Need to know
Rooms
68 villas, all with private pools and a jadugar (butler)
Check–Out
12 noon, but flexible, subject to availability and an additional charge. Earliest check-in, 2pm – but also flexible.
More details
Rates include a healthy, locally-sourced breakfast in the Flow restaurant, with dishes such as Maldivian omelettes, breakfast ramen, smoothie bowls and shakshouka. A five-night minimum stay applies, and programmes range from five nights to three weeks.
Also
The biophilic design (meaning love of nature) was brought to life by designers at Autoban and Atölye4N, who built the hotel to honour, preserve and respect the local landscape, its communities and culture.
At the hotel
Three restaurants, Mojo beach bar, tea lounge, spa with treatment rooms, herbology centre, fitness facilities including private training rooms, hydrotherapy hall with sensory deprivation room, Russian banya, salt inhalation room, sound therapy path, over-water meditation deck and yoga studio, library, culinary arts centre, anti-gravity yoga pavilion, podologist centre. In rooms: Private pool, sea view, jadugar (butler) service, bikes, Bose sound system, hairdryer, straighteners, WiFi, snorkelling gear, meditative balancing instruments, tea-and coffee-making kit, customised minibar, outdoor rain shower, Joali toiletries including aftersun, body lotion and insect repellent, custom Joali robes and flip flops
Our favourite rooms
Every villa on the island has a private pool and its own jadugar, which means butler (or magician when directly translated – we’ll leave it up to you to decide). Interiors are inspired by the surrounding shorelines, seas and shells – the flowing lines and curves are designed to bring the energy from the outside, in. Check in to a sunset ocean pool villa for added circadian-rhythm enhancement.
Poolside
A matter of steps from your buttery-soft bed. There’s no need to set your alarm to bag your pool-side sunbed spots: each and every room has a private infinity pool.
Spa
This isn’t your typical spa. It stretches across the entire island – a collection of spaces known as Areka – and each sun-warmed boardwalk leads to another specialised therapy room, herbology centre or over-water meditation deck. Core is the movement and fitness space (the largest in the country, actually), which includes diagnostic rooms with dedicated movement specialists, private training rooms, barre and reformer equipment and Ocean Sala: an over-water facility including an anti-gravity yoga pavilion, podologist centre and meditation deck. The Seda sound therapy hall has been created with sound-healing guru Aurelio C. Hammer, who’ll attempt to restore your inner balance through music and vibration. If that’s music to your ears, follow the secluded palm-fringed discovery sound path – a sound-therapy trail using instruments, the natural rhythms of the island and the great outdoors. The hydrotherapy hall, Kaashi, encourages sanitas per aquas (healing through water). After, raise temperatures with a Russian banya or Finnish Aufguss sauna. And you can address all manner of health concerns at the herbology centre, Aktar, where the resident herbalist will suggest natural remedies using herbs, spices and essential oils. The team run workshops here, too – make your own tiger balm, face masks and hair oils; and you can pop in to try one of their natural teas (there are 21 varieties on the menu) at any time.
Packing tips
No need to pack your meditative musical instruments or wellbeing games, you’ll find them in your villa (yes, really). You needn’t worry too much about a watch, either. Officially, clocks are set to Maldives Time, but islands tinker with it – adding an hour here, slicing off 30 minutes there – to create the perfect day for you, so better to just follow the sun's arch over the ocean.
Children
Little Smiths are allowed on the island at certain points in the year, so if you're planning on bringing toddling tots just let the Smith24 travel team know in advance.
Sustainability efforts
No trees were felled in the construction of biophilic-designed Joali Being: the island’s wooded interior remains untouched. The underwater world is, understandably, a focus here too: Joali Being is home to one of just three turtle conservation sanctuaries in the Maldives. The hotel partners with the Reef Restoration Project and houses a coral nursery, which helps to rebuild the lagoon’s reefs. Other sustainability initiatives include a water-bottling plant, rainwater recycling system, glass crusher and recycler, and plant-waste shredder for fertilising the islands’ gardens. Food is seasonal and sustainably sourced, entirely traceable and supports small-scale Maldivian fishermen where possible.