A happy customer, Sinead Boyne shares her Maldives Bucket List Experience…
“We picked the Residence in the Maldives as we were celebrating our 20th Anniversary and it was on the bucket list. We wanted to go somewhere exotic and stay in an amazing resort and really treat ourselves. I had seen the photos for years of the water villas in the Maldives and had always thought it was really beautiful. When we finally got childcare, we decided to go for it.
We didn’t have any idea where exactly we wanted to go. Research online brings you to hundreds of resorts, so it’s difficult to narrow it down. We wanted luxury, child-free (as we were not bringing ours), and first-class cuisine. Not a regular all-inclusive experience but all in a relatively small resort as we did not want to stay in a resort that was overcrowded.
From the start, we decided to upgrade our flights to business and it made a huge difference. It is a long journey with three flights each way. We flew with Etihad Airways. The flights were amazing, we were excited on the journey out and enjoyed the dine-anytime option where you can request your meals as you want them, rather than on a schedule. On the way back we were able to sleep so we arrived in Dublin not as tired the next morning. The new Business Class lounge in Abu Dhabi is amazing, three floors high with something for everyone. I recommend the expresso martinis on the top floor lounge.
On arrival in Male, we were met by a travel rep organised by The Travel Suite and escorted to our final domestic flight. He met us with baggage tags and managed to get us on the 7.30 am flight even though we only landed at 7 am in Male. This made a huge difference, as if we had not made this flight we would have had to wait until 12.00 for the next internal flight.
From the airport, it is a 15-minute boat transfer to the Residence Resort and it is truly breathtaking. The colour of the sea and the island itself makes you feel like you are in paradise. When we were shown to our water villa, it was everything I had imagined. Really spacious, beautifully furnished and with steps down off the balcony for swimming and snorkelling. Each villa comes with two bikes as there are no motorised vehicles (except for golf buggies) and our own snorkelling equipment. We loved cycling around the island to the different dining areas and particularly liked the little desert island bar in the middle of the 1km bridge that linked the two islands for a refreshment, on the way back to our villa.
The food was remarkable. Anish the Catering Director is a former professional world MasterChef and the food in each of the outlets was amazing. A selection of Lobster, Singapore Crab, Wagu Beef, Australian Lamb ….it was all superb. The staff were lovely and if there was nothing on the menu that you wanted, they were happy to ask the chef to cook off the menu.
The spa in the resort is managed by Clarins and on the one cloudy day we had, we treated ourselves to a half-day spa treatment which was lovely and relaxing, prepping our bodies for the sun-worshipping days ahead.
We snorkelled off the house reef every day and went on several excursions including the sunset cruise and also snorkelling at another site off the island. The marine life was exceptional, we saw sharks, turtles, clownfish, stingrays, manta rays, octopus, and a multitude of other tropical fish. The excursions such as the sunset cruise, snorkelling trip and spa treatments were an additional cost.
The island was beautiful and it was so relaxing and calm, you could not help but chill out. Nothing was any stress for the staff and our days were spent reading (I managed to read a 750-page book!) snorkelling, cycling and having lovely food and drinks. A perfect relaxation destination.
A typical day began with a sunrise at 5 am so we would get up for breakfast around 7.30 am and cycle up to the dining room for breakfast. After that, we would decide which pool bar area to go to for the morning. We would normally bring our snorkelling gear with us to save us going back to the villa. Grabbing our beds by the pool area, we spent an hour or so snorkelling. At lunchtime, we would cycle over the bridge to the larger side of the island where we might stop at the desert island bar for the sun rays and a drink. It got dark early so we had a sunset drink around 5.30 pm and then headed back to the villa and out for dinner at 8.00 pm.
Booking through an expert gave us piece of mind and they can also facilitate travel arrangements that perhaps we couldn’t. Particularly ensuring that we made the Male connecting flight despite arriving with 30 minutes to go. Otherwise, we would have waited five hours for the next connection. I would return to the Maldives but try a different island, as there are so many options.
The Travel Suite were very responsive and helpful, they were able to come back with suggested resorts based on our specific criteria. All our questions were followed up immediately about the resort, to ensure we had all the correct information. I would recommend the Travel Suite for hassle-free bespoke holidays!”
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Contributed by exclusive Journalist to The Travel Suite, Yvonne Reddin.
