veli and Sun Siyam Olhuveli.
Located in Noonu atoll, a 40-minute seaplane ride from Velana International Airport, Sun Siyam caters as well to multigenerational families and groups of friends as it does to couples and honeymooners. With an emphasis on fun and choice, Siyam World’s premium-inclusive approach to holidaying in the Maldives feels like a good fit for the Virgin brand.
It certainly packs a big punch and is unusual in its size for the Maldives. The resort absorbs its 472 villas, lagoon villas and beach residences and suites into 54 hectares of beach-fringed island and the pick of the crop of 19 room categories are the show-stopping Residences, with up to four bedrooms.
My lagoon villa, accessed via a wooden jetty had an infinity plunge pool, pinch-me Indian Ocean views from the bathroom’s jet bath and water-slide entry into the turquoise lagoon from the generously sized deck.
The creative and operational brains behind the resort are Maldivian couple Sara Siyam and Ausy Waseem. I meet the pair at adults-only Mint Bar, (open until the last guest leaves), one of 18 bars and restaurants. It looks over an elegant infinity pool and I can imagine being here with friends; lingering over sand-in-toes cocktails, as well as pool hopping, indulging at the Veyo Spa and enjoying night-time DJ sets.
“We’ve got the pristine beach and more than four miles of house reef,” says Waseem. “But we also have exciting, world-class events, basketball and tennis courts, the very latest in water toys and even a stable for those who want to ride thoroughbreds on the beach.”
To confirm the variety of activities available, Waseem whips out his phone and finds pictures of the Seabreacher, a fully enclosed highspeed vessel with underwater viewing ports. “It’s even capable of doing 360-degree barrel rolls on the water,” says Waseem. It’s a first for the Maldives, as is the go-karting track which will open early next year.
In October, Michelin-starred Tom Brown was the latest chef to curate a series of intimate Chef’s Table dinners at stylish dining space, The Cube. Crème de la crème wines and Champagnes are served in the intimate, underground Bubble Lounge: Waseem is all about innovation and guest experiences.
Change of scene
It’s just a 10-minute speedboat ride from Siyam World to pretty Iru Fushi, quite a contrasting resort, where the days feel effortlessly calm. Pristine powder beaches loop the island – a slow amble around it takes no more than 40 minutes – and the lush interior is threaded with sandy, sun-dappled paths.
The serene Balinese-style spa offers a range of well-executed massages and a personal butler will arrange everything from buggy pick-ups and a movie under the stars to private-island picnics and scuba diving.
Guests stay in thatched beachside villas with huge outdoor bathrooms, or in one of the water villas, strung over the fish-filled turquoise lagoon. A water villa could be upgraded to the highest category, an Infinity Water Villa. On the beach it would be a Deluxe Villa with Pool or one of two, three to four-bedroom Retreats. Or instead of booking seven nights at one property why not book eight, or 10 nights, across two resorts?
Iru Fushi has a stellar house reef and an enchanting walk from the seaplane jetty to the island’s beach brings sightings of (harmless) nurse sharks, schools of jack fish, trumpet fish and a pair of graceful, spotted rays fluttering over alabaster sand.
Like Siyam World, Iru Fushi offers access to 30 dive sites in Noonu Atoll, with the dive centre able to offer courses ranging from beginner to instructor level, and there is guided snorkelling and occasional coral planting with the resort’s newly appointed marine biologist, Caitlin Rentell.
A 22-year-old graduate from Plymouth University, Rentell will lead reef research projects and is keen to involve guests and staff in eco-tourism initiatives. “Longer term I’m looking at conservation snorkelling, where guests can get involved in data collection,” she says. “The more you engage people the more they grow to love and respect the ocean.”
The rise of broader, more lifestyle-focused players such as Sun Siyam and Virgin Atlantic are certainly helping to broaden the appeal of the Maldives beyond its early days as a place just for divers and honeymoon couples. And back at the underground wine cellar, the table is set exquisitely, for six and it doesn’t take much imagination to picture Jay-Z and Richard Branson lingering over a Montecristo together here.
