Maldives

St. Regis Maldives Vommuli

June 3, 2024
06.03.2024

INTRODUCTION

INTIMATE

RELAXATION

Personalized service, intimate surroundings, and secluded luxury round out the experience at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli resort. Home to only 77 villas, butler service, and world class Iridium Spa, you are in store for next level pampering in a picturesque, marine inspired setting.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

FIRST

IMPRESSIONS

WHAT WE LOVE

LOCATION

The St. Regis Maldvies Vommuli is located 100 miles (160 km) directly south of the capital city of Malé in the Dhaalu Atoll.

DESIGN

Designed by WOW Architects, the St. Regis Vommuli concept is inspired by the natural environment it embodies.

FOOD

The resort has six restaurants and bars to choose from. The food is excellent at all of the restaurants and the menus on offer sample a variety of cuisines.

AMENITIES

Given that there is no way to escape the island, amenities are important! The water sports and dive center offers a plethora of activities and the full service spa is certainly worth a trip... or two!

SERVICE

With only 77 villas, the St. Regis Vommuli offers an intimate experience. All of the staff will know your name within a day or so and the St. Regis butler service is outstanding!

IRIDIUM SPA

The Iridium Spa was one of the highlights of this resort. Sure, it was one of the best spas we have ever experienced.

THINGS TO KNOW

TRANSPORTATION

The only mode of transportation to the resort is via seaplane organized directly through the resort. Seaplanes are operated by TransMaldivian Airways.

THE CROWD

This resort caters to couples, especially honeymooners. However, the resort is kid friendly.

ATMOSPHERE

Everything is relaxed at this resort and very kid friendly. They even offer small bikes with training wheels for younger guests.

DRESS CODE

This resort is super relaxed and casual. Bring your trendiest beach attire and chill out!

CURRENCY

Everything at the resort is priced in US Dollars and all major credit cards are accepted. There is no need for cash at all.

ACCESSIBILITY

This resort is not for those with mobility disabilities. The seaplane transfer alone will be difficult if not impossible.

JetSetDNA brings you an in-depth tour of The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli. Check it out for yourself on YouTube!

THE LOCALE

RESORT

INFORMATION

LOCATION

The St. Regis Vommuli is located in the Dhaalu Atoll, 100 miles (160 km) south of the capital, Malé. The resort is settled in the well-established Dhaalu Atoll and given that this resort is a little older, the house reef is more vibrant with life.

GETTING AROUND

Once you are here, there is no leaving. Bikes are provided at every villa and are the primary mode of transportation. Smaller bikes with training wheels are available for younger guests. The staff will also transport you throughout the resort via golf carts. Just give guest services a call or contact your butler and your ride will be ready in minutes.

SEAPLANE LOUNGE

A new seaplane terminal opened in 2022 and The St. Regis occupies a third floor location with a pristine view of the seaplanes docked outside. The lounge instantly transports you into the theme of this resort, which is based in earth tones with pops of blue decor. The lounge features plenty of seating areas with an office workspace for busy travelers and a play room for guests with children.

You will complete the check-in process in the lounge, so you can immediately be whisked away to your villa upon arrival at the island. You will even be served lunch while you wait.

SEAPLANE TRANSFER

Seaplanes are the only mode of transportation available to get to the resort. The planes are operated by Trans Maldivian Airways and all bookings are coordinated through the resort. These flights are expensive, over $870 per person at the time of this writing.

Despite the high cost, the seaplane journey is an experience in itself. The 50 minute journey will fly you over hundreds of islands with some of the most memorable views of your life!

DINING

THE

HOTEL

DESIGN

Conceived by WOW Architects, the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli brings a marine-life inspiration to the naturally occurring island the resort occupies (most newer resorts occupy manmade islands). The Whale Bar is, well, a whale… However, less obvious design details include a lobster themed Iridium Spa and villas visioned as manta rays.

WELCOME PAVILION

Upon docking, you will instantly be greeted by the amazing staff in the welcome pavilion. Enjoy a fresh coconut drink as your butler prepares to chauffeur you to your villa.

GUEST SERVICES

Your butler will give you a tour of the island en route to your private villa. Right off the welcome pavilion is guest services. You will only have a use for this area when waiting for your departure seaplane as your butler will cater to your every need. Still, be sure to pay a visit to this area during your stay to get a picture with the famous lone palm tree.

POOL

The resort has a massive infinity pool overlooking the Indian Ocean. The pool measures over 170+ feet long (52 m) and is plenty big enough to accommodate the number of guests at the resort. In fact, we rarely saw people in the pool during our stay.

BEACH

The resort sports an incredible white sand beach flanked by palm trees, the overwater villas, and the Whale Bar. Try out one of the hammocks are secure a prime lounger on the beach. Loungers are first come, first serve, but this was never a problem. The water is swimmable and enjoys plenty of fish, baby sharks, and crabs.

The Maldives are one of the few places in the world where you can experience bioluminescent plankton (shown in the last beach photo). The plankton glow incredible neon shades of blue when disturbed. It is rare to see this phenomenon. In fact, the resort staff said it had been two years since they last saw it. Your best chances are between April and November, which is the off season for the Maldives. However, if you are lucky enough to see it, be sure to hit the sand and do your best Michael Jackson impression!

LIBRARY

The St. Regis library is located just off to the side of the pool deck. Over 8,000 titles are available for guests during their stay.

BOUTIQUE & OBSERVATORY

The shopping boutique and observatory are found next to the main restaurant, ALBA. The boutique sells all the typical resort goodies you would expect, as well as any essentials you need. The store is built into a silo with a spiral staircase leading to an observatory at the top. Be sure to check this out for panoramic views of the resort. 

IRIDIUM SPA

The Iridium Spa is one of the highlights of the resort and is one of the best spas we have ever experienced. In sticking with the marine theme, the spa is designed as a lobster with the body serving reception and waiting area. Six treatment rooms branch off forming the claws. The treatment rooms have their own changing facilities and incredible views of the sea whilst you enjoy your treatment.

You will be granted time at the Blue Hole for an experience like non-other at the conclusion of your primary treatment. Pure bliss!

We have only one complaint, the seaplanes can be loud of they come and go during your treatment.

HERB GARDEN

You will discover several areas of interest, including the herb garden, as you bike around and explore the island. Food grown in the herb garden is served in the resorts restaurants.

IVAR JEWERLY

You will also stumble upon Ivar jewelry boutique if you fancy shopping for some luxury items.

RESORT AT NIGHT

The resort becomes very quiet in the evenings, but the main pool and beach area surrounding ALBA and the Whale Bar are elegantly lit. The pier is also stylishly lit as you make your way back to your villa. It is best to stick with the golf carts after dark!

THE ROOM

THE

ROOM

ROOM CATEGORY

Overwater Villa with Pool, 1 Bedroom Villa, 1 King, Sofa Bed

We stayed in a standard overwater villa with pool during our stay. However, rest assured that there is nothing "standard" about this villa as it clocks in at 1,958 square feet (182 sqm)!

WELCOME AMENITIES

As a Marriott Bonvoy member with platinum status, we were greeted with a bottle of champagne, fruit basket, and sweets. The personalized welcome note is always a nice way start feeling right at home!

SITTING AREA

The villa features an incredibly functional layout with a sitting area next to the main bedroom. The couch was comfortable and the rocking chair was great for relaxing.

BEDROOM

Next comes the bedroom with a large, king size bed. The bedroom features a beaded headboard that opens to the walk-in closet behind. Plenty of outlets are available on the night stands.

BATHROOM

The ensuite bathroom is luxuriously appointed. The double vanity is spacious and has an awesome translucent countertop that lights up from underneath. A large soaking tub overlooks the pool deck and ocean while the bathroom is rounded out with an enclosed shower and water closet.

The door leading to the pool deck is an overlooked benefit. It comes in handy after a dip in the pool or ocean so you don’t track water throughout the entire villa.

WINDOW WALL

The front of the villa is completely decked out in a window wall to maximize the view. Can you imagine waking up to this view every day?

POOL DECK

Finally, we get to the most impressive part of the villa. The huge deck has a small round table, two loungers with umbrella, and a day bed. Hammocks line the edge of the deck. The plunge pool is one of the largest plunge pools we have experienced. It is about as large as it can get before you would consider it a full sized pool.

CLOSET

The closet is cleverly located behind the bedroom next to the bathroom. This space is equipped with modern shelving, hanging rods and lighting. There is plenty of space to store multiple suitcases and unpack all of your belongings.

DESK & BAR AREA

A much appreciated desk and bar area is located right next to the entry door. This area is a great spot to charge up all your devices. The bar comes fully stocked, but it isn’t complimentary. Stick to water in this villa.

DINING

DINING

ALBA

The resort has six dining and bar options. None of the restaurants were particularly busy as there are more than enough options to cover the number of guests on the island. ALBA is the primary dining facility and is located right in the central hub of the resort overlooking the pool and beach.

ALBA BREAKFAST

Breakfast is served daily in ALBA and guests have the choice of buffet breakfast as well as a-la-carte items. There is a massive selection to choose from, including traditional Maldivian breakfast options. The buffet is one of the largest and best breakfast buffets we have ever experienced.

The best part is that this elaborate breakfast is free for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite members and higher! 

ALBA DINNER

ALBA serves an international menu for dinner. The food had an excellent presentation and tasted amazing!

CARGO

Cargo is an outdoor Middle Eastern venue. Unfortunately, we were moved inside to ALBA due to rain, but the Cargo menu was still being served. Our Cargo meal was also excellent.

ORIENTALE

Orientale serves a redefined eastern Asian menu complete with sushi bar. This restaurant is tucked away on the coastline next to the welcome pavilion and offers a quiet and intimate dining experience. The food was a bit more Americanized than we expected, but was still good.

CRUST & CRAFT

Nothing beats pizza and burgers on the beach. Crust and Craft offers a beach shack atmosphere overlooking the crystal clear water. The pizza was awesome and the sandwiches weren’t bad either!

WHALE BAR

The Whale Bar is a unique and defining feature of the St. Regis Maldives. In keeping with the marine life theme, the whale bar opens its mouth to the beautiful lagoon where guests can relax while taking in epic sunsets. A DJ will keep the vibe going while you enjoy top notch cocktails. Be sure to make it in time for the daily sabering of the champagne. This ritual is carried throughout the St. Regis brand, so be sure not to miss it.

After cocktails, the Whale Bar transforms into a grill restaurant serving up your favorite cuts of meat and seafood. The food was top notch!

THE ROOM

EXPERIENCES

WATER SPORTS

The island is completely isolated from everything, so water activities are a way of life. The water sports and dive center offer a variety of activities including boat tours, snorkeling adventures, powered water sports such as jet skis and, of course, diving. Your butler can make the arrangements as well as coordinate with the ever changing weather.

THE LOCALE

SERVICE

TRANSPORT STAFF

Staff were readily available at Male International Airport to help us navigate. The staff helped us book seaplane tickets and transported us to the nearby seaplane terminal. Everyone was extremely friendly and made us feel welcome from the very start.

BUTLER

Butlers are a tenet of the St. Regis brand. Our butler, Hussein, was amazing. From carting us around the resort, to coordinating our water sports around the weather, he was on top of everything!

HOUSEKEEPING

The housekeeping staff were amazing and kept our large villa in tip-top shape!

STAFF

Everyone at the St. Regis was incredible and we received the best service we have ever experienced at a resort. The service is personal and everyone will know you by name within a day of your arrival. We couldn’t have asked for better people to take care of us!

THE LOCALE

JETSET

VERDICT

4.8/5

4.8

/ 5.0

5.0

/ 5.0

HOTEL DESIGN

4.5

/ 5.0

THE LOCALE

5.0

/ 5.0

AMENITIES

4.5

/ 5.0

THE ROOM

5.0

/ 5.0

DINING

5.0

/ 5.0

EXPERIENCES

5.0

/ 5.0

SERVICE

4.5

/ 5.0

VALUE

FINAL THOUGHTS

The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli is truly a one of a kind experience. From the thoughtful design and architecture to the world class service to the incredible Iridium Spa, the St. Regis lives up to the hype. Being part of Marriott Bonvoy gives it another leg up by making this resort more accessible. All in all, you cannot go wrong with the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli. See you out there!

Published:

June 3, 2024

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