Seclusion, serenity and plenty of sea: Welcome to the Maldives’ latest Secret

One moment I was rocking on the swing, enjoying the sun and gentle breeze, and the next I was scrambling to find shelter as rain came down in thick sheets.

Suddenly, two pixies in raincoats appeared and swiftly folded louvred bathroom windows and slid well-hidden glass panels into place. At Soneva Secret, open bedrooms and bathrooms are great ideas only because the butlers — or Barefoot Guardians and Assistants as Soneva likes to call them — are thoughtfully efficient. Mine were Nouha and Eve, who anticipated everything from drastic weather changes to snorkelling essentials during my two-night stay at the 14-villa Soneva Secret, which opened in April this year. It is the latest in the brand’s collection of barefoot luxury properties that included Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani, also in the Maldives, and Soneva Kiri in Koh Kood, Thailand.

After a five-hour flight from Singapore to Male, it is a 75-minute jaunt on a Soneva seaplane from Male to Soneva Secret. The moment you step out onto the jetty, the “no news, no shoes” policy kicks in. My footwear was collected and stashed away in a linen bag, never to be seen again until the day I left. The resort is in the Haa Dhaalu Atoll in the northern part of the Maldives, and it is so remote that the nearest inhabited island Makunudhoo is a 15-minute speedboat ride away.

Soneva’s double-storey villas are described as “one-bedroom”, but in reality, there are two bedrooms in each and the two-bedroom Beach and Crusoe Reserve villas have four. Kids would love the second bedroom and ensuite bathroom where there are cute rabbit door bolts and activity books and toys with ocean and nature themes. There is also the Castaway Villa, the first floating villa in the Maldives that is only accessible by oat and can be moved to any location in the lagoon.

Villa sizes start from 4,822 sq ft. I was told that my 4,962-sq-ft Overwater Hideaway (Villa 12) at the end of the boardwalk is the one to book for maximum privacy. It felt like an expansive but cosy home, and then some. On the lower deck was a mini gym and a pantry with an induction hob, minibar and a wine fridge. On the upper deck are a spa treatment room and Soneva’s signature slide that curves into the sea.

An inviting palette of light-coloured woods and furnishings made from natural materials played off quirky design details such as wall lights in marine life forms, fish-bone table lamp stands and yellow cushions. It was all so charming and clever that I couldn’t even be miffed at the well-hidden electrical switches that sent me on a treasure hunt every now and then. The master bathroom could have been a studio apartment for Godzilla, judging from the huge round lounger and equally big sunken tub facing the ocean. At night I would press a button to open the retractable roof (another distinct Soneva villa feature) and lie in my bed gazing at the inky, star-speckled sky before drifting into dreamland.

As the only guest on the island during most of my stay, I lived it up the most VIP (Very Isolated Person) way possible.

Frolics in the pool, shrieks down the water slide and naps among plush cushions in the outdoor sunken seating were just part of it. I also snorkelled with marine biologist Susan, who was a treasure trove of knowledge as she pointed out butterfly fish that mated for life, turtles drifting languidly and beautiful old corals in pristine condition. After that, I was only too happy to flop onto a bed at the Soneva Wellness spa and let the therapist deep-press calming lavender essential oil into my muscles.

Dining decisions were tough. Do I zipline or walk over to the Out of This World dining tower, which has a wine cellar and observatory? I went for “yolo” and zipped over in a dress. Brazilian chef Henrique Lork’s tasting menu breezed across umami, spicy, salty and acidic profiles with the food presented on elegant upcycled glassware that were made by the chef himself. The wine pairings were excellent: Sommelier Rebecca delivered a storied selection, including a 100% Pinot Gris orange wine from New Zealand and a terroir-driven 100% Chardonnay from South Africa. From the tower’s third-storey perch, I could see the setting sun’s golden rays streaking through cumulonimbus clouds. In the distance, a trio of manta rays appeared in the crystal-clear waters near the beach. It was surreal.

Calling out often were the irresistible ice-cream, chocolate, charcuterie and cheese cold rooms at all-day diner The Living Room. And that mushroom martini from its “medicinal mocktails” menu that tasted like a luscious espresso martini? Uncanny.

How do you choose from 14 different cuisines, ranging from Indonesian to Nordic, with a private chef preparing it in your villa? After much dithering, I had a hearty Indian lunch by chef Shalin, who presented a thali of small plates such as beansprout salad, dhal curry and lamb keema. I also enjoyed a Sri Lankan feast by chef Gayatri who used her mother’s recipes on dishes like tempered beetroot, dal fry, dry chicken curry and chili crab. You can also have special meals such as those on floating kitchen So Private and soon-to-launch So Primitive, where guests gather around a central fire pit in the sand and tuck into meat, seafood and plant-based dishes.

Amid these luxuries are serious sustainability initiatives. All the villa interiors are crafted from fast-growing and durable bamboo or plantation-grown wood, instead of rainforest hardwoods. Driftwood become furniture, statement lighting and sculptures while waste metal and glass are re-purposed into the likes of door hooks, drawer handles and restaurant dishes. Soneva’s CEO and Joint Creative Director Sonu Shivdasani shared that solar panels are being installed to achieve almost 100 per cent dependence on renewable energy for Secret’s electricity needs by 2025.

He added that more Secrets, “which is about remote locations of incredible beauty” are in the pipeline, with Japan, the Middle East and Europe on the radar. He explained: “The focus is on leisure travelers who have plenty of time, enjoy engaging with the hotel staff and want unique wellness and dining programmes.”

I must have unconsciously thought of being such a traveller because I inadvertently left a bag of clothes at Secret. I only realised the grave situation of being down to my last outfit at the next destination. But the butlers did it again. Eve and Nouha made sure the package reached me the very next day, just as I was about to take a seaplane back to the capital. If only I can keep Secret a secret forever.