Today I am proud to announce that Soneva marks 25 years since
#SonevaFushi
first opened its doors to guests in 1995. We'll be paying homage to our storied history in the coming months.
#DiscoverSoneva
#25yearsofSoneva
At Soneva we produce around 60 litres
#coconutoil
(from approximately 1,350 coconuts) a month from the coconut trees on our island. The oil is used by our Food and Beverage teams, as well as at the Soneva Spa at
#SonevaJani
.
#coconuts
With the Maldives open to international tourists we at
@soneva
are looking forward to seeing new and returning guests to our shores at
#SonevaFushi
and
#SonevaJani
.
At
#SonevaFushi
, our solar panels currently produce around 12% of the total electricity consumption at the resort. Our goal is to have the panels generate 50% of the total consumption in the near future.
#solarenergy
#solarpanels
A testament to the success of our mosquito project, I’m incredibly proud that in 2021 we reached a milestone 2.5 years without pesticide fogging at
#sonevafushi
, and 1.5 years at
#sonevajani
. Our mosquito population has now collapsed by 98%.
All waste can have a purpose at Soneva: we grind old glass to use in our cement and building blocks, meaning we don’t have to import sand from elsewhere.
#WastetoWealth
We also make our own
#charcoal
from waste wood. In 2019 our Eco Centro produced 9,000 kg of charcoal, (woth USD 14,400) which is utilized by our Food and Beverage teams.
#WastetoWealth
#sustainability
Since the inauguration of the Soneva Water bottling plant on Maalhos, the locals have managed to eliminate around 60% of their
#plastic
waste with the help of resuable glass bottles.
#SonevaNamoona
#NamoonaBaa
#saynotoplastic
We acknowledge and respect the culture of the Maldives, and apologise for the recent Twitter post that may have caused offence. It was posted in error.
Receiving an OBE is an incredible honour and I share it with all of Soneva’s friends and family. This recognition reinforces our founding vision, which is placing purpose over profit.
We are delighted to share that our Founder and CEO
@SonuShivdasani
has been honoured as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to tourism, sustainability and charity in the King’s New Year Honours 2023 Overseas and International List.
Soneva would like to clarify that Mahinda Rajapaksa, the former president and prime minister of Sri Lanka, is not in discussions to buy a villa at any Soneva property. Nor is any member of the former president’s family in discussions to buy a villa.
#SonevaFushi
was awarded the No. 1 Favourite Spa Hotel (Int.) and 2nd place for Favourite Family Hotel (Int.), with
#SonevaJani
taking 2nd place for Favourite Romantic Hotel (Int.) in
@cntraveller
Middle East 2020 Readers' Choice Awards:
Soneva Foundation is working with local entities in Thailand to reintroduce the rare Oriental Pied Hornbill after it became extinct on Koh Kood due to over-hunting and loss of habitat. The first pair of hornbills in the programme arrived on the island late last year.
We are proud to be part of the launch of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, underlining our commitment to driving change in the hospitality industry to create a better, more sustainable future for our planet and its people.
For more information visit
We are always so honoured when couples choose to celebrate their big day with us at Soneva. From feet in the sand to under the sea, every ceremony is completely unique and captured by our talented digital storytellers.
I am thrilled to announce the official launch of The Den at
#SonevaJani
. This 1,500 sqm, two-storey structure is a remarkable feat of engineering, taking two years to complete and becoming one of the largest children’s clubs in Asia.
Small families can find their home away from home in the Maldives too. Our new 1-Bedroom Island Family Retreat at
#SonevaJani
is the perfect holiday choice with direct beach access, several entertaining areas across two floors, a family-sized TV lounge and more.
My wife Eva and I have always considered ourselves guardians, not owners, of our resorts and the natural environment that surrounds them - which is why sustainability has always been at the heart of
#Soneva
’s ethos.
#WorldEarthDay
Eva and I, and all our Team are honoured to share that Soneva Fushi, was named the
#1
Resort in Asia - Indian Ocean in
@CNTraveler
Readers’ Choice Awards 2022.
#DiscoverSoneva
#RCA2022
Update: Great news. The new PCR lab at Maafaru International Airport is fully commissioned and ready for operation.
This project we undertook for Soneva Hotels took us 30 days to complete from ordering equipment, physical infrastructure construction to final set-up.
We believe in treading lightly on the earth's precious resources. All Soneva resorts exist in harmony with the natural environment, from our sustainably sourced building materials, to our circular, waste-to-wealth ethos that reuses and recycles 90% of our waste.
#earthday
The report today in the Maldivian blog
@MaldivesJournal
, which erroneously stated that Soneva has agreed to sell a private villa in the Maldives to the Rajapaksa family, among other claims, is completely false.
At Soneva, even the smallest details count. Every new arrival receives a personal welcome from the resort management team and their dedicated Barefoot Butler, who are also there to wave goodbye when it’s time to leave…
Mickael Viljanen is the head chef of The Greenhouse (2 Michelin stars) restaurant in Dublin, Ireland, will be delighting guests with his cuisine at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani from April 1-15, 2021.
Did you know the tensile strength of bamboo is higher than steel? Highly sustainable, fast-growing, versatile and durable, it’s one of the world’s oldest building materials and we use it extensively at our Soneva resorts.
At Soneva, we see waste as a resource and turn it into wealth. At the Soneva Art & Glass studio, discarded glass is transformed into beautiful works of art by our visiting artists and glassblowers.
A very warm welcome to rugby legend
@jameshaskell
, who arrives at our Maldives resorts today to host rugby camps for our Young Sonevians, as well as fascinating Talkers' Tables on mental health in sport.
There are so many great spots at
#SonevaKiri
. Breakfast in the Treepod Dining, 60 feet in the air is hard to beat, or watching the sunset whilst sipping a great Rosé at The View bar is lovely too.
Our Art & Regeneration Programme across our resorts finds value in what others just see as waste. We call it ‘Waste to Wealth’ – one example is our Makers’ Place studio, which transforms discarded cans and plastic bottles into works of art.
#globalrecyclingday
I'm delighted to announce that we've reached 1 million followers on Instagram, making
@DiscoverSoneva
one of the most followed hospitality brands on the platform
We are delighted to announce our wins from the
@DestinDeluxe
2020 Awards: Soneva Jani was the winner of the Eco-Spa of the Year and Soneva Fushi came in second place in the Eco Hotel of the Year category. Congratulations to all our Hosts who made these awards possible.
#wellness
With us since the very beginning, Abdulla is very dear to Eva and I. He was the caretaker who helped us build
#SonevaFushi
and his pet rabbit was the ancestor of all the bunnies that now live at the resort.
Our brand-new beachfront sanctuaries at
#SonevaJani
offer a fresh escape for families. Surrounded by tropical gardens, the 2 Bedroom Island Retreats with Slide provide ample space to play and unwind with a private freshwater pool and spacious outdoor dining areas.
A throwback picture from the archives: the first time Eva and I laid eyes on Kunfunadhoo Island, now home to Soneva Fushi, back in 1994. It was love at first sight.
Our 4 Bedroom Island Reserve with Slide at
#SonevaJani
is the ideal barefoot hideaway for large families and groups of friends, with a dedicated children’s pool, water slide and several indoor and outdoor living areas.
We have a mandatory 2% Carbon Levy for all our guests at Soneva. With these proceeds we fund numerous sustainability initiatives through the
#SonevaFoundation
.
#WorldEnvironmentDay
Welcome to The Den at
#SonevaJani
, our new inspiring playground for young imaginations where we encourage all our young guests to learn, play, discover nature, and let their creativity and curiosity run wild.
Much-maligned, sharks have a vital role in healthy ocean ecosystems – Eva and I have been staunch supporters of the Maldives’ shark fishing ban since it came into effect back in 2010.
#sharkawarenessday
#Maalhos
is now the first local island to officially stop open burning. They unveiled the Maalhos Eco Centro, a "waste-to-wealth" waste processing facility established in partnership
#SonevaFushi
as part of the
#NamoonaBaa
initiative!
#sustainability
#Maldives
I’m delighted to welcome
@Chef_Julien
Royer’s 3 Michelin-starred
#Odette
for an exclusive 10-week culinary residency at Flying Sauces, the world’s first fine dining zipline experience.
I am proud to announce the launch of Soneva Soul. Over 25 years in the making, this new wellness concept marks an exciting new era for
@discoversoneva
, harnessing the ancient healing wisdom and modern innovations we have gathered on our journey so far. I hope you can join us…
We are proud to have 41 valued Soneva Ambassadors around the world sharing the same passion for Slow Life. It is a pleasure to announce our newest Ambassador,
@aparnaswarup
who recently joined us. Aparna is based in India and is a fond enthusiast of Soneva.
As guardians of our precious natural environments, at Soneva we tread lightly on the earth - from carrying out detailed environmental impact assessments to sourcing sustainable, ethically produced building materials
#worldenvironmentday
Some of my favourite times in the Maldives have been onboard our
#SonevainAqua
yacht. Custom-built for Soneva with a crew that includes a sous chef and wellness therapist, every aspect is geared towards creating memorable moments for our guests.
A focus on organic, plant-based dining is part of our SLOW LIFE philosophy, which champions holistic wellbeing and a healthier, more sustainable way of living. Red meat has been almost completely removed from our menus and the use of dairy products has been significantly reduced.
At our resorts in the
#Maldives
we test all our guests and our Hosts when they arrive on the island to ensure guests can enjoy their holidays to the fullest.
#COVID19
#Styrofoam
is a problem. But at
#Soneva
we have made it part of our solutions. Our Projects and
#WastetoWealth
teams use it to make building bricks and as an insulation material in our villas.
#upcycling
At
#SonevaFushi
's Eco Centro around 20,000 kg of compost is made each month by mixing daily waste food with organic matter, such as jungle trimmings put through the wood chipper.
#composting
#sustainability
In collaboration with Swiss organisation , we're launching the Maldives' largest coral nursery, with ambitious plans to harvest 50,000 coral fragments every year to restore and renew our reef systems.
It has been a year of milestones for us at
@Soneva
. If we can achieve this much during times of uncertainty then we can certainly strive for even more firsts in the year ahead and as we continue to celebrate 25 years of
#Soneva
.
Eva and I have been staunch supporters of the Maldives’ shark fishing ban since it came into effect back in 2010. They play a vital role in healthy ocean ecosystems and deserve our protection.
#SharkAwarenessDay
The Sunset Sanctuary Villa Three, the only 3-bedroom over-water residence at Soneva Jani is looking for a new owner. To find out more, please visit , enquire directly at lynn.villadolid
@lifestylecapitalpartners
.com
Lunch at The Crab Shack at
#SonevaJani
, served with a crisp Chene Bleu Rose is my ideal summer dining setting. Here, guests can dine barefoot with toes in the sand, in line with our ‘No News, No Shoes’ ethos.
This
#InternationalWomensDay
, I am incredibly grateful for the strong women role models who work across
#Soneva
. We strive to create equity through ambitious female employment targets, a safe, respectful working environment and a clear career path for all of our Hosts.
#SonevaJani
saw unprecedented sea turtle activity last year – a total of 94 nests were laid on the resort’s beaches, many of which included endangered green sea turtles. Our Ocean Guardians kept the nests safe and collected data that will help drive future conservation efforts.