Tag Archives: Maldives

Gili Lankanfushi. Maldives

Gili Lankanfushi is the absolute epitome of a relaxation destination. The second you arrive, slip off your shoes and into a bathing suit and let your vacation begin. Even the most basic Villa Suites are beyond anything you could imagine.

Villas are almost entirely open-air, save for the bedroom, which is air conditioned. Rooms have a sundeck that is right over the water, with day beds to lounge on. With 45 rooms and 29 suites, Gili Lankanfushi has something for everyone willing to spend a little dough. All villas also have a Mr. (or Ms.) Friday – a wonderful butler who will do absolutely anything you need. You will want to bring him home with you. There is no need to weigh down your suitcase with toiletries; rooms are extremely well outfitted and the bathrooms are stocked with just about any basics you need. There is a no-shoes policy, so leave the fancy ones at home and bring along a pair of tennies for the court.

If the setting is not already relaxing enough, indulge in a spa treatment or five at Meera Spa, where luxury is abundant and heaven is near. With six over-water treatment rooms, a yoga studio, sauna, steam room and Tai Chi studio. Make sure you ask for a massage table over the glass floor so you can watch the world go by under the sea.

If you are looking to do something a bit more adventurous, Gili Lankanfushi has a million activities in store for you. Start your day with yoga on the beach, then try windsurfing, sailing, or kayaking. Play a bit of tennis, or if you are not feeling particularly active, stay in with a board game or two. Borrow bikes from the hotel, or plan a day trip to nearby islands, a sunset booze cruise, or a dolphin adventure. There is certainly no shortage of activities here.

Note that there are not any restaurants outside of the hotel – but not to worry, you will have plenty to eat and drink. The hotel offers many unique dining experiences, including a private barbecue on a nearby beach lit by lanterns and reachable by jetty. You can also enjoy a 14-course Japanese tasting menu at By the Sea (get the pork belly), or a meal at Leaf, or even an Arab-inspired meal on Palm Beach. Get the lamb when dining there,  they cook it in the ground, which is a Maldivian tradition, and it is to die for.

This hotel is everything you could ever dream of, and exactly what comes to mind when you think of the ideal romantic trip. It would be perfect for a honeymoon, babymoon, or any kind of romantic getaway.

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.

Top 5: Best Diving Spots Around the World

Diving is one of my favorite things to do in this world, it’s like leaving Earth and exploring some unknown and forbidden place. Full of mysterious and intriguing creatures, I never got bored of diving, each dive was it’s own experience with something new. That’s why we’ve compiled the Top 5 diving spots around the world that also incorporate amazing locations and luxury 5-star hotels! These are some places that are also near and dear to my heart.

 

Belize

 

They say great things come in small packages and while Belize is the second smallest nation in Central America, it packs big punch. Perfectly located between Mexico and Guatemala, Belize is the perfect destination for exploration, relaxation and romance. Composed of more than 400 islands, white sandy beaches, and the longest unbroken barrier reef in the western hemisphere, Belize is a world-class scuba diving destination. Some of the best dives consist of The Blue Hole, Stann Creek District (ground zero for whale sharks), and most famously Ambergris Caye. To find out more click here.

screen_shot_2014-02-10_at_5.29.57_pm1 screen_shot_2014-02-10_at_5.30.34_pm

Tahiti

 

Tahiti is a nation known for it’s abundance of honeymooners, long white deserted beaches, and crystal-clear blue water. Whether you dive or snorkel, you are sure to see playing dolphin, harmless reef sharks, and humpback whales. Tahiti is perfect for both beginning and advanced divers. Highlights include clear, shallow waters; steep oceanic drop-offs; sunken vessels; walls of bright coral; and schools of smaller species. The island of Marquesas is perfect for intermediate to advanced divers due to the abundance of caves and drop-off points. The island of Huahine is perfect for beginners due to the abundance of smaller fish and lush coral. Head to the Island of Rurutu to see the great Humpback Whale up close. Stay at the Four Seasons Bora Bora, one of the best hotels in the world. 

006109-01-resort-aerial-overwater-bungalows 006109-05-spa-treatment-room

Great Barrier Reef

 

Located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is known to people young and old. Made up of nearly 2900 individual reefs, 600 continental islands and 300 coral cays, it’s the world’s largest single structure comprised of living organisms. Diving the Great Barrier Reef might change your life ad your outlook on the environment. Now is the time to go see it!! To find out more click here.

qualia-Long-Pavilion-e1405634621271 HamoD7-2340-e1405634130852

Maldives

 

Grouped in 26 low atolls in the Indian Ocean, the word “Maldives” has long evoked a sense of exotic ocean life and tropical dreams. While larger fish may not be as abundant, strong currents bring nutrients to these small volcano-created island, making them abundant in bright corals, thousands of fish species, swim-through caverns, and manta rays. The perfect place to match luxury with scuba, the Maldives is one of our top destinations, not only for honeymoons. Some of the top dive spots include: Fotteyo Kandu, Vaavu Atoll, Kuredu Express, Lhaviyani Atoll, and Okobe Thila, North Male Atoll. To find out more click here.

© stefanocandito.com© stefanocandito.com

Fiji

 

Fiji is a nation near and dear to my heart. I spent a summer there studying shark behavior with one of the world’s best diving teams, Beqa Adventure Divers. Fiji was one of the warmest ocean climates I have ever dived, you can go down to up to 50 feet in the summertime without a wetsuit. Fiji is named the “soft coral capital of the world” due to it’s diverse and colorful species of coral, it is an underwater naturalist’s dream. Some of the top diving spots include: Great Astrolabe Reef, Kadavu , Shark Reef Marine Reserve, Pacific Harbour (best shark dive ever), and Namena Marine Protected Reserve, Savusavu. To learn more click here.

Laucala_1074_s1-e1405013709872 Laucala_0827_s2-e1405013690876

Cheval Blanc Randheli. Maldives

 

Cheval Blanc, the high-end hotels brand of LVMH Moët Hennesy, has open its doors to the most awaited property thus far, Cheval Blanc Randheli in the Maldives. Here you will not only feel the utmost privacy and luxury, but you will also feel like you are on a whole other tropical planet.

Surrounded by shimmering blue turquoise waters, Randheli is located on the Noonu atoll, only 40- minutes from Malé. Only a few minutes away is the wild island of Maakurandhoo, take a stroll on the islands’ spotless beaches and it will invariably summon up a Robinson Crusoe story.

The concept of the hotel is to match the energy of the island to that of its villas, but don’t be fooled, “villa” is an understatement. There are huge cathedral style ceilings, four- post beds, personal ocean-side infinity pools, and is decorated with all the blessings of the ocean: pearls, corals, and seashells. On one side of the villa, you have the lush gardens and trees and on the other, the glittering lagoon.

If you are hungry or parched from your journey to the island, there are no shortage or restaurants or bars at this hotel. Breakfast is available al fresco at WHITE and simply fare (think pizza and pasta) is a great mid-day snack at Deelani. Dyptique is a 2-side restaurant for dinner, both with a 9-course set menu, one Japanese and one Spanish. After dinner head to Le 1947 Bar and order up a French 75 and try out their cigar lounge.

Their Spa is so exquisite that it had to be located on it’s own island. Guerlain has created a range of treatments and massages specially adapted to the Maldives and exclusively for Cheval Blanc Randheli. I recommend the Randheli sun ritual; this sensorial and relaxing face and body treatment prepares your skin for tanning and prolongs your healthy glow after sunbathing. The spa also offers traditional hammam baths and private candlelit yoga sessions. A Leonor Greyl hair spa, a make-up studio and an authentic barbershop complete the beauty halt.

This hotel is also very child-friendly. For the littlest of travelers, Le Carousel offers a range of cultural, playful, and sports activities: child yoga, submarine pictures safari, and treasure hunts galore. Cheval Blanc Randheli genuinely sets new, stellar standards in the Maldives. The professionals at Randheli are sure to make your trip to the Maldives one blissful stay!

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.

Dhevanafushi Hotel. Meradhoo, Maldives

When I was looking for the beach portion of our honeymoon, it became impossible to narrow it down to one. The extraordinary hotel options in Bora Bora, Con Dao, Koh Samui, Mauritius, Fiji and Seychelles were beginning to stress me rather than excite me. That was, until I came across the brand spanking new Dhevanafushi in the Maldives. Right then and there it became clear that this was the place I was so desperately looking for.

Maldives is located in the Indian Ocean, and it is comprised by the most magnificent 1,192 islands to be exact. Hence the infinite high-end hotel options we all get overwhelmed by. However, when I found it on the Conde Nast Traveler’s “2012 Hot List” I knew I was in for a treat.

Like the Four Seasons Tented Camp, it was hard-to-get-to which in my mind added to the exclusivity of it until. Dhevanafushi is located in the south end of the Maldives, requiring you take an additional one-hour flight from Male to Kaadedhdhoo Airport, and a twenty-minute speedboat to the tiny island of Meradhoo. By this point I was hungry and tired of flying for fifteen-hours. We were so far away from Male that even the time zone had changed. We later learned that Meradhoo was the only island in the Maldives with a different time zone.

As we approached the 38-villa hotel, my frown turned into an ecstatic smile. We got off the boat and Chris Ely, the General Manager, welcomed us with refreshing coconut drink, cold towels, local drummers and an army of employees. Needless to mention, the guest to ratio was 3.5 for every guest making our stay flawless. Private butler, boat, captain, chef, yoga teacher, waiters? You name it, they had it.

We then turned around to find our room and realized that the overwater bungalows (or should I say overwater mansions) were built half a mile away from the main island, reachable only by boat (or by Olympic class swimmers). This made it even more secluded and perfect. Not only were we in the most spectacular island in the Maldives, but we were also staying in the most remote bungalow in the entire property… superb!

When we were then taken by a charming boat to our 3,000sqf Sunset Revive Overwater Bungalow (Yes, you read that right, 3,000sqf), I was stunned that something this large was built over the water. I have stayed in many over-water bungalows before, but the average size was 800sqf.

As we opened the door to our room (those of you that have stayed in sister hotels like the Burj Al Arab will understand), a very Jumeirah welcome awaited:

a) A plethora of exotic fruits

b) Hermes toiletries

c) A 25-foot long infinity pool

d) An outdoor tub

e) A yoga deck

f) And a massive 13 by 10 ft bed. It was so gigantic I even did some measuring of how many Stefanie’s fit in the bed (pathetic, I know). The final number was 10! It was nearly impossible to find the other human (my husband) in bed during the middle of the night.

Nevertheless the best part believe it or not was not our bungalow, but the scenery from out of the Life of Pi movie. The abstract coral formations dating back millions of years were like small pieces of art decorating a gigantic showroom, the ocean.

Prior to our honeymoon, we expected our daily activities to consist just of soaking up the sun. On the contrary, when we arrived our days were spent fishing, diving, having a private lunch in a motu, snorkeling, water skiing, and being pampered with a couple’s massage at the lavish overwater Talise spa.

When it came to dining, the staff mentioned over and over again that we could order anything we desired, so I put them to the test. I asked for a Michelada and the Maldivian bartender knew exactly what it was, and followed by making an even better Michelada than my favorite bar in Cabo. Whether that was Dom and Caviar in the room, or French fries and a soda, our desires were met every second of the day.

For those looking for a barefoot luxury experience away from civilization, look no further!