Jean-Michel Gathy architecture, a serious art collection and French service on a Noonu Atoll island reached by private seaplane.
Randheli is the island for people who notice design. Jean-Michel Gathy drew the villas as private residences with infinity-edge pools, opening fully onto the outdoors and picked out in the house Pop Yellow, and there is work by Jean-Michel Othoniel, Vincent Beaurin and Manuel Merida around the island. It feels considered in every corner.
Service follows the French Art de Recevoir that runs through every Cheval Blanc house, with a dedicated majordome looking after each villa. The food is the other draw: Le 1947 serves an 11-course tasting menu two nights a week, and the spa uses Guerlain rituals on its own separate island.
It is one of the most expensive stays in the Maldives, and extras add up quickly. The 40-minute seaplane is easy, but like most Maldives seaplanes it flies in daylight, so a late arrival from London can mean a night near Malé. For families it is excellent, with Le Carrousel for children, but it is formal enough that some will prefer the barefoot ease of Soneva Fushi.
The overwater starting point, a contemporary villa above the lagoon with an infinity-edge pool and the interior opening straight onto the sea.
An overwater villa with its own garden as well as a lagoon view, for those who want greenery and ocean together.
A beach villa set between the sand and a leafy garden, the choice for couples who prefer to be on land.
Two-bedroom versions that combine a garden with lagoon frontage, suited to families or two couples travelling together.
The residence on its own island, counted among the 46 villas, with an infinity-edge pool and the most privacy Randheli offers.
Five restaurants and three bars. The main restaurant serves brasserie-style food from breakfast to dinner, there is an overwater Italian, and a Japanese and East Asian counter opens for dinner from Friday to Monday. Le 1947 offers an 11-course French dégustation in a tropical garden on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. A glass-walled wine museum and cigar lounge complete the picture.
Cheval Blanc Spa sits on its own island and uses Guerlain rituals, with an infinity pool at The White and dawn yoga on Maakurandhoo Island. Randheli also has the only surf simulator in the Maldives.
Children are warmly welcomed. Le Carrousel is the children's club, and there is a starlit cinema and a kids and families programme; the two-bedroom villas are the natural choice for families.
| Villas | 46, including Cheval Blanc Randheli Private Island |
|---|---|
| Architect | Jean-Michel Gathy |
| Transfer | 40 minutes by Cheval Blanc seaplane from Velana International Airport |
| Private jet | Land at Maafaru International Airport, then 25 minutes by speedboat |
| Dining | Five restaurants and three bars |
| Spa | Cheval Blanc Spa with Guerlain, on its own island |
| Kids club | Le Carrousel |
Noonu Atoll, Maldives
A few of the things we plan for guests in Maldives.
Hanifaru Bay is a small, shallow bay in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. During the southwest monsoon, tides and currents trap plankton in the bay and manta rays, sometimes whale sharks, gather to feed, most reliably July to October. It is snorkel only, with licensed guides and capped numbers. Stay in Baa so you can go when mantas are reported.
The outer reef of South Ari Atoll, around Dhigurah and Maamigili, is known for juvenile whale sharks, which are seen here all year. Boats patrol the reef edge and you slip in to snorkel as one passes. Keep your distance and never touch.
A house reef is the coral wall that rings your island, and the best ones start a few fins from the beach. Expect turtles, blacktip reef sharks and eagle rays. Ask for a guided swim on the first day to learn the currents and exit points.
Eight nights in Sri Lanka with a private driver-guide, from the rock fortress at Sigiriya to the tea estates and the old fort at Galle, then a short flight to Malé and five nights on a quiet island in Thaa Atoll.
Break the flight with two nights on the beach in old Jumeira, then seven nights on a barefoot island in Baa Atoll with a large kids club and a UNESCO biosphere reserve on the doorstep. Good for families.
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check availability, suggest the right room and send a price.
