NEW: THE HAMBURG SEASIDE COLLECTION LAUNCHES WITH A NEW ULTRA-LUXURY RESORT, .HERE, IN THE BAA ATOLL OF THE MALDIVES
“A house where you know every room is not worth living in,” wrote Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa in his epic novel *The Leopard*. Guests at the new luxury resort .HERE in the Maldives may well find themselves pondering such thoughts. They swim 60-metre laps in their private infinity pool and enjoy the most beautiful views of the sunrise and sunset from various terraces. Drinks suited to the time of day are served by a personal butler from the private kitchen or the large bar in the lounge. And the villas are incredibly spacious: .HERE consists of two islands, ‘Somewhere’ with seven two-storey private villas, each with three or four bedrooms – and, measuring between 1,300 and 1,400 square metres, offering plenty of space for families or travellers with staff. On the second island, “Nowhere”, there are two villas with a total floor area of 3,500 square metres – it can be booked exclusively.
“We’ve noticed that interest in ultra-luxury, very small and super-exclusive offerings has been growing steadily,” says Gregor Gerlach, who runs the Hamburg-based company Seaside Collection together with his sister Anouchka Gerlach. “With .HERE, we have created a whole new dimension; there is nothing else like it in the Maldives.”
.HERE is the smallest resort in the Indian Ocean archipelago, yet it offers the greatest exclusivity. Guests do not have to choose between a beach villa or an over-water villa; every villa is both, with lush greenery on one side and floating above the ocean on the other. And each has its own mooring: the luxury yacht, an Asmas Saxdor 400 GTO, takes guests directly to their own jetty after they land by seaplane. Staff such as butlers, private chefs and personal trainers are on hand around the clock. Between the two islands there is a spacious restaurant with a bar – in case anyone fancies a bit of company without it becoming too public.
The private villas were designed by the renowned architectural firm KulörGroup. Their concept artfully blends the island’s lush greenery with the sparkling turquoise sea and harmonises with the biosphere of the natural islands in the UNESCO-protected Baa Aoll. For the interior design, Inge Moore, owner of the London-based studio Muza Lab, drew inspiration from celestial bodies and the underwater world. Her team created a casual yet elegant composition using fine woods, mosaics, marble and the finest fabrics. The interior is colourful but not garish; palm green, the yellow of the stars in the night sky, and the pink and red hues of the coral create a cheerful atmosphere. The subtle elegance, lightness and playful charm of the design also allude to the local treasures of the Maldives, such as the dhoni boats or the feyli sarongs.
And for those who, whilst enjoying the privacy of their villa, would like a bit more action, a luxury yacht will take them in just a few minutes to the neighbouring Finolhu resort – also part of the Seaside Collection – which features a tennis court and paddle tennis court, a gym, the elegant Fehi Spa and four speciality restaurants. Guests can set off on dives and snorkelling trips with the crew of the Padi Dive Centre; teenagers can play guitar and drums in the music studio at the new Teens Hut or take part in DJ workshops.
The Seaside Collection has invested 50 million dollars in this project. “It was important to us that absolutely everything was top-of-the-range, from the location and the design to the materials and the service,” says Gregor Gerlach. He knows that customers in this sector do not appreciate compromises.
