There’s a moment where I discover true serenity for what feels like the first time in a long time. It’s after a storm, as the sun struggles through cracks in retreating clouds, the smell of raindrops and fresh Frangipani lingering in the air, and a hammock beckoning me from a clearing of coconut palms. I climb in, lie back, empty my mind of everything, and simply sway with the breeze, surrendering myself to the silence. It’s an hour that feels like a lifetime.
The hammock in question belongs to Ozen Reserve Bolifushi, one of the newest luxury island resorts in the Maldives, nestled in the South Malé Atoll. Those who are familiar with the Maldives will recognise the resort from its previous incarnation as Jumeirah Vittaveli. Having been taken over by Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts last year, alongside another Maldivian resort, Ozen Reserve Bolifushi was the first to emerge under Atmosphere’s Ozen Collection.
Since opening, just a few months ago, it’s already courted a loyal set of sun-seekers from all over the world, those taking advantage of the Maldives’ early-opened borders, as well as the luxury escapism and soulful connections brought to life on Bolifushi. Here, it’s all about contemporary, whispered luxury – there’s nothing showy, just a comfortable, uncluttered vibe. Homely even. A place you’ll come back to time and again.
At just 750 metres in length, Bolifushi isn’t a big island, but it’s peppered with little corners that serve up continual surprises, such as my sun-dappled sanctuary that I discover strolling back from the spa one afternoon.
Wherever possible, I eschew the island buggy, preferring to stroll or cycle along the white sandy paths, to discover: a ‘love wall’, where red hearts dangle from trees, carrying meaningful messages left by guests; a vegetable and herb garden producing what ends up on your plate, with a trickling waterfall as a soporific aside; a meditation area in a beautiful coco palm clearing; mangrove trees and their crazy over-ground roots that reach higher than a human; swings made from drift wood offering pendulating pinch-me moments; an over-sized chess board for some mental stimulation; and the Maldives’ first ice-skating rink… The discoveries keep coming.
I learn that I’m very much on my own time on this island. I have my own Hiyani (butler), who willingly leaps into action as fast as I can type him a WhatsApp, and there’s an incredible slew of staff appearing out of nowhere to anticipate your next need before even you do. But, there are no unnecessary interruptions. You’re left to explore and enjoy Bolifushi as you please, doing what you want, when you want, reconfirming the resort’s informal, laid-back ideology.
The days are an oxymoron, where minutes tick by slowly, only for days to be gone in the blink of an eye. If only you could bottle this experience. On my first day, I take off my watch, put my phone on silent and learn the art of doing very little. There’s exercise, for those who wish, with aqua aerobics, sunrise yoga, and an overwater gym that will have you running as if on water, but I do little more than amble around the island, bask in the hammock of my Ocean Pool Suite, float between cabana and infinity pool whilst sipping something ice cold, and read, unhindered by exterior noise.
That said, it would be remiss to overlook the Elena spa, so I spend an afternoon benefiting from its life-giving treatments, each centred around nature’s elements of wood, earth, fire, metal and water. After I emerge from my cocoon, I lie back in the palm-fringed relaxation area to let my body soak up the homemade coconut oil, as a double rainbow appears overhead, bringing beauty to a stormy sky.
I snorkel too, because how could you not? I jump in from my deck, fins first, watching the kaleidoscopic underwater cinema play out along the house reef just metres from my villa. I see sting rays, blue sturgeons, Moorish idols, grey tip reef sharks and more all living in subaquatic harmony.
And I eat… Oh, how I eat! Something I love here is Ozen Reserve Bolifushi’s all-inclusive ‘The Reserve Plan’, as it quietly takes away the mounting awkwardness that often follows the mounting costs of a holiday in the Maldives. With its ‘anything, anytime, anywhere’ ethos, you can eat to your heart’s content, never needing to utter the words ‘just put it on my tab’.
Lunches of note take place with my feet firmly in the sand at Vista del Mar, dining on salads and caught-that-morning seafood, while a three-course plated dinner at Tradition Saffron takes me on an historic and enlightening journey along the saffron route. Another evening, I chink champagne flutes with fellow islanders at Ozar Bar, where a slowly slinking sunset turns the sky a thousand-and-one shades of pink. Another, I spend a star-kissed night at Sangu, making my way through an artful menu of Moroccan and Levant food as the waves crash around me.
I retire early every night, leaving my curtains half-drawn to let the morning sun nudge me awake. If you’re a heavy sleeper, set your alarm because you won’t want to miss the sun rise blazing its way into the sky with just you and the Indian Ocean to witness it.
One morning, I have a ‘floating breakfast’ – part of the resort’s bespoke ‘Dine by Design’ activities – which proves hard to eat but worth it for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
On my last day, I hitch a ride on one of the island’s buggies – a cross between a beautiful old MG and a Bugsy Malone pedal car – which drops me outside the Royal Reserve. While there are 90 villas on the island, there is only one Royal Reserve – taking over 3,000sqm of the north-west coast, you can understand why. It’s sprawling, inside and out, providing total privacy for those wanting to hole-up in paradise.
There are three bedrooms, a pool, your own private strip of beach, sun deck, overwater restaurant with teppanyaki bar, professional kitchen, wine cellar, spa, open-air Jacuzzi and separate living quarters should you require staff. It’s exceptional but comes at a price. Certainly not one for the faint-hearted.
For the rest of us, life’s not too shabby, as every villa – beach or overwater – has its own pool, and a Maxi Bar that, thanks to The Reserve Plan never runs dry, replenished daily with snacks, sweets, champagne and more… Got a little spirit of adventure in you, then you’ll like the Ocean Pool Suite With Slide – or the slightly bigger Private Ocean Reserve With Slide. While I’d like to say these slides are perfect for kids, that would be doing them a disservice… I challenge you to go down them only once. Sliding into the Indian Ocean never – ever – gets boring.
Between eating, sleeping and recouping a long-lost state of general wellbeing, life is easy here. It’s easy to shut out the rest of the world, easy to find my balance, and easy to immerse myself in the paradisiacal inertia of island life that I realise I both need and deserve. What Ozen Reserve Bolifushi does subconsciously but so well is to help reset the pendulum of the last year, ever-so-quietly alleviating the stress a Covid-19 impacted world has inflicted.
When you’re surrounded by nothing but coconut trees and cerulean waters, it’s hard to be troubled by the idiosyncrasies of the day-to-day, and every minute I spend here, I feel lighter, happier, and more me. Barefoot and baring my soul, it’s paradise found.