LUX* North Male Atoll is a feast for the senses from the beautiful contrast of the stark white penthouses against the stunning aquamarine water through to the delightful flavours of fresh, local seafood in the restaurants.
LUX* North Male Atoll, the second LUX* Resort to grace the Maldives opened just half a year ago on the six-hectare Olhahali Island, less than an hour’s boat ride from Male.
The brand new resort is refreshingly different, leaving behind traditional thatched roofs for edgy, modern architecture.
We checked it out for ourselves.
Check-in
When it comes to luxury, experiential travel, the old-school check-in process at a reception desk doesn’t cut it anymore and LUX* has been at the forefront of this evolution.
Instead of a reception area, LUX* North Male gives you your very own island host who looks after you your entire stay.
Our island host greeted us the moment we stepped off the luxury speed boat, loaded us on the back of his buggy and drove us straight to our villa for a seamless in-house check-in.
We were even given our own mobile phone with a direct line to our island host whenever we needed anything at all from a lift to dinner to a fresh bottle of bubbles. Talk about first class service!
The rooms
Overwater Villa
The brand new super-yacht-inspired villas are pure luxury. All the villas are generously sized with private pools and stunning views across the reef.
We stayed in the gorgeous one-bedroom overwater villa. It is seriously spacious with 351 square metres of room to move.
It’s hard to pinpoint a favourite element…perhaps the open plan bathroom with twin vanities and a huge free-standing bathtub, or is it the tropical outdoor shower?
The villa is fronted with floor to ceiling windows meaning the views of the Indian Ocean can be appreciated from most angles, even the bedroom! Often at times, it feels as though you’re at sea on a luxury yacht.
The villa has a gorgeous front terrace which has direct access to the reef along with the biggest private infinity pool I have ever laid eyes on!
A real point of difference for this stunning luxury villa is that it has its very own private rooftop. It’s an awesome spot to watch sunrise and sunset and there’s plenty of room for activities, from movie-screenings to intimate, candlelit dinners set up exclusively for you by your island host.
Food & Drinks
The restaurant I was truly swept away by at this resort was INTI which could easily rival a two hat restaurant back in Sydney.
INTI features the best from Peru and Japan with a live sushi and ceviche bar. The seafood here is the freshest you’ll ever eat. Think Tuna ceviche, octopus with black olive mayo and Tiradito breads.
For something more casual, but still high quality, Beach Rouge bar by the pool had us covered for long, lazy lunches. There’s a great mix of Spanish tapas to woodfired pizza and chargrilled seafood and meats.
When it came time for breakfast we started our day with an impressive barista-made coffee at Cafe LUX* before indulging in the la carte menu at Glow Bar. The traditional Maldivian breakfast and the Shakshouka were our top picks!
And if you’re peckish throughout the hot days on the island there is no better snack than a cooling gelato at the ICI gelato bar.
Things to do
If you can manage to pull yourself away from your luxurious villa for a moment, LUX* North Male has a wide range of water sports on offer from water skiing and flyboarding to snorkelling and diving.
There is a peaceful sunrise rooftop yoga class on offer each morning as well as tennis courts, beach volleyball nets and even a gym with its own personal trainer.
For something totally zen, there is an amazing overwater day spa. There are six glass treatment villas with glass panels below the massage tables to view the sea life below. It truly doesn’t get any better than that. Well maybe it does, the aromatherapy soak in a giant bathtub filled with flower petals, overlooking the Indian Ocean was a close rival.
The verdict
Luxury here knows no bounds, from private island hosts taking care of our every need throughout our stay through to floating around in our giant private infinity pool overlooking the Indian Ocean, a glass of champagne in hand.
Every element of this brand new resort is designed to delight and inspire guests.
The details
The resort has 67 double-storey luxury villas, each with their own private pool and water views from the Beach Villa to the two-bedroom Residence, the LUX* beach retreat, Prestige Water Villa, Water Villa and the massive 997 square metre LUX* Overwater Retreat and Overwater Residences.