Soneva Jani

Soneva Jani is a collection of Water and Island Villas in the crystal clear waters of the Noonu Atoll. The beautiful island is fringed by pristine beaches and blanketed in lush tropical greenery.

Soneva Jani is located on the island of Medhufaru, located in the Maldives’ Noonu Atoll. One of the largest islands in the Maldives, Medhufaru is only 30 minutes by seaplane from the Airport. Only an hour by speedboat from Soneva Fushi.

Each villa comes with a personal butler and full access to all the island’s facilities. Furthermore special owners rates are offered in the restaurant and bar. The overwater villas all feature a retractable roof from the master bedroom to stargaze at night. The villas also feature ocean views in all directions. Many of them also include waterslides from the top deck directly into the lagoon below.

The main guest facilities are located at The Gathering, the heart of the overwater villas. The dramatic three-story structure is home to the main dining outlets. In addition to the Den, Observatory, Clubhouse, Beach Restaurant the structure has a Water-sports and Dive Centre and a Spa. On top of that it caters a Boutique & Gallery, Library and the Main Bar. Other Facilities on the island include a silent outdoor, overwater cinema. Also an Eco Centro waste to wealth centre, organic gardens and tennis courts.

Soneva reveals details of its newest resort — Soneva Jani

24 water villas and 1 island villa to open in October 2016 in the Maldives
All villas feature a retractable roof for stargazing
The resort is set in a 5.6km private lagoon

Soneva, the world-leading luxury resort operator, has revealed details of its newest resort, Soneva Jani, opening in October 2016 in the Maldives. The brand’s newest luxury resort offering will comprise 24 water villas and one island villa, with additional island villas planned at a later stage.

Inspired by a word that means wisdom in Sanskrit, Soneva Jani is located on the island of Medhufaru, which is part of an uninhabited five-island cluster in the Noonu Atoll. The highlight of the resort is its location within a 5.6 kilometer lagoon of crystal clear waters with uninterrupted 360° views of the Indian Ocean. The main island is fringed by pristine beaches and blanketed with lush tropical greenery.

Soneva Jani
Soneva Jani

Every water villa has a private pool and opens to its own stretch of lagoon, with some villas featuring slides going directly from the top deck into the lagoon below. The highlight of the villas is the retractable roof in the master bedroom, which slides back at the touch of a button so that guests can lie in bed and stargaze. Like all other Soneva properties, the spacious villas feature beautifully designed interiors by Eva Shivdasani, one of Soneva’s co-founders, and are made from the highest quality sustainable materials.

“When we opened Soneva Gili more than 15 years ago, it stood out as a unique and new concept in luxury travel.  It is my belief that Soneva Jani is even more revolutionary.  There are many small details and improvements, for example at Soneva Gili, guests would often sleep on the top deck so that they could sleep under the stars. In each Soneva Jani Water Retreat or Reserve the master bedroom roof slides back at the press of a button. It closes automatically if it rains,” said Sonu Shivdasani, founder and CEO of Soneva.

Soneva Jani
Soneva Jani

“We live in an ever more crowded and developed world. Soneva Jani is one of the lowest density resorts in the world. Just 25 Villas are built in an area that stretches nearly five kilometers. It is not an island resort.  It is a lagoon with five private islands where only one of these will have development. When designing and building Soneva Jani, I was very mindful that when we open, the area should seem as natural and beautiful as the first day I laid eyes on it,” he added. “Soneva Jani is one of the most anticipated hotel openings in the Indian Ocean this year. We have already witnessed a huge amount of interest, with the first few weeks fully booked within a few days of opening the booking system to the global travel trade.”

Soneva Jani
Soneva Jani

Soneva Jani will include all of Soneva’s popular features including a Spa, a dive centre, an observatory, a children’s den, an Eco Centro, organic gardens and an outdoor Cinema Paradiso. The cinema will be the first ‘silent cinema’ in the Maldives, as guests will be given Bluetooth earphones to watch movies so as not to disturb the nesting wildlife in the area.

The resort will serve global cuisine at five dining outlets, and will feature Soneva’s ubiquitous cheese, chocolate, ice-cream and charcuterie rooms that are complimentary for all guests. Various destination and specialty dining experiences will also be available.

Soneva Jani
Soneva Jani

“Soneva Jani is a place of incredible natural beauty. The waters in the lagoon have the most vibrant shades of blue that I have not seen anywhere else in the Maldives. We have an extensive array of marine life, including turtles, rays and occasionally dolphins, and the lagoon is an excellent place for kayaking, sailing and swimming as it is calm, shallow and extends for miles and miles. The villas are stunning and include all the attention to detail that Soneva is renowned for. Construction is progressing quickly and we are on track for an opening in October 2016,” said Olivia Richli, the Pre-Opening and General Manager of Soneva Jani.

Soneva Jani includes 18 units of one-bedroom Water Retreats, four units of two-bedroom Water Retreats, one three-bedroom Water Retreat, 1 three-bedroom Water Reserve, and one four-bedroom Island Reserve.

Soneva Jani
Soneva Jani

In constructing the resort, Soneva kept its environmental impact as low as possible. The pools use seawater with UV filtration and the villas have been built over the sandy floors of the lagoon, with no damage to any part of the reef. Furthermore, solar PV will be a significant source of power generation at the resort, all waste-water will be collected and treated on-site, and water will also be produced on-site, including drinking water. Soneva’s Eco Centro Waste-to-Wealth centre will ensure that waste is recycled, while the extensive vegetable garden will give local produce for the restaurants based on organic principles.

The resort’s soft opening is planned for October 01, 2016, while the official opening date is fixed at November 05, 2016. Bookings are now available from October 01, 2016 onwards.

Soneva Jani
Soneva Jani

In addition to Soneva Jani, Soneva owns and operates Soneva Fushi in the Maldives and Soneva Kiri in Thailand. Soneva in Aqua, an ultra luxurious yacht offering an experiential travel experience, was launched in the Maldives in 2015 and sails out of Soneva Fushi. For more information about Soneva visit www.soneva.com

Heinrich Morio Joins Soneva As Managing Director – Maldives

Soneva Resorts and Residences, the world-leading luxury resort operator, has announced that Heinrich Morio has joined the company as the new Managing Director – Maldives, responsible for overseeing its flagship resort Soneva Fushi as well as its latest luxury offerings Soneva in Aqua and Soneva Jani.

A dual US and German National, Heinrich’s hospitality career spans more than 35 years, most of which have been spent in the management team of some of the world’s most renowned luxury hotels and resorts.

Prior to joining Soneva, Heinrich was the General Manager (opening) of the Palazzo Versace Hotel in Dubai, and formerly the General Manager of the Burj al Arab, as well as the General Manager of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, both also located in Dubai, UAE.  Before moving to the Middle East, Heinrich was the General Manager of several One & Only properties in Mauritius and Bahamas, as well as luxury resorts in the United States. He will join Soneva in July 2016.

We are very excited to have Heinrich on board with us. He has impressive hospitality experience in iconic properties around the world and we look forward to leveraging his expertise to further enhance Soneva’s service offering. He will work closely with Olivia as we ramp up to open Soneva Jani by October 2016,” said Sonu Shivdasani, Founder and CEO of Soneva Resorts.

In October 2015, Soneva welcomed Olivia Richli as the new General Manager (opening) of Soneva Jani, Soneva’s newest property in the Maldives, which is currently under construction.  The resort is being built on a large island surrounded by four smaller islands in the middle of a large, five-kilometre turquoise lagoon in the Noonu Atoll, Maldives. Four of the five islands will remain untouched so it will be, by far, the lowest density development in the Maldives. Meaning ‘wisdom’ in Sanskrit, Soneva Jani comprises 24 over water villas and 32 island villas.

The resort is surrounded by crystal clear waters, with pure white beaches, islands covered in rich tropical vegetation and set in a vast sparkling lagoon.Soneva owns and operates Soneva Fushi in the Maldives and Soneva Kiri in Thailand. Soneva in Aqua, an ultra luxurious yacht offering an experiential travel experience, was launched in the Maldives in 2015 and sails out of Soneva Fushi. For more information about Soneva visit www.soneva.com