Cheval Blanc Randheli

Forty minutes north of Malé by seaplane, the atoll of Noonu is a long way from the resort clusters of the south, and that distance was part of the plan. Cheval Blanc Randheli, on Noonu Atoll, opened in November 2013 as LVMH's second hotel and the first built from the ground up for the collection.

History

After Courchevel in 2006, LVMH wanted a warm-water counterpart. Randheli, an island in the Noonu Atoll in the north of the Maldives, was leased and developed with Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston as architect and designer, the Malaysian-based Belgian responsible for several of the Maldives' best-known resorts. The hotel opened in November 2013 with Yannick Alléno consulting on the French restaurant, which took the name Le 1947 from Courchevel. It has operated without the ownership changes common in the Maldives since, with Guerlain as the spa partner from the start.

Architecture and design

Gathy designed the villas as open pavilions under high thatched roofs, with 12.5-metre pools, outdoor bathrooms and decks oriented to the sunset or the lagoon. The colour scheme is the collection's white with a strong yellow, used on cushions, umbrellas, bicycles and the lacquered details, which gives the island a graphic identity rare in the archipelago. The public buildings follow the same lines: a long pier, a white reception pavilion and restaurants built over the water or facing the beach. Artworks commissioned for the island include pieces by Vincent Beaurin, whose work also appears in the Paris and Courchevel houses.

Rooms and suites

There are 45 villas on the main island, in lagoon, island, garden and over-water categories, with one to four bedrooms. Each has its own pool and a majordome. A separate private island reached by boat holds a residence with several villas, its own pool and staff, which is let as a single property.

Dining

Le 1947 is the French restaurant, serving dinner with Alléno's methods and a wine list drawn from LVMH's estates. Deelani serves Mediterranean fish and grills by the water. Diptyque is the Asian restaurant with teppanyaki counters, and The White Restaurant is the all-day venue for breakfast and lunch. The White Bar on the lagoon handles sunset. Private dinners can be set on the beach, on a sandbank or in the villas.

Wellness

The Spa Cheval Blanc stands on a separate islet across the lagoon, reached by dhoni, with Guerlain treatments in private pavilions, a hammam and a yoga pavilion. The isolation is deliberate: there is nothing on the spa island but the spa. Diving, surfing on the atoll's breaks and fishing are organised from the marina, and the resort has its own dive centre.

Weddings and events

Weddings on the island are ceremonies on the beach or on a sandbank, with dinners at Le 1947 or set up privately on the sand; the villas and the private island suit families and groups who take several villas together. Corporate groups use the restaurants and the private island, but there are no meeting rooms in the usual sense and the hotel does not take conferences.

Location

Randheli is in the Noonu Atoll, about 40 minutes by seaplane from Velana International Airport at Malé. Transfers are by the resort's own seaplanes or by domestic flight to Maafaru airport in the atoll followed by boat. The northern position means fewer neighbouring resorts and clearer channels for diving. As a resort in the Maldives, it is the house that extended the Cheval Blanc name beyond Europe.