This was published 1 year ago
This resort wants you to move in and work for a month. I tried it
By Jenny Hewett
My new colleagues are all wet fish. Ignoring this, I shower with one every morning. Sometimes two. We accidentally meet here after 8am yoga. Then again before sunset cocktails at 5.30pm. In fact, it doesn’t matter what time I slip into the luminescent ensuite of my overwater bungalow, I’m never truly alone.
Edgy US brand The Standard offers ‘Stowaway’ packages for WFA (Work From Anywhere) guests.
Despite having travelled to the Maldives solo, my bathroom is begging for company. A giant disco ball hangs ironically over a gleaming white tub that could easily fit four. In front of the shower, through the baguette-cut glass floor window separating me and the turquoise lagoon beneath, a large, omnipresent tropical fish hovers as if waiting for the party to start. Working from paradise is a hoot.
This dazzling overwater villa is my office for the next four days. Located on a speck of white-sand that’s tightly knitted with palms and surrounded by liquid topaz lagoons, The Standard Huruvahli Maldives in the Raa Atoll, is not a bad place to tap away on your Macbook.
Ocean Overwater Pool Villas.
Commuting to it doesn’t disappoint either. Delivered to the island via a robust seaplane, I arrive to a vivid lick of colour: villas in 50 shades of pink, orange, yellow and blue jut out over the piercing atoll like a rainbow. Those distinctive grey timber walkways stretch into spines between the overwater bungalows and the island. “I’ve had to retrieve a lot of bikes,” laughs front-of-house manager Shail as he transports me to my villa.
There’s a name for ‘my type’ here. They call us ‘Stowaways’. Some come to holiday for a week, others for two. But what they really want is for you is ‘WFA’ (Work From Anywhere) and make yourself at home. Inevitably, this now means blending work and play.
Not a bad place to work.
“Since the pandemic, we’re seeing that many people are looking to stay and work from our properties for much longer periods of time,” says Jesper Soerensen, general manager at the resort.
“In some ways, the brand’s Stowaway program anticipated this growing market years ahead of the curve. Now we’re seeing remote workers taking longer trips beginning to replace traditional midweek corporate travellers.”
The edgy US brand reinvigorated its Stowaway offering last year with a 28-day package, which includes special room rates and various perks, such as daily breakfast and weekly parties at the overwater club (The White Lotus creator Mike White needs to implant himself here). It’s not a bargain by any means, but travelling as a couple or with a friend would make it more feasible.
I’m not new to this game. I’ve been working remotely as a freelance travel writer from all over the world for nearly 10 years, predominantly in Bali. But this is my first trip to the Maldives, a destination I’ve long dreamed of. So how easy is it to get into a work routine? Here’s what I found.
The workspace
I set up my laptop on a small table on the deck of my Ocean Overwater Pool Villa, which overlooks a plunge pool and the lagoon. It’s a distracting view, but the Wi-Fi is excellent, even outside. At 110 square metres, the villa is exceptionally spacious and I’m able to easily separate where I work and sleep.
The food
‘Meal plans’ are optional on a breakfast, half board, full board or all-inclusive basis. As a ‘full-boarder’, I eat all my meals at buffet-only restaurant Kula, but there are four others to choose from. There’s an extensive selection of salads and fruit, plus themed buffet dinners, such as Mexican, sushi and Indian. But even after day four, I begin to tire of repeat dishes. Guduguda is the highlight, serving elevated Maldivian dishes such as chapati with lemony tuna sambal and passionfruit curry.
The community
Part of the resort is located on a tiny island.
The Standard is known for its social kudos, so I was expecting a vibe. When I visited, it was mostly young families and honeymooners, as well as my new marine friends and a large reef shark I spot swimming between villas one morning. If you time it right, I’m sure the weekly parties are a drawcard for young travellers.
The play
There’s plenty to balance the work-life scales here: swimming with manta rays and turtles, and yoga with Thai-born Nok, who is a delight, and a spa with an outdoor chill-out zone and relaxation nets. I set small goals, and reward myself with a dip or an hour’s reading when I hit them. I get a lot done in the short time I’m here. And that’s as good a testament as any.
THE DETAILS
FLY
Fly to Singapore, or Dubai, and then to Male. Trans Maldivian Airways flies to The Standard Huruvahli Maldives via seaplane. It can take up to 50 minutes if dropping other passengers on the way.
STAY
The 28-day Stowaway package at The Standard Huruvahli Maldives starts from $US6000 ($9000) during off-peak season and includes discounts on food and beverage, unlimited coffee and snorkelling at the house reef, weekly laundry and access to the gym. See standardhotels.com
The writer was a guest of The Standard Huruvahli Maldives.
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