As someone famously said, “The Earth is what we all have in common.”
And indeed it is the earth and its preservation, even prosperity, that is the soul of Soneva. Its highest common factor. Its lowest common denominator. Its moral compass. It is a living lighthouse for a long-term, community-inclusive and eco-conscious perspective.
The construction materials are eco-aware, the islands are 100 per cent carbon-neutral. There are no plastic water bottles. They filter and mineralise their own water. The Eco Centre recycles over 90 per cent of the waste generated. And this philosophy is not just advocated in its resorts, Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani. It is artfully and heartfully exported across its neighbouring islands where it advocates its philosophy of ocean ownership. Every single moment of every single day, it demonstrates its fidelity to the future of our fast-fracturing planet.
Check your pulse
Soneva’s responsibility towards the environment extends to the responsible environment it creates for those who travel to it. Before it sweeps you off your feet with its outstanding oceanscapes, it confiscates your shoes in the boat that finally gets you there. Its “ no-shoes, no-news” philosophy encourages a detachment from the daily din. It aspires to replace the noise of news with the poise of being oblivious. Feeling the sand between the toes becomes calming. And bicycles bring back the unhurriedness of time. As Daniel Behrman once said about bicycles: “You never have the wind with you—either it’s against you. Or you are having a good day.” Soneva is about those good days.
But what is greater is its slow life philosophy, in which it sews together threads of culinary, experiential, sonic and scenic speedbreakers. Each put together with needles of deep nuance. Indeed, pulse rates fall as you rise in the morning.
And then again they rise with the adrenaline of the spectacular. activities that both Soneva Fushi and Jani offer. You can zipline across the audacious ocean or deep dive in this majestic marine Mesopotamia. On most days, when clouds are civilised, it is not uncommon to see the dance of dolphins. Or the mambo of the manta rays. Snorkelling in Hanifaru Bay with these majestic mantas can be one of life’s most indelible moments.
However, one of the house reef’s most arresting sights is the white titan triggerfish. The triggerfish has some genetic and physical similarity to the average species from Delhi. Both sway aggressively from side to side. Both are tiresomely territorial. And both lunge at you and then turn away at the last second.
Titillated taste buds
The food at the Soneva Fushi is shades ahead. Shades of Green is a charming restaurant that serves as the plinth of Soneva’s plant-based culinary approach. Here you are encouraged to smell, pick and taste the vegetables, herbs and fruit. Often, twists such as salting, smoking, fermenting and pickling are employed in the cooking. Then there is Out of The Blue, which has a vast array of cuisines: Vietnamese, Indonesian and Japanese. Out of The Sea has a stunning Spanish repertoire and several other pearls from the ocean.
Soneva Jani has its own staggering seats of fine food. The Crab Shack is home to the magnificent mud crabs and the daily catch of the local fishermen. There are sunrise breakfasts on its pristine North Beach. Cuisine is cinematic at Soneva Jani. As is cinema, for that matter. Cinema Paradiso is an outdoor, overwater silent cinema experience. You watch films with bluetooth headsets so as to not disturb the marine stars playing out their own movies underwater.
Speaking of stars, there’s So Starstruck at Soneva Jani where a state-of-the-art 16 inch telescope and an in-house astronomer show you constellations over courses of food. The Milky Way along with coffee with milk on the side, if you please.
There are also rooms of dignified decadence at both Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani. There is the cheese and ham bar which has evocative kinds of cheese blushing at the sight of some fine ham and salami. There is an ice cream bar where you find an array of splendid ice creams along with forgotten friends such as chilli chocolate marshmallows and jujubes. Should chocolate interest you, the chocolate bar is as stylish as Cocoa Chanel.
Laps of luxury
On every count, Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani raise the bar.
Even on wellness.
It is typical for a global wellness expert to be in residence at the Sonevas. I had the master of musculoskelatal massage and pain management, Eduardo Sierra, work on my L3 and L4.
But no one is better at work than the barefoot guardians, your personal butlers who anticipate and meet your every need. Always on WhatsApp to tell you what’s up.
But for me, what was really up there were the curated books at Soneva Fushi and Jani. It is the most incredible and eclectic collection that I have ever laid my eyes on. I wondered who curated it. Turns out that there is a book service in London called The Ultimate Library that does it for them.
Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani are two Maldivian jewels. The former is rustic. The latter is more chic, with two editions: Chapter 1 and the newer Chapter 2. Both an ode to the timeless and the times.
Speaking of which, the time is one that thing that baffles you the most.
Even though the capital of Maldives, Malé, and both the Sonevas are in the same country, there’s a time difference. The Sonevas are ahead of Malé by one hour. For four days, it was an impossible puzzle to solve. Until someone spilled the beans. Asking people to wake up at 7 am at Soneva was far more practical than asking them to wake up at 6 am. Clearly, Soneva had its own clock as well as its very own rhythm.
Sean Lemass once said, “ A rising tide lifts all boats.” The Sonevas lift all spirits.
Swapan Seth runs Ackerman, a brand, design, communication and marketing intervention firm
From HT Brunch, October 1, 2022
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