Dream Design
The Reading Room

Flights of fancy

Words by Hannah Lemon
2 min read

Creature comforts abound on the new Virgin Atlantic flights to the Maldives and Turks and Caicos with curated menus and private spaces for the ultimate me-time. 

A bed on a plane
Stories for... Lovers of luxury
But the personal pampering starts before you’re even on board.

Falling asleep in a fully flat bed with crisp sheets and a fluffy duvet, it’s hard to believe that you could be on board a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9. The airline is launching new routes to the Maldives and Turks and Caicos this autumn with all the luxuries you could wish for.

Flights to the Maldives will be running in the winter, three times a week from 22 October, while flights to Turks and Caicos will take off twice a week all year round from 04 November, both from London Heathrow.

Upper Class seats on board are cleverly designed like a home away from home. A glass of bubbly on arrival and a four-course menu rounded off with a cheese and port course make this like a hotel in the sky. Meals are even matched with a specially curated wine list courtesy of fine wine merchant Jeroboams.

This elevated experience starts in the Clubhouse at London Heathrow before you’ve even taken off. New relaxation areas have been designed for meditation or quiet time, providing space to recharge before the flight ahead. Or if powering up instead of down is on the agenda, you can work out on a Peloton bike before taking a shower to refresh.

Before you know it, runway views will be swapped with the beat of a boduberu drum or a cooling glass of rum punch. The only choice to be made is the destination. The Indian Ocean? How about feeling the crystal white sands beneath your feet in a sheltered lagoon in the Maldives with 1,000 coral islands at your fingertips?

Or passing the time in the Caribbean Sea, swimming along with dolphins, turtles and stingrays off the shores of Turks and Caicos? Decision, decisions.


Where to unpack

    • Indian Ocean, Maldives, The Nautilus, aerial view
      The Nautilus, Maldives

      Bohemian beach time is the order of the day here with unscripted dining so you can eat when you want and wellness rituals designed to meet your personal goals.

    • Indian Ocean, Maldives, The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, Orientale Restaurant exterior
      The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort

      A shell-shaped library, a spa designed like a crustacean and a bar in the arched shape of a whale shark – this architectural masterpiece brings new meaning to seaside living.

    • Caribbean & Mexico, Turks & Caicos, Amanyara, beach
      Amanyara, Turks and Caicos

      Quiet, restorative and peaceful. Find yourself daydreaming by the dramatic volcanic rock pool or listening to the wind in the mahogany trees of this exceptionally private utpoia.