A glamorous yearly event celebrating the best in international travel, the World Travel Awards honored a Maldives private island as the top villa resort for 2012.
(Image Courtesy of VPI)
Surely, Soneva Gili by Six Senses must be one of the most spectacular and unique resorts on earth; set in the shallow turquoise waters of the Maldives, the rustic-chic bungalows seem to float effortlessly above the sea. There was no shortage of accolades for the resort earlier in January at the World Travel Awards, a high-profile event established to honour the best in international travel and hospitality, with votes cast by more than 200,000 travel industry professionals and consumers. On January 11th, a thrilled general manager Iain McCormack took the stage to accept Soneva Gili’s award for the ‘World’s Leading Villa Resort and Spa.’
This year, the glitzy ceremony was held in Doha, the glamorous capital city of the oil-rich Persian Gulf country of Qatar. Established in 1993, the awards have become an institution in the travel industry, and are highly sought-after status symbols. Last year, Soneva Gili actually took home two such awards; ‘Maldives Leading Luxury Resort and ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Resort.’ An early pioneer in over-water resorts, Soneva Gili offers villa rentals starting at just under US $1,000 per night, and prides itself on giving guests a pampering, uniquely Maldivian experience.
(Image Courtesy of VPI)
In the 2012 ceremony, the Maldives on the whole also received kudos for ‘Most Romantic Destination’, not surprising given the country’s plethora of beautiful private island resorts and spas, and its secluded ‘ends of the earth’ atmosphere. Other islands also took home awards; Mauritius was honoured as the ‘World’s Leading Island Destination,’ Jamaica was considered the ‘World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination,’ and Baros Island, also in the Maldives, received the ‘World’s Leading Water Villa Resort’ award.
According to Mr. McCormack, Soneva Gili was very pleased that their hard work was paying off. “We work tirelessly on ensuring not only the highest possible quality of service and comfort for our guests but also a happy and fulfilled team,” he said. “We are so pleased to have again received such an accolade from the World Travel Awards, which involves 213,000 votes from within our industry. It is an absolute honour to have been selected, especially against so much competitive choice.”
Read more about the World Travel Awards: Link
Discover more about Soneva Gili by Six Senses: Vladi Private Islands
