A honeymoon hotspot, The Maldives has become synonymous with romance. And it’s not hard to see why; with the signature over water villas, endless powder white sands, fabulous food…you’d have the even hardest heart in the mood for love!
The Sanskrit word for ocean, the Meera Spa is the perfect place for couples in the need of relaxation and we headed there on our first day at Gili Lankanfushi.
The spa is located right above the water and from our room it was a short walk across the beach and along the board walk.
I’d never been to an above water spa before and it was breathtakingly beautiful. Just like the rest of the resort, the Meera Spa is constructed completely from natural material, it’s like a perfect haven of peace and tranquility.
Can you imagine any troubles following you to this beautiful hut over the sea?
At the spa they use luxury products from Sodashi and Voya which contain all natural ingredients. You can buy the products here too and the staff kindly gave me a special spray from Sodashi to help with my jet lag.
I particularly loved the bathroom in the spa which felt almost completely outdoor and adjacent are a sauna and steam room which guests can use at their leisure.
Mr S and I had booked in for a couples massages in one of the overwater treatment rooms.
Beginning with a foot massage and cleanse we were then led into the treatment room.
The therapy room is just gorgeous, and there are glass floor panels under the massage tables so that you can see right to the ocean floor while you’re enjoying your treatment.
And just outside the room is a terrace right on top of the ocean!! I would say it may have been better to have two chairs out here so that we could relax in private post-massage bliss!
After a consultation with the therapist, we chose the best massage oil to suit my frame of mind. Looking to relax, I chose the most soothing option and asked for light pressure for my treatment. I loved the relaxing massage and being able to watch the fish through the panel below really did enhance the experience. I hate to admit that I get a little bored during massages but I was transfixed by the beautiful marine life below.
Up that gorgeous wooden staircase pictured above is the relaxation area, again with panoramic views of the ocean – honestly at Gili there are very few places that don’t have a spectacular view! It was the perfect place to enjoy some time together with a fresh herbal tea and some nibbles after our treatment. We loved our massage but some of the other options sounded great too, I was particularly intrigued by the Music Therapy which involves feeling the vibrations of a Tibetan Singing Bowl in order to cleanse your soul.
Now with this blog, you know I won’t go too long without mentioning food again and romantic destination dining is something that they do best at Gili Lankanfushi. In fact Chef John Bakker told me, they can basically create a romantic set up anywhere! Popular locations are the Organic Leaf Garden, the 360º Crows Nest above, One Palm Island is perfect for castaways and Horizon Beach is a sunken table in the sand overlooking a secluded bay! If you don’t want to leave your room, the in villa dining menu can be experienced at any time and you can even try a gourmet barbecue.
During our time there, we were lucky enough to experience the ‘Taste of Gili’ which took us on a tasting journey around the island.
The adventure begins at the By the Sea Japanese fusion restaurant with a sake and sushi sushi pairing.
Though I’m not the biggest fan of sake, I loved making a return to this restaurant which I’ll now count as one of my favourite Japanese restaurants of all time.
Next we were taken out of the restaurant and led along the jungle path to the beach where a special platform had been constructed overlooking the pool, the ocean and the hotel’s Over Water Bar.
The highly knowledgable sommelier introduced us to a rather special champagne that was paired with some very cleverly made macarons stuffed with foie gras.
With the crisp champagne, delicious macarons and wonderful view, the whole set up was so beautifully atmospheric.
Now in my last post, I mentioned a very special place for dining on the island – underneath the Main Restaurant in the The Underground Wine Cellar and Chocolate Cave….
Yes…you read that right…The UnderGround Wine Cellar and Chocolate Cave…I told you this was paradise! For the next step in our tasting journey, we came out of the sun and into the cool environs of the wine cellar.
The cellar itself is utterly gorgeous and there are over 400 wines from over 30 regions around the world!
The Sommelier prepared us a taster of red and white wine each to try along some some savoury nibbles; a delicious beetroot mousse and a seafood cocktail. Now are you ready for the best bit.
Adjacent to the wine cellar is the cheese and chocolate room!!! Here you can sample artisan cheeses, handmade chocolates and cold cuts. You can pop here for a special tasting dinner or simply load up your plate as cheese and chocolate is served as part of the breakfast buffet. All different flavours of chocolate were tucked into the drawers like an edible jewellery box of treats! As you can imagine I could have stayed in the cheese and chocolate room all day but we had more to try on our tasting journey.
For the next leg of the journey I returned to the beautiful Organic Leaf Garden where Chef John Bakker grows the produce for his incredible food. At Gili you can have a private dinner right in the garden.
Or do as we did and have a glass of sweet wine with some more of Chef John’s delicious creations as the evening begins to cool.
Taking a comfortable seat on the sofas above the water, to enjoy coconut cocktails and with fruit and sorbet.
Chef John is a big fan of keeping things light in the hot weather and his ice creams and sorbet are the perfect palate cleanser. Though he did tell me that the cheese cake was probably his favourite dessert!
Later that night when headed back to our room, our wonderful Man Friday had set up a special bed so that we could sleep under the stars!
As my skin is super-sensitive to mosquitos, we didn’t actually sleep here but we did enjoy an hour of star-gazing on this very comfortable set up.
I’ve never watched a film in the middle of the jungle before and of course popcorn, ice cream and cocktails were provided as we lay back on the wooden sun loungers to enjoy a new release film.
How amazing is this? Cinema and sand!
The glorious sunsets! In the Maldives the evening sky is tinted pinky purple, just one more reason why this is one of the most beautiful places on earth!
I think you’ll agree that The Maldives really is one of the romantic places on earth and Gili Lankanfushi is the perfect setting for love!