COMO Cocoa Island

The dhoni, the wooden boat that has carried Maldivian fishermen for centuries, gave COMO Cocoa Island the shape of its suites. They stand over the lagoon of South Malé Atoll around the island of Makunufushi, long and curved like hulls, linked by a jetty. COMO Hotels and Resorts, the group founded by Christina Ong, opened the resort in 2002 with 33 suites and villas, and it has kept to that size: an island small enough to cross on foot almost at once, where the loudest sound is often the surf on the reef.

History

Christina Ong, the Singaporean businesswoman behind The Halkin and the Metropolitan in London, built COMO around small hotels with a strong wellness thread and a clean, contemporary look. Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos had opened in 1998, and Cocoa Island followed in 2002 as the group's first resort in the Maldives. A second Maldivian property, COMO Maalifushi, opened in Thaa Atoll in 2014, but Cocoa Island, closer to Malé and smaller, has kept its own following among repeat guests.

Architecture and design

Most of the accommodation sits over the water. The suites are modelled on the dhoni, with curved roofs, timber frames and long decks facing the lagoon, and the interiors are white and pale wood, with little decoration beyond the view. The boats that inspired them are still built by hand on several islands, traditionally from coconut timber, though most working dhonis now run on engines rather than sail. The island itself carries the restaurant, bar, spa and pool among palms and white sand, all close together. The restraint is typical of COMO: few materials, careful detail and nothing that competes with the colour of the water.

Rooms and suites

The Dhoni Suites and Dhoni Loft Suites take the boat form most literally; the loft versions add a sleeping level above the main room, which suits families or friends travelling together. Larger villas give couples more space and privacy. Rooms over the lagoon have direct access to the water from their decks, so the reef is never more than a ladder away.

Dining

The kitchen mixes Asian, Mediterranean and Maldivian cooking, and the COMO Shambhala menu offers lighter, nutrient-focused dishes for guests following a wellness programme. Meals are taken in the restaurant facing the lagoon, at the bar or on a suite deck, and the island's size means service never has far to go. Fish comes from local boats when the catch allows.

Wellness

COMO Shambhala Retreat, the spa, offers Asian-inspired massage, Ayurvedic treatments and yoga, following the approach the group developed at COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali. Programmes can be built around a stay, combining treatments, yoga classes and the COMO Shambhala menu, and many guests come for that reason alone.

Location

Makunufushi lies in South Malé Atoll, about 40 minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, so no seaplane is needed. The channels of the atoll hold some of the best-known dive sites in the Maldives, among them Cocoa Corner, named after the island, where grey reef sharks and eagle rays work the current. Surfers can reach breaks in the atoll by boat during the season, and turtles feed on the reefs close to the island. Because South Malé is among the atolls nearest the airport, Cocoa Island also works for a short stay at the end of a longer journey through the region. For a luxury resort in South Malé Atoll, Cocoa Island offers something rarer than size: the feeling that the whole island belongs to a handful of guests.