For the uninitiated, a short introduction is needed. To design a typical resort in this nation of thousands of islands, take an island—with governmental permission, of course. Next, your island is a tadpole’s body, so add on a tail, usually wavy, formed of an overwater jetty of sun-bleached pine atop sturdy legs stuck far into the metre-deep waters below. Overwater villas are set along both sides of the jetty. Only seen when flying over the landmass, there’s possibly a coral reef around the entire island—this means that you look down at a giant tadpole with a pale turquoise halo of shallow water all around.
The effect is magical, especially since islands are densely covered over in mangrove and other lush greenery. Typically, in the islands’ centres, unseen by resort guests, a whole other life goes on—in the employees’ on-site villages, where they live, eat, and play football.
About 10 years ago, the Turkish conglomerate Gurallar Group decided to bring Maldives luxury up to a new level. Led by Gurallar’s powerful female director, Esin Gural Argat, the first resort, Joali Maldives, opened 2018. The second, Joali Being—a 15-minute speedboat ride from its sibling—followed four years later. Both follow the Maldives’ template of cathedral-high villas divided into three adjacent areas: sitting room, bedroom, and bathroom. Thereafter, individuality takes over.
The 73-villa Joali Maldives has dark-stained American pine separators between villa areas (we loved Luxury Water Villa No. 65). There’s an outstanding Japanese restaurant, and an Italian counterpart. Daytime, try your skill in the Art Studio creative centre. Think morning yoga, water expeditions, padel, or tennis. House colours, shown in cushions and the like, are blush pink and baby blue. The butlers, in pink overshirts, are among the world’s best. Lucky you if you can get Bek from Tashkent. He never imposes but, intuitively, he’s always there. Hotel GM is a local—the charming Shifaz Hassan.
Joali Being, with 68 villas total, takes wellness to a new height (think Chiva-Som or Lanserhof but considerably more fun). There was even a xylophone to strum in Grand Ocean Pool Villa No. 67. Aspirants and already-there celebs come to recharge, following the resort’s pillars of mind, skin, microbiome, and energy. The brand colour here is mint, the colour of villa dividers and bathroom ceilings. Choose to eat normally or go for dishes from the plant-based or seafood kitchen: You can mix and match, say, a taxing fermented salad followed by a Wagyu rib-eye so beautifully presented that only afterwards do you realise it was a quarter the height of your normal one back home and the listed broccolini was one Lilliputian sprig.
Joali Being is where you throw heart and soul—and wallet—into well-being. The first day includes an integrated assessment with sensors held in both hands that, as if by miracle, record how spleen through to teeth are working. On another morning, you might endure minus 87-degree Celsius of cryotherapy followed by an hour of sound therapy. Next could come a create-your-own perfume masterclass before tea-tasting with the nation’s only certified tea sommelier. In-between, there are workouts, another art centre to explore, and a gorgeous nine-instrument sound walk through the undergrowth. No nightlife here (everyone’s asleep by about 9 o’clock, but there are great hardbacks to read, and all villas come with xylophones). The GM here is a well-travelled Glaswegian, Graeme Freeman, formerly with Six Senses.
And there you have it: two symbiotic but unique resorts. Do as many others do and break yourself in gradually at Joali Maldives before going the whole hog—though there doesn’t seem to be pig on any menus—at Joali Being. And keep yourself prepared, for there are more Joalis on the horizon.
All images courtesy of Joali Maldives and Joali Being.
