One of the villa concepts that will be unique to the Maldives is the tree house villa. Each of these, measuring 218 square metres and perched on stilts with a private infinity pool, will offer a special three-metre-high perspective of the island through tropical foliage. The other four distinctive villa designs include water villas with terraces and outdoor showers extending over the clear ocean water; beach villas with separate bedroom and living room; twin beach villas comprising two pavilions and an infinity pool; pool villas and two presidential villas. All villas will be equipped with two iPods and a docking station, a DVD player, an espresso machine and a full range of luxury amenities.

Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa will have two restaurants and five bars offering innovative dining experiences. All outlets will have stunning views of the ocean or lagoon, with some perched above the breaking waves. Khazaanage Restaurant’s concept of three distinctive living rooms, each representing different cultures and cuisines, will be the first of its kind in the Maldives. The three living rooms will be themed as the Indian Ocean, South China Sea and the Arabian Gulf regions respectively.

The resort will feature CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La, a secluded sanctuary offering therapies based on Chinese and Himalayan well-being rituals and traditions. CHI will be located in its own spa village in the resort, with spacious individual treatment villas offering “spa within a spa” environments.

“The Village” will be an extensive 30,000-square-metre leisure and water activity focal point. Housed within “The Village” will be the Shangri-La Environmental Centre where guests can learn about the conservation works around Villingili – marine and coral preservation, eco-friendly and energy saving measures adopted by the resort - and enjoy talks about the colourful marine life at the resort’s house reef and the best diving spots around the atoll.