Maayun means “love” in the Kei language, and the house was shaped in that spirit, handcrafted by Kei artisans. It stands close to the shore, where hammocks hang between the palms and the turquoise sea opens beyond the garden.
Two storeys rise beneath a red roof edged with scalloped yellow trim. On the ground floor, sculpted white-plaster walls are set with small green-glass portholes, while arched wooden doors open directly onto the garden. Above, timber, woven bamboo, diamond-patterned matting and herringbone screens allow the sea breeze to flow through the house. White columns banded in red rise from beds of ferns and orchids, with peacock rattan chairs gathered in the shade.
Inside, the villa is a celebration of Kei craftsmanship: mosaic-tiled and polished-wood floors, ceilings lined with woven palm, doors inlaid with geometric bamboo marquetry, sunburst mirrors, and framed portraits of island elders watching quietly over the rooms.
At the heart of the house, a large shared lounge and a wide sea-view terrace extend across the upper floor. Ikat-covered daybeds, a hand-carved coffee table, rattan chairs and hammocks create an open L-shaped space overlooking the garden and the sea. It is a place for guests to gather, rest and slow down.
The private bathrooms each have their own distinctive character. Some are painted in joyful bands of orange, green and blue, while another is sculpted in smooth white plaster with a river-pebble floor. Each features a raw stone basin.
Villa Maayun sleeps up to seven guests across three private rooms — Nuhu, Maayun and Manu — each with its own private bathroom. It is ideal for families and groups wishing to enjoy the entire house, with its shared lounge, terraces and hammocks, but each room can also be booked individually.
Manoa sits close to nature
* see our Practical Information page for what to expect.
NUHU — The Island
Nuhu, in the Kei language, means island — the land itself. Set on the upper floor of Villa Maayun, Nuhu is a warm cocoon of polished wood, with timber walls, floors and ceilings. Its bed is dressed in deep indigo ikat, while framed portraits of island elders keep quiet watch from the walls beneath a sunburst mirror.
Carved wooden doors open directly onto the villa’s shared lounge and terrace, where daybeds and hammocks overlook the garden and the sea. Its private bathroom, just off the room, is built of wood and woven bamboo and painted in cheerful stripes of orange, green and blue, with a raw stone basin beneath a white scalloped mirror.
- 3 guests
- Air conditioning and fan
- Private wooden bathroom upstairs, with a raw stone basin
- Hot water
- Opens onto the shared upstairs lounge and terrace, with daybeds, hammocks, and sea and garden views
- Portraits of island elders
- Starlink Wi-Fi
- Breakfast included (direct bookings only)
Nuhu
MAAYUN — Where Love Lives
Maayun means love in the Kei language, and this intimate upstairs room carries the whole house’s name. Wrapped in warm timber and carved-wood screens set in a herringbone pattern that let the sea air pass through, it is dressed simply and beautifully — a bed in island ikat beneath a woven-palm ceiling, with the breeze moving through the trees just beyond. Steps away, the villa’s shared lounge and terrace open onto the garden and the sea. Its private bathroom, upstairs and clad in wood and woven bamboo, is painted in bright stripes of orange, green and blue, with a raw stone basin on a timber vanity.
- 2 guests
- Air conditioning and fan
- Private wooden bathroom upstairs, painted in bright stripes, with a raw stone basin
- Hot water
- Intimate upstairs room, steps from the shared lounge and terrace
- Starlink Wi-Fi
- Breakfast included (direct bookings only)
Maayun
MANU — The Bird That Guided the Ancestors
In the memory of the Kei people, Manu is the bird that guided the ancestors across the sea, leading them to their islands. To carry its name is to keep that journey alive.
Set on the ground floor of Villa Maayun, Manu opens directly onto the garden through an arched wooden door. Its sculpted white-plaster walls are set with small green-glass portholes that catch the light, while a mosaic-tiled floor is laid with an ikat runner and a gold sunburst mirror hangs on the curved wall.
Cool and easy to step in and out of, it is the most grounded of the three rooms — close to the earth, the garden and the quiet rhythm of the day.
Its private bathroom, just off the room, continues the same sculpted white plaster, with rounded walls, green-glass portholes, blue-and-white patterned tiles and a river-pebble floor. A built-in bench sits beneath the shower.
- 2 guests
- Air conditioning and fan
- Private bathroom on the ground floor, with sculpted white plaster and a pebble floor
- Hot water
- Ground-floor room opening onto the garden
- Starlink Wi-Fi
- Breakfast included (direct bookings only)
Manu
