The mysterious appeal of the Maldives

The world’s obsession with the Maldives has always been a mystery to me. I’ve witnessed as, one after the other, even my most beach-averse and device-addicted friends returned from these islands entranced by some ineffable quality, only able to give the vaguely cult-like response: “You have to experience it to understand.” One quietly admitted to spending more on her honeymoon there than on the wedding itself. Apparently, it had been entirely worth it.

Having worked in travel for many years, I’ve been inundated with the pictures we’ve all seen a thousand times: lines of pristine over-water villas, tranquil turquoise ocean contrasting with startlingly white sand, all running together in a blur of gorgeous, but dare I say it, borderline sameness. I’ve never seen myself as the target for this particular brand of Eden, especially given the offerings of its far-more-affordable Indian Ocean neighbors. In short, I’d written the Maldives off years ago as a place reserved for honeymooners or yachting oligarchs. Yet every year millions of people make the pilgrimage to this tropical paradise, providing the country with over half of its GNP, on what for some is the blow-out trip of a lifetime.

Now more than ever, time is running out to join the cult. The Maldives is staring down the barrel of the immediate impacts of climate change — it’s predicted these low-lying atolls may be fully underwater as soon as 2050. This alarming fact is a call to action — an inverted bucket list where the destination itself is at risk. Forget waiting for a honeymoon: make the trip now while you can (and, of course, as sustainably as you can). Given you will be guaranteed postcard perfection on every atoll, the only task is picking from one of the 160 resorts on offer. Trawling through images of lovely yet samey resorts, one place stood out as doing something different. A short seaplane from Malé, on the unspoiled Raa Atoll, sits Joali. After a fourteen-hour delayed flight and some lost luggage, I was not in the most agreeable frame of mind. But at the risk of sounding like I’ve drunk the Kool-Aid, as soon as the seaplane took off and the atolls came into view, I immediately felt what my evangelizing friends found so hard to put into words. From the air, the fragility of the atolls became tangible. The quick shift from white sands to a glowing turquoise halo seemed to show, in the most starkly beautiful terms, just how otherworldly and precarious the balance here is. The scenery itself is utterly surreal — submerged volcanoes aureoled in jewel tones, with lacy coral providing a home for an incredibly diverse range of marine life, much of which is at risk. I was captivated.

Joali itself is considered the choice of the more cerebral guest (think Stanley Tucci rather than the Kardashians) and is the first and only “art immersive” island. While the Maldives isn’t a name you’d expect to see on a list alongside Miami and Basel, this particular resort boasts a sculpture park of seventeen installations from a varied list of artists. The pieces are tucked carefully and tastefully into the natural environment, running the gamut from impressive architectural statement to quiet, meditative sculpture. A playful spirit ties them together, from Porky Hefer’s treehouse — a thatched pavilion shaped like a manta ray where you can enjoy a private breakfast — to Nacho Carbonell ́s cocoon-like chair and Seçkin Pirim’s blue pearl, a striking clam-like wall piece adorning the wall of each room, made of wooden ripples to mimic the ocean surrounding the villas.

Just as striking as the art was the subtle but clear commitment to female empowerment fostered by the hotel’s owner, Esin Güral Argat. This is one of the few islands where the female workforce outnumbers the male, and in a largely patriarchal country, this is no small feat. “The empowerment of women, their participation in the workforce and the development of their self-confidence has the power to have incredible results. Working on this issue in the Maldives is of huge importance to me,” says Esin. She’s created an oasis with this goal in mind. The resort has been recognized for its corporate and social responsibility program. Even the overall design has a distinctly feminine sensuality, from statement pieces like the jetty with its undulating curves right through to even the tiniest room details, like bespoke flowered kimonos. In fact, there was nothing from my lost luggage that wasn’t already waiting for me in the room. The island also regularly hosts visiting female artists, as well as staging academic workshops for aspiring Maldivian female artists, whose works are available to purchase.

This is how the resort distances itself from being just another a honeymoon des- tination; I was surprised by the number of women who were there enjoying a solo trip in paradise, like myself. For travelers filled with fear at the idea of nothing but a stretch of beach, where they’re alone with their thoughts, Joali has an impressive array of activities to keep guests entertained, from pottery classes to archery, not to mention diving on the local reef. The moment I descended beneath the water’s surface, a majestic eagle ray swam below, followed by baby black-tipped sharks venturing out amid the glowing coral after a monsoon shower.

All the activities and distractions aside, I was pleasantly surprised at how happy I was to just do nothing for once, all traces of anxiety gone the minute I set foot on the jetty. I finally understood all the rhapsodizing and found myself fully converted, bewitched by the sublime of these isles. Upon landing back in gray gloomy London a few days later, when asked why it was so wonderful, I found myself saying the same sort of vague and slightly annoying things I’d previously disliked, but more importantly, that the time is running out to go.

Yasmina was the guest of JOALI Maldives, joali.com. Available via Turquoise Holidays; who offer seven nights in a Water Villa with Pool on a half board basis from $9,323 per person. This price includes return seaplane transfers and international flights depart- ing from London in September. Enquire with turquoiseholidays.co.uk. This article was originally published in The Spectator’s September 2024 World edition.