Review: JOALI Being

Why book?

This Robinson Crusoe-esque idyll delivers so much more than the standard palm tree escapism, with a 39-room wellness complex that's a match for anywhere in Europe or Asia.

Set the scene

The island is the perfect size: small enough to feel intimate, big enough to need a name-tagged bike to get around. Lithe 30-somethings sport their latest Lululemon purchases at breakfast; older couples keep cool around the pool in Emilio Pucci kaftans and Vilebrequin swimwear; while the smattering of solo travelers channe Nicole Kidman’s floaty white Nine Perfect Strangers fashions, and a ban on phones in public spaces keeps chakras aligned at all times. If you forget a hat, you can always pick up a D’Estree cap for $630 in the boutique. It’s that kind of place.

The backstory

Turkish entrepreneur Esin Gural Argat had already helped the family business become one of the world’s largest glassware producers when she fell in love with the Maldives and found a new challenge—hospitality. She read the hoteliers’ rulebook of course, she just didn’t see why she should be in thrall to it. So her first resort, Joali, which opened in 2018, was aimed at art lovers rather than honeymooners and adorned with cutting-edge contemporary sculptures and installations. It was an instant hit. She then realized that the Maldives didn’t have a single island devoted to wellbeing—thus Joali Being was conceived, and it is now spectacularly correcting that anomaly.

The rooms

It isn’t difficult to find the no-news, no-shoes barefoot aesthetic in the Indian Ocean, but this property’s immersive architecture and empathetic interiors take it to the next level. Shaggy thatch roofs ripple like the ocean waves beyond, oversized hand-carved doors resemble tree bark, walls are textured like wind-riffled sand, and the Tiffany color palette of the 68 all-pool villas brings the lagoon right into your light-filled sanctuary. Wellness touches abound, from three types of healing bath salts to positive affirmations on the clothes hangers and musical instruments to strum in lieu of a TV (although the latter is available on request). The tiered decks of the overwater villas are cleverly zoned for dining, dreaming, and sun baking. You’ll feel thoroughly nurtured before you’ve even made it to the spa.

The food

Oxford University professor Gerry Bodeker, a Harvard-trained expert on traditional and integrative medicine, created the wellness concept and put nutrition center stage. There’s nothing more satisfying than a poolside lunch or candlelit dinner on the beach, where your three courses total up to less than 600 calories and are still doing your brain, beauty, and microbiome good. Dishes range from Mediterranean to Middle Eastern and are generally delicious. The nasi goreng is to die for. You won’t feel hungry and you will lose weight. And it’s more about decadence than denial, so there are organic and biodynamic wines, but skipping them in favor of inventive mocktails such as the Imagine Mindfulness, a spin on an espresso martini, doesn’t feel like virtue.

The spa

There are some very good spas on the islands, but nothing of the scale or ambition of Joali Being’s world-class complex. It is sprinkled with glass-fronted saunas, steam rooms, ice fountains, and hydrotherapy pools. There is a huge salt room with illuminated pink Himalayan salt bricks, a yoga sala cantilevered over the ocean, and a vast Technogym fitness center with a boxing studio, Pilates reformer racks, and excellent trainers whose armory includes state-of-the-art 3D posture analysis and the archipelago’s first cryotherapy chamber. It’s right on trend drinks-wise, too, with a herbology bar where you sip bespoke infusions to match your massage, slay stress, or give you a glow. Extra brownie points for the amazing Discovery Sound Path, an al fresco trail of gongs, tubular bells and lithophones tucked in among the pandanus trees where you can get in some DIY healing, striking the instruments while thrillingly up close and personal to the vibrations.

The service

Each villa comes with a butler called a jadugar, which means “magician” in the local language—and, happily, they live up to the hype: eager, efficient, and engaged. The wellness experts have been enticed from big hitting destination spas such as Chiva Som in Thailand and Vana in India, and are perceptive and highly experienced, although communications between departments could be better.

Eco effort

The resort is home to one of three turtle conservation sanctuaries in the Maldives, developed with Olive Ridley Project. It also runs a Reef Restoration Project and a coral nursery.

Anything left to mention?

Watsu, an incredible water-based therapy, and sound healing are both standout treatments—but with limited availability, so book in advance to ensure a slot. We were not impressed with the extra $65 for some cardio classes like spin. If you’re staying in a beach villa, ask for one well away from the Sound Discovery Path, as the trial and error practice of novice healers may not be music to your ears.

Finally, in 100 words or less, what makes this hotel worthy of Hot List?

Why has nobody opened a wellness resort in the Maldives before? The bone-white beaches and crystal clear lagoons are the ultimate soothing backdrop for self-improvement and, thankfully, Joali Being delivers its sophisticated philosophy with a pampering rather than po-faced attitude that means it still feels like a “proper” holiday.