No News, No Shoes
In 1995, Sonu Shivdasani and his wife Eva coined a philosophy that would reshape luxury travel: no news, no shoes. Soneva Fushi, their flagship resort in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, remains the gold standard for barefoot luxury nearly three decades later.
The 71 villas — the largest in the Maldives — are built from sustainably sourced materials and designed to dissolve the boundary between indoor and outdoor living. Each comes with a private stretch of white-sand beach, a freshwater pool, and a personal butler known as a 'Mr or Ms Friday' who anticipates every need.
The Observatory and the Chocolate Room
What sets Soneva Fushi apart is its sheer imagination. The resort boasts the Maldives' first overwater observatory, where guests can stargaze with a resident astronomer. There is a glass-blowowing studio, a chocolate room stocked with twenty varieties of truffles, and a cinema on the beach where classic films screen beneath the stars.
So Starstruck, the resort's signature dining experience, places guests at a table suspended above the lagoon, where the chef prepares a six-course tasting menu using produce from the island's organic gardens. The spa, set in a tropical jungle, offers treatments rooted in Ayurveda and traditional Thai healing.
Sustainable by Design
Soneva Fushi was practising sustainability before it was a marketing term. The resort is carbon-neutral, 90% of its waste is recycled or composted, and its Eco Centro converts waste into building materials. Luxury here is not at the expense of the planet — it is in harmony with it.
