Soaring space in lagoon

In this bi-weekly column, Royston Ellis reviews popular holiday resorts to be featured in the new edition of his Bradt Travel Guides to Sri Lanka and Maldives being published in the UK and USA in 2008.

“But isn’t the Maldives expensive?” ask potential visitors when they consider a holiday in Sri Lanka’s neighbouring island nation.
No, it’s not - if you stay at a resort like Chaaya Lagoon Hakura Huraa, the unique, all-inclusive resort run by the John Keells Holdings Group, one of Sri Lanka’s largest companies.

The Sri Lankan influence is immediately apparent on arrival: there is an air of jolly camaraderie among the staff that sets the right tone for a holiday on an isolated island. While only some 20 percent of the staff are Sri Lankan, their enthusiasm and flair for hospitality communicates itself to the young Maldivians working with them, who move and smile just as jauntily.

The atmosphere is important when there is no where else to go on the island. While the Maldives has a reputation as a playground for the rich and famous (think Tom Cruise, Madonna) who pay upwards from US$2,000 a night, they would be lucky to have as much fun as guests at Chaaya Lagoon, which costs about a tenth of that price.

The resort is unique because of its design. It is purpose-built, not an old one that has been renovated, although it was rebuilt after the tsunami. The island itself is only six acres in area and the best accommodation is actually offshore, with only 10 rather ordinary beach bungalows, and the public areas, on land.

Each of its 70 over-water suites stands alone, pin-pointed by a gleaming white, sail-like pinnacle. From the outside, the rooms seem like exotic craft moored alongside the island-length jetty. From the inside, the amazing roof is suspended by a pivot with four stanchions bolting it to the room’s corners. It is a fascinating piece of architectural design giving each room a tent-like sense of soaring space, emphasised by the sight of the vast, translucent lagoon filling the horizon from the sun-deck balcony. The layout of each suite has been carefully planned with the guest in mind, not with unnecessary knickknacks to boost a designer’s ego.

The suites are 20 paces long from door to balcony windows. With timber floors, white walls and light streaming in through a wall of stepped wood and glass, the interior reflects the tropical setting.

An inspired local touch is the stripes of black and white on curtains, copied from Maldivian ‘feyli’ sarong patterns. Luggage rack, clothes closet, television, desk and vanity table along one side of the long room allow lots of space for a kingsize bed on a wooden platform, chunky wooden armchairs and sofa, and real, not plastic, potted plants. Part of the floor is glass for fish watching. Amenities include a safe, mini-bar, bathrobes, slippers, extra pillows, obligatory life jackets and goodies in the bathroom, including a live orchid.

Meals are taken as buffets in the tent-topped main restaurant with special-occasion dining on a dhoni (boat) or on the beach. Each buffet is enormous, the standard for the day set by breakfast with several curries and dishes like scrambled egg with smoked chicken, sweet corn and spinach, and pork and pineapple.

The lagoon is the swimming pool and days are spent snorkelling, diving, windsurfing, or just enjoying the tranquil intimacy of the island. Being a horizontal resort, everywhere is a long walk away. It is 500m to the reception from the landing pier, and the over-water suites are a hike along the boardwalk jetty.

Chaaya Lagoon Hakura Huraa is in Meemu Atoll, 135km south of the capital, Male. Guests are transferred from Male International Airport by seaplane, a glorious 45-minute flight over beach-girt, palm fringed coral islands, glimmering lagoons, brooding ocean channels and saucer-like atoll formations. The return flight costs about the same as a night’s stay but with such well-designed over-water suites, full board with tea and snacks, drinks, house wine and selected cocktails included, this Sri Lankan resort delivers one of the best value-for-money holidays in the Maldives. (www.chaayahotels.com)

Soaring space in lagoon - Resort report