Staff Travel Guide: Heavenly Honeymooning in the Maldives
Date Posted: 31/05/2022
A tropical oasis with the perfect balance of romance, relaxation and adventure, the Maldives promises once-in-a-lifetime memories. From unspoiled sugary sands fringed with swaying palm trees and breath-taking marine life; to glorious sunrises and serene sunsets across never ending crystal-blue waters. It’s no wonder the Maldives is considered the epitome of romantic paradises and a haven for loved up newlyweds. But have you ever wondered what it’s truly like to honeymoon at one of the most iconic destinations in the world?
Natalie, our Community Marketing Manager here at Hays Travel, recently returned from an unforgettable honeymoon on these glorious islands; staying 11 nights all inclusive at Dhigali Resort, an indulgent hideaway encased by coral and kissed by Maldivian sun.
Here is her experience of a heavenly honeymoon in the Maldives!
The Journey to Paradise:
“Our journey took around 13 hours from leaving Manchester to touching down in Male, but was totally worth it to visit one of the most breath-taking places in the world. We flew with Emirates and had a short lay over in Dubai. It all went very smoothly, and after many months of planning and organising I relished in the peace of sitting down, relaxing and watching some movies!
Once we arrived in Male we had a short seaplane journey of around 40 minutes to get to our island- a daunting factor for many when considering booking a holiday to the Maldives. But the whole experience was effortless! As soon we walked through arrivals, a lovely lady was there from Dhigali holding up my name card. She took our cases and guided us to the lounge where we waited around 10 minutes for our plane. I found the seaplane an experience in itself and thoroughly enjoyed the journey; watching the many islands below us fade from view as we passed over them. On landing we were welcomed by a row of warm smiles and friendly waves from the Dhigali staff, which was very much the vibe that continued throughout our stay! One surprising benefit was we were hardly effected by any jetlag which meant, as soon as we arrived we started enjoying our holiday!
Heavenly Highlights:
Room
As this trip was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, we chose to stay in an Overwater Villa for the iconic Maldives experience. The stunning villa was perched over the vibrant, idyllic turquoise sea- a sight that no picture will never truly do justice! We very much made the most of being able to hop off our terrace and snorkel in the house reef. Each time we dove into the warm waters, we managed to spot a different fish and were totally blown away by the dazzling colours that lay beneath the ocean’s surface. It was an amazing experience.
Food & Drink
We chose the Dhigali resort due to their high quality Premium All Inclusive offering and it did not disappoint. There were four restaurants in total. A buffet, Asian fusion, Grill restaurant and their signature restaurant Battuta which was Middle Eastern + Asian cuisines. I made certain to sample as much as I could!
Capers, the buffet option, was the best I have ever experienced. We kicked off every day with Breakfast here. I particularly enjoyed their homemade yogurt and granola, smoothies, smoked salmon and the amazing selection of fresh pastries. And I even treated myself to a glass bucks fizz- after all, why not?!
Lunch could be spent at the buffet, the a la carte restaurant, Faru, or you could grab a pizza from the pizzeria; I made sure to enjoy them all during my stay. It was nice to have the flexibility and such a great range of options as it never got repetitive for the full 12 days we were there. We also made the most of the Café most afternoons, where we got our ice cream and caffeine fix for the day. This was the perfect time to sit back and reflect on another day in paradise.
Each spot for dinner blew us away! Overall the food was full of flavour, delicious and super fresh! A couple of my favourite meals included: an Indian Thali which was a sharing plate to try various different dishes from the menu, the beef tenderloin with garlic mash and the tempura tiger prawns with Penang curry. And I just can’t not mention the Coconut Jaggery Cake with a coconut caramel syrup; I have never had a more delicious dessert in my life.
Excursions & Experiences
We knew this could be a destination that we would only visit once, so we knew we wanted to experience as much as we possibly could, and that we did. Firstly, as part of the premium All Inclsuive we got two excursions included; a dolphin cruise and a glass bottom boat trip, both were fantastic! We also made the most of the complimentary non-motorised water sports and headed out on the crystal-clear waters to paddle board. There was plenty of additional activities to experience for an additional cost. As it was our honeymoon, we booked a few of these to make our time even more special.
Keep an eye out for another blog posts about these amazing excursions!
Resort
Another highlight of this resort was their app- I know, a weird highlight but it really wowed me. The app allowed you to book your restaurant reservations, excursions and also keep up to date with any upcoming activities going on. My most used feature on the app was definitely the golf buggy tracker, at any time you could open the app and locate where on the island the 2 buggies were to jump on a grab a ride to whichever spot on the island we were heading.
What made the Maldives, and particularly Dhigali, such an iconic honeymoon destination, was the total escapism it offered. Walking around the island barefoot surrounded by the sounds of the exotic wildlife and waves crashing with not another person insight was a completely unique experience. That being said, there was never a feeling of isolation or boredom in sight. Every single member of staff was warm and welcoming, always starting conversation and throwing a wave making you feel like you were part of the community on the island. It was true bliss. I felt like my batteries were fully recharged and I also have remarkable memories to last a life time.”
Keep an eye out on more posts from Natalie coming soon as see dives deeper into the food & drinks and things to do in the magical Maldives.
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