Four Seasons Private Island Maldives at Voavah
Five acres inside a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with a yacht and a dive team that belong to the house.
Voavah lies in Baa Atoll, the only UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Maldives, a short boat ride from Four Seasons at Landaa Giraavaru. The island runs to about five acres. It is let to one party and to no one else, and the reserve status limits what can ever be built around it — the water it sits in is protected, not merely quiet.
Accommodation is a beach house and a set of villas totalling seven bedrooms for up to twenty-two guests, with a staff that includes a chef, a dive instructor, a spa therapist and a captain. The island comes with its own 62-foot yacht, its own dive centre and its own spa, so the party never needs to cross to the parent resort — though Landaa Giraavaru's marine research centre and restaurants remain open to it.
Everything is duplicated on the island. Dive centre, spa, kitchen, boat. Most private islands within resorts borrow the parent's facilities; Voavah has its own, which is why twenty-two people can stay a week without leaving.
Hanifaru Bay is the neighbour. The manta and whale-shark aggregation that makes Baa Atoll famous is minutes away by the island's own tender, in season and under permit.
Who it is not for
Twenty-two guests on five acres is a full house, not a hideaway — this is the wrong island for two people, who will pay for a compound built for a family reunion. It is wrong for anyone who wants to move between restaurants and bars, because there is one kitchen and one table. And it is a poor fit for travellers who dislike a fixed programme, since diving, the yacht and the spa all run on the island's own schedule. Couples should look at Coco Privé Kuda Hithi or Motu Nao Nao.
Sources
- fourseasons.com — Voavah, seven bedrooms, up to 22 guests, private yacht
- UNESCO — Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve designation
- Parent entry: Four Seasons Resorts Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru. Relationship: Private Island within Resort.
Booking
Private Island Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the island and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
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