Six Senses Laamu is the only resort in the Laamu Atoll, deep in the Indian Ocean, in the stunning Maldives. Just a short inter-island flight from Malé International Airport and a quick boat trip take you to a place where dolphins swim, turtles are born, Mantas are easily spotted and where the sunsets are just magical. The luxury Maldives resort is a combination of on-land and over-water villas constructed of sustainable materials and set around the palm-fringed paradise. I spent a week in this secluded heaven and will tell you everything you have to know before packing and rushing to this paradise.

Even before you pack, the hotel staff is going to contact you providing information of what sort of clothes to take, the weather you should expect during your stay, and – most importantly – they will ask you about all sort of preferences you might have, from food to music.

ARRIVAL… Take your shoes off

Fun time kicks already in during travel! The flight from Male (the Maldive’s capital) to the Laamu atoll is one of a lifetime – seeing the atolls and the beautiful tones of the turquoise ocean made me forget I am afraid of flying. No reason to worry about flight booking or anything – the hotel will take care of everything for you and attentive staff will make sure you are comfortable and accommodate all your needs.

After this flight, we took a pleasant boat ride to the resort – during this ride, drinks will be served and you will be kindly invited to take your shoes off… Why would you ever wear shoes at Six Senses Laamu, right?! 🙂

Once you reach the atoll, you are going to be received by your GEM (Guest Experience Maker). Ours was Abdullah, the most sympathetic and attentive person ever and who knew everything about the tides, the fish, diving, snorkeling and anything else around our stay. It was amazing how fast he understood our way and made sure we had the best experience ever. To mention one example, I fell down one day, got hurt and he had medicine ready at our door in 5 (FIVE!!!) minutes. We are quite picky guests and he was able to leave the best impression possible, always with a big smile.

THE VILLAS

The GEM is going to take you around the hotel, explaining everything and all the activities available. He will then take you to your villa and you’d better be ready for that because no matter what your choice is (palafitas or land villas) you will love it. Music will be playing, the smell is going to be great and you will just not believe that this is going to be your “home for the next days”.

We had a beach villa and we loved it. The shower and bath were outside, in the middle of a garden and we would take long showers every day with a view of the ocean. Also, we had our own private beach and tree house, where we had breakfast sometimes and enjoyed some wine at night, watching the stars and listening to the ocean.

I shouldn’t forget to mention the perfumed amenities, the cool music playing in our room and the super comfy extra large bed. Everything so perfect and only a few steps from our private beach.

For those who prefer the villas overwater, this option is also available and they are really pretty. Some villas come with a private pool. Have a look at the hotel’s website and its Instagram for even more pictures. 🙂

Every accommodation can be found here.

BY BIKE

Another detail I love at Six Senses Laamu, besides the “shoes off” concept, is the possibility to move around by bike. We explored every single corner cycling and went for breakfast, to yoga classes, dinner, the spa and main pool, everything by bike.

The service is so personal that we even had our initials attached to ours bikes. And I wanted to take the badge home to use in my bike. Haha! So sooooo sweet!

MAIN SWIMMING POOL

There is one main pool in the hotel which we visited quite often because it is just absolutely pretty and such a nice place to relax.

The swimming pool has a bar serving fantastic cocktails all day long (you can sip them while inside the pool) and the great Sip Sip restaurant, where we often had lunch and where I tasted the best fresh tuna pizza of my life (thank you for the tip, dear Lora!!). It serves also sushi, burgers and snacks, all made with organic ingredients – “farm to pool”.

Around this area it was a bit busier during the day but never crowded. Just the perfect balance. We would go there when we were in the mood for more action and we ended up staying hours because it was just too nice or we were lazy to leave. Haha!

This is also a great place to watch the unique Laamu sunset – the colours are surreal. Deeply recommended.

EVENTS

Sunset parties with local music and dance are organised right in front of the pool. So unique that I even got emotional. Drinks and finger food are served and it is a great opportunity to get to know other guests and the hotel staff. We met some very interesting people, like the yoga teacher, from Tibet, who had such a touching life story to share. And, of course, wee shared some good laughs with our favorite hosts ever – Lora and Abdullah. 🙂

Different events take place every night, and it is totally up to the guests to join or not. I found it wonderful to go to the open air cinema and watch a movie under the stars and really liked the DJ nights in the Chill bar. Besides that, except for the pool restaurant, all restaurants are open and serving yummy meals in beautiful environments.

SPA INDULGENCE

At Six Senses Laamu your stay can be anything you want it to be. It is up to you if you want to use your days in this paradise to “only” relax, swim, eat and get mesmerised by the most beautiful images on earth or if you want to be guided on your path to well-being and to feel best every day, at every age, while having fun. There is a wide range of holistic wellness, rejuvenation and beauty treatments administered under the guidance of expert therapists.

We chose a sort of mixed option and were guided by professionals in a wellness program and nutritional advice. What a difference it made!

Of course, we had some superb massages and treatments at the Spa, which is the most unique and beautiful I have ever been to, in the middle of a forest. The couple massage takes place in a “nest”, with a full view to the sea. No matter how warm it is outside, the nest is always at a nice temperature.

During the treatment the therapists will ask if you want to listen to music or if you prefer just listening to the sea – pick the second option, please!

Once your treatment is finished, you will be guided to a lounge, also with full view to the sea, and offered some healthy bio juices to sit back and chill. An amazing experience!

Find out more about the spa and treatments here.

RESTAURANTS

Six Senses Laamu features an organic garden where 40 different herbs, vegetables, salad leaves and micro-herbs are grown. Chefs and the culinary team have teamed up with the gardeners to offer a menu as organic as it gets at all the restaurants of the property and one can definitely taste it. There is a serious effort to try to produce as much of what is consumed as possible in the island.

Once the team realised we were interested in the organic garden, they took us on a little tour and it was interesting to find out some Asian spices I had never heard of and that were smelling and tasting so nice.

Six Senses counts 6 bars and restaurants (see all here), most over water and each with its unique atmosphere:

– Leaf  is the signature restaurant, perched above the perfumed organic garden with a view of the sea  and a cosy relaxed interior

This was the restaurant I liked best during my stay and where I tried some very tasty meals. The chef or sous-chef had just returned from Portugal and prepared some very inventive dishes out of exotic and local ingredients – it was not only tasty but also very beautiful.

Something funny about this restaurant is that it can be reached by normal stairs but also by a bridge, which is quite tricky to cross (and I will not tell the secret).

See the delicious menu here.

– Zen is the Japanese restaurant. Placed in an upper deck over water. Only twelve people can dine here (reserve!!!) in comfortable lounges on the floor or in regular tables facing the ocean. The menu offers a modern twist of the traditional Kaiseki (royal Japanese food) as well as sushi and sashimi. Really good, amazing quality, but I got a bit tired because my husband wanted to dine here every day. Hahaha!

The menu is here.

– Longitude is the international over water option, serving dinner à la carte or buffet. It is spread across two floors and, no matter where you sit, the view is going to be mesmerising.

As I am not that much into buffets, we did not try out that option but dined à la carte instead. I made sure I reserved the tables over water which guaranteed an unforgettable night. Perfect!

Breakfast is served here. It is a very complete buffet style breakfast and there is everything for every taste in a perfect presentation. No gluten, no fat, English style, Asian style, Mediterranean style, any fruit you can think of (including most exotic ones), breads, juices, sweets… I should better stop here because the list is huge.

Maybe my favorite part of breakfast were fresh and instantly prepared organic juices. The selection of cheeses and sausage was also very good and really well presented in a refrigerated area.

See the menu is here.

– Chill Bar is the place to be. Modern, young, cool music, relaxed vibe and the best sunset on earth. Many guests choose to end the day here and there is a cool DJ playing nice music! We would often chill here for hours.

Beside the cool drinks, it is possible to enjoy delicious Vietnamese dishes in a great atmosphere in this place. Food was so good I felt I would be back in Vietnam.

There is a popular snorkeling area right in front of Chill bar. Therefore, cool music, yummy meals and great drinks are not the only reasons to be around.

See the menu here.

– Ice & Chocolate Studio is the sort of place that you find hard to believe. Hight quality chocolate in very warm Maldives? Yes. Complimentary yummy ice cream, all day? Yes. Definitely worth a stop. Every day. And the ice cream… so so yummy! One of the busiest areas in the hotel. No wonder why. See the menu here.

– Sip Sip is the restaurant and bar at the pool, serving casual all day dining. I just love it and I wrote more about the place above.

Find the menu here.

EXPERIENCES

Activities are never ending at Six Senses Laamu and you can be sure you will never get bored. I have to admit that I did not join many because I mainly wanted to relax.

The activities will vary a bit depending on the time of the year and I will list some:

– Diving is the first and also the most special experience while in Six Senses Laamu due to the crystal clear water surrounding atoll. The presence of rare species as well as commonly found marine life are another major reason for the popularity of Laamu Atoll as a diving destination. You may come across numerous recognized diving sites in Maldives but Reef Dives, Kandus and Thilas are the most important among all.

– Early Morning Dive is for the early bird who is curious about what happens on the reef at sunrise and who wants to know which is the first fish to wake up we offer early morning dives on a regular basis. The activity starts before the sun comes up and people are back in time for breakfast and to join the morning dive.

– Full Dive Excursion consists of a  beautiful day on a comfortable dive boat visiting some dive sites a bit further afield. Lunch is served on board and guests have the choice to select from the set menus according to their preference.

– Night Dive will allow you to see how the reef changes at night – some fish are actually sleeping and others come out to hunt. 

– Watersports are a must while in Six Senses Laamu. You can choose between surfing (best time for the waves are from April to October) , wakeboarding, water skiing, windsurfing, catamaran sailing (great opportunity to relax and see some dolphins), kayaking, stand up paddle, etc.

– Snorkeling was the best! Equipment is complimentary at the Dive Centre in the hotel and hosts will be able the right time to snorkel in each place. We would go by bike around the island stopping at the places we wanted to explore. We saw turtles, a Stingray and thousands of beautiful and different fish.

– Excursions to Islands close the hotel might be interesting for those who want to see how life really is in a Maldivian little island. A guide will take you to the local mosque, school, boat building areas, etc. Depending on the excursion you take, some strategics stops will take place for snorkelling.

– Ioga is a great option to exercise at Six Senses Laamu. I tried Aero Ioga and it was WOW!

– Barbecue dinner on the Sandbank is a treat for two! This trip offers a delicious barbecue dinner on Six Senses sandbank. A precious memory to take from this place.

– Private picnic on a desert island is the closest I can imagine to perfection for a romantic proposal or couple celebration. The turquoise-coloured waters are all yours and you can enjoy swimming, snorkelling and a pic nic.

Click here for more.

SUSTAINABILITY 

During our stay we had the pleasure to visit the “backstage” of the hotel and it was so impressive. I felt happy and proud of the effort that is made by the staff – recycling is key in the property, as well as production of much of what is consumed and used on the island, even clothes for the team. Right in the middle off the island, far from the eyes of guests, there is an impressive structure committed to recycling, to reduce waste, to save energy, to keep the water clean and to protect and respect the environment. Thumbs up!

In view of all the above, it should not be difficult to imagine how much we loved our stay at Six Senses Laamu. My husband and I were pretty much in need of sun and some relaxed days. And were so happy to find it in such a paradise.

I believe I already wrote the word “sunset” a million times, right?! But I just cannot avoid it because the most beautiful ones I have ever seen in my life were in the Maldives, actually at Six Senses Laamu. We had many great strategic places we found to watch it and one was in our private beach, only the two of us. Wonderful!

Seeing these pictures now took me back so many feelings and memories… But you know what?! I know I will be back! And I maybe meet some of you there. how about that?! 🙂

HOW TO BOOK: See packages and prices here, directly with the hotel.

Read more about the Maldives here.

I hope you liked the article. Let’s take our shoes off and shine! 🙂