Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / Soneva

Soneva hotels

Shoes come off for island villas, organic gardens and days shaped by unhurried outdoor life.

Soneva makes island stays around an informal, barefoot approach to hospitality, with nature, generous space, and a slower pace central to the experience. Sonu Shivdasani and Eva Malmström Shivdasani founded the brand on Kunfunadhoo in the Maldives in 1995, joining their names to create a collection shaped by their shared vision.

4 Soneva hotels in 2 countries on the Luxury Hotels Atlas, each placed on the six LHA Tiers.

• Majority-owned by KSL Capital Partners
• Worldwide: 4 operating resorts across two countries — three in the Maldives (Soneva Fushi, Soneva Jani, Soneva Secret) and one in Thailand (now rebranded; see §7) — plus the Soneva in Aqua luxury yacht for private Maldives charters; one of the smallest ultra-luxury resort collections in the world by design
• On the atlas: 4 Apex Luxury

History

Sonu Shivdasani began planning Soneva Fushi after securing the Kunfunadhoo island lease in 1991, and the resort opened in 1995. Its informal island approach shaped the collection’s later villas and retreats. The early journey from chartered helicopters to seaplanes also links Soneva’s beginnings to the way guests now travel between Maldivian islands.

Timeline

• 1991 — Sonu Shivdasani secures leasehold on the uninhabited island of Kunfunadhoo in Baa Atoll, Maldives, after several unsuccessful attempts; begins planning what will become Soneva Fushi.
• 1995 — Soneva Fushi opens, first barefoot luxury resort in the Maldives; the brand itself is established; initial access achieved using chartered Bulgarian helicopters (surplus from Soviet-era fleet) before transitioning to seaplanes, helping lay the foundation for the seaplane industry now central to Maldives tourism.
• 1995 — Soneva also co-founds the Six Senses Resorts & Spas brand (a separate parallel venture designed for wider global expansion).
• 1998 — Soneva Fushi becomes one of the first resorts in the world to ban single-use plastic straws.
• 2001 — Soneva Gili opens, the first fully overwater resort in the Maldives; later rebranded Gili Lankanfushi and sold in 2012.
• 2007 — Eco Centro opens at Soneva Fushi, the Maldives' first integrated waste management centre; foundational to the Waste-to-Wealth programme.
• 2008 — Soneva Fushi installs the first astronomy observatory in the Maldives, initiating the brand's signature stargazing experience.
• 2008 — Soneva introduces a 2% environmental levy on all room revenue to fund carbon offsets and community projects, a first in global hospitality.
• 2008 — Soneva bans imported bottled water across all properties, producing all drinking water on-site in glass bottles.
• 2009 — Soneva Kiri opens on Thailand's Koh Kood island, 36 pool villas on a 41-hectare site with treepod dining and the brand's signature observatory.
• 2010 — Soneva Foundation established as an independent not-for-profit, institutionalising the brand's carbon, community, and conservation programmes.
• 2011 — First leasehold residential property in the Maldives sold at Soneva Fushi, following a 2010 change in Maldivian law.
• 2012 — Soneva achieves carbon neutrality, covering Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions including guest international air travel, the first luxury resort brand to do so comprehensively.
• 2012 — The Shivdasanis sell Six Senses (brand management contracts and IP) to Pegasus Capital Advisors; Six Senses is later acquired by IHG in 2019.
• 2012 — Soneva Gili sold (rebranded Gili Lankanfushi); Soneva pivots to pure "one owner, one brand" model concentrating on residences-supported resorts.
• 2014 — Soneva Art & Glass Studio opens at Soneva Fushi, the Maldives' only hot glass studio, upcycling waste glass from Soneva and neighbouring island resorts into artworks and glassware.
• 2015 — Soneva in Aqua sets sail, a two-bedroom luxury yacht serving as the Maldives' first "floating villa," available for private charter from Soneva Fushi.
• 2016 — Soneva Jani opens (October) in Noonu Atoll, introduces the world's first overwater observatory, the first overwater silent cinema in the Maldives, and overwater villas with retractable roofs above the master bed.
• 2019 — KSL Capital Partners takes an initial significant minority stake (believed 35–40%) in Soneva Group, first outside institutional investment.
• 2020 — Soneva Namoona launches, a pioneering community waste-management NGO operating across local Maldivian islands; generates USD 14 million in social value by 2025.
• 2021 — Soneva Jani Chapter Two opens (January), 27 new overwater Water Reserves, new Soneva Wellness Centre, and Soneva Unlimited all-inclusive offering added.
• 2021 — Soneva Soul wellness brand launches, positioned as a medical and holistic wellness centre anchored at Soneva Jani, with a programme encompassing ayurveda, naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and stem cell treatments.
• 2022 — Soneva Jani's The Den children's zone opens, 1,500 sqm, two-storey, technology-free children's club described as the largest family zone in Southeast Asia.
• 2022 — Fire damages one villa at Soneva Kiri, Koh Kood.
• 2023 — Sonu Shivdasani appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for contributions to tourism, sustainability, and philanthropy.
• 2024 — Soneva Secret opens (January 10), just 14 villas in the remote Makunudhoo (Haa Dhaalu) Atoll; introduces the Maldives' first genuinely floating villa (the Castaway); each villa served by a dedicated private chef from a different cuisine background.
• 2025 — [February] Renewable energy upgrade completed at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani, 5.2 MWp solar PV and 4.7 MWh battery storage system now supplies ~50% of electricity needs; diesel consumption cut by 2 million litres per year.
• 2025 — [May 23] KSL Capital Partners formalises its majority ownership of Soneva Group; Neil Gallagher appointed CEO; Sonu and Eva Shivdasani step back from all operational involvement, retaining minority stakes.
• 2025 — Soneva Kiri rebranded to Kiri Private Reserve, the Thailand property was excluded from the KSL transaction and left the Soneva brand.
• 2025 — Soneva Group opens global headquarters in Dubai (September); Joanna Flint appointed CCO, Chris Whitehouse CFO, Abhishek Sharma COO.
• 2025 — Soneva Fushi ranked No. 28 on The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025 and wins the SeiBellissimi Art of Hospitality Award, first time the award has been given to an Asian property.
• 2025 — Sonu and Eva Shivdasani announce Sosei, a new global luxury hospitality brand (meaning "rebirth" in Japanese), with projects in development in Japan, the Arctic, European mountains, South Africa, and Asia.

The houses to know

1. Soneva Fushi, Baa Atoll, Maldives — The founding resort that invented barefoot luxury, and still the gold standard for the concept.
2. Soneva Jani, Medhufaru, Maldives — The resort’s architecture makes a broad private lagoon central to the stay.
3. Soneva Secret, Makunudhoo Atoll, Maldives — The fourteen-villa resort gives each villa a dedicated private chef.
4. Soneva Kiri, Koh Kood, Thailand — The Koh Kood retreat spent sixteen years within Soneva before taking the Kiri Private Reserve name in 2025.

Opening next

• Potential expansion under KSL — Maldives and beyond — expected TBA — status: no confirmed projects announced as of June 2026; KSL's track record includes significant expansion of The Pig Hotels (UK) after its 2022 acquisition, suggesting an appetite for adding properties.

Every Soneva hotel on the atlas

Maldives

• Soneva Fushi — Baa Atoll · Apex Luxury
• Soneva Jani — Medhufaru · Apex Luxury
• Soneva Secret — Makunudhoo Atoll · Apex Luxury

Thailand

• Soneva Kiri — Koh Kood · Apex Luxury

Open The Maison in the atlas for Soneva's full dossier, with prices and maps.

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