Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi has unveiled new beachside tented villas, which have been designed to created an added sense of adventure. Editor Hamish Kilburn takes a look inside…
Are we in Africa, on safari? Not quite, although the latest addition to Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi – beachside tented accommodation – is not something we are used to experiencing in this region. However, with the promise to ‘reignite travellers’ sense of adventure’, the new villas have been designed to sit in harmony with the natural island environment – and create a completely different luxury experience from the typical beach or overwater villas that travellers now expect when discovering the region’s various islands.
Image credit: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Located in Shaviyani Atoll, which boasts one of the country’s largest resort lagoons, Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi likes to think of itself as more than just a personal hideaway. The ‘secret water island”, as dubbed by the locals, glistens ‘like a pearl’ – think postcard white sand beaches fringed with swaying palms, kissed by the turquoise waters of the 600-hectare lagoon that gives way to the tranquil blues of the Indian Ocean and a never-ending horizon.
The 120-key hotel is home to the longest infinity pool in the Maldives that leads guests to the Coralarium, the country’s first and only coral regeneration project in the form of an underwater art installation by Jason deCaires Taylor. The Sustainability Lab – the first of its kind in the archipelago – is a hub of eco-education where guests can create bespoke souvenirs and unique items from plastic waste washed ashore and collected from the surrounding ocean. And now, in addition to a high-end tented jungle villa – which was built in 2019 to mirror the beauty and diversity of the island, with wooden frames, amber-toned interiors and walls swathed in white canvas – the hotel now has beachside tented villas.
Set on their own private pocket of beach, the new villas provide a safari-style stay whilst mirroring the beauty and diversity of the island’s verdant flora and fauna. Natural wooden frames are swathed in white fabric, which can be rolled up completely to offer unparalleled views of the turquoise ocean beyond from floor-to-ceiling windows.
Image credit: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
A neutral colour palette is accented with an eclectic collection of patterned throws and cushions, pieces of striking Maldivian artwork and rattan rugs, with a centrepiece chandelier lighting up the luxurious lounge area. Spacious and secluded, the Beach Tented Villas house a master suite with California King Bed and en-suite bathroom, separate children’s bedroom, spacious alfresco decking area with loungers and hammocks, outdoor roll-top tub and rain shower, and a Sala for communal dining that overlooks the private pool.
Opened in May 2018, Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi also features Beach and Water Villas, with all interiors inspired to look and feel bohemian with rustic-chic, carved-wood details and copper bathroom fittings.
Main image credit: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
