Honest review
COMO Cocoa Island should be chosen deliberately: this is a small retreat-resort of 33 villas and suites where everything is built around water, aesthetics and health — not entertainment.
All the villas stand over the lagoon, each with a veranda and a ladder straight into the water; for more privacy, look at the categories with a private pool, where the water's surface merges with the horizon. The architecture is one of a kind: the curved forms of dhoni fishing boats, New Zealand pine, teak, thatched roofs.
The main reason to come here is wellness. COMO Shambhala Retreat is the embodiment of a healthy-living philosophy: Asian therapies, yoga, Pilates in a new studio, a fitness centre and one of the few hydrotherapy pools in the Maldives; a daily schedule of meditations and classes is already drawn up for you.
The food follows the same line: COMO Shambhala Cuisine — organic produce, raw, steamed and grilled dishes, maximum benefit with no loss of flavour; alongside it, contemporary Asian and Mediterranean dishes, pasta and salads.
Service is personal down to a private cruise to a neighbouring island and dinner in any exotic spot. A resort for couples and devotees of mindful rest; for noise and parties, look elsewhere.
