Lap of luxury: new hotel openings in the Indian Ocean

I’m sitting in a chic little lounge at the seaplane terminal at Male International airport, where I’m handed a refreshing icy towel and a glass of cool tea, swiftly followed by an iPad.

I’m directed to a video on it, where my butler is seen waving and saying hello to me from the resort in anticipation of my arrival.

Sure enough, when I get there he greets me on the jetty, drives me to the villa in a golf buggy, shows me the room and whisks a couple of garments away for pressing.

He is back in a few hours to escort me to sunset drinks in the Whale Bar, which looks like – well, a whale.

There, I enjoy a signature cocktail while watching a champagne sabering ceremony against a crimson sky.

Welcome to luxury, Maldives-style, and in particular the St Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort. Competition in the Maldives is high and the past two years have been particularly exciting for luxury hotels.

Soneva’s second resort in the Maldives, Soneva Jani, has also grabbed the headlines, thanks to its rustic-chic villas boasting slides from the roof deck directly into the lagoon and roofs that slide open to reveal the sky.

And back on the scene this year was Kanuhura after a renovation by Sun Resorts in a “gypset” style, beginning right from the stylish landing jetty, to Iru, a bar set on one of the nation’s best beaches, where teepees dot the sand.

The 180-villa Dhigali also opened in the summer, with an ultracontemporary design and is one of few resorts in the Raa atoll, close to a Unesco Biosphere Reserve.

Another of the newest luxury arrivals is Grand Park Kodhipparu, designed by renowned hospitality experts Hirsch Bedner Associates, with 120 villas, of which 65 feature pools.

Fushifaru, which opened just last month, is a 49-villa resort headed up by an all-Maldivian team that offers Korakali for all-day dining, Raakani Grill for Asian flavours and Fanihandhi Bar for drinks, or guests can take advantage of a private picnic on an idyllic sandspit.

Looking ahead, the Baglioni Resort Maldives is due to open in spring in Dhaalu atoll with 96 villas in an elegant Italian design reflective of the brand – there will also be a three-bedroom presidential water villa.

Lux North Male Atoll will be the group’s second resort in the Maldives when it opens in April. A new-build 67-villa resort, it’s designed as a “departure from the thatched-hut castaway atmosphere of the traditional island resort”, with Sri Lankan design firm Miaja instead drawing inspiration from the Art Deco style of Miami’s South Beach.

Opening before the summer is Movenpick Resort & Spa Kuredhivaru, a first for the brand in the Maldives, with 32 beach and 70 overwater villas, and a 14-room spa.

Meanwhile, Kudadoo Private Island by Hurawalhi, designed by renowned architect Yuji Yamasaki and slated to open in early summer, will be an adults-only island with just 15 overwater villas.

It’s also five minutes by boat from Hurawalhi, home of 5.8 Undersea Restaurant, the largest restaurant of its kind in the world.

Also coming next year will be a refurbished Raffles Maldives Meradhoo Resort, which was previously the Jumeirah Dhevanafushi. Also under the Accor umbrella, there are plans for a Fairmont resort in the Maldives too a couple of years down the line.