One&Only Reethi Rah

Before we paid a visit, One&Only Reethi Rah looked to us sleek, grand, but maybe lacking some of that rustic island chic so in vogue these days. Coming ashore we realized that refusing to follow design fads is precisely the point: you simply don’t have to when you are the best.

“Other resorts race to have the latest new thing, a new design trend ”, explained the Reethi Rah’s General Manager, “and in the end, you don’t recognize which villa is from which resort. They all end up with the same look.”

In other words, fashions come and go. And it takes a certain level of confidence to just shrug them off, in the competitive space of the Indian Ocean resorts.

“The lady of Maldivian resorts”

Reethi Rah sticks to its own One&Only style. Purposefully not ‘trendy’ yet brought up to the highest level of luxury, focused on serving its customers the kind of experience you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the Maldives.

Perhaps no other luxury resort here affords its guest’s so much space and privacy—and quite as many attractions. You could stay here for a month and not get bored.

The ultimate holiday experience

The island is packed with facilities: there are two flood-lit tennis courts, football, and volleyball pitches, a state-of-the-art fitness club and of course a water sports center, very well equipped and providing all manner of activities. There is even a golf course, albeit only in the form of a simulator (which doubles as a private cinema). The range of attractions for children is second-to-none, and the beautiful spa is maybe the largest and most comprehensive in the Maldives.

Dining options start from the monumental main restaurant, where we’d go for lavish breakfasts, to informal beach-side Fanditha with its Middle Eastern delights (the beach bar here is the best spot for sundowners) and—our favorite—the Japanese-themed Tapasake restaurant.

Beaches, pools, nets

The guest accommodation takes the resort experience to another level. The beach villas (we stayed in The Beach Villa with Pool), carefully arranged around twelve picture-perfect beaches, enchant with extra seclusion and space. Set widely apart and sheltered by dense tropical vegetation, they offer more than plenty of space and privacy. We also stayed in a Water Villa, which had a multi-level deck surrounded by lounging nets, spread over blue shallows.

Villa interiors follow the elegant and glamorous style found throughout the resort: a kind of polished luxury chic, which goes well with the high-tech equipment and massive decadent terrazzo baths in the villas.

in our opinion

With its fabulous style, glamorous atmosphere and sheer wealth of attractions One&Only Reethi Rah is like a cross between a spa resort, an exclusive country club, and a billionaire's playground. It's a beautiful world unto its own.

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What we love

• Amount of space in and around the beach villas, especially the ones that come with their own swimming pool. We loved the large beach just in front of our villa, and the hammock! The villas are all well spread out, so they are private and feel very exclusive;
• Water villas, with their multi-level decks surrounded by lounging nets, spread over blue shallows. We spent hours just basking in the sun, watching large schools of fish (and their predators), underneath. Occasionally, we’d dip into the calm waters, directly from the deck. Pure bliss! 
• The beautiful, famous main infinity pool—its design leaves a lasting impression
• Attention to detail all-round and the quality of service;
• We simply adored the sand-ready offroad bicycles. There is a lot of paths and roads to pedal around. And we do mean a lot: this island is massive;
• Fabulous breakfast selection;
• Amazing spa: the treatment was one of the best we've had. We recommend the 2-hour session to fully appreciate the thing;
• Greenery is well established—you'd never guess this island is practically man-made
• Our favorite restaurant was Tapasake, set over the water. Great food and ambiance, excellent service. 

What you should know

• The transport from Male is very efficient, on a beautiful luxury boat—but the top deck can get extremely windy;
• To gain an extra hour of sunshine the island has its own time zone (one hour ahead of Male)
• As the island is man-made, the home reef is not particularly interesting;
• For Maldivian standards Reethi Rah is very big—it is not really feasible to walk around the island. But there are bicycles and efficient buggy service. You can also hire the buggy for a whole day;
• This resort is at the top end of five-star luxury, and that doesn't come cheap: come prepared, spend money—enjoy the time of your life!