Soneva Fushi Resort and Spa Receives Top Award from Harpers & Queen

Soneva Fushi Resort and Spa, Maldives, has been honored by Harpers & Queen – Harpers Abroad - as the Top Beach Hideaway for 2002.

The introduction to the feature in the January 2003 edition began - “We've combed the world's finest shores to bring you little plots of paradise: the choicest retreats in the most breathtaking settings, from the Maldives to Mozambique”, before announcing the top honor being awarded to Soneva Fushi, Maldives.

The publication went on to say that Soneva Fushi “…practically invented the concept of barefoot luxury, offering a more relaxed and unbuttoned approach to five-star comfort than conventional resorts”.

In recognition of the resort’s philosophy of No News – No Shoes, Harpers & Queen wrote: “This is the sort of place where you can leave your watch at the bottom of the suitcase along with your shoes”.

Soneva Fushi is located in the North Baa Atoll region of the Maldives, a thirty-minute seaplane journey from capital, Male. It consists of just sixty-five residences on an island surrounded by a coral lagoon. It is a community offering ‘Intelligent Luxury’ in which guests can do a host of activities, or nothing at all. 

Recently, six new beachfront ‘Crusoe Suites’ and five ‘Soneva Fushi Suites’ plus a second ‘Presidential Suite’ were added – firmly establishing the resort’s niche catering to the very highest end of the market.

Frequently described as the world’s most luxurious castaway island, Soneva Fushi was created to the exacting standards of British born Sonu Shivdasani and his Swedish wife, Eva, who opened it to suit their own impeccable taste - to the extent that they spend several months of the year here. Designed as the world’s first “Robinson Crusoe-style hideaway resort”, furnishings reflect the rustic theme of a designer tropical escape.

Dining diversities range from simple barbecues to gourmet feasts - and an amazing wine cellar representing several hundred vineyards.

The Six Senses Spa at Soneva Fushi offers a menu of rejuvenating, pampering and holistic wellness treatments to calm mind and body. Guests can ramble through nature with discovery excursions on the resort island and neighboring island villages. Excellent diving opportunities are supported by a professional dive school.

Soneva Fushi proudly adds the Harpers & Queen award to its gallery, which also includes Conde Nast Traveler ‘Best of the Best’ in 2000 and ‘Best Overseas Leisure’ First Runner Up in 2002. The resort’s Six Senses Spa was voted the ‘Third Best in the World’ in 2000 by the discerning Gallivanters’ Guide.