The OG Maldives barefoot eco-luxury resort lets you get hands on with conservation

When hotelier Ho Kwon Ping first set foot on the Maldives more than three decades ago, he was struck by its untouched beauty. At that time, there were just a smattering of locally owned three-star properties.  

“This was a Maldives where you did not need shoes, the air was fresh and you were surrounded by beautiful reefs and lagoons. We fell in love with this place,” recalls Ho, founder and executive chairman of Banyan Group. 

Paradise found, Banyan Tree became the first international brand to launch a resort in the Maldives in 1995.  

Thirty years on, staying at Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, situated on an island just 30 minutes via speedboat from Male’s Velana International Airport, feels like stepping back to a gentler era.   

It retains much of its original charm, with rustic thatched-roof villas, open-air bathrooms and a relaxed atmosphere where guests exchange greetings at breakfast and gather at Naiboli Bar for live music, a game of pool and a nightcap under the twinkling stars. 

Modern touches like air conditioning have been added over the years. Most recently, ahead of its 30th anniversary this year, the 48 all-pool villas have been refreshed with new wooden four poster beds, intricate handwoven Thundu Kunaa wall art and solar-powered outdoor lighting.  

Madi Hiyaa, Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru’s Prix Versailles award-winning Japanese restaurant housed in a photogenic stingray-shaped bamboo pavilion, serves up a killer Maldivian tuna sashimi. Meanwhile, the newly launched Saffron, the brand’s signature Thai restaurant, complements the also-new Sangu Garden, a casual all-day dining spot with live cooking stations and a buffet spread. 

Yet, despite evolving luxury trends in the Maldives, the team has resisted the commercial lure of over-water villas, prioritising the preservation of the vibrant coral reefs encircling the island. 

This marine stewardship is central to the brand’s conscious ethos. In 2004, Banyan Tree became the first resort in the Maldives to establish a marine lab, where resident marine biologists and conservationists collaborate on programmes like turtle satellite tracking and coral restoration using electric reefs (low-voltage stimulation promotes coral growth without harming wildlife). Upcoming activities at Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru include coral larval restoration, which introduces newly developed coral embryos onto the reef to increase settlement success. 

Recognising growing public interest in sustainability, the resort opened a new discovery centre, Our Marine Lab, in November. Featuring a vibrant floor-to-ceiling mural painted by a Maldivian artist to mimic the marine environment, it is where in-house marine biologists offer workshops and hands-on coral micro-fragmentation (replanting small coral fragments to accelerate regrowth). 

Still the most engaging activities are ocean-bound. A highlight is the weekly “Save the Reef” sessions, where guests snorkel with staff at a nearby reef and remove invasive coral-eating pincushion starfish that threaten the ecosystem. 

The resort also runs a citizen science project, where guests record marine species spotted while snorkeling or diving to aid biologists’ data collection. 

Ultimately, nothing speaks more to Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru’s commitment to conservation than its thriving house reef, just a short wade from shore. That was how I found myself, a novice open water diver, lugging 20 kilograms of scuba gear to the edge of the turquoise lagoon, ready to descend into a vibrant underwater world. 

I gazed in wonder as black tip reef sharks circled, waved at an octopus peeking out of its cave and swam furiously to catch up with a green turtle. With countless species of fish darting among the healthy corals, this is living proof that a long-term commitment to protecting one’s immediate environment can indeed make a difference. 

Banyantree.com; rates start from approximation $1,200 per night. 

All photos courtesy of Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru Maldives.

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