CPP-LUXURY.COM has recently interviewed Dr I U Maniku, the visionary investor behind the highly innovative new luxury concept in the Maldives, The Nautilus, which is opening early 2019.
1. What inspired you to create The Nautilus? Why the Maldives?
I believe that there’s a niche in the Maldives – and worldwide too I may add – for genuine resort luxury that’s delivered in an unpretentious, modern style. That’s what we’re creating here: a place where everything’s been designed around the guests’ needs, especially their need an escape from the busy-ness and formality of their everyday lives in a way that’s truly luxurious but still laid-back and relaxed.
The islands are my home, they’re where I grew up and they’re what shaped me. I don’t see the Maldives as a money-making exercise where we squeeze every penny from the tourists. I like to build somewhere beautiful that visitors love stay in. When they leave, they should feel as though they’ve experienced the real Maldives.
What I believe makes the Maldives such an incredible destination are the natural elements: a vibrant coral reef just steps from the beach; a natural beach that hasn’t been man-made from reclaimed land; native greenery – and of course the genuine friendliness of Maldivian people. I took great care in choosing the island that The Nautilus is on; it’s a natural island with superbly soft sand beaches, many indigenous trees and plants, and of course it’s surrounded by a good coral reef.
2. Which is the ideal guest you would like to welcome at The Nautilus?
Our guests are special, often the leaders in their field and certainly high net-worth individuals who are well-travelled and looking for something more than just a beach holiday. Meaningful travel is important to our guests. We open the doors to experiences they couldn’t have anywhere else, whether it’s joining our marine biologist in ‘planting’ coral to expand the beautiful coral reef around the island or visiting a local island to see what everyday life is like for Maldivians, we make it happen. Our island is just 10-minutes away from a place called Hanifaru Bay, which between July and November, is the only place on this planet where you can swim with manta rays in such huge numbers – sometimes 50 or more at one time. It’s an absolutely unforgettable experience.
Our guests cover a range of ages, from 30-something honeymooners through to older travellers, holidaying with their grown-up children and grand-children, taking advantage of a break in busy lives to reconnect with each other and bond in a magical environment. We anticipate that a large number of our guests will be travelling for a special occasion, perhaps a ‘big birthday’ or anniversary and we’re looking to make their trip unique and memorable to them.
3. Are you particularly targeting a certain region / market?
I think that people from anywhere in the world who appreciate freedom and our type of modern, laid-back luxury will love The Nautilus.
4. Could you give us an indication of the pricing of your villas / houses?
From US $2,557 for a night in a Beach House.
5 Tell us more about the interior design of the villas and the building process? Did you have a particular approach?
The inspiration was the nautilus shell – a living fossil that has survived in the earth’s oceans for the last 500 million years – which as well as influencing our name also lies behind the design and philosophy of the resort. The Nautilus shell represents one of the finest natural examples of a logarithmic spiral and as such was often used in art and literature. We’ve drawn inspiration from the longevity, uniqueness and the sophistication of the nautilus shell in the creation of the resort concept as well as the inspiration behind the design elements of our houses, residences & public areas which are often circular or have spiral elements.
The interior designer was instructed to create something that would feel like a person’s home, only better. We wanted to get as far away as possible from a ‘hotel room’ style, so each of our houses is a suite, with separate living room and bedroom and décor that feels very much like a home.
Regarding “my style”, customizing the stay so that it’s unique to each individual; paying great attention to detail; having a really high quality of service as well as restaurant and food innovation are common traits you would find in the resorts I oversee.
I’ve been fortunate that the resorts I oversee are on islands which are blessed with a natural and pristine environment and this continues to be my priority. From architecture to the interior design, every aspect feels completely natural and an organic extension of island life. The guest should enjoy a genuine island experience of being cast away on a remote tropical island.
6. Does your concept focus on organic produce in your restaurant or organic amenities in the bathrooms? Are there any specific eco-friendly features?
Yes, this is a critical part of our philosophy. Our guests can choose from three different bathroom amenities, one of which will be an organic, natural and ‘free-from’ range. No matter which brand our guests choose, all amenities are in retail-size bottles of at least 225ml to minimize the amount of plastic that needs to be disposed of every day, and we’ll encourage our guests to take these bottles back with them to enjoy at home and then recycle responsibly.
Of course we’re aiming to be as plastic-free as possible and the pleasure of opening an island is that we can get things right from the very beginning. We won’t have plastic drinking straws and no plastic bottles on the island, preferring to use glass bottles that can be cleaned and refilled in Male. Even our staff will have refillable drinking bottles and we’re sourcing beautiful thermo bottles for our guests to use during their stay and then keep as a souvenir.
Organic and sustainably-sourced foods matter greatly to us as we believe these aren’t only good for the planet but also good for humans as well.
On the island, we’ll be using state-of-the-art water recycling systems, using grey water for watering our gardens, and we have an innovative heat-exchange system in our power house for heating the hot water used in all accommodation. And finally, we’re speaking to a company about solar panel installation which could generate 10% of our daily energy needs.
7. How would you define ‘’bohemian luxury’’?
A sense of freedom. This means something different to everyone so it could be simply a sense of being a place where you can finally relax and truly be yourself to the sense of not having to look at a clock at any point during your stay. It’s important for our guests to feel that they’ve been touched on a deep level after a stay at The Nautilus. Most definitely it’s not the old-fashioned idea of hotel luxury with plush carpets, marble, gold taps or crystal chandeliers! It’s much more natural, light and elegant than that with a playful whimsy.
The Nautilus Maldives stands for complete freedom, and luxury that’s both simple and elegant Our philosophy is “a world of your making” and we’re very serious that The Nautilus Maldives should be a place where our guests are fee to do and behave as they like, so they experience a true escape from their normal lives. To make that happen, we have a number of hallmarks that truly define The Nautilus Maldives. The first is: ‘time stands still’, which means that at The Nautilus Maldives our guests aren’t slaves to the clock in the way they are in their everyday lives. We have flexible opening and closing hours for our restaurants, so our guests can simply come and eat when they feel like it.
We’re exploring the possibility of not having appointment times at the spa, so that our guests can have a massage whenever they feel they need one. Our second hallmark is ‘unscripted dining’, which means that guests are free to eat what they want and aren’t limited to what’s on the menu. Our emphasis is on truly getting to know our guests so that we know, even before they do, what they may feel like eating and when. Another hallmark is ‘free-spirited experience’ which simply means that we’re not here to set rules for our guests. There are no dress codes here, no need for any of our guests to try to impress others but simply focus on being happy. We’ll have outstanding House Captains who’ll craft a plan depending on exactly what our guests want to do – or not craft a plan if that’s what the guest prefers!
8. While your concept describes a free-spiritited approach and a focus on individuality and freedom, you still welcome children which require specific attention and activities and might interfere with the serenity that you aim for. Why not create a concept dedicated to adults?
The overwhelming majority of our guests will be couples. As part of our concept of freedom, we believe in building a place where people can come together with the ones they love the most and we felt it was inimical to that concept by being unwelcoming to children.
9. You offer fine dining and butler service, a traditional service in luxury hotels – isn’t that a ‘conflict’ with your ‘bohemian luxury’ approach? How will you be anticipating expectations or surprise guests with your culinary offerings?
Our butlers are a million miles from the traditional butler service in luxury hotels! They’re called House Captains and are on hand to do anything and everything a guest could want, from taking them out snorkelling to arranging incredible moments. Each House Captain looks after only one house at a time and they become attuned to their guest’s needs and interests; and this includes leaving the guests alone if that’s what they’d prefer.
Our fine dining is a modern, relaxed approach; bare feet are welcome and guests have no dress codes they need to follow.
11. Do you have plans to expand the concept to other locations in the future?
I never say never!
The Nautilus, Maldives
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