8 Nights at Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives

We left Amilla at 8:00 am and had an hour to wait in Male before boarding the flight for Six Senses. We had already been traveling for six weeks before making it to the Maldives, so we had extra weight and Amilla was kind enough to allow us to store a small suitcase and a few bags in their lounge for our time at both Amilla and Six Senses. Six Senses is building a new lounge area, so for now, guests use the Trans Maldivian Airways lounge area, which is very nice!

The planes are private and colorfully painted on the exterior, making them seem quite new. The pleasant flight was a little over an hour and went by fast. We always love flying with the “barefoot pilots of the Maldives!”.

Both Amilla and Six Senses reported 50-60 % occupancy so both resorts were fairly low key.

Six Senses has an easy going, breezy, southern pacific island vibe, which was especially reflected in the rooms.

The expansive lagoon and its ever changing hues of turquoise and every shade of blue is stunning. It's the most beautiful lagoon of the 16 resorts we have stayed at (Vakkaru is second).

The lagoon is made even more gorgeous by the glistening large white sandbank that sits about 500 meters from our jetty A. It's an easy swim and takes around 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the current.

We are used to swimming around the island drop-offs but Six Senses is a different type of island with both lagoon and drop-off areas. We found the drop-off straight out of jetty A and we swam around it everyday (to access the other side by the beach rooms where there are breakers), and then we swam back to jetty A. It took us around two hours.

The corals at Six Senses are lovely. They are regenerating nicely and have a-lot of large impressive coral heads! The fish soup was good, and we saw several eagle rays, sting rays, lion fish, moray eels, white and black tips and quite a few turtles! And the wrasses are large! Since Laamu is positioned at the entrance to the channel, the current can be a bit stronger in certain areas but is doable and not an issue.

We so loved the Japanese restaurant Zen, the food was exquisite and iron chef-like (more on this further down)! There is a supplement but Mina (the second in charge) and a very friendly individual waived it for us after my husband fell on the stairs leading down to the water after a board broke. This was fixed immediately and the staff were very apologetic. It happens sometimes at the resorts; so much water and sun on the wood, he was “no worse for the wear“ and Mina kindly offered a nice bottle of whisky and a complimentary couples massage to help him “ forget", haha. That is Six Senses “at your service”! They're so kind, attentive and accommodating. Nothing is too much trouble, and they make you feel pampered!

Our requested sunset room 16 on jetty A had a spectacular and unobstructed multicolored turquoise sea view similar to Vakkaru #245, Milaidhoo #109 and Amilla #126. It's the best Sunset Laamu water villa along with room 15. The two rooms after ours were 17 and 18 and the only difference besides a price increase is a pool, which is not a deal breaker for us as we spend a-lot of time in the warm ocean. Plus, there is a lovely resort pool available. The design of the room has such an incredible ambiance being made of all natural materials. The sink is made out of leather, there is a fabulous rain shower outside, a nice second story open loft area to lounge in and a large deck with a perfect place to cozy up to at night to watch the shooting stars. There is no light pollution, so the night sky is unbelievably starry! It's magical to sit in the cushioned seating area by the water completely open to the night sky above, and it's really quiet at Six Senses, which, combined with a relaxing atmosphere, makes it one of our favorites.

The room design is very open and airy, unpretentious and informal with a rustic yet chic ambiance. The palette of green colors throughout the resort (even down to the staff uniforms) adds to the fresh, natural feel of the island.

The rooms have a “Robinson Crusoe” laid back kind-of vibe, with the lovely green hues everywhere and such incredible and open views of the mesmerizing lagoon. We enjoyed hanging out in the "upstairs" loft area where the tropical breeze comes through, and there is shade from the sun. When all of the windows are open, the warm breeze is refreshing. The bed is super comfortable and the deck is huge with several options for seating.

We ate at Zen twice, Chill bar, an Asian market night and a Diwali Indian Dinner. The tuna tartare in the unique sesame seed cone at Zen is so good! I thought of asking for another one! Zen just reopened and it's truly delicious. We like to sit at the bar and interact with the chefs. Ihaka from New Zealand is the fantastic executive chef.

Mediterranean market was also amazing. Every kind of seafood and the bouillabaisse was delicious. Additionally, the restaurant Leaf was another great experience, beautifully situated near the water and completely open to the sunset and a light warm breeze.

The amazing buffet breakfasts are filling (as usual) in the Maldives and last us until dinner, all the resorts seem to serve "rocket fuel" a healthy drink with about 10 ingredients in it, as in all of the resorts meal times are over the top and an "experience".

We paddle-board most days as they (along with the the kayaks) are complimentary.

One day we were close enough to see two eagle rays and a stingray swimming together, some large turtles, a black tip and those large wrasses! I think the rays and turtles are Six Senses strong points (along with the corals) and the exquisite huge lagoon makes up for anything lacking!

The innovative educational marine center called Shell is so informative. It’s worth stopping by - we were really impressed! They are committed to scientific research and the protection of marine life. The biologists nightly talks on different subjects relating to the Maldives were very interesting.

One evening, our butler texted us letting us know that the turtle eggs in a nest near room 94 were about to emerge so we headed there to get a look. It was such a fascinating experience.

The management sunset cocktail party is another fun moment at Six Senses. They have Maldivian dancers and everyone wears their sarong that can be found in your room for the occasion. They were celebrating 1,000 turtles in Laamu atoll, and had a drawing to name a newly discovered new turtle (each is distinguished by unique markings).

Riding bicycles around the island at night is definitely a highlight! We haven't worn shoes since we arrived at Six Senses - it's a true barefoot island! The mood lighting around the lush green island interior makes it so there is something really special to experience.

We had two couple spa treatments which we thoroughly enjoyed, too.

Overall, the staff gets a five star rating! I can’t remember everyone's names but a few were: Samah our room boy and Shah our butler. They were incredibly friendly and helpful, as well as Mina, the second in charge, Ihaka the executive chef from New Zealand and Ollie the food and beverage director. They are just some of the amazing staff we got to know.

Six Senses Laamu is wonderfully sublime! We highly recommend it for an memorable Maldive holiday.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Maldives. In need of further inspiration? Check out Maren Engh’s guide, Guide to A 5-Star Maldives Vacation.