Stunning Maldives

Top: Sun Spa, Vilu Reef Beach & Spa Resort, Maldives;Bottom: Reef, Maldives.

Beach lover and traveler?  Then you’ll likely fancy the Maldives known for their white beaches, turquoise and sapphire waters and lush vegetation.

If you’re a green traveler, take a look Vilu Reef Beach & Spa Resort in South Nilandhe Atoll, Maldives.

The company’s environmental initiatives include protecting the local environment through tending to its underwater ecosystem, using locally-grown produce in its restaurants and planting palm trees.

This 122-room luxury resort has villas with traditional thatched roofs, 800 palm trees, a protected lagoon and reef with diverse corals and fish.

These villas were designed with circular walls and spiral roof inspired by the Maldivian nautilus shell in its lagoons and corals.

Resort facilities include an infinity pool, fitness room, Sun Spa, table tennis, volleyball court and several restaurants and bars.

The resort recognizes that 99 per cent of the Maldives’ low-lying coral islands are covered by sea water and climate change and rising sea levels are a concern.

So Vilu Reef’s sister resort Olhuveli Beach & Spa Resort on the South Male Atoll, has also set up these initiatives to protect the coral reefs and marine life including:

• Adding six artificial structures to the natural reef increasing the existing underwater ecosystem;
• Staff cleaning the house reef on PADI Project Awareness Day, Environmental Day and Ocean Day and
• Supporting a local agricultural island which grows pumpkins to papayas.

Here are more scenes from the Maldives:

Vilu Reef.

Snorkeling.

Aerial view of resort.

Water villas at night.

Bathroom in water villas.

Water villa interior.

Images courtesy of Sun Hotels & Resorts.