One of The Maldives more remote properties, Six Senses Laamu requires a bit of extra effort to reach. Yet as one of the island nation's very finest hotels, it's absolutely worth it – fabulously expensive, but also generally fabulous, this is the epitome of barefoot luxury
Awarded: Silver
Location
Like many high-end properties in The Maldives, Six Senses Laamu dominates its own island within an atoll. It takes an hour-long flight and speed-boat transfer south from the international airport to get there but the reward is vibrant coral reefs, schools of manta rays and profound darkness in the evenings.
Rooms
Six Senses Laamu achieves a neat trick of seeming organic and sustainable while offering the utmost decadence. Woodwork features heavily, especially with the stilted ocean villas which stretch out from the island into the Indian Ocean. Guests are requested to stay barefoot the entire time they are in the resort – unless they’re wearing flippers for snorkelling – and get around on personalised bikes which are provided to each villa. If you’re the sort of person who believes that dinner can only be enjoyed when adhering to a strict dress code, this probably isn’t the place for you.
All room options are spacious and make the most of natural materials: wood, hessian, leather, linen and thatch. Showers are outdoors (the water doesn’t drain into the sea) but clever design allows for the utmost privacy.
Communal Areas
There’s something miraculous about being able to create a resort as perfect as this in a place with no natural water supply and disconnected from the mainland. The spa is first rate and the snorkelling right off the villas is world class. For a real treat, it’s possible to take a picnic lunch on a nearby deserted island which, for several hours, you’ll have all to yourself. Back at the main resort, each villa is assigned a ‘guest experience maker’ – or butler, as they’re more commonly known.
The resort is home to six bars and restaurants. Vegetables and herbs are grown on-site where possible and, if you don’t mind munching on fish you may well have seen earlier in the day around the reef, the seafood is first rate. The Chill Bar is the best spot to take in the epic sunsets, Leaf offers the finest dining options, and Longitude – a great spot for catching a glimpse of dolphins – serves sprawling breakfasts. Perhaps best of all, there’s a bottomless ice-cream stand with more than 40 flavours on offer.
Activies
There’s something miraculous about being able to create a resort as perfect as this in a place with no natural water supply and disconnected from the mainland. The spa is first rate and the snorkelling right off the villas is world class. For a real treat, it’s possible to take a picnic lunch on a nearby deserted island which, for several hours, you’ll have all to yourself. Back at the main resort, each villa is assigned a ‘guest experience maker’ – or butler, as they’re more commonly known.
Half Board
Full Board
When to go
Find out when is best to visit
- Excellent
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The Maldives’ weather in January is hot, with low humidity and plenty of sunshine. There may be some rain, but at this time of year, it passes very quickly. It’s a great month to visit the Maldives and booking in advance is advised. There’s also great visibility for diving and snorkeling.
February is an excellent time to travel to the Maldives. It’s the Maldives’ driest month, with less than 70mm of monthly rainfall, average maximum temperatures of 30°C, and around 10 hours of sunshine each day. Visibility for diving and snorkeling is excellent.
In March, temperatures in the Maldives rise to an average maximum of 31°C – great for long days on the beach. Possible short bursts of rain offer relief from the hot temperatures. Visibility for diving and snorkeling is excellent and March also sees the start of the surfing season in the Maldives.
April is another wonderfully hot month in the Maldives. This is the end of the Maldives’ official dry season and there are often showers mid-month. It’s also a little more humid. Water visibility for diving and snorkeling is still very good.
May is hot, with average maximum temperatures of 31°C, but is the start of the Maldives’ official wet season and comes with risks of storms and possible whole days of rain. Diving visibility is slightly reduced due to the plankton in the water. The holy month of Ramadan (known as Ramazan in the Maldives) begins in May although the exact date changes each year. Guests visiting Maldives’ resorts during the holy month are unlikely to notice anything different to any other month – meals and alcohol are served as usual. If you’re visiting a local island, there will be some restrictions that you’ll understandably be asked to respect.
June is another month in the Maldives with a high chance of rainfall. It’s a good time to take advantage of the best value offers if you’re willing to spend as much time enjoying your resort’s facilities as on the beach. Diving visibility is slightly reduced due to the plankton in the water, however, there’s a huge advantage for divers as manta rays and whale sharks come to feed on the plankton. The holy month of Ramadan continues into June.
The Maldives’ weather in July is hot and humid, with short heavy downpours. This is another time to check for great value offers and is particularly good for surfers. Water visibility for diving is slightly reduced due to the plankton in the water, but the big draw underwater is the presence of manta rays and whale sharks. 26 July is Independence Day and you may see small parades and public celebrations on resort islands.
August in the Maldives is hot and humid, with an average of 7 hours of sunshine each day and short heavy downpours. Diving visibility is slightly reduced due to the plankton in the water, but enticing offers mean this is still a popular time to visit.
September is one of the Maldives’ wettest months. It sees average maximum temperatures of 30°C, and there’s still an average of 7 hours of sunshine each day. Diving visibility is slightly reduced due to the plankton in the water, but there are great opportunities to spot whale sharks and manta rays feeding on the plankton.
October is the Maldives’ wettest month, with high humidity and with possible whole days of rain. It’s a good time to take advantage of the best value offers if you’re willing to spend as much time enjoying your resort’s facilities as on the beach. October is the last month of the Maldives’ surfing season and the last month of the year for good sightings of whale sharks and manta rays.
In November, temperatures in the Maldives are an average maximum of 30°C. The official wet season is finishing and although there are showers, the rain passes quickly.
The climate for the Maldives in December is largely hot and dry, though mid-month showers are likely. It’s an excellent choice for some winter sun. Christmas and New Year are particularly popular and may include minimum stays.
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