10 fun facts we bet you didn't know about St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort

Implemented in late 2021 and continuing throughout 2022, a wonderful new rotating guest chef series has been welcomed at the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort for two days each month and is sure to entice all the foodies out there. Previous chefs include the much-admired Prateek Sadhu, who came from his acclaimed Masque restaurant in Mumbai to bring the hotel his excellent culinary techniques with unique cooking classes and distinct evening dinners. Sri Lankan-based Dharshan Munidasa, one of the names behind the legendary Ministry of Crab restaurants, also made an appearance to show off his skills for wonderful flavours and Japanese-style cooking philosophies.

Touted as the most technologically advanced luxury super yacht in its class, Norma – as she was christened – is the resort’s own Azimut Flybridge 66 yacht and is exclusively available to privately charter for family explorations, diving adventures, romantic trips or even overnight stays utilising its four indulgent cabins.

In 1884 The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort company founder John Jacob Astor IV once owned the world’s largest private yacht and called her Nourmahal after the heroine princess in the Thomas Moore poem ‘Light of the Harem’, in 1910 he replaced it with another yacht nicknamed Norma, which is where this brand-new Norma is said to have taken her moniker. Norma can be booked on a per day or per hour basis and is available for up to eight guests.

Since The St. Regis opening in 2016, it has been on many people’s bucket list for its stunning architecture alone. Drawing on the immensely beautiful yet fragile natural surroundings, the resort has been meticulously designed to encompass a bold, eco-friendly theme with contemporary interiors and authentic features across four distinct ‘zones’: Lagoon, Beach, Coastal and Jungle.

The Lagoon Zone is centred around the wonders of the encircling marine life; its villas are inspired by manta rays, the Iridium Spa resembles a lobster from the sky, and the stunning Whale Bar is reminiscent of a whale shark. The Beach Zone was created using coral sand as it remains cooler during the heat of the day, and the villa was based on an old fisherman’s hut that had been here long before construction of the resort even began.

The Jungle Zone celebrates the lush and thick jungle of the inner parts of Vommuli Island, conserving as much of the natural foliage as possible, with its villa gardens featuring many local flowers and trees found in traditional Maldivian villages. And the Coastal Zone, on the south side of Vommuli, is home to 12 family villas, half jutting out of the jungle and perched upon the rocky coastline while the other half rest in the rocky shallows on the island’s edge.

It's not every day that you can say you’ve tried an ‘Island Mary’ but book at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort and you can experience their delicious signature cocktail, a twist on the definitive Bloody Mary – a cocktail rumoured to have been first created at The St. Regis hotel bar in New York. Using the same classic ingredients as its counterpart, the Island Mary includes kala namak salt, a typical seasoning used in much South Asian cuisine and is served in a striking nautilus shell. The perfect tipple for watching Indian Ocean sunsets!

The resort’s underground wine cellar Decanter has twice been granted the highest three-star accolade in the World’s Best Wine List Awards – a coveted prize likened to that of a Michelin Star – for its exquisite selection of wines as well as its flawless service and bespoke menus. Proudly housing the oldest bottle of wine in the Indian Ocean, a 1755 Sercial Campanario hailing from Madeira in Portugal, Decanter has more than 2,000 bottles of wine, including 615 labels from 23 countries.

Continuing with the food and drink theme, the hotel offers several unique dining experiences in and around the resort in varying beautiful locations, all of which can be arranged by your private The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Butler. Here are a few examples:

Choose the intimate Starlit Dinner or Vommuli Magic dinners, both located on the beach, or maybe the Sandbank Picnic where you can escape to a private island for a romantic getaway and a sparkling Champagne… or three. The Elements takes guests on a gastronomic journey based on the five elements: earth, wind, fire, water and aether, where the hotel’s Executive Chef creates a bespoke menu of fresh, organic ingredients for a truly delicious meal. The Levant Night provides an Arabic Bedouin-style backdrop with subdued lanterns and exotic carpets, plus hot and cold mezes and traditional music to really set the ambience.

As you may have seen on the swoon-worthy St. Regis Maldives Instagram page, the luxurious overwater Iridium Spa combines cutting-edge design with pure opulence and has received multiple awards since the hotel opened its doors only six years ago. But it is at the edge of the spa that is most spectacular of all, the Blue Hole hydrotherapy seawater pool, which juts out above the water and enjoys panoramic views of the Indian Ocean as far as the eye can see. This gorgeous pool is the largest in the Maldives and accommodates up to 12 guests at a time, using heat and hydromassage jets for a curative effect.

If you’ve always dreamed of staying in a water villa, you’ve come to the right place. In total, 44 of The St. Regis Vommuli Resort’s coveted 77 villas sit atop tranquil waters and are complete with a swanky bedroom, huge bathroom, living room, and an open-air deck with a private pool to dip in - when you’re not splashing in the calm Indian Ocean, of course.

The renowned, century-old Signature St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Butler service is the epitome of luxury, and they will be on hand to accommodate your every whim, and what’s more, it’s included in the price of your holiday. From recommending and customising recreational activities during your stay and organising any room service requirements, to unpacking and pressing your clothes and even providing a gentle wake-up call by drawing your curtains should you need it for an early start. No task is too big or too small for your personal St Regis Butler.

Lots of hotels in the Maldives cater to weddings and honeymoons, and why not, it’s one of the most romantic, desirable places on earth? However, The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort also offers its stunning venue for extravagant events such as birthday celebrations, bridal showers, anniversaries, family reunions, meetings and practically any social gathering you can think of.