ANANTARA DHIGU MALDIVES RESORT
January 2016: Encircled by mystic lagoons and unspoilt crystal shores, Anantara Dhigu Resort is a heavenly sanctuary on a secluded paradise island, offering discerned travellers barefoot elegance in one of the world’s most celebrated tropical havens. Here the sparkling turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean offer an endless horizon of aquatic allure and the evocative location is matched by a tranquil island design style.
Anantara Dhigu is a luxurious hideaway spread across 20,000 square meters of tropical terrain on Dhigufinolhu Island in the Maldives’ South Male Atoll, a mere 35 minute speedboat journey from the island nation’s international airport, or a scenic five minutes by private chartered seaplane.
Together with the Anantara Veli Maldives and the exclusive Naladhu Maldives resorts, Anantara Dhigu forms part of a bespoke collection of sanctuaries nestled around a stunning lagoon that celebrates the Maldives in all its natural beauty and cultural allure.
ARCHITECTURE OF ISLAND CHARM
Acclaimed Male-based architect Mohamed Shafeeq (aka ‘Sappe’) from Group X Design Associates and Thailand-based interior design company, Abacus, headed by John Lightbody, have fashioned the resort’s distinctive environment as a creative complement to the natural beauty of the destination, local cultural traditions and historic heritage.
Using age old techniques such as thatched palm roofs the 110 deluxe villas and suites, ranging from 180 to 310 square meters, are either poised over the water with sweeping ocean views or nestled along a pristine stretch of beach. Comprising 103 one-bedroom villas and suites, some with private plunge pools, five inter leading two-bedroom family villas, and five outer leading two-bedroom pool villas, each building is a simple, natural sanctuary, belying the more intricate and significant design within.
Offering 110 square metres of luxurious space and natural beauty, the Sunrise- and Sunset Beach Villas are designed in tropical island style that is brought to life by seascape colours and andcrafted timber decorations, mirroring the vibrancy of the surrounding natural environment, from the pristine sand to the invitingly warm waters just moments away.
A comfortable king size bed dressed in the finest linens offers inspired views through floor to ceiling windows that open onto a sundeck and extend out to a white powdery beach. A dressing room connects the bedroom to a large, semi-open bathhouse garden courtyard featuring a signature Anantara oversized terrazzo bathtub, rain shower, outdoor shower and tropical vegetation.
The 162 square metre Sunset Pool Villas additionally offer a private rear garden plunge pool, while the 180 square meter Anantara Pool Villas boast a plunge pool just steps away from a white sandy beach.
Family accommodation options include Sunset Family Villas and Two Bedroom Anantara Pool Villas nestled along a pristine stretch of beach.
The 165 square metre Sunset Family Villas are ideal for families with young children, affording comfortable accommodation for two adults and up to three young children in luxurious surroundings. It consists of two bedrooms - one with a king size bed, the other with two single beds and room for a third single bed or baby cot - two bathrooms and a sundeck that extends out to a white powdery beach. The parents' bathroom features an open bathhouse garden with a rain shower, outdoor shower and a signature Anantara terrazzo bathtub. The kids' bathroom includes both a semi indoor and outdoor shower. Older children, teenagers and parents alike will delight in the 312 square metre Two Bedroom Anantara Pool Villas on the island's sunset side. It features two identical villas, each with a king size bed and semi open bathhouse garden. The villas are outer-connected via a sundeck which also features a plunge pool steps away from the turquoise ocean.
Recently renovated, the contemporary Over Water Suites retain a touch of tradition over 132 square metres suspended above the crystal clear water of the Indian Ocean. A king size bed faces the magnificent ocean view beyond an expansive private sundeck complete with sun loungers, seating areas, an outdoor shower and steps that make direct ocean access for snorkelling a breeze.
At 146 square metres the six Anantara Over Water Pool Suites additionally boast an infinity edge pool with sunset views. In the spacious en suite bathroom the minimalist design offers a mesmerizing view of the sparkling ocean beyond and a glass floor panel an enchanting view of aquamarine life below.
The classic island style of the villas and suites belies a host of modern comforts, including a flat screen TV, iPod docking station on bose speakers, mini bar and WiFi access. In the suites all the comforts from home, and more, are provided by a custom stocked wine cabinet and insuite bar, a Nespresso machine and tea facilities.
GOURMET EXPERIENCES
Guests at Anantara Dhigu are spoilt for choice when it comes to dining, with world class culinary options that will tempt even the most discerning palate in an exotic destination that appeases more than just aesthetic senses.
The resort’s overwater dining experiences promise spectacular ocean and sunset views from the Anantara Signature restaurant Sea.Fire.Salt, the romance of Italian dining at Terrazzo and a calling back to Anantara’s Thai heritage at the Thai restaurant Baan Huraa.
Featuring an alfresco wooden deck that is suspended over the turquoise ocean, Sea.Fire.Salt offers a crossroad of cuisines and cooking styles, each paired by our Salt Guru with one of 16 salts from around the world. Freshly caught local Maldivian favourites such as Wahoo, lobster and prawns, and prime aged imported cuts from Japan and Australia can be ordered flame grilled, tandoori style, wok sautéed or cooked to perfection in a wood-fired oven.
Terrazzo brings the Mediterranean to the tropics in an intimate upstairs venue with French quarter doors that open out on to a quaint terrace overlooking the ocean. A resident Wine Guru is on hand to recommend perfect accompaniments from a vast array of new and old world selections from the adjacent wine cellar.
Meaning “the house on the coral”, Baan Huraa is amongst the finest Thai luxury restaurants in the Maldives. The beautiful overwater teak restaurant sits in all its grandeur at the edge of an inner lagoon and outer reef. It’s stately location at the half-way boardwalk point between Anantara Veli and Naladhu authentic Thai cuisine includes Royal Thai Cuisine with coconut curries from Thailand’s southern provinces and hot and spicy dishes from the north.
Fushi Café is located on a white sandy beach and serves a lavish full breakfast buffet complete with live cooking stations. Then, as the sun sets, the restaurant transforms to offer a buffet with a variety of flavours, including international and local Maldivian cuisine and featuring ever popular Barbeque nights. This is lagoon-side dining at its very best.
Aqua is a stylish pool and beachside lounge, complete with a swim up bar, offering innovative cocktails masterfully crafted by our mixologist and casual daytime meals. It is the perfect venue for taking in the awe-inspiring view of the South Male Atoll island archipelago, or picturesque sunsets at the end of yet another perfect day in the greatest paradise on earth.
SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES
As the day slowly drifts away with the setting sun, guests can indulge in the ultimate romantic dining with personalised Dining by Design experiences, where a specially devised menu is prepared by a personal chef, and served at a table for two in dreamy locations, from the comfort and privacy of a villa terrace to an isolated sandbank in the Indian Ocean – anywhere of the guests’ choosing.
Aquafanatics, the experience club, is a bespoke and exhilarating journey of adventures taking guests under, on and alongside the turquoise Indian Ocean to discover and explore the greatest paradise on earth. Whether scuba diving or snorkelling, sailing a catamaran or taking up kite- surfing, experienced instructors, first class rental equipment, comfortable dhonis (traditional Maldivian boat) and reef dive sites cater for beginner and experienced explorers alike.
Tropicsurf is the pioneer of luxury surfing. Whether it’s the thill of riding waves rolling outside the lagoon from May to November, or learning to master a surfboard in the calm waters of the lagoon, expert trainers tailor your ultimate ticket to ride. Your surfing adventure can be enjoyed by all members of the family with an emphasis on service, luxury, water safety and improvement. Regardless of age or ability, with Tropicsurf everybody can enjoy surfing's ultimate thrills in style, comfort and safety.
Recreation and leisure activities include tennis and volleyball courts, bicycles, fitness centre and a gift shop. Budding master chefs will delight in the Spice Spoons Anantara Cooking School where the resort’s culinary team shares tricks of the trade and guests join in an interactive cooking class to create Thai, Maldivian, Japanese and Italian delicacies.
Traditional Maldivian activities invite guests to delve beneath the surface of this fascinating culture, with an array of experiences and excursions that stir the senses and arouse the imagination. Guests can visit a nearby local island to experience the traditional Maldivian way of life up close and personal, or take a daytrip to the island nation’s capital, Male, to explore the Old Friday Mosque with its famed fine lacquer work and elaborate woodcarvings, and the bustling fish market.
Anantara Dhigu extends a gracious welcome to families with excellent accommodation, a Dhoni Kids Club and an abundance of enriching activities for guests of eleven and under to explore the exuberant personality of the Maldives. A daily supervised programme offer kid’s fun filled opportunities to discover the island’s friendly wildlife inhabitants, fun arts and crafts activities, indoor and outdoor sports and games, even introducing them to new games inspired by local culture.
RELAXATION AT ANANTARA SPA
The calming sound of gentle waves and panoramic views of the azure ocean set the mood for a journey of exotic rejuvenation and deep relaxation at the award-winning overwater Anantara Spa. Offering a therapeutic and pampering range that combines traditional Asian therapies and results-driven Elemis products, all spa treatments are delivered by highly skilled and comforting hands. Glass panels in the floor bring the natural environment into each of the nine treatment suites, affording a soothing glimpse of vibrant marine life below. Two couples treatment suites with an alfresco relaxation area and soaking tub offer the ultimate luxury in one of the most romantic destinations on the planet.
At Anantara Dhigu Resort great care has been taken to ensure minimum impact on the Maldives’ fragile environment. A minimal amount of flora has been removed during the construction phase and the focus has been on relocating structures rather than the destruction of any trees.
January 2016: Encircled by mystic lagoons and unspoilt crystal shores, Anantara Dhigu Resort is a heavenly sanctuary on a secluded paradise island, offering discerned travellers barefoot elegance in one of the world’s most celebrated tropical havens. Here the sparkling turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean offer an endless horizon of aquatic allure and the evocative location is matched by a tranquil island design style.
Anantara Dhigu is a luxurious hideaway spread across 20,000 square meters of tropical terrain on Dhigufinolhu Island in the Maldives’ South Male Atoll, a mere 35 minute speedboat journey from the island nation’s international airport, or a scenic five minutes by private chartered seaplane.
Together with the Anantara Veli Maldives and the exclusive Naladhu Maldives resorts, Anantara Dhigu forms part of a bespoke collection of sanctuaries nestled around a stunning lagoon that celebrates the Maldives in all its natural beauty and cultural allure.
ARCHITECTURE OF ISLAND CHARM
Acclaimed Male-based architect Mohamed Shafeeq (aka ‘Sappe’) from Group X Design Associates and Thailand-based interior design company, Abacus, headed by John Lightbody, have fashioned the resort’s distinctive environment as a creative complement to the natural beauty of the destination, local cultural traditions and historic heritage.
Using age old techniques such as thatched palm roofs the 110 deluxe villas and suites, ranging from 180 to 310 square meters, are either poised over the water with sweeping ocean views or nestled along a pristine stretch of beach. Comprising 103 one-bedroom villas and suites, some with private plunge pools, five inter leading two-bedroom family villas, and five outer leading two-bedroom pool villas, each building is a simple, natural sanctuary, belying the more intricate and significant design within.
Offering 110 square metres of luxurious space and natural beauty, the Sunrise- and Sunset Beach Villas are designed in tropical island style that is brought to life by seascape colours and andcrafted timber decorations, mirroring the vibrancy of the surrounding natural environment, from the pristine sand to the invitingly warm waters just moments away.
A comfortable king size bed dressed in the finest linens offers inspired views through floor to ceiling windows that open onto a sundeck and extend out to a white powdery beach. A dressing room connects the bedroom to a large, semi-open bathhouse garden courtyard featuring a signature Anantara oversized terrazzo bathtub, rain shower, outdoor shower and tropical vegetation.
The 162 square metre Sunset Pool Villas additionally offer a private rear garden plunge pool, while the 180 square meter Anantara Pool Villas boast a plunge pool just steps away from a white sandy beach.
Family accommodation options include Sunset Family Villas and Two Bedroom Anantara Pool Villas nestled along a pristine stretch of beach.
The 165 square metre Sunset Family Villas are ideal for families with young children, affording comfortable accommodation for two adults and up to three young children in luxurious surroundings. It consists of two bedrooms - one with a king size bed, the other with two single beds and room for a third single bed or baby cot - two bathrooms and a sundeck that extends out to a white powdery beach. The parents' bathroom features an open bathhouse garden with a rain shower, outdoor shower and a signature Anantara terrazzo bathtub. The kids' bathroom includes both a semi indoor and outdoor shower. Older children, teenagers and parents alike will delight in the 312 square metre Two Bedroom Anantara Pool Villas on the island's sunset side. It features two identical villas, each with a king size bed and semi open bathhouse garden. The villas are outer-connected via a sundeck which also features a plunge pool steps away from the turquoise ocean.
Recently renovated, the contemporary Over Water Suites retain a touch of tradition over 132 square metres suspended above the crystal clear water of the Indian Ocean. A king size bed faces the magnificent ocean view beyond an expansive private sundeck complete with sun loungers, seating areas, an outdoor shower and steps that make direct ocean access for snorkelling a breeze.
At 146 square metres the six Anantara Over Water Pool Suites additionally boast an infinity edge pool with sunset views. In the spacious en suite bathroom the minimalist design offers a mesmerizing view of the sparkling ocean beyond and a glass floor panel an enchanting view of aquamarine life below.
The classic island style of the villas and suites belies a host of modern comforts, including a flat screen TV, iPod docking station on bose speakers, mini bar and WiFi access. In the suites all the comforts from home, and more, are provided by a custom stocked wine cabinet and insuite bar, a Nespresso machine and tea facilities.
GOURMET EXPERIENCES
Guests at Anantara Dhigu are spoilt for choice when it comes to dining, with world class culinary options that will tempt even the most discerning palate in an exotic destination that appeases more than just aesthetic senses.
The resort’s overwater dining experiences promise spectacular ocean and sunset views from the Anantara Signature restaurant Sea.Fire.Salt, the romance of Italian dining at Terrazzo and a calling back to Anantara’s Thai heritage at the Thai restaurant Baan Huraa.
Featuring an alfresco wooden deck that is suspended over the turquoise ocean, Sea.Fire.Salt offers a crossroad of cuisines and cooking styles, each paired by our Salt Guru with one of 16 salts from around the world. Freshly caught local Maldivian favourites such as Wahoo, lobster and prawns, and prime aged imported cuts from Japan and Australia can be ordered flame grilled, tandoori style, wok sautéed or cooked to perfection in a wood-fired oven.
Terrazzo brings the Mediterranean to the tropics in an intimate upstairs venue with French quarter doors that open out on to a quaint terrace overlooking the ocean. A resident Wine Guru is on hand to recommend perfect accompaniments from a vast array of new and old world selections from the adjacent wine cellar.
Meaning “the house on the coral”, Baan Huraa is amongst the finest Thai luxury restaurants in the Maldives. The beautiful overwater teak restaurant sits in all its grandeur at the edge of an inner lagoon and outer reef. It’s stately location at the half-way boardwalk point between Anantara Veli and Naladhu authentic Thai cuisine includes Royal Thai Cuisine with coconut curries from Thailand’s southern provinces and hot and spicy dishes from the north.
Fushi Café is located on a white sandy beach and serves a lavish full breakfast buffet complete with live cooking stations. Then, as the sun sets, the restaurant transforms to offer a buffet with a variety of flavours, including international and local Maldivian cuisine and featuring ever popular Barbeque nights. This is lagoon-side dining at its very best.
Aqua is a stylish pool and beachside lounge, complete with a swim up bar, offering innovative cocktails masterfully crafted by our mixologist and casual daytime meals. It is the perfect venue for taking in the awe-inspiring view of the South Male Atoll island archipelago, or picturesque sunsets at the end of yet another perfect day in the greatest paradise on earth.
SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES
As the day slowly drifts away with the setting sun, guests can indulge in the ultimate romantic dining with personalised Dining by Design experiences, where a specially devised menu is prepared by a personal chef, and served at a table for two in dreamy locations, from the comfort and privacy of a villa terrace to an isolated sandbank in the Indian Ocean – anywhere of the guests’ choosing.
Aquafanatics, the experience club, is a bespoke and exhilarating journey of adventures taking guests under, on and alongside the turquoise Indian Ocean to discover and explore the greatest paradise on earth. Whether scuba diving or snorkelling, sailing a catamaran or taking up kite- surfing, experienced instructors, first class rental equipment, comfortable dhonis (traditional Maldivian boat) and reef dive sites cater for beginner and experienced explorers alike.
Tropicsurf is the pioneer of luxury surfing. Whether it’s the thill of riding waves rolling outside the lagoon from May to November, or learning to master a surfboard in the calm waters of the lagoon, expert trainers tailor your ultimate ticket to ride. Your surfing adventure can be enjoyed by all members of the family with an emphasis on service, luxury, water safety and improvement. Regardless of age or ability, with Tropicsurf everybody can enjoy surfing's ultimate thrills in style, comfort and safety.
Recreation and leisure activities include tennis and volleyball courts, bicycles, fitness centre and a gift shop. Budding master chefs will delight in the Spice Spoons Anantara Cooking School where the resort’s culinary team shares tricks of the trade and guests join in an interactive cooking class to create Thai, Maldivian, Japanese and Italian delicacies.
Traditional Maldivian activities invite guests to delve beneath the surface of this fascinating culture, with an array of experiences and excursions that stir the senses and arouse the imagination. Guests can visit a nearby local island to experience the traditional Maldivian way of life up close and personal, or take a daytrip to the island nation’s capital, Male, to explore the Old Friday Mosque with its famed fine lacquer work and elaborate woodcarvings, and the bustling fish market.
Anantara Dhigu extends a gracious welcome to families with excellent accommodation, a Dhoni Kids Club and an abundance of enriching activities for guests of eleven and under to explore the exuberant personality of the Maldives. A daily supervised programme offer kid’s fun filled opportunities to discover the island’s friendly wildlife inhabitants, fun arts and crafts activities, indoor and outdoor sports and games, even introducing them to new games inspired by local culture.
RELAXATION AT ANANTARA SPA
The calming sound of gentle waves and panoramic views of the azure ocean set the mood for a journey of exotic rejuvenation and deep relaxation at the award-winning overwater Anantara Spa. Offering a therapeutic and pampering range that combines traditional Asian therapies and results-driven Elemis products, all spa treatments are delivered by highly skilled and comforting hands. Glass panels in the floor bring the natural environment into each of the nine treatment suites, affording a soothing glimpse of vibrant marine life below. Two couples treatment suites with an alfresco relaxation area and soaking tub offer the ultimate luxury in one of the most romantic destinations on the planet.
At Anantara Dhigu Resort great care has been taken to ensure minimum impact on the Maldives’ fragile environment. A minimal amount of flora has been removed during the construction phase and the focus has been on relocating structures rather than the destruction of any trees.
