WATER VILLAS MADE WITH RECLAIMED WOOD, DRIFTWOOD SCULPTURES, CONVERSATION PITS AND SUN DECKS OVERLOOKING AN ENDLESS SEA-SONEVA SECRET IS A RARE GIFT IN THE MALDIVES.

As you step off the boat and land on the beach at Soneva Secret, its white, soft sand sticking to your bare feet—no more shoes from here on, as the Soneva ritual goes—the first sight is the Living Room, a large stepped reception and restaurant that greets you and also frames the most spectacular views of the ocean, the sky and the sunset.

- KOMAL SHARMA

Soneva Secret is the new kid on the block, a small, 14-villa island that opened last March in the unbelievably pristine waters of Dhipparufushi, Makunudhoo Atoll, in the Maldives. It follows in the footsteps of its older, bigger cousins, Soneva Jani and Soneva Fushi, but the virtue of Soneva Secret is its intimate size and exceptionally personalised service. Cofounder Eva Malmström—along with Sonu Shivdasani—brings the design vision of what makes this rare idea of hospitality almost a philosophy. And having a light touch in a very delicate ecosystem is at the heart of this Soneva philosophy.

In the water villa, with a large bedroom facing the sea, the walls open up entirely on two sides; the ceiling withdraws in so you can sleep under the sky; the sun deck, an infinity pool and a conversation pit all face the deep blue sea. On the first night, it takes a bit of getting used to: the idea that you’re sleeping in a primarily open villa that stands on stilts in the water, exposed to ocean breeze and the most stunning jewelled sky above. It’s a foreign feeling but amazing how quickly one settles into it and falls into a dream state.