Gili Lankanfushi is widely rated the best resort in the Maldives, and not without reason. This stunning 45-villa, eco-friendly resort, just 20 minutes by boat from the international airport of Velana (Male), excels in providing a truly unpretentious, laid-back luxury. Bare foot are encouraged (shoes are removed as soon as guests enter the boat from the airport), and each guest is assigned a personal butler named Mr. Friday. The spacious, charmingly simple water bungalows consist of several types of wood and have open (and covered!) verandas/decks with views that can bring tears of joy. The beautiful interior of the island with 683 palm trees offers a wide range of entertainment and dining options. This rare diamond in the Maldives is more authentic than other branded luxury resorts of the same price category.
The Island
While other luxury hotels in the Maldives take away guests from the airport on smooth yachts or seaplanes, the Gili boat is more modest, but it tasteful. Friendly crew members offer homemade lemonade in nice glass bottles, and then ask guests to take off their shoes to encourage the spirit of “No news, no shoes” in the Maldives. This company ritual is optional, but sets the tone for the entire experience of staying at Gili. Many guests prefer to spend their entire vacation barefoot, and all we encountered seemed completely free from anxiety and stress (just do not forget to come with a large margin of financial strength on your bank card!). When the boat arrives at the pier, guests are given the opportunity to take a photo against the backdrop of the huge villas located above the magnificent turquoise lagoon. The general manager and an ordinary employee organizes a warm welcome together with Mr. (or Mrs.) Friday – the title for personal butlers here, named after a fictional character who served as Robinson Crusoe’s personal assistant.
There are no straight lines on this island. The buildings have a rounded shape with stucco decorations. Use natural materials that are left unrefined. Gili Lankanfushi works hard to imitate nature, down to the details (cups with dimples, and jagged saucers). Overwater Meera Spa (“ocean” in sanskrit) is delicious, calm and serious. These little things never seem pretentious, but all this helps to distract your mind from straightness (and narrowness).
CONTACT US TO GET SPECIAL DEALAlmost all residences and several villas have an uninterrupted view of the horizon, filled only with blue and turquoise (and white drifting clouds). The thunder of the ocean, breaking waves on a reef and the ripples around the villas are sounds that penetrate deep into your mind. The soundtrack of the entertainment system includes screams of whales and birds singing. But even with a rock-n-roll music, the whole place is so friendly and personal that you feel you really have to be naked.
Only with sea views, all accommodation here are huge over-water villas, and most of these charming wooden bungalows (note the genuine smell of the villa) are located along one of the three separate jetties connected to the island. Meanwhile, the 7 Crusoe residences unrelated to each other offer more privacy and can only be achieved by boat on demand. Guests can call the boat through their Friday, which is connected to the phone around the clock for immediate assistance.
In striking contrast to the norm, Gili Lankanfushi’s 45 water bungalows are a series of rooms, decks, stairs and roofs that are literally born from each other. Some spaces relax under the straw, some under the open sky, some open to the water below, and some can be used for air conditioning. Wooden boards and posts are not decorated, straw is not hidden, handmade wooden furniture, cotton fabrics – in earth or solar colors. At the same time, each element of luxury is included in the exclusive resort. It’s rustic chic: rustic that brings you back to a simpler time, chic because it provides modernity.
Location
Gili Lankanfushi is located on a private island in North Male atoll which is part of Kaafu Atoll, near the less luxurious (and sometimes a little cheaper) Paradise Island Resort & Spa which is sometimes audible and visible from some villas. After passing through customs at Velana International airport, guests are greeted by a friendly representative at a numbered kiosk, and assisted with luggage to transfer by speedboat to the resort. The whole process is fast and efficient and the trip takes less than 30 minutes. Guests are offered bottled water or a lemon drink, as well as to remove and deposit shoes – tourist slogan Maldives – “No news, no shoes”. Upon arrival, luggage is getting to the villa, which makes the meeting process easy and carefree.
Villas and Residences
In this private island resort there are only 45 water villas in different areas of the resort: either along one of the three jetties, or scattered over the turquoise lagoon. All spacious – as big as at home! – and built mainly from teak wood, cedar, pine, bamboo, eucalyptus and acacia.
All refurbished villas offer open-air living spaces, roof terraces and private decks with direct access to the lagoon below, and there is the addition of new private pools to the enhanced Residence and Villa suites for extra seclusion.
CONTACT US TO GET SPECIAL DEALThe design of the structures includes skylights and natural ventilation systems, so there is less electricity and air conditioning (besides, guests are asked if they want to donate money to neutralize their effect on carbon). The furniture is upscale, but not ostentatious – everything has a beach look, clean lines, and bright fabric accents (often the color of a sunset, such as yellow, orange and red, or turquoise, to match the water).
The design of the structures includes skylights and natural ventilation systems, so there is less electricity and air conditioning (besides, guests are asked if they want to donate money to neutralize their effect on carbon). The furniture is upscale, but not ostentatious – everything has a beach look, clean lines, and bright fabric accents (often the color of a sunset, such as yellow, orange and red, or turquoise, to match the water).
The warm, neutral colour palette is inspired by the island’s natural surroundings for a calming effect, whilst locally sourced turquoise fabrics add flashes of colour to the new design.
Sustainability is at the heart of the island’s vision, and every piece of furniture in the new villas and living areas has been custom made by skilled craftsman using upcycled materials. The bed frames have been made from recycled teakwood, and lampshades handwoven with recycled wire mesh twist to feature fish and sea turtles from the surrounding sea.
The coffee tables are engraved with stars to reflect the clear night sky and hanging lamps crafted from bamboo prawn catcher baskets. Rooftop daybeds are made up with luxurious linens so guests have the option of an atmospheric night sleep beneath the stars, and cushion fabrics custom print with coral patterns found on the reefs below.
All comfortable king size beds with romantic white canopies, but there are accommodation options and with two beds. The mini-bar is packed with wine, beer and snacks, coffee and drinking water. The living quarters are equipped with CDs and DVD players, Bose and iPod stereos with a wide selection of music. The huge bathrooms have two sinks, a whirlpool bath next to the window, large wardrobes and a shower of glass cube, accessible through a walkway under the open sky. A nice bonus – generous toiletries, including SPF and mosquito spray (all for free). The living room leads to an open sun deck with two sun beds, two hammocks and two daybeds. Each villa has a separate deck on the roof with another dining table and a couch under a shaded palapa. There is also a place for yoga and two yoga mats (in addition, classes are offered on the island every morning). Upon arrival of the newcomers, each villa sees a bottle of champagne and snacks.
Dining
The food here has always been very good, now it is often sublime. Four restaurants are run by a Canadian chef, and there are also some private dining rooms for cocktails and special events. New By The Sea restaurant, raised above the beach vegetation, has a delightful night atmosphere and serves delicious Japanese cuisine. In the cool cellar, guests can wine tasting, and dinners are accompanied by sommeliers, and occasionally visiting the island of winemakers and famous chefs. Also in the basement is a great deli store with cold cuts and cheese.
Located directly on the beach and open for breakfast and dinner, Kashiveli that means ‘coral sands’ in Dhivehi – embodies locally-sourced, nutritious ingredients and vibrant flavours through a marriage of land and ocean. Breakfast served on the beach is an important event in Gili. You can start with herbal infusions from Sri Lanka, a drink from wheat sprouts and extraordinarily fresh fruit juices, and also Barton & Geustier champagne on the list. Depending on the day of the week, you can try different Asian dishes, homemade cereals and grinolos, 12 kinds of honey and fresh pastries, including whole-wheat chocolate croissants. On the tables there is always an a la carte menu with spa juices, smoothies and 13 custom-made egg dishes that go well with French coffee.
CONTACT US TO GET SPECIAL DEALFollowing days of exploring and relaxing, guests will enjoy fresh and sustainably sourced dishes at the restaurant where the surrounding waters form the basis of the resort’s modern Maldivian fusion cuisine served from new live cooking stations. Executive Chef Hari Govindaraj is responsible for growing organic herbs, vegetables and fruits in the organic Gili garden and will offer guests one-on-one classes to learn the art of cooking with seasonal produce, providing hand-written recipes for guests to take home as a memory of their stay. In the evenings expect themed dinners, in particular: the Mediterranean market for spices on Fridays, the Asian street market on Tuesdays and the menu from the chef on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Underground wine cellar and chocolate cave gives a good chance to eat handicraft cheeses and chocolate delicacies (for breakfast!).
Activities
Snorkeling is not so much to post about it in social media, that can not be said about the beach. The lagoon is shallow (villas west side, overlooking the lagoon, and the ocean side is deeper). But still there is some good sea life that can be seen at the end of the jetty number three around the uninhabited islet and in the deep channel separating Paradise Island and Lankanfushi. Two snorkeling trips a day by a very comfortable dhony will take you to the nearby coral reefs for wonderful snorkeling. Nearby there are no large inhabited or uninhabited islands. These are significant disadvantages, but I would prefer a vacation here, than anywhere else, especially for a romantic getaway, and just to avoid city life, again feel free and pampered with something fun.
Meera Spa is another overwater wooden structure with six treatment rooms and complex treatments. In one section there is a yoga and meditation zone, and the other is for lovers of baths and saunas. On the second floor there is a sitting area with a view of the lagoon. In the menu: 90-minute packages for facial, massages, reflexology, scrubs and nail care. Nearby, on the beach, hidden between vegetation and thatched roof, is a yoga and taichi pavilion that offers spiritual practices in the early morning or evening classes. The spa boutique features beautiful sarongs and jewelry, as well as an exclusive selection of Voya Organics and Sodashi spa products, an assortment of seaweed, also used for most procedures.
The resort also has a large fitness center located in a bright space with ocean views, an iPod connection and an acoustic music system. In the center of the island there is a tennis court (world celebrities played here!), A beach volleyball court and table tennis. Sustainable modern bamboo bicycles from Singapore – 150 of them – for free.
Non-motorized water sports are free of charge and include the use of catamarans, kayaks, windsurfing, canoes and Hobie Cat sailboats. The Ocean Paradise Dive Center employs multilingual PADI instructors and in the menu: trips to the best dive sites of Kaafu atoll. It is always possible to organize a number of other excursions, such as deep-sea fishing and snorkeling. In the evenings, the latest movies are played at open air Jungle Cinemа, supplemented with comfortable sun loungers, popcorn and soft drinks. The hotel also has a library, with one desktop computer and a printer.
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