Trade in your dreary desk for sun-drenched sands and seafood feasts at these idyllic Indian Ocean getaways
Admit it. You want to swap your desk for a deck overlooking tourmaline waters, and replace the autumnal drizzle for sun-drenched shores. You are craving seafood platters and ice-cold champagne, and you’d trade in your colleagues for a pod of dolphins – even dogfish would do. If you’re deficient in vitamin D, hit up one (or all) of these seven Indian Ocean escapes, including a certain trophy-bedecked Maldivian beach belle. With the region’s dry season – December to April – approaching, expect maximum sun and minimal admin.
1. Wild Coast Tented Lodge, Yala
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(Image: Nomadic Resorts)
At Wild Coast Tented Lodge in Yala National Park, you’re as likely to bump into land monitors, monkeys and root-munching wild boars as you are to encounter fellow guests. This luxurious but relaxed resort, right beside the pounding Indian Ocean, puts a luxury spin on safari life. Expect bushland fine-dining, daily canapés and sundowners, plus pampering spa treatments. The resort’s Unesco-approved architecture is inspired by the boulders dotting the beach, and its vaulted, canvas-swathed Cocoon Suites deserve a gasp or two. Meals are served in the breezy Dining Pavilion, overlooking the pool, parkland and ocean beyond. The hotel belongs to Resplendent Ceylon’s legendary ‘Tea, Sea & Safari’ triumvirate, which includes the gorgeous Ceylon Tea Trails and Cape Weligama.
2. Joali Being, Maldives
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If Joali Being doesn’t realign your chakras, nothing will. A concept of ‘weightlessness’ informs the design of Joali’s 68 beachfront and overwater villas, each with their own private pool and Indian Ocean views, plus blissful extras such as a customised Wellbeing Bar, meditative musical instruments and wellbeing games. Villas and residences also come with their own personal butler or ‘jadugar’, meaning ‘skilled magician’ in Dhivehi. The magic continues in the mind-stilling spa and its constellation of restaurants, including the award-winning Flow, which promises ingredient traceability and locally harvested produce.
3. Constance Tsarabanjina, Madagascar
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Nature is king at Constance Tsarabanjina, set on the secluded islet of Nosy Tsarabanjina off the northwest coast of Madagascar. Pick from palm-thatched, Malagasy-style villas on South Beach or North Beach, graced with private terraces and prime ocean access. Don your snorkelling mask and flippers to discover the Mitsio archipelago’s giant aquarium, go kayaking, or embark on a guided nature walk. Everything is protected, from the beach shells to the seabed. After all, the islet is sacred: the tomb of the Sakalava kings of the Mitsio islands is located on the eastern beach’s small peninsula. Locals still leave offerings of milk, rum and honey in veneration.
4. Soneva Fushi, Maldives
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It’s practically illegal to discuss Indian Ocean hotels without mentioning Soneva Fushi: the winner of the Lost Explorer Best Beach Hotel Award 2024 as part of The World’s 50 Best Hotels. The resort wrote the script for barefoot luxury, debuting its trademark ‘no news, no shoes’ policy back in 1995, and pioneering the overwater villas and outdoor bathrooms that set a much-imitated benchmark. Brainchild of legendary hoteliers Sonu Shivdasani and Eva Malmström Shivdasani, its private-island lures include delicious seclusion, a Bali-inspired spa, the So Hands On by Akira restaurant, a lavish pool complex, tennis courts and more.
5. Velaa Private Island, Maldives
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Meaning ‘turtle’ in Dhivehi, the local language, Velaa is named after the sea turtles that nest and hatch on its island. The resort’s layout is also turtle-shaped, as your seaplane transfer will reveal. Respecting its natural riches, Velaa spearheads a state-of-the-art coral regeneration programme. The spa is equally pioneering; home to the Maldives’ first ‘snow room’, plus innovative rituals such as Cloud 9, a celestial reclining treatment pod. Further relaxation comes in the form of blue-and-gold, overwater Aragu restaurant. Sri Lankan chef Gaushan De Silva helms the first (and only) Maldivian establishment to have graced the extended 51–100 section of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list.
6. Lux Grand Baie, Mauritius
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(Image: Tom Fallon)
Island style gets a playful reboot at Lux Grand Baie, named after the mellow, adjacent beach town. This scene-stealing hotel boasts the Indian Ocean’s inaugural outdoor rooftop wellness space, Muscle Up on the Roof, featuring two Olympic-standard running tracks. Then there’s the 1,625sqm spa, which guests can book for exclusive use from 9pm until midnight, enjoying reflexology or a massage, followed by a trip to the Turkish Hammam, then champagne and canapés. A self-professed ‘culinary capital’, the resort’s restaurants include rooftop Bisou, Asia-inspired Ai Kisu, Milanese-style Maison Lux café and Beach Rouge restaurant. By night, cut shapes at Club Ai Kisu.
7. Four Seasons Desroches Island, Seychelles
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At Four Seasons Desroches Island in the sun-blessed Seychelles, items for your daily to-do list range from tortoise feeding and island expeditions to water sports, wellness rituals and Creole cookery classes. Of course, you’ll also want to factor in plenty of time for R&R: listening to the birdsong while dipping into your villa’s private pool or unwinding on nine miles of beaches. Enjoy Med cuisine at Claudine and sushi and noodles at Ahi but don’t miss stellar private dining: a feast a deux at the Lighthouse, or a garden barbecue perhaps? Toast your holiday with sunset floating drinks at your villa or salute the ocean from the bar or Lighthouse Lounge.
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