Gallivanter’s Guide, the world-renowned privately published travel advisory, has listed Four Seasons Maldives Resort at Landaa Giraavaru as the Best Hotel in Indian Ocean.

“This is another important achievement for Four Seasons,” Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), which holds a 47.5 percent stake in Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, said about the achievement.

Created in 1991 by Lyn Middlehurst and David Maslin, Gallivanter’s Guide provides hands-on reviews of the best hotels and resorts in the world. The guide takes no advertising and employs no journalists. Middlehurst and Maslin personally assess each and every hotel included in the publication from the guest’s point of view.

With subscribers in 42 countries worldwide, ranging from North and South America, to Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, the Gallivanter’s Guide has become the benchmark for high-end travellers because they know they can trust its appraisals as well as its criticism.

Combining innovation, wellness and conservation, Four Seasons Maldives Resort at Landaa Giraavaru is a 44-acre, 103-villa wonderland in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — a 30-minute seaplane flight from the main Velana International Airport.

Its sister property, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa, lies to the south: an enchanting garden island complete with Island Spa sea sanctuary and Tropicsurf coaches and guides. The luxury catamaran Four Seasons Explorer connects the two via three, four and seven-night cruises, plus private leisure, surf and manta ray charters.

The latest addition to the Maldives collection, Four Seasons Private Island Maldives at Voavah, Baa Atoll opened in December as the group’s first exclusive-use private island: off limits to everyone else, limitless to the guests.