Travel BlogOctober 10, 2021
Soneva Fushi Launches Pioneering VR Experience

Soneva Fushi, the original barefoot luxury resort in the Maldives, has an exclusive Virtual Reality (VR) experience to overcome restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This experience brings an enchanting insight into island life into viewersâ homes. A curated experience with discovery at its heart, the VR series shares Sonevaâs SLOW LIFE ethos and champions the beautiful Maldives archipelago as a bucket-list destination. To achieve this, the Soneva team partnered with a UK-based studio to create a best-in-class, personalised VR content series that showcases Soneva Fushiâs one-of-a-kind charms to a global audience.
The unique video series focuses on a number of key areas, which include:
- 25 Years of Soneva: celebrating the brandâs storied history and its journey to becoming a world-leading destination, with rare experiences and a dedication to social and environmental sustainability at its core.
- Soneva Fushi Water Retreats: launched recently, these stunning new retreats are the largest and most luxurious one- and two-bedroom over-water villas in the world, offering an unsurpassed over-water experience to guests, and further expanding the resortâs award-winning villa portfolio.
- Soneva in Aqua: an ultra-luxurious 23-metre yacht that sails from Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani. It combines Sonevaâs renowned hospitality with the freedom of a personalised charter across the Indian Ocean.
- The Den: a playground for the imagination and the regionâs largest childrenâs zone. The Denâs playful spaces include a pirate ship, Lego rooms, music studio and more.
- Family Villas: a focus on the largest villas at Soneva Fushi, which offer an exceptional amount of space, privacy and luxury for multi-generational families, groups of friends or corporate gatherings. The largest, the 3,048 sqm Private Reserve, has nine bedrooms with room for up to 14 adults and nine children, and features a private pool, gym, sauna and staff quarters.
- The Complete Resort Tour: this tour offers a comprehensive journey of discovery around Soneva Fushiâs island home, Kunfunadhoo, taking in dining destinations, the observatory, the organic gardens, picture-perfect sandy beaches and the lush tropical jungle along the way.
âTechnology in tourism has increased rapidly over the last decade, and this became an exciting opportunity for us to modernise beyond on-property considerations. The visual nature of Virtual Reality is a natural fit for supporting Soneva Fushiâs continued mission to connect with guests and to tell the resortâs vibrant story in new ways,â said Sonevaâs CEO and founder, Sonu Shivdasani.
Renowned as a pioneer in the hospitality sector, Soneva has achieved a raft of industry firsts since the launch of Soneva Fushi in 1995: banning plastics across its resorts, developing Eco Centro waste-to-wealth facilities, and operating the Maldivesâ first and only villa ownership scheme, to name but a few.