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Spa Of The Month: St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort

How to elevate a stay on a private island? Factor in a luxury overwater spa shaped like a lobster. Lisa Haynes checks in to The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort for our Spa of the Month.


THE LOWDOWN

Transfers don’t get much more scenic than the 45-minute seaplane to St. Regis Maldives Vommuli from Malé airport (my camera roll is still recovering). Around 100 miles southwest of the capital, Vommuli Island is located in the Dhaalu Atoll, which has fewer resorts than elsewhere in the archipelago making it one of the most untouched parts of the Maldives.

The hallmarks of St. Regis (and Maldivian) hospitality start while the seaplane propellers are still spinning. Guests are welcomed as ‘luminaries’ and ice-cold drinks are served in St. Regis-stamped coconuts. The VIP-worthy treatment amps up with the introduction of our private butler who’s on call 24/7 to curate an island-time schedule, book spa treatment and zip you around Vommuli in a golf buggy.


THE SPA

Each signature structure in the resort takes its design cues from Maldivian culture and marine creatures. Glass-walled villas are inspired by manta rays, the overwater bar takes the silhouette of a whale shark, and the striking 1,850-square-metre Iridium Spa is shaped like a lobster. Set on its own private lagoon, six overwater treatment rooms resemble claws that hover majestically above the Indian Ocean.

From reception through to relaxation room, Iridium Spa’s open air design (complete with sea breeze) treats you to panoramic ocean views at every turn. Even the wooden-decked floor has giant glass portholes so that you can spectate on marine life from your spa robe and slippers. The archipelago’s biggest hydrotherapy pool – the Blue Hole – juts out over the lagoon too, giving the impression that you’re soaking in the middle of the ocean. Using heated seawater, the Blue Hole pre-treatment ritual allows time to circuit the whirlpool jets and dissolve tensions in jet-lagged limbs before you’ve even reached your spa bed.

Inside each ocean-vista treatment room, there’s barely a need for spa relaxation music with the sound of waves lapping calmly below. On serene weather days, sliding glass doors can be fully opened making the ocean almost feel like an extra therapist in the room. And, just like the architecture, the treatment menu takes inspiration from the resort’s Indian Ocean setting.

My relaxing Iridium Signature Touch treatment focuses on traditional Asian massage techniques and introduces heavenly warm pouches of white sand and oils that feel like an apt Maldivian take on classic hot stones. I’m also intrigued by the sound of the Lava Shell Massage body treatment, using tiger-striped clam shells as a massage tool to tease out knots. Two treatment rooms at Iridium are dedicated Ayurvedic suites and there’s an in-house Ayurvedic specialist and acupuncturist on hand, as well as customised wellness programmes.


THE ROOMS

The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort is home to 44 overwater retreats and 33 tropical land villas (beach or garden). Whether you’re in the sprawling two-level, three-bed John Jacob Astor Estate or palm-fringed one-bed garden villa, each of the 77 villas boasts enough privacy and space to feel like your very own Maldivian retreat. St. Regis makes it easy to explore the island and ocean at leisure too, with resort bicycles parked up outside each villa and life jackets hanging in your walk-in wardrobes.

Vommuli is a natural island, rather than manmade, so I quickly discover that my spectacular beach villa is happily abuzz with marine life outside. During daylight hours, Asian koel cuckoos sing to each other in the trees, flying foxes swoop around the island testing hanging fruits, water hens strut across my private pool, and tiny hermit crabs scuttle across the white sand. Inside, the theatrical vaulted ceiling complete with floor-to-apex glass make the outdoor paradise look even more dramatic. Interiors are the perfect mix of contemporary finishes and opulent features, like marble bathrooms with free-standing, egg-shaped tubs. Also of note: the double outdoor shower to bathe al fresco.


THE DINING

Seven restaurants each have their own personality and Instagram-worthy backdrop. The al fresco flagship restaurant ALBA serves exquisite beachfront breakfasts with unique local-inspired options, like Maldivian-style eggs Benedict using yellowfin tuna and Maldivian lobster and crab omelette. For lunch, you can stroll from beach lounger to barefoot lunches at the relaxed Crust & Craft where you’ll find wood-fired pizzas, fish tacos, and crispy prawns with squid ink mayonnaise.

For memorable dinners under the stars, you’ll find a Middle Eastern-inspired menu in Cargo’s jungle setting, Eastern haute cuisine at Orientale’s ocean-view restaurant, and Japanese Kaiseki-style culinary masterpieces at T•Pan – the resort’s newest restaurant where you can experience omakase menus, Japanese whiskeys, and speciality sake over two Teppan counters. More intimate dinner settings can also be organised with bespoke private dining. Celebrities and VIPs who visit the island love Decanter, the secret underground wine cellar where you can experience a five-course meal paired with a selection of over 2,000 wines. Your butler is also on speed dial to arrange starlit dinners on the beach or floating breakfasts in your private pool.


THE LITTLE EXTRAS

Maximise your island time and make the most of the signature St. Regis butler service, which includes unpacking suitcases and daily garment pressing (bliss). From eye mask deliveries to impromptu sunrise breakfasts, our private butler Meera is just a WhatsApp message away from coordinating every request in minutes. Acting like your eyes and ears of Vommuli, butlers send updates on imminent changes to the weather so you can plan your ocean dips – and your island wardrobe – accordingly.

One St. Regis Maldives Vommuli extra that’s entirely weather dependent is the evening ritual at the Instagrammable overwater Whale Bar where you’re invited to witness the traditional Champagne Sabering ceremony and add some cork popping dramatics to your Maldivian sunset.


WHAT TO DO

Vommuli may be a small coral island but there’s no shortage of things to do with the Vommuli House Recreation Center – a sanctuary during unpredictable rainy spells where you can try out anti-gravity yoga to shake off jet-lag. With crystal-clear waters and a vibrant marine ecosystem, the region is celebrated for its scuba diving and snorkelling so our first port of call was the Vommuli Dive and Watersports Center. Here you can take full advantage of the Indian Ocean on your doorstep and experience glass-bottom kayak tours, stand-up paddle boarding, windsurfing and even deep-sea fishing.

A guide took us on a snorkelling adventure to reveal the best underwater hangouts in the house reef and search for the varied marine life, like colourful parrotfish, eagle rays and (if you’re lucky) one of the resident Hawksbill sea turtles. On dry land, there’s the beautiful shell-shaped library, an airy vaulted ceiling fitness centre, and (my personal favourite) an outdoor tennis court in Maldives azure bright blue.


Lead image credit: St.Regis, Maldives

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