Later this year, Four Seasons will open its private-island hotel in the Maldives, situated within a designated World Biosphere Reserve. Named Voavah, this new luxury property is the brand’s first fully private-island offering and is promoted as “the world’s only exclusive-use UNESCO hideaway located in a World Biosphere Reserve.”
The five-acre island in Baa Atoll accommodates up to 22 guests and features seven bedrooms, a beach house, a dedicated dive center, a spa, and a 62-foot yacht for exploring the surrounding waters. The beach house is designed for relaxed, open-air living and includes a living area, dining room, kitchen, pool deck, library, and loft lounge. Guest bedrooms are distributed across beachfront pavilions, overwater villas above a lagoon, and mezzanine suites for varied privacy and views.
Baa Atoll was designated the Indian Ocean’s first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2011. The reserve covers approximately 463 square miles and includes 75 islands, providing an exceptional marine and island environment. Four Seasons—already operating other properties in the Maldives—has partnered with a local environmental consultancy and a manta ray conservation project to support biodiversity protection as well as local cultural, health, and education initiatives.
Voavah is reachable via a 40-minute seaplane transfer or a 20-minute speedboat ride from main transport hubs. On-site and nearby activities include diving, snorkeling, fishing, swimming, and surfing, giving guests direct access to the rich marine life and coral systems of the biosphere reserve.