We landed in the bustling travel hub of Malé and our journey continued with a short 45 minute propeller-powered hop to the far south of the Maldives flying over a world of turquoise atolls.
As we edged closer and onto a very smart speedboat, the Six Senses experience began in earnest. We were handed an ice cold lemonade, some fresh coconut, and asked to remove our shoes.
Cue some Hugh Grant-esque muttering from Mr Smith, after tucking his Nikes into a bag. ‘No shoes, no news’ was the mantra from the captain. This is the last we would see of those trainers for the remainder of the week. And it felt good (albeit
sometimes quite hot underfoot).
On arrival a warm welcome awaited us at the island jetty. Park any notion of White Lotus here, not a crazed GM in sight. Instead we were introduced to our guest experience manager (GEM) who would be our host for the entirety of our stay. Enter stage right the indomitably cheerful Afrah for whom nothing was too much trouble. GEM in acronym, gem in nature.
A short tour with our new friend started with the main hotel buildings and onwards to our water villa. We’d been upgraded (music to my ears!) but really you just can’t go wrong in any of villas at Laamu.
On entering, our GEM asked us whether we wanted the short or long tour – well, I thought, it is only a bedroom, so let’s go for the long tour, how long can it be?
It turns out there is a lot to say about these bedrooms – including one of my many highlights: the pillow menu. This turned into a fun game every night choosing everything from an isotonic temperature sensitive nights sleep to a water-based design and even one named the ‘no snore pillow’ (ahem, Mr Smith).
The villa itself had a hint of Robinson Crusoe in its design language. His and hers sinks formed from vintage looking leather trunks, a viewing crows nest accessed via a staircase to the side, open-air showers and lots of beautifully weathered wooden panelling all leant to the sense of a desert island adventure.
The star of the show, though, was unquestionably the glass-bottom bath, the novelty of which never wore off (unfortunate for the marine life below that had to enjoy the view, mind).
Everything, everywhere, was carefully curated without seeming too polished. Understated luxury at its very best.
Travel around the island was on traditional bikes – each one adorned with personalised name plates which made us feel at home. Fear not though, for those that enjoy a glass or two with dinner (or breakfast – no judgement here) the hotel golf buggy can always scoop you up and somehow your bikes always magically seem to find their way home overnight.
And then there’s the food… From sushi to Asian street food and fine dining, no two meals were the same. To our delight, wine also plays a central theme at Laamu, with a dedicated building for storing and tasting the stuff. In the unlikely event that your bottle isn’t finished, it is diligently whisked away, only to be reproduced at another of the restaurants the following evening.
‘Don’t worry… it will follow you wherever you go’ were the parting words of our waiter. A stalker that none of us would begrudge.
The spa, situated in the heart of the island is a maze of winding sandy pathways, each leading to a private sanctuary for your treatment of choice. The Smith Extra couples body scrub was a bonding experience, despite some minor resistance from Mr Smith. The view of the ocean whilst the sea lapped gently at the shore made this a blissful hour well spent.
The holistic approach went further than the spa though and we threw ourselves into the variety of activities on offer for the mind and body. Whoever has commented that ‘you can’t go to the Maldives for more than a week you’ll get bored!’ has clearly not been here.
We experienced the weight of gravity during aerial yoga, took part in a couples head massage workshop (where I discovered I should stick to the day job), witnessed how easy efoiling looks and how hard it was in reality, and I cannot fail to mention: sailing at sunset surrounded by dolphins!
For the majority of guests, the marine life is the star of the show though. The resort equips you with your own snorkel gear for the week, and positively encouraged us to jump in the water at any opportunity. A spectrum of colour awaited – fish, turtles, sharks and dolphins; the list went on and you don’t have to go far.
One evening, during a spot of backgammon on our deck, a huge ray swam past. A baby reef shark soon followed. Moments like this would make even the most seasoned traveller exceedingly giddy.
So of course leaving this island paradise was always going to come with a sense of melancholy – we just didn’t realise how much until we reluctantly slipped our feet back into the shoes we hadn’t seen for over a week.
Find out more about Six Senses Laamu or dive in to our complete collection of Maldives hotels
Holly Clark was named as one of the top society snappers by Harrods and works as the preferred photographer to some of the worlds most lavish venues and leading wedding planners; her work featuring in the likes of Vogue, Tatler, Stylist and more. She’s also heavily inspired by travel, and her prints of people and places are available at Holly Clark Editions.
All photography by the author