Six Senses Laamu
Six Senses Laamu is a playful paradise that elevates castaway chic. The rustic-luxe Maldives villas are constructed of sustainable materials, and a sense fun and ingenuity pervades the design — from the novelty of watching fish through a transparent bathtub positioned upon a floor window, to the exhilaration of surveying your “kingdom” from a tower-like sundeck on top of a water villa.
While you can choose between beach villas or overwater villas, it’s the latter that really shine. Water is the integral theme at this Laamu atoll hotel. And while it may be difficult to believe that some Maldives lagoons can be superior to others, the one surrounding Six Senses Laamu is particularly magnificent. Due to its shallow depth, lack of seagrass or rocks, and expansive size, the lagoon is an intense, iridescent shade of turquoise. This swath of azure wraps all the way around the island and stretches far off into the distance. These qualities can’t be found in every lagoon — and together they make for a breathtaking spectacle.
Look beyond the lagoon and you’ll notice the hotel’s pioneering design features as well as its environmental ethos. All of the buildings have been designed to complement and accentuate the stunning natural surroundings.To lower its impact on the local environment, Six Senses Laamu employs its own reusable glass water bottles, shuns single-use plastic and aims to be entirely plastic-free by 2022. Half of all water sales and 100 percent of soft toy sales goes into the resort’s sustainability fund.
- There is a “no shoes, no news” policy that encourages you to abandon your footwear on arrival and disconnect from the rest of the world. This means newspapers are only available on demand, and in-villa TVs screens are discreetly hidden behind textiles or in trunks.
- Each day begins with a lavish champagne breakfast buffet in a two-story coconut thatch pavilion named Longitude, built over the lagoon and featuring glass panels in the floor. Select champagne or prosecco to accompany an infinite feast of fresh fruits, housemade pastries, eggs, meats, cheeses and curries.
- Laamu is the largest atoll in the Maldives, and the crystal-clear water offers excellent visibility. Since it’s so far from the capital city of Male, Laamu is one of the most unspoiled diving areas in the county — manta rays are a common sight.
- Wander into the Ice and Chocolate Studio and inhale the tempting sugary scent of handmade chocolates and ice cream. The chef makes them in house — try the salted caramel chocolates.
If you need to do some work or plan on finally writing your memoir and want an inspirational vista, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better place to do so than at a glass desk in one of the water villas. They face the water and are placed over a glass floor panel so you can watch fish dart around below.
- Every villa has either direct lagoon or private beach access.
- The exciting design blends rustic tropical touches with a splash of colonial-era chic — for example, vintage-looking luggage trunks disguise the TVs in some of the rooms. Plus, there’s a dash of whimsy, such as the transparent bathtubs on the glass floors of the water villas, and the multiple hammocks over the lagoon.
- Although the water villas are the ultimate accommodations at the Maldives hotel, the stylish beach villas are atmospheric, too, with a treetop-level deck featuring a dining area.
- The cuisine in all of the restaurants is creative, healthy and fresh.
- Leaf, the signature restaurant at the luxury hotel, is perched high in the trees in a Tarzan-and-Jane-style jungle canopy platform, overlooking the organic garden. Try the locally caught Laamu ceviche with pomelo, green mango and tomato sorbet.
- Twelve guests are allowed nightly to dine on the upper deck of Zen overwater restaurant. Here you can sample modern Japanese fusion, including sushi and sashimi. Check out its famous crab tempura — it’s lighter than air.
- The multi-level Chill Bar is the spot to head to for sundowners, while the “No Rush Hour Cocktails” at Sip Sip sunken poolside bar are a sassy daytime treat. Try the Pearl Diver, which fuses two types of Caribbean rum with hand-folded gardenia mix, lime juice, orgeat and bitters.
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