25 år som banebrydende – Soneva Resorts

Første oplevelser:

“I was completely blown away. I’d never seen anything like it.” This was Sonu’s first glimpse of the Maldives, flying in with his then-girlfriend, Eva, in 1987. They never looked back. In 1995 – over 25 years ago – they opened Soneva Fushi, det allerførste luksusresort på Maldiverne.

Things were very different back then. “There was only a handful of resorts and they were very basic, with plastic chairs, strip lighting, salt water showers – and all the food came out of tins”. But it was the landscape that captivated Sonu and Eva, who married soon after. “The first time I put my head in the water I was staggered. The colour, the coral, the fish – it was like being in an aquarium.”

A Life Changing Idea…

Sonu and Eva fell in love with the Maldives, and returned time and again, but they soon became disillusioned. “We no longer wanted to support the resorts because we could see they weren’t sustainable. Coral was being taken from the reefs to build villas, for example. We felt we could do something different.”

They were right. “Malé, the capital, was tiny in those days, just a few buildings and a handful of cars. The biggest building belonged to the government. I turned up in my shorts and polo shirt and asked if I could lease an island,” says Sonu, with a laugh. It would take several years before the couple received their wish – but it was worth the wait. They discovered Kunfunadhoo, an unspoilt, uninhabited tropical island far from the established resorts, in the pristine Baa Atoll, and began work on Soneva Fushi.

En ny luksusstil

“It was obvious what needed to be done. We needed to build sustainably, to protect the coral and maintain the vegetation. We needed to make the menus as fresh and local as possible, to offset carbon emissions and to limit and treat our waste. And we needed to get rid of shoes!” That ethos of sustainability – and of chic, barefoot style – has been there from the very beginning.

“The idea of luxury back then was formality and fuss. It was dressing up for dinner, but we wanted to move away from all that,” explains Sonu. Soneva Fushi introduced a “no news, no shoes” philosophy, encouraging guests to disconnect from technology, kick off their shoes and feel the sand between their toes. It struck a chord with those who were seeking a more authentic, relaxed way to holiday – a way that was also sustainable and had a positive impact.

Et hold med en forskel

Sonu og Eva introduced the idea of Barefoot Butlers, a bespoke one-on-one butler service for every villa. “We felt we needed to create a personalised service from the start,” says Sonu, and it was those connections between the team and the guests that further solidified Soneva as a brand that was making waves.

Nye feriesteder, nye ideer

Soneva’s tremendous success allowed it to grow. Next came Soneva Gili (which has since been sold) in 2000 with the first overwater villas in the Maldives, and Soneva Kiri on Thailand’s rainforest-swathed island of Koh Kood opened in 2009. The ethos remained the same: remote areas, extraordinary natural beauty, and a sustainable thread that runs through everything.

Soneva Villa Ownership fulgte, og gav mulighed for at købe en privat bolig i de sublime omgivelser af et Soneva-resort, og i 2015 lancerede Soneva i Aqua en 23 meter lang luksusyacht med oplevelsen af en villa til søs. I 2016 åbnede det næste Soneva-resort på Maldiverne: Soneva Jani i den smukke Noonu Atoll, en 5,6 km privat lagune med overvandsvillaer (komplet med karakteristiske vandrutsjebaner) og ø-villaer med endeløs udsigt over glitrende turkis.

Næste op: Maldiverne og Japan

Two more resorts will join the Soneva family in the next few years – one in the Maldives, and another on a jungle island in Okinawa, Japan’s tropical south. What ties all the resorts together is the unwavering commitment to what Sonu and Eva call the SLOWLIFE concept, where incredible experiences create unforgettable memories, all with a minimum impact on the natural world. As well as eliminating plastics, introducing water filtration systems and cultivating organic gardens at each resort, other innovations include building in-resort observatories and glass-upcycling studios. The latest scheme is Namoona, which provides funding, expertise and coordination for waste management systems that clean up local islands.

A True Trailblazer…

“We are incredibly proud of this silver anniversary,” says Sonu. “But what we’re most proud of is how our sustainable practices have been adopted elsewhere. Local islanders have changed how they recycle, how they use water and their attitude and approach to food has changed. And to know that we’ve been pioneers in introducing sustainability to the travel industry – that is a fantastic feeling.”

Fakta og tal

• Throughout 2020 – 21, Soneva’s resorts will be hosting a calendar of events and celebrations to recognise its ground-breaking achievements and industry firsts.
• Since opening, all three resorts have garnered an impressive list of international awards. In 2020 Soneva Jani was included in the Gold List of Conde Nast Traveler’s Best Hotels and Resorts in the world. In 2019 Soneva Fushi was included on the same list, while Bilanz’s ‘best hotel in the world’ award went to Soneva Jani, and Soneva Kiri was named the ‘number one resort in Asia/Thailand’ in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
• Soneva’s success paved the way for Sonu and Eva’s next brand, Six Senses Resorts and Spas, with award-winning properties in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Six Senses gained a global following before being sold in 2012.
• Alle Sonevas egenskaber er 100% kulstofneutral.
• I 2008 begyndte Soneva at producere sit eget filtrerede, mineraliserede og alkaliserede drikkevand, serveret i genanvendelige glasflasker og har siden været plastikflaskefri.
• Soneva Foundation, der blev lanceret i 2010, finansierer over 500 projekter og velgørende organisationer. Disse omfatter: Myanmar og Darfur Stoves Campaigns, som har distribueret brændstofeffektive komfurer til over 230.000 familier; Soneva Forest Restoration Project, der planter mere end en halv million træer i Chiang Mai, Thailand; og et vindmølleprojekt i Tamil Nadu, Indien, der producerer 80.000 MWh ren energi, som mindskede 70.000 tons kuldioxid.
• Soneva’s latest initiative is Namoona, a partnership with NGO Common Seas in collaboration with the Government of the Maldives and three local islands to radically reduce waste and prevent plastic from ending up in the ocean.
• Soneva’s “Waste to Wealth” philosophy, which in Soneva Fushi is focussed on our Eco Centro, means that the company recycles 90% of our waste. Some of the key activities includes composting, building-block making, the maker space where we recycle plastic, and the Glass Studio.
• Vores SLOWLIFE-etos står for bæredygtig, lokal, økologisk, wellness, læring, inspirerende, sjov, oplevelser.
• Hvert af vores resorts har sin egen økologiske have, hvor vi dyrker urter, frugt og grøntsager til vores restauranter.
• Soneva var den første udvej, der tilbød observatorier, hvor gæsterne kunne udforske nattehimlen, guidet af fastboende astronomer.
• Soneva Jani has the only overwater cinema in the Maldives. The widest screen in the Maldives is at Soneva Fushi’s Cinema Paradiso.

Indlægget 25 Years as a Trailblazer dukkede først op på Soneva.

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