4 Days in Paradise
I dined out in style with a floating tray full of plant-based temptations after a delayed trip to the Maldives for a vegetarian festival.
Travelling more than 5,000 miles for a four-day vegetarian festival may seem excessive. Still, when that festival was on a beautiful island in the Indian Ocean, this was not an invitation to refuse. The resort of Atmosphere Kanifushi in the Maldives lies in the quietly populated Lhaviyani Atoll, far from the crowds heading to the easier-to-reach islands near the capital, Malé.
My journey, which should have taken around 12 hours, was eventually 30 from door to door due to some disruption with an inbound Emirates flight to the UK. The trip was worth it, though, as nothing had prepared me for the beauty of the Maldives.
Even though it was raining as I arrived on the noisy 35-minute flight by seaplane, as it bumped towards Atmosphere Kanifushi, I was already in love.
My Beach Villa
I wandered up the arrival pier to the sound of traditional Boduberu drums and was greeted at reception with a glass of icy-cold champagne. Then, I made my way on one of the little hop-on buggies that constantly moved around the small two-kilometre-long island to my gorgeous Sunset Beach Villa, home for the next four days.
These villas are the largest entry-level beach-front villas in the Maldives. They are supremely comfortable, from the delightful outside bathroom, jacuzzi bath, walk-in shower, and a delightful couple of resident geckos to help protect me from the mosquitos.
Indoors, there’s a fridge stuffed with food and drink and a humungous bed, which I longed to climb into, but I was here to eat, and dinner was just one hour away. So, I flung open the doors to my private garden and the path leading to the beach. Off came my shoes, and that first feeling of the damp, warm sand in my toes while watching the Maldivian sunset was something I would never forget.
My first dinner was at the luxurious overwater Pier 6, which, in the dark, spilt just enough light out into the night to see and hear the gentle lull of the lagoon below. Dinner was an array of canapes and seafood, including boxes stuffed with lobster, crab, tuna, scallops, and steamed dim-sum, alongside cocktails and European wines.
After dinner, I stepped out onto the deck to a warm, gentle breeze. As I peered into the lagoon, I was mesmerised by a sea turtle swimming beneath me when I realised I had been awake for close to 36 hours and that it was time for bed.
Unbelievably, by 7 a.m., I was up and out onto a windy beach for a Sound Healing Bath with the in-house Yoga teacher. This meditative experience of “bathing” in sound waves was meant to help heal my jet lag, and it did. At the end of 30 minutes, I was refreshed and ready for breakfast and a tour of the island.
The 5-star All-Inclusive resort of Atmosphere Kanifushi occupies the whole of the island. From my 100 m² Sunset Villa, built when the resort opened in 2013, there are now 162 stand-alone and water villas sized up to 450 m², some with private pools. The largest at 450 m² is the Kanifushi Residence, with a living space, 4 bedrooms including a nanny’s room and a 115 m² glass swimming pool with ocean views
There is a wealth of food at Atmosphere Kanifushi; in my short 4-day visit, I managed to eat cuisine that crossed continents and styles in six different restaurants with food so fresh, I wondered how they managed it on a tiny remote island.
One day, unbelievably, lunch was served on floating trays in the glass pool of Kanifushi Residence, and it was indeed a first for me.
Kanafushi Just Veg Festival
In 2013, Just Veg, the first vegetarian restaurant in the Maldives, was opened here. The restaurant is now so renowned that each year -and the reason I am here – they host a four-day vegetarian festival which now attracts food lovers worldwide.
The quiet and unassuming renowned Italian chef Fabrizio Marino hosts the festival. He leaves his Tuscan restaurant in San Miniato between Pisa and Lucca each year to celebrate the exquisite art of plant-based dining.
Over the 10 years he has led this feast, fusing Arabic, Indian, and Mediterranean influences, he has overcome some difficulties with sourcing ingredients, as some are now grown on the island specifically for Just Veg.
The festival’s high point was the Gala dinner hosted by General Manager Ram Bhoyroo and supported by Director of Wines Nicolas Laguette, working with Fabrizo’s menu to produce an astonishing flight of wines. Within an array of dishes, there are too many to mention.
My favourites were the watermelon sashimi, roasted aubergine and shiso sauce, and smoky oyster mushrooms; I loved the silky artichoke cream, hazelnut, black truffle, and stunning sweet and sour onion ice cream.
I pinched myself frequently, as food of this calibre, fine European wines, and great company in a palm-fringed restaurant open to the gentle breeze and sound of the Indian Ocean is what dreams are made of. I slept well that night.
Other fun at Kanifushi
Aside from incredible food, there are many other activities on the island. During my brief stay, I snorkelled, including spotting a scary-looking stingray. I had a delicious, relaxing spa massage and yoga classes. As part of the continued regeneration and sustainability on the island, the tree-planting session was thrilling; I even planted a coconut palm with my name on it.
One of my highlights was the 45-minute boat trip to Naifaru Island and the Atoll Marine Conservation Centre. Here, they rehabilitate sea turtles, which opened my eyes to the dangers facing these beautiful creatures.
The days had flown by. Suddenly, I was back on the seaplane heading to Malé. Leaving was sad, but I knew I would be back one day to Kanifushi, at least to see how my coconut palm was growing.
For more information on Kanifushi and Atmosphere Resorts, please visit https://atmosphere-kanifushi.com