Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives

Elegantly flying the 'laid back luxury' and 'eco-friendly' flags, this is a resort of the very highest calibre, with superb food & service, and ethos inspired by the original Soneva Fushi. The spacious villas are all entirely over-water in the rustic chic, Crusoe style, some only accessible by boat, and the antithesis of the marble-and-bling affairs favoured by many. Following a refurbishment closure in 2019 some villas now have private pools added, but we'd skip those and take the steps into the beautiful lagoon instead and go for a snorkel or wallow in a hammock.

Undoubtedly one of the top resorts in the Maldives, located in a busy stretch of islands in the North Male Atoll. Some will find the proximity to Male convenient, while others looking for a more remote, desert island experience might look further afield, although we would argue they are missing out - despite the location, Gili is a resort that begs you to slow down and unwind, and we're all too willing to oblige!

Formerly known as Soneva Gili by Six Senses, Gili Lankanfushi is set on the private tropical island of Lankanfushi in the North Malé Atoll. This luxury resort is just a 20-minute speedboat ride from the International Airport at Malé.

Gili Lankanfushi has just 45 luxurious overwater villas, including Crusoe Residences and The Private Reserve reached only by boat. Each villa is built to be environmentally friendly, and designed with exceptional attention to detail, and all have their own private water garden, sun deck as well as a separate shower linked to the bathroom by an open-air walkway.

Each villa will enjoy the services of a dedicated Mr or Ms Friday - so named after Robinson Crusoe's loyal friend and assistant. Your Mr/Ms Friday, will be happy to help arrange excursions, spa appointments, sunset cruises, restuarant reservations and can also help pack or unpack your luggage. If you are travelling with young children, Mr/Ms Friday can also host storytelling and craft sessions to keep them entertained.

The cuisine will whet your appetite with fresh offerings and local produce, while the extraordinary settings will leave a lasting impression.

Environmental Awareness
Gili Lankanfushi is very environmentally aware - the utmost care has been taken in developing the island with respect to its ecological balance, without compromising their excellent level of service and standards. Sustainable building materials and interiors are favoured (i.e. plantation teak, palm wood, bamboo etc.). Each year the resort carefully invests 0.5% of its annual revenue in projects that produce socio-economic returns to the communities. Environmental education and awareness is also an integral part of the environmental management system at the resort - training programmes have been developed for the island staff in order to help them make environmentally informed decisions daily. The management also seeks strong support and participation from the guests, tour operators and travel agents in order to develop a culture of proactive environmental awareness.