The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort
A Dhaalu island of sculptural buildings, including a whale-shaped over-water lounge.
Vommuli lies in Dhaalu Atoll, forty-five minutes by seaplane from Malé, on a small island with a house reef and a lagoon. One resort occupies it. Dhaalu is a quieter atoll than the central group and the surrounding water carries limited traffic.
Around seventy-seven villas make up the property, in an architectural language by WOW Architects that is deliberately sculptural: the Whale Bar, a curved over-water lounge shaped after a whale shark, and the Iridium Spa, built as a series of linked pods over the lagoon. The buildings, rather than the setting, are what most guests photograph.
Architecture over vernacular. Vommuli's structures owe nothing to Maldivian building tradition and are among the most emphatic forms in the country.
A spa built as a cluster of pods. The Iridium Spa is a separate structure over water rather than a wing, which is expensive and unusual at this scale.
Who it is not for
Vommuli is wrong for guests who prefer restraint, since the architecture is assertive. It is wrong for travellers wanting a small property at seventy-seven villas. And it is wrong for those seeking barefoot informality, which is not this brand's register. And it is wrong for guests who want a remote atoll with nothing else in it. Those wanting restraint should look at Park Hyatt Hadahaa; those wanting barefoot should look at Soneva Fushi.
Sources
- marriott.com — around seventy-seven villas, Vommuli Island, Dhaalu Atoll, WOW Architects
- Villa count and architect attribution unverified. Confirm before publication.
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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