enki drifts ashore to Gili Lankanfushi; a villa-only resort in the Maldives that has been hoisted out of the cerulean seas of this archipelagic realm on recycled telegraph poles. During our stay, we took a deep dive into the design as envisioned by the untraceable Bali-based designer Maverick, as well as uncovering just what Gili is doing to raise the standards of sustainability in tourism across the Maldives.
Getting there
Whether you fly direct or opt for a stopover and a leg stretch, the most convenient gateway to Gili Lankanfushi is Velana International Airport. As you land in Malé, a quick queue through immigration leads you straight out to the water where a private transfer awaits, bobbing up and down upon the transfixing turquoise of the Indian Ocean.
Yes, with Gili there’s no phaffing around with seaplanes. Instead, the resort is a mere twenty minute cruise from the capital – meaning that in less than an hour from landing, you can be sprawling out on its white sands with an Island Blossom (a tropical taste of Tanqueray, grapefruit juice, ginger and lychee…much approved by enki!) in hand.
The vibe
Though five star in both service and style, Gili Lankanfushi comes without the pretension and grandiloquent frills of its competitors. It’s laidback luxury at its finest, where the details are highly considered but assuredly quiet. Think menus printed and personalised with your name. Beaches raked each morning to erase lingering footprints of the day before. Ceramic pots lining jettys so that sandy feet can be washed as and when needed.
In fact, so much thought has been put into the guest experience that Gili actually runs on its own time – no really, though only 20 minutes from Malé, the island sits an hour ahead so guests can relish in the very best of the island’s sunrises and sunsets.
Committing to the barefoot luxury concept quite literally, Gili Lankanfushi also proffers a ‘no news, no shoes’ ethos. As you step aboard your docked private transfer, you’ll be asked to sacrifice your shoes, and not just for the ride – for the whole trip! Our advice? Don’t overthink it, jump in (bare)feet first and feel the tension in your body start to ease up as you take that one step closer to nature.
The design story
In its most recent design iteration, Gili Lankanfushi was re-envisioned by a Singaporean designer-carpenter that goes by the name of Maverick. Based in Bali, the creative has no website, no studio and no brand, but a whole lot of vision. Gili, in fact, marks his first and only foray in hotel design. And, as you might expect from a carpenter, he offers a tactile timber touch to much of the plan.
Invited onto the project just before a fire caused devastation to the island back in 2019, the idea was that Maverick would freshen up the villas; relieving them of some of the trademarks and imprints that remained from Gili’s predecessing owner. Doing just that, as well as re-designing parts of the island that were lost in the accident – including the overwater restaurant where sunset drinks are best enjoyed while shark spotting through it’s glass floor panels, and the rebuild of the world’s largest free-standing over water villa (more on that below) – Maverick imagined a whole new identity for Gili Lankanfushi. An identity that is reflective of both its natural beauty and the soul of place.
Where you’ll stay
Gili Lankanfushi is a villa-only concept, and though there are 45 keys from which to choose – depending on whether you prefer sunrises or sunsets, how many beds you need, if you want a pool or whether you fancy being completely jetty-less and cast out to sea – they share a distinctive design language.
Trimming the arced timber jettys that stretch out from the cashmere shores of the island, the driftwood villas rise gently from the ocean on recycled telegraph poles. Leaning into the neutral tones and textures of a boho palette, every palm topped suite is carved from of a concoction of plantation teak, palm wood and bamboo – each key crafted as a liveable piece of furniture.
Stepping inside the timber taverns, the living spaces sit under cover but are left open to the elements. Central to the plan is the main living room, where a small table and chairs lean up against a daybed facing out to the hammock-ed deck. Flanking this central core is a bathroom (complete with a free-standing tub, a twin vanity and an outdoor shower reached only by a private walkway), and the master bedroom where a branch handle demarcates entry.
Each outdoor deck comes with an array of nooks to cosy up in; you have floor hammocks for sealife spotting, timber benches for sipping and snacking and, of course, loungers for, well, lounging! Steps also lead directly down into the ocean. By day, the upstairs deck offers a more intimate al fresco setting, but by night, it becomes the ultimate stargazing spot.
Getting into the smaller details, Maverick also designed and manufactured some of the furniture and decor pieces for the villas, including the woven mirrors and subtle sealife motifs that can be spotted on cupboard handles or lamps. “I hope it doesn’t feel like a hotel room, the goal is for it to feel like a home,” Nicolas Khairallah, Gili Lankanfushi’s general manager, tells enki.
Sustainability
Built on the foundations of a previous Soneva destination (a resort chain known for its trail-blazing and no-nonsense approach to sustainability), Gili Lankanfushi has not only strengthened, but also evolved the eco pillars that its predecessor rooted on the island.
Though we could list a number of efforts including the 694 solar panels on site, with a floating farm also in plans, the 300 successful transplantations of coral lines, and the kitchen garden that feeds Chef Hari’s creative culinary mind, “whatever we grow here I don’t want from the outside,” the chef tells us – one of the the most notable efforts is Gili’s commitment to waste management.
Recycling systems within this archipelagic region are limited. There are logistical setbacks, economical challenges and to be frank, a sheer lack of storage space. And while the Maldivian Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy banned the production and sales of single-use plastics back in 2022, this marks only one step towards a less wasteful future.
Looking at Gili, they are just one of a number of resorts working with Parley – a local company that works with local resorts to intercept plastic waste, re-purposing and up-cycling rubbish to create Ocean Plastic®, “a range of premium, eco-innovative materials which transform products into symbols of change.”
But of course, there is so much more than just plastic to consider. Amid the jungle that separates the eastern and western shore of Gili, an eco centre peters off from the main bike path. The plot, which is also open to guest visits, features a glass crushing machine, a rocket compost – the first of its kind in the Maldives – and a recycling hub.
Now perhaps the recycling centre isn’t the most aesthetic of additions – there really is only so much you can do with a waste store after all – but there is something about the transparency of what they’re doing here that feels inspiring. And really, this is where so many hotels get it wrong. Problems are hidden, spoken only in hushed whispers while a redundant ‘no plastic’ policy masks the real lack of sustainability efforts. Because hey, it’s cheaper… Right? Well, wrong.
For Gili Lankanfushi, it isn’t about doing the right thing to get people on the island. They don’t need to do that. By contrast, it’s about caring for the land and protecting all that’s native to its shores. They’re open to share, to teach and to showcase exactly what they’re doing and where they’re at. And most encouraging of all, they still know there’s room for improvement. Working alongside EarthCheck, Gili received Silver Certification back in 2017, but now, after tweaks and improvements, the resort is waiting to be certified Gold at any moment.
The Private Reserve
Considering Gili’s unwavering commitment to understated luxury – where opulence is defined by colour of the water and not number of crystals falling from a chandelier – it seems somewhat antithetical that the resort is also breaking records with the world’s largest over-water free-standing villa.
Reached only by pontoon, the 1,700 sq. m of The Private Reserve feels like an island of its own. Wrapped in a timber coat that matches its neighbouring villas, the expanse is split into five main parts, all of which are carefully dotted together via planked walkways that keep you just above sea level.
Sleeping up to eight guests, The Private Reserve comprises four bedrooms, a gym, a cinema room, a private spa, open bathrooms, an infinity pool and a slide that shoots you straight into the ocean. This wooden playground will however put you back roughly $8,300 per night including breakfast and return luxury boat transfer.
Food & drink
Despite the island homing only three restaurants for guests to circle through (your choice largely swayed by whether you want to dine on the sand, over the water or up in the treetops), a gastronomic journey at Gili Lankanfushi is far from limited. With Chef Hari Govindaraj captaining the ship, menus here are designed to speak of the surroundings – showcasing fresh, local fare in an array of hearty dishes with exciting Maldivian twists.
For dinners, The Gili Culinary Journey is offered to guests three nights a week and offers a rotating menu of signature sit-down dishes. For the rest of the week however, a more casual approach to dining sees the beach and overwater bar transformed into market experiences with the Mediterranean Spice Souk, Asian Street Market, Passage to India and Churrascaria BBQ nights.
For those after a taste of Japan however, By The Sea is open five nights a week and offers authentic sushi, sashimi and teppanyaki paired with a fine sake selection.
But to really get into the creative culinary mind of Chef Hari, ‘The Gili Garden Chef’s Table Experience’ is not to be missed. Set up in the organic kitchen garden, the tasting menu takes guests on a plant-based journey of discovery with Chef Hari serving up the likes of an aloe vera ceviche, a baked beetroot carpaccio and even a raw avocado mango cake. Beyond the exquisite flavour combinations, the theatre of the experience is more than enough to warrant a booking.
Get active
For those who can only lounge around for so long, Gili Lankanfushi is more than equipped to keep you occupied. You have tennis courts to racket around in, a gym with ocean views, daily yoga classes, surf lessons available from the in-house team at Tropic Surf, an infinity pool and of course, the spa (more on that below).
For the duration of a stay at Gili, each guest also has complimentary access to a bamboo bike. So at any point during your stay you can hop onto some wheels and explore the island at your own pace via the jettys and bike paths that vine through the jungle.
Similarly, non-motorised sports equipment is also free to use. This includes canoes, catamarans and SUPS, as well as the snorkelling equipment that you’ll find tidied away in your villa. This is the Maldives after all, so ocean time is not only recommended but an absolute must.
& Relax
The Meera Spa spreads out under a thatched roof that mimics the vernacular of the island’s villas. So as not to sacrifice snorkel time, treatment rooms are floored with glass panels. While watching for rays, you can choose from a menu of ancient healing practices that promise to bring you back to life.
Or for the night owls, we suggest trying the latest addition to Gili Lankanfushi’s wellness line-up; moon-bathing! With a treatment bed set up on your private deck, as the stars descend and the moon hangs low, you’ll enjoy a massage in the open air to a soundtrack of the ocean’s lullaby. Once your treatment is complete, step up into your villa and find your bath bubbled up and finished off with flowers. A herbal tea completes the treatment.
The final word
Despite the seemingly never-ending surge of new five star stays that continue to tear through the rippling waters of the Maldives, Gili Lankanfushi offers something that most of these social media inspired structures can’t – a real story. A story of survival, of regeneration and of how sustainable tourism need not come at the sacrifice of style and service.
Nightly rates start from $1,440 based on two adults sharing a Villa Suite with breakfast included.
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