With an isolated location and a fascinating mix of international cultures, a holiday in Mauritius is the dream of many. The Indian Ocean island of just over one million people has been making gains with international tourism, and plans to make it a duty-free zone in the coming years should keep the momentum going.
Of the dozens of fabulous resorts in Mauritius, only one has overwater bungalows (water villas), and fortunately it’s one of the finest of them all.
Water villas and overwater bungalows continue to gain in popularity around the world so it’s no surprise that new resorts keep opening that feature the rooms on stilts. The Maldives alone now has 81 water villa resorts with more than 3,100 water villas combined, which is nearly two-thirds of the world’s total.
In the past few months we’ve seen three new resorts opening to the public, with one aimed at the mid-level market and the other two at the high end.
Maldives is already one of the most unusual and magical holiday destinations in the world, particularly as home to about two-thirds of the world’s overwater bungalows.
But for those who want to take the sea-life observation one step further than watching through a glass panel in your bungalow floor, you can dine at the world’s first undersea restaurant at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort.
Open since 2005, the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is made of all glass and has 180-degree views of the magnificent tropical sea and plant life.
Each week we comb all the best deals on water villas and overwater bungalows around the world to present the most interesting one for our readers. This week we came upon a treasure trove of amazing discounts on Maldives water bungalows for the summer months.
Even though the Maldives weather is nearly the same all year round, with just a few more quick rain storms during the summer than the winter, the months of June through August are the off season for the resorts with the lowest prices of the year.
In the past week two separate water-villa resorts have been tapped for prestigious honors within the hotel industry. Both are in Asia and both already had a great reputation so these recognitions are really no surprise, but still it should give potential guests just that much more confidence in both of them.
This week we are highlighting one of the handful of Maldives resorts that promotes what they call a “No news, no shoes” policy. The Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is a luxurious private-island resort where the emphasis is on being casual and comfortable rather than fancy and posh.
This style is perfect for those who might have to wear a suit every day during their normal life and the last thing they want to do on holiday is to dress up for dinner on a tropical island.
With each and every Maldives over water villa resort located on its own private island, it’s a rare case when guests can combine that kind of privacy with the conveniences of a second island a very short ride away. The Anantara Veli Resort & Spa is just such a place. It’s small and secluded with only 50 water villas and no island rooms, but it’s a very short boat ride to its sister resort where more restaurants and activities are waiting for all guests.
One of the larger private-island resorts in the Maldives, the Vilamendhoo Island Resort & Spa only added its 30 Jacuzzi Water Villas in late 2010, so everything is still new and pristine. There are 154 rooms and villas on the island as well, and with that size there are great benefits for guests, not least of which is a very reasonable price compared to similar water bungalows in the Maldives.
With a remote location near the equator, the 112-room Ayada Maldives Resort is now opening, bringing the first Turkish-themed resort to the Maldives. Developed by the Ankara, Turkey-based Aydeniz Group, this is a serious 5-star-plus resort that should compete well among super-luxury Maldives resorts.
From the decorations in each room to the Turkish hammam with plunge pools to the Turkish cafe (one of 7 restaurants and bars), the theme makes the Ayada Maldives a unique entrant in this category and one of the few resorts in the country meant to conjure up imagery other than the tropics themselves.
this year, the PlanHotel group quietly added water villas to their two Maldives resorts, which were also both celebrating their 20th anniversary. What makes these water villas unusual is their unique sense of style that is unlike anything else in the Maldives.
The 25 water villas at each resort were designed by Italian Architect Mr. Ettore Mocchetti, and even a quick look shows that the extensive use of white both inside and out gives the villas a 5-star look that contrasts with the thatched-roof hut designs found at most other Maldives overwater bungalow resorts.