HOT PURSUITS

Ziplining, stargazing and snorkelling with turtles: Connie Osborne finds both adventure and serenity at the Maldives original barefoot resort

- CONNIE OSBORNE

The last thing I expected, when we arrived on the pristine white shores of Kunfunadhoo Island in the Maldives, was for our shoes to be confiscated. But, as our butler explained while guiding us through the jungle paths to our villa, Soneva Fushi has a strict set of house rules: its “no news, no shoes” policy means phones are discouraged, internet access is limited and bare feet are not only acceptable, but encouraged, including at mealtimes. The resort even operates on its own time zone, set 60 minutes ahead of local time to help guests maximise the daylight hours.

Such innovations befit a destination whose owners had a clear and ambitious vision from the outset. Back in 1995, Sonu Shivdasani and his wife Eva set out to transform an inhospitable, mosquito-infested jungle on a remote atoll into the Maldives’ first luxury resort. In doing so, they became the earliest pioneers of sustainability, conservation and innovation— principles that have since been adopted by many of the high-end resorts that followed. Now, Soneva Fushi is a castaway paradise with 72 villas set across the 1.4-kilometre island, each one tucked away in its own private oasis shaded by the ancient banyan- trees that tower above. Every residence is unique; ours was a five-bedroom, two-storey wooden building wrapped around a freshwater pool, with its own spiral waterslide—an irresistible addition that reduced us to squeals of childlike joy —and a path leading to the beach and the lagoon beyond.