Cheval Blanc Randheli has made the Condé Nast Traveler 2018 Gold List.

Reviewing Cheval Blanc Randheli for the Gold List, Condé Nast Traveler’s Maria Shollenbarger praised the “supremely elegant” and “completely private” villas of the resort.

“As looks go, it doesn’t get chicer than this, but the whimsical touches — turtles drawn in the sand along the path to my villa, thoughtful little notes from my butler left alongside the pitchers of fresh juice — are what truly give this place its character,” she wrote.

“And the overwater restaurant, Deelani, was my dream combination of beach shack and high-style seafood emporium.”

This win for Cheval Blanc Randheli comes less than a month after it secured a spot amongst the best resorts in the world in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2017.

Accessible by a scenic 40-minute seaplane flight from the main Velana International Airport, Cheval Blanc Randheli is one-of-a-kind exclusive property from the luxury fashion group Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH). Designed by Jean-Michel Gathy, the creative mind behind some of the world’s most stunning resorts including the Chedi Muscat and many Aman resorts, Randheli marries contemporary aesthetic with the traditional Maldivian craftsmanship.

The resort offers 46 villas in three different categories to choose from; Island, Water or Garden. They have a variety of contemporary design elements, high doors and ceilings, outdoor areas for relaxation, pool terraces, a 12.5m long private swimming pool and lagoon-side pontoons.

The award-winning Owner’s Villa at Cheval Blanc Randheli sprawls across its one-hectare dedicated island, and is accessible from a private berth and jetty. This four-bedroom villa is the epitome of exclusive privacy with unique facilities including its own spa, oversized 25-metre long outdoor pool, pristine beaches and exotic gardens.

The resort’s award-winning Le 1947 fine dining restaurant offers an exceptional nine-course culinary experience, which pays tribute to French cuisine, interpreted with delicacy and creativity in a Maldivian setting.

Meanwhile, the Cheval Blanc Spa offers exclusive Guerlain treatments in special treatment villas, while the Hair Spa by Leonor Greyl doubles as a beauty studio and barber shop. For guests with children, there is a Le Carrousel Kids Club and Le Paddock Teens Club on the premises to keep them occupied.

The annual Gold List is Condé Nast Traveler’s list of the best hotels in the world; the ones its editor’s keep coming back to time and again. It is described as the world-leading travel publication’s “love letter to the hotels that make us feel sexier, smarter, flirtier…that make us walk with a little more swagger and remind us who we want to be and how we want to live.”

This year’s Gold List spans six continents and 54 countries.