Hotel - Sun Siyam Iru Fushi

ARABIA

n. 35

BLITHE SPIRIT

We drive the RollsRoyce Ghost II in London

LIGHT FANTASTIC

BHD4 AED40

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY

QR40

From corsets to code-breaking, Sur la Terre International uncovers the evolution of an English Rose by chatting with

KWD3

OMR4

SLT takes a look at the Guggenheim’s first exhibition

H O R IZO N S

Fantasy Island

MANAGING EDITOR, JAMES MCCARTHY, FINDS PEACE AT SUN SIYAM IRU FUSHI

90

. sur la terre . horizons .

Words: James McCarthy Pictures: Sun Siyam Iru Fushi

T

he life of a luxury lifestyle writer is, as the title infers, one with a reasonable amount of privilege. It is easy to become prosaic when faced with the constant pampering of airlines, sports car manufacturers and five-star hotels, to a degree where you think you’ve seen it, driven it and experienced it all.

Then one day you get invited to one of the Maldives’ premier resorts: the Sun Siyam Iru Fushi. You dutifully pack your bag and climb aboard the red-eye to Male, wondering how you are going to write up another beach destination piece that’s any different from the last.

Then you get there. To be honest, Male itself is nothing to write home about. The airport is one of the quaint open-air efforts that you find scattered around southeast Asia’s island getaways, and the surrounding area looks a little frayed around the edges. However, even at 10am, after five hours cramped next to a square-headed oaf who kept elbowing you in the solar plexus every half an hour, the unyielding friendliness of every local you encounter eventually starts to break down your world-weariness.

You even find yourself giving the bus driver, who thinks he’s Lewis Hamilton and seems to enjoy hanging his bus’ backside over the ragged edge of safety on the short trip to the seaplane terminal, considerably more leeway than those at home, simply because of his unrelentingly jocular manner.

. sur la terre . horizons .

91

A more convivial bunch of folk, you’ll rarely meet. And that’s just the airport staff.

It’s even more hospitable when, a mere ten minutes later, you check-in to the resort’s luxurious private lounge at the seaplane terminal, to be greeted with the cathartic neck-and-shoulder-massaging indulgence that kneads away the necrosis of overnight travel in an economy class seat, before simply lounging limply on one of the fabulously comfortable day beds until your flight is called.

Ah yes. The flight. Now this is where the luxury bit takes a short, 50-minute break. Trans Maldavian Airlines is - quite noticeably - a government run concern. There are no airs or graces here. Each seaplane, a DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter, has 14 pews that could loosely be described as seats, no semblance of soundproofing or air cooling, or anything that could be described as a single creature comfort.

And it was brilliant!

Sitting behind the pilots not only offered an amazing view of the take-off and water landing through the cockpit window, but also an education on the dexterity and skill required to fly these unique aircrafts.

Now for those faint of heart when it comes to flying, I have it on good authority from one of the bare-footed local pilots that it is “nearly

92

. sur la terre . horizons .

impossible to break one of these birds.” He assured me that, even in the event of both turbo-prop engines failing mid-flight, the span of the wings and sturdiness of the twin pontoons underneath, would ensure a smooth glide down to, and an even smoother landing on, the water. “They are one of the safest commercial aircraft in the world,” he boasted, beaming at me with a reassuring mixture of pride and the unwavering geniality of the Maldavian people.

While I could go on, ad nauseam, about the thrill of achieving the bucket-list tick of travelling by seaplane, it’s what you see out of the window that will finally clear the crust of indifference from the eyes of even the most jaded world-traveller.

The clarity of the cobalt water contrasts, almost painfully, with the satin white sand, forming ringed barriers to create massive lagoons, which from 2,000 feet up, looked like giant cerulean tunnels reaching to the very core of the planet

You can look at all the aerial pictures online, in magazines or on the TV that you want, but nothing, and I mean nothing, prepares you for the sheer beauty of seeing the Maldives with your own eyes.

The clarity of the cobalt water contrasts, almost painfully, with the satin white sand, forming ringed barriers to create massive lagoons, which from our avian vantage point 2,000 feet up, looked like giant cerulean tunnels reaching to the very core of the planet. Islands, green and verdant, looked for all the world like emeralds, set in silvery halos and resting on a bed of sapphires glinting in the late morning sun.

It is truly breathtaking. So much so, I nearly broke Instagram trying to capture, though to no avail, the natural vibrancy and grandeur to which I was bearing witness. A few strategically hashtagged superlatives snared the “likes,” and the images, while pretty enough to inspire envy in my peers, fell considerably short of the natural splendour of their subjects.

Arrival at the resort is equally spectacular. As the plane banks right over the lush, green island, strings of villas curl out towards the ocean, like the tentacles of an octopus, before we splash down in the crystalline natural lagoon. As the welcoming party helps you from the plane, its propellers now still, the assault on the senses is jarring. As the brochure happily boasts, you are “conveniently located miles from anywhere.” The silence is deafening, broken only by the susurrus of the waves lapping against the shore or “pat-pat-pat” of water lapping against the hull of a nearby boat. It’s truly, instantly calming.

The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi is located on an atoll in the southern part of the Maldives, sharing the horizon with only a few, lightly inhabited, “local islands.” These are populated solely

by Maldavians, most of whom man the resort, which apart from fishing, is pretty much the only source of income. Like the real world, the islands seem very far away, and you only see a human touch at night as the lights flicker in the distance. A sense of comfortable isolation washes over you, especially when you realise that few areas of the island, outside the rooms and villas are subject to the invasive influence of technology, phone service and WiFi. It’s a place to switch off; to disconnect from the pace of modern life.

This is never more apparent than when you arrive at your abode, which in my case was a beautifully-appointed private pool villa with direct access to the untouched beach beyond. The main room played host to one of the largest and comfiest beds upon which my weary bones have ever lain prostrate. Facing out towards the pool, and beyond that, the beach, it makes waking up in the morning a joy - a sentence I never thought I would utter, being one of life’s great sloths. If you find yourself unmoved by the bedroom, the outdoor bathroom with its rainfall shower, massive spa bath and day bed is guaranteed to provoke a squeak of delight. As I can now attest, there are fewer places more enjoyable to be during a tropical monsoon, than on a Maldavian island, in a warm bubble-jet spa bath with a perfectly chilled bottle of Veuve Clicquot.

The amazing thing is, this is not the island’s most princely accommodation by any stretch. There are larger villas available, some even with the pool inside the bathroom area for those who wish to be more discreet, while the glass-bottomed water villas, populating the snaking jetties, come in several sizes and configurations. None is grander, though, than the spectacular two-bedroom Aqua Retreat villa, which is bigger than my apartment, costs a significant chunk of my monthly salary to stay in per night and where A-list celebrities such as Nicole Kidman come to wind down.

For the Kardashian-types and those that like to roll with an entourage, there is the ultra-private, two-storey Celebrity Retreat, which

. sur la terre . horizons .

93

is the very best the island has to offer. It sleeps up to ten guests, boasts two swimming pools and is nestled amongst the trees and completely hidden from the the rest of the resort.

The island is a perfectly self-contained paradise, perfect for a relaxing break or, of course, a honeymoon. However, there is plenty to occupy the time if you are travelling alone or in a group. You can spend the day relaxing by your private pool, or frolicking in the sea by the beautiful beach. Snorkels, fins and other water toys are available for free from the dive centre, which also offers PADI-approved SCUBA diving courses for those wanting to delve deeper into the teeming ocean. Just wallowing in the gently lapping water, you will encounter some beautiful sea-life, and at night, attracted by the light from the jetties, the water will be alive with barracuda, nurse sharks and other reef fish. There are also jet skis, kayaks, paddle-boards and even a JetLev to play with.

The resort also organises a daily roster of activities that can be enjoyed by all ages, such as Maldavian cooking classes, big-game fishing trips and dolphinspotting evening cruises, before you head back to one of the five fantastic restaurants. Personally, the best meal I enjoyed was at the Islander’s Grill: the perfect place to enjoy food as close to the local cuisine as possible. The fried calamari was melt-in-the-mouth spectacular, while the grilled reef fish main course was a mouthwatering feast of flavour. Equally, the Australian Black Angus tenderloin, which while not very Maldavian, was sublimely prepared.

For those looking to mingle with other islanders there are two picturesque public pools, one with a more family-oriented vibe and the other catering more to adults. The latter is a long infinity pool offering fabulous vistas of the ocean beyond, as well as a very generous happy hour at the attached poolside bar. For those with a taste for the nightlife, there is a lateopening bar and club, with resident bands and DJs spinning dance music into the wee hours, while in the Games Room, as well as the pool table, foosball and PlayStation3, there is a fully kitted-out Karaoke Room.

The pièce de résistance of the entire resort, however, is the sprawling spa, which makes up the heart of Sun Siyam Iru Fushi. Set in the centre of the island, the spa is a secret garden - nay, a secret village - of calm and solitude. Treatment huts sit at the end of koi pond lined pathways that spread like the tendrils of tree roots through the softly scented foliage.

There are specialist spaces for Chinese homeopathy, Reflexology, as well as Balinese, Thai and traditional Maldavian treatments, coupled

94

with hot and cold plunge pools, steam rooms, saunas and everything you would expect to find in a world-class Asian spa. I was left feeling as limp as a string of wet spaghetti following a very exorcising back and shoulder massage, which certainly helped to work out the stresses and knots caused by endless hours slouched over a keyboard and, after a rejuvenating fresh fruit juice, I poured myself into one of the many golf carts that hum around the island, to be transported back to my day bed for a nap.

While these buggies, each one piloted by drivers with the same, indefatigable local cheerfulness, regularly zip silently around the resort, all of the facilities can be reached within a ten-minute stroll along the snaking, sandy pathways that lay across the island like a spider’s web.

Walking will allow you to tune in to the seemingly unspoiled nature of the place. At dawn, the chirruping of geckos follow your footsteps, at lunchtime, the song of birds and the buzzing of dragonflies are your companion, while at dusk, the fruit bats swoop and wheel across the twilight sky as if to offer a personal display of their aerobatic prowess.

Savour each and every one of these momentary experiences. because Sun Siyam Iru Fushi is truly a magical place and, unfortunately, as with most enchanted islands, they are the stuff of dreams.

Barely an hour after leaving the island and alighting from the seaplane back to Male International, the memories of my four days at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi were already starting to fade; disappearing into that strange ether where your night time dreams burn brightly for only a minute after you wake. Images and emotions that were once so vivid, you now struggle to hold onto.

Sun Siyam Iru Fushi is a place you should visit at least once in your life, and I encourage you to do so, but with the warning that once you’ve been, you will never truly leave. Your time there will haunt you forever, pulling at the synapses of your mind to rekindle that euphoric feeling of the shimmering sands between your toes and the sparkling azure waters lapping against your ankles.

As I said before, for a luxury lifestyle writer, it is easy to become prosaic when faced with the constant pampering of airlines, sports car manufacturers and five-star hotels, to a degree where you think you’ve seen it, driven it and experienced it all...

Then you visit Sun Siyam Iru Fushi and everything changes.

. sur la terre . horizons .