The Maldives’ newest resort is also its most expensive – here’s a look inside

When Soneva Secret opened in early April, it instantly became the most expensive resort in one of the world’s most expensive hotel destinations: the Maldives.

With starting rates of $3,200 (€3,000) a night, it has just 14 villas — including one that floats completely unmoored in the middle of the sea. Come Christmas, the price shoots up to a cool $11,000 (€10,300).

30 years in the making, Soneva Secret is the latest innovation from the Soneva brand that has been intent on one-upping itself —and everyone else —since it first opened in the Maldives in 1995.

At Soneva Jani, its most famous resort, huge Robinson Crusoe-inspired overwater villas have waterslides that go straight into the ocean, plus retractable roofs for in-bed stargazing and walk-in minibars stocked according to your personal preferences. It often costs upwards of $2,000 a night (€1,879).

Soneva Secret borrows all of those memorable features and then adds a nearly 10-to-1 staff-to-guest ratio that includes two butlers and a private chef for each room.

According to general manager Josje van Engelen, “no” will not be a word in this resort’s vocabulary. Private chefs will be prepared to make anything from sushi to kid-sized pizzas in various locations around the resort — including on the beach.

That’s no small feat on a tiny atoll in the middle of the Indian Ocean, with no local access to grocery stores. (A team of 14 chefs will represent an array of nationalities so that Sri Lankan dishes will be prepared by a Sri Lankan chef and Thai entrees by a Thai chef).

Whether the service is worth the $1,200 -per-night premium (€1,130) over Soneva Secret’s sister resort, Soneva Jani, will probably depend on whether guests’ preferences are specific enough to require such hand-holding.

If it sounds as though squeezing value from Soneva Secret demands a lot of decision-making, there’s an antidote: The butlers’ special service will be creating ‘Secret Days’ in which guests relinquish control of their itinerary and let the team do the planning.

Van Engelen says these secret days are crafted in accordance with guests’ hobbies and interests, as gleaned from extensive predeparture preference sheets and in-person conversations upon arrival.

Guests seeking adventure might be sent on a boat journey to snorkel with manta rays and visit isolated beaches, where they can sit for a multicourse picnic.

Those more interested in culture can learn about island life by lunching on a traditional meal in the home of a Maldivian family — an uncommon experience in this part of the world. For a wellness buff, the resort could set up an integrative medicine and ayurvedic session between IV drips and massages, says van Engelen.

But these secret days — and experiences like the spa — are not included in the base rates, and the hotel did not respond to follow-up requests about how they are priced. At Soneva Jani, a private beach picnic costs $750 (€705) per person.

The villas at both resorts share many design details and amenities. At both Soneva Secret and Soneva Jani, they start at around 5,000 square feet — larger than most people’s homes — with private pools and direct beach access, often from waterslides plunging from the second floor straight into the turquoise waters.

At Soneva Secret, villas have walls that fully open up to bring the outside in. Its Castaway Villa goes a notch further: it’s accessible only by sea and has its own spa treatment area, along with a private pool, waterslide and retractable stargazing roof.

The Castaway will become available starting in December, and the hotel claims it’s the first “floating villa” in the Maldives.

The similarities continue. As at Soneva Jani, guests hankering for a midday or midnight snack can avail themselves of several nonstop options around the resort.

For instance, they could head to the ice cream parlor for soft serve with a seemingly endless array of toppings or get a savory snack at the cheese and charcuterie parlors.

Dining and nonalcoholic beverages are included in the room rates at Soneva Secret; at Soneva Jani they can be added on in a variety of half- and full-board packages, from $230 (€216) per person, per day.

Getting to the Maldives’ luxurious new resort takes a long journey — a given in this part of the world. Located on one of the most remote atolls in the country, Soneva Secret is reachable via a 75-minute seaplane flight from Male’s Velana International Airport; that’s at least 30 minutes’ additional flying time when compared to most other five-star Maldivian outposts. (Guests can opt instead to take a full-day cruise from sister resort Soneva Fushi, where stays start around $1,500, or €1,409, a night).

The far-out location is part of the attraction for the resort’s guests, according to van Engelen.

“Because we’re so undisturbed here, we are blessed with beautiful creatures like manta rays outside our resort on a year-round basis, which is something you don’t see much of in the Maldives.”

That makes the resort a prime choice for divers and snorkelers, who can get close to sea creatures without needing to travel far from the resort by boat.

Soneva’s pricey new opening comes amid surging competition in the Maldives. Tom Cahalan, co-founder of luxury travel agency Dorsia, says that apart from Paris, the Maldives has the world’s most competitive luxury hotel market. Such top brands as Bulgari and Rosewood are set to open hotels in 2025.

Cahalan rates the top resorts in the Maldives as LVMH’s Cheval Blanc Randheli and Velaa Private Island, which have for more than a decade stood out for their locations and stellar service.

Soneva Secret could challenge this if it nails the service aspect, he says, because the price point makes sense for what the resort is offering and for the sheer size of the villas.

“The intimacy of the place, the natural beauty and the isolation of it will be absolutely wonderful if Soneva gets it right,” Cahalan says.