September 9, 2016: Soneva, a luxury resort operator and developer, is launching a collection of private residences for sale at its newest resort, Soneva Jani in the Maldives. Opening in October 2016, the over-water and island villas are located within a 5.6 kilometre lagoon of crystal clear waters.
The new resort is situated on the island of Medhufaru, which is part of an uninhabited five-island cluster in the Noonu Atoll. At Soneva Jani there will be 24 water villas and one island villa, with additional island villas planned at a later stage. Every water villa has a private pool and opens to its own stretch of lagoon, with some villas featuring slides going directly from the top deck into the lagoon below. The water villas also have a retractable roof in the master bedroom, which slides back at the touch of a button so that you can lie in bed and stargaze.
“We have an extensive array of marine life, including turtles, rays and occasionally dolphins, and the lagoon is an excellent place for kayaking, sailing and swimming as it is calm, shallow and extends for miles and miles,” said Olivia Richli, the Pre-Opening and General Manager of Soneva Jani.
Soneva Jani will include all of Soneva’s popular features including a spa, a dive centre, an observatory, a children’s den, organic gardens and an outdoor Cinema Paradiso. The cinema will be the first ‘silent cinema’ in the Maldives, as guests will be given Bluetooth earphones to watch movies so as not to disturb the nesting wildlife in the area. The resort will serve global cuisine at five dining outlets, and will feature Soneva’s ubiquitous cheese, chocolate, ice-cream and charcuterie rooms that are complimentary for all guests.
The pools at Soneva use seawater with UV filtration and the villas have been built over the sandy floors of the lagoon, with no damage to any part of the reef. Soneva’s Eco Centro Waste-to- Wealth centre will ensure that waste is recycled, while the extensive vegetable garden will give local produce for the restaurants based on organic principles.
Prices start at USD 3 million. The villas are sold on a renewable leasehold basis. The residences receive a strong cash yield when rented out, with villa guests paying from $1800 to $30,000 per night, and owners can opt to put their property in a managed rental programme.
There are regular direct flights to the Maldives (Malé International Airport) from the UK with British Airways flying several times per week with a flight time of 10 hours. There is also a choice of indirect routes with other airlines such as Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines and Sri Lankan Airlines. The resort is then only 35 minutes by seaplane from Malé Airport or a 12-minute speedboat ride for guests on domestic flights landing at the nearby Dharavandhoo Airport.