Hotel Review: The Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa

The Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa is a sparkling new gemstone amid the glittering jewel that is the Maldives – with its 1192 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 coral atolls.

Details

Perched on Fasmendhoo Island on Raa Atoll, Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa is one of the most northerly, and newest, resorts to open in the Maldives. Surrounded by 1.5 km of powder-white soft sand and surrounded by a 100ha lagoon, this resort cost $72 million to build. It is also one of the few deluxe all-inclusive properties in this island nation, and yes, by this we mean all you can eat and drink.

Arrival

It’s a celebrity arrival to Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa: depending on the tides, and time of day, you’ll arrive by seaplane straight to the resort jetty, or close by at a neighbouring property, from which it’s a 10-minute speedboat road – James Bond-style – to Emerald.

Either way, you’ll love the commute. Smartly dressed staff are lined up to greet you with a glass of French Champagne while your luggage is discreetly ferried to your room. Sated, you will then be deposited in a golf buggy and either taken to reception for check-in or straight to your villa, depending on your room category. All up, it’s a fabulous, no-fuss check-in.

The shared resort spaces are alluringly decadent

The Rooms

Boasting 120 villas and 11 different categories, there’s plenty of awe-inspiring accommodation from which to choose. Best of all, even the lead-in beach villas are divine; with your own private slice of sand and outdoor shower, you won’t feel like you are missing out if you don’t splurge on the top end.

Should you feel like the ultimate experience, however, the two-storey Royal Beach Villa may take your fancy: at around $10,000 a night the villa features a green-tiled pool, massage table, jacuzzi, media room and several bedrooms, plus butler service to boot.

Interior details from an overwater bungalow

Most guests opt for somewhere in the middle, and the quintessential Maldivian experience: an overwater bungalow that comes with either a private pool, private spa or timber ladder that leads directly into the aqua ocean below. All villas are tastefully decorated with splashes of colour and wall prints that depict the marine creatures you are likely to encounter while snorkelling or diving here.

The bathrooms are huge, all white and bright with an Art Deco edge and colourful tiles that betray the Italian owners’ tastes.

Eat and Drink

There are five food and beverage options where you can exercise your all-you-can eat-and-drink muscle during your stay. Some top-shelf beverages and items such as lobster do come at an additional cost, however, unless you are hankering for something over-the-top, you will be more than satisfied with what is included here.

Aqua Restaurant – all light and bright with towering ceilings – is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a multitude of options (try the Maldivian curries for breakfast before heading to the fruit station for some freshly cut mango). There are live cooking stations where you can sample the tuna for which the Maldives is renowned and the likes of pizza, pasta and sushi.

Le Asiatique specialises in Asian cuisine and features a teppanyaki grill and contemporary bamboo screens; while Amazònico Restaurant, hidden in a slice of rainforest, serves a Brazilian ‘Churrasco style’ barbecue on the sand. There is more barefoot luxury to be enjoyed while dining at the casual Beach Club Grill, which serves up the likes of hamburgers and grilled seafood. The Sunset Bar has a DJ and a bit of a beach club vibe with snacks available throughout the day and night.

There are five food and beverage options to choose from

The Spa

Plonked in the middle of this tiny island – it will take you about 30 minutes to walk the entire circumference – sits the spa. While there are no Maldives’-specific treatments on the menu, your Balinese spa therapists will whisk you away to a private, thatched-roof, airconditioned hut. Here, they will work wonders on your muscles, and apply soothing coconut oil to your body to treat the inevitable sunburn you will receive from being out in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

The Activities

If you can tear yourself away from simply gazing at the bluest water you’ll ever encounter in your existence, not to mention the white sandy beaches, head to the Diving Centre where there’s a range of great tours.

A one-hour trip by speedboat will have you swimming with the whale sharks, or you may wish to take a dolphin-spotting tour; fishing trip; or sunset cruise. There are also two tennis courts, which can be converted into a football ground, and a gym that is open 24 hours. For those travelling with children, there’s also a cool kids’ club with plenty to keep them entertained from morning to night, including their own dining menu with options such as prawn cocktails.

There are plenty of activities to entertain the masses

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The Quirky Stuff

The in-room safe comes with a twist. Sure, you can pin in your own private numeric combination, or you can utilise the fingerprint recognition technology on the safe. And while it might appear bemusing at first to find life jackets and a flare in your villa, Maldivian waters are deceiving and are prone to strong currents.

Even a solid Australian swimmer may be surprised by the pull of the Indian Ocean here, so take care. Bring your own sunscreen to this island or you will be shocked to learn a can of Australian-made sunscreen costs $100 at the resort boutique. And do enjoy that all-inclusive mini-bar, too, replete with another bottle of French Champagne, white wine, red wine, beer and loads of chocolate bars.

The Cost

Villas start from about $1000 a night including the all-you-can-eat-and-drink option.

Getting There

Singapore Airlines flies from most Australian cities with a stopover in Singapore to change planes and either continue with the same airline, or its sister company SilkAir to Male. Upon arrival in Male, you can transfer to the domestic airport for a Seaplane with Trans Maldivian Airways.

On a clear day, this is one of the most beautiful journeys anywhere on the planet, flying low over aqua islands and atolls.

The Verdict

Australians will adore this all-inclusive resort not only for its food and drink options but its outstanding accommodation offerings, selection of water-based activities and superior service from the polite and professional staff. And let’s not forget the brag factor.

One of the most northerly, and newest, resorts to open in the Maldives

The writer was a guest of Maldives Tourism

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.

This all-inclusive Maldivian resort is perfect for Aussies