Eye candy visions of every shade of blue greeting you with the morning tide ebbing and flowing on untrodden sand—the resorts listed below have the stuff that escapist dreams are made of where barefoot luxury is intimate and indulgent:
Soneva Secret, Maldives
Opened in March 2024, Soneva Secret snuggles onto a remote atoll, Haa Dhaalu, in the picture-perfect Maldives. Touted as being 30 years in the planning, this masterpiece of indulgence has only 14 beach and over-water villas, including lagoon Crusoe Villas and the ultimate fantastical floating villa, Castaway. The fifth luxury resort under the sustainable umbrella of Soneva Resorts, Soneva Secret encapsulates the ultimate in personalization and an idyllic natural environment.
Each villa has two assistants and a personal chef for sumptuous in-villa dining with the stars twinkling above you through the incredible sliding roof of your domain. Or, if you wish to venture elsewhere for gastronomy moments, it's possible to either take a boat to dine with your feet in the warmth of the sand by a firepit or for the adventurous souls to zip-line to the lagoon tower where there are Soneva’s signature extravaganzas—a room dedicated to chocoholics, one for ice-cream lovers and for the savory taster there's a room overflowing with cheese and another dominated by charcuterie. This heavenly dining tower has an observatory and a wine cellar fit for a king. An indulgent spa offers the ultimate in guest pampering.
The pristine location is an untouched paradise of white sand and aqua water sparkling like diamonds where manta rays glide, curious dolphins play, placid whale sharks slowly swim just beneath the surface, and multitudes of colorful fish cavort.
Gundari, Folegandros, Greece
Opened in May 2024, the inspiration for Gundari was born under the stars of the Blue Mountains in Australia between two Aussies. The 'raw luxury' concept was given wings from this humble moment of wonderment. With its dramatic setting soaring high above the Aegean Sea on Folegandros Island in the Cyclades and nestled like an eagle’s nest onto the dominating jagged cliffs, Gundari peers over the azure water, morphing into the horizon.
It’s a world away from the eye-watering whitewashed conglomerate of buildings on the neighboring islands of Milos and Santorini. It is dedicated to those wishing for a gentle pace to escape to, surrounded by natural elements.
This is the land of old Greece—think goats, donkeys and quiet, where stone walls surround rustic farm terraces, bright bougainvillea flowers drape walls in abandon and quaint villages continue age-old traditions. Set on 80 acres of untouched wilderness, Gundari has 25 stunning 'cave' suites and villas designed in sympathy with the local climate and environment. More than half clinging to the massive cliff edge where personal infinity swimming pools appear to go on forever into the sea's depths—it's an unadulterated refined luxury where you can tiptoe over unpolished marble floors to dip your feet in the pool. Guest rooms are elegant statements of simplicity. Local stone and wood create a warm, welcoming space open to expansive views. No exquisite detail to enhance a guest's stay has been forgotten, from a swim-up cocktail bar perched in the main cliff-edge pool to a subterranean spa where lush treatments pamper, and delectable farm-to-table cuisine is available.
Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira, Mozambique – soon to open
Mozambique is a country of unexplored and unnamed beaches smothered in an unspoiled environment—Banyon Tree Ilha Caldeira sits on a private island in a marine protected area amidst the Primeiras and Segundas Archipelago on the east coast of southern Africa. Eleven kilometers off the dreamy coastline of Mozambique, the island can only be reached by boat. For the high-flyers, there is a helicopter transfer. From the air, Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira is the definitive jewel centerpiece dressed in lush tropical gardens with a white sandy apron that decorates the aqua waters of a world-class diving site.
Touted as being a 'sanctuary for the senses,' Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira is the perfect interlude to an African safari or a destination in its own right. This is where what's under the pristine water is the attraction. With 20% of Mozambique's exceptional living coral at your doorstep, it's a wild underwater world: brilliant reefs that defy belief, seagrass beds where dugongs and sea turtles lazily graze, dolphins undulate through shallows, plus schools of fish flashing in a kaleidoscope of colors as the sun pierces the clear waters of the Indian Ocean.
With only 40 private pool villas facing the gently lapping ocean, you will pinch yourself each morning while contemplating your day's adventure: snorkeling, diving, kayaking, sailing away to an uninhabited island, simply chilling out on a daybed with a view to die for, or indulging in some self-pampering at the award-winning spa that will leave you in a total zen mode of being. Villas are sophisticated with vast open windows, thatched roofs, lavish furnishings of the beachy chic variety, and indoor plus outdoor showers for when you really wish to get amongst nature.
Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira is the only resort on the island—it’s all yours to play on.
Gail Palethorpe, a self proclaimed Australian gypsy, is a freelance writer, photographer and eternal traveller. Check out her website Gail Palethorpe Photography and her Shutterstock profile.
