Maldives • The Daydream Diaries

Our Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives Story: The Best Island in the Maldives

Marisa Mercanti — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 01:00:52 +0000

When we returned from Gili Lankanfushi after our honeymoon, we decided that we would love to come back for our 10 year anniversary. We knew we had to come back at some point and felt this was a realistic timeframe.

Well….we returned this past March- after 3.5 years. We made it only 3.5 years before feeling the absolute need to return LOL.

That’s the effect of Gili Lankanfushi on you and why it is the best island in the Maldives to visit.

Considered one of the best resorts in the world actually ( it won this title in 2015), it is an easy place to fall in love with where the memories of your time there are deeply sketched into your mind forever.

Since the place was so near and dear to our hearts, we planned to bring Chloe with us to share the magic with her. Due to Covid, we decided that it was better for her to stay home. Definitely not fair for a 2 year old to undergo numerous tests and have to wear a mask on a long haul flight. Gili’s, although very much a honeymoon destination, is also INCREDIBLE for kids and families and we can’t wait to one day bring her back there.

While the trip was intended to be a family one, it turned into a honeymoon round 2 and we were not disappointed.

THE CONCEPT & VIBE AT GILI LANKANFUSHI

Gili Lankanfushi is modeled and inspired after the novel ” Robinson Crusoe”. This laid back vibe can be best described as 5 star, top notch, over the top “Unpretentious Luxury”.

The minute you get on the speed boat to head to the island, you are encouraged to take off your shoes and be bare feet the entire time. The staff quickly confiscates your shoes and in turn hands you over a welcome drink for the quick and beautiful 20 minute speedboat ride. Their “No Shoes, No News” policy makes you feel like you are entering a home sanctuary. When you arrive, you start to really notice all the details that have been carefully crafted yet blend in seamlessly. All materials used are natural ( many of them being built on the island itself), there is no plastic, everything is sustainable and they even have their own organic garden where they grow a lot of their own food and herbs. The sustainable luxury theme is felt in every element of the resort and really brings you a calmness and peace – like you are one with the island.

The “barefoot luxury” concept paired with the unparalleled service that you receive from the staff makes this place one of a kind. Not only is EVERY staff member you meet incredible but each guest is also assigned their own private butler also known as your Mr. Friday. Your Mr. Friday is on call for you anytime during your stay. They can pick you up should you choose not to bike, they make reservations for you and can even take the kids off your hands for an hour or two should they have the time!

The island itself is also the perfect size. It is easy to bike around and explore every nook and cranny there yet at the same time each spot feels very private. Our favourite spot on the island was “Palm Beach” where it feels like you are in a garden of Palm trees. We zipped through them all on our bikes and then also found ourselves swimming in this area quite often. PERFECTION! The water color is some of the best in the Maldives too – this is a fact. Loving the island you are on is especially important in the Maldives since you are pretty much not leaving during your stay and at Gili’s -even if you could leave to explore a local restaurant or beach- you would not want to.

THE VILLAS: BEST IN THE MALDIVES

At Gili Lankanfushi, each villa is designed with the utmost attention to detail. All of the 45 villas are located over water and offer open air living spaces and private roof decks where you have multiple view points of the bright turquoise water that is seriously some of the best in the Maldives.

We had the option to stay at one of their brand new pool villas ( #30) and it was easily the best room we have ever stayed at in our lives!

With over 2260 square feet, you truly feel like you have endless spots to kick back and relax. The main level has a separate bedroom space (with full air conditioning), a bed lounge and desk space if you wish to hide from the sun and your massive two sink bathroom space leading to your outdoor private shower. Let’s not forget the stand alone tub in the bathroom where I spent a good portion of time relaxing! The deck area is also expansive with lounge chairs, hammock net, glass floor panels offering a glimpse into the islands boosting coral life and of course the full plunge/infinity pool. The upper level roof deck gives you incredible view points of the island and waters. It includes a full bed up there ( where you can actually choose to sleep under the stars one night if you wanted), table and lounger! Adding a child or two into these Villas would still give you plenty of space!

If you feel the need for more space, they also have their Family Villas which features 2 separate bedrooms OR a Crusoe Residence Villa which is extremely private as these villas are only accessible by boat!

Of course if you want to go ALL out, Gili Lankanfushi is also home to the world’s LARGEST overwater villa called “The Private Reserve” ( or as I like to call it….MANSION!) at 18,000 square feet. YES REALLY! We had the chance to visit the Private Reserve when we visited our first time and let me tell you- it was INSANE! Even just spending the day there was an experience like no other. I think I went down the water slide about 2389 times.

THE DINING AT GILI LANKANFUSHI

One of the main draws of staying at Gili’s is the amazing culinary experience you will have at EVERY SINGLE MEAL. Every one. The attention to detail, quality of ingredients, and service is second to none.

The cuisine will whet your appetite with fresh offerings filled with local produce and fish, while the extraordinary settings will leave an indelible impression.

One of the main things that blew me away on our first morning was the personalized menus we received at breakfast with our names on them. So many of the staff members also know your name and being greeted in such a way sets the tone for your culinary journey there. You feel like you are having a private, personalized meal every time.

Opening the menu that first morning, I forgot how extensive their breakfast options were! I am talking pages and pages of healthy juices ( all made fresh) and health tonic shots aiding in any sort of ailment. With us travelling during COVID, we had a Warm Immunity Booster cup every morning and when we moved to our next destination, I felt empty in the morning not having it which had me thinking, “Should I just move to Gili’s?”

Next to the main restaurant itself is where the in house organic garden is. A lot of their dishes include fresh herbs grown right here and it is truly remarkable to see the effort they have in making every meal so fresh.

The culinary journey you will embark at during your time there leaves you speechless night after night. We found ourselves saying things like “Ok that was the best meal” only to repeat the same line the following night.

While every meal was something to remember, if we HAD to pick- our favourite experiences were:

SUSHI DINNER AT ABOVE THE SEA: Extraordinary setting where you are perched up in what feels like a luxe Jungle treehouse. The fresh and unique sushi offerings will be leaving your stomach very satisfied. THEY EVEN HAVE A WASABI MARTINI!! Do yourself a favour and try that out for me

ASIAN STREET MARKET NIGHT: Set up in the Kashevali restaurant area, the space is transformed into a bustling street market featuring popular yet unique dishes from neighboring places like Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and more! With live music going from the in house musician to live chefs behind each of the market huts, you are truly taking your senses on an experience for the night!

LUNCHES AT THE OVERWATER BAR: A new addition since the last time we visited was the “Hari’s Superfood” menu which features bright, vibrant and HEALTHY creations. If you are looking to stay on track on vacation or are plant based, this variety will certainly please you. We also veryyyy much enjoyed the fish tacos one day! Another favourite of ours forsure. The biggest problem during our whole stay was trying to figure out what to order at lunch because the options were endless. I also do not have many food photos from this portion of our trip because we devoured everything so quickly!!

STAND OUT FEATURES & EXPERIENCES: WHY IT IS THE BEST ISLAND IN THE MALDIVES

#1. COCKTAIL MENU AT OVERWATER BAR

With prime viewing spots for Sunset, the Overwater Bar is the perfect place to kick back at the end of the day while sipping on THE most delicious cocktails you can imagine. The drinks were so good that we even found ourselves enjoying 1 at lunch one of the days! The drink menu is extensive, crafted with local flavours and even served up with mouth watering canapes

#2. JUNGLE CINEMA AT GILI LANKANFUSHI

Picture yourself in the jungle, cozied up in a secret location watching your favourite flick! The Jungle Cinema is offered as a complimentary amenity for guests once a week! You also can book a Destination Dining experience there and either have your dinner there or rent it out privately for the night where it comes occupied with popcorn and other goodies! We definitely thought of Chloe with this one as we know she would be SO excited to watch one of her favourite films in this setting. This experience is truly magical for both kids AND adults!

#3. UNDERGROUND WINE CELLAR

We decided to do the “Wine & Chocolate Pairing” experience one rainy afternoon here and we were SO glad we did! With over 3,000 wines housed inside here, you can easily and quickly see that the Gili’s Wine Menu is one filled with enough options to satisfy any wine lover! The chocolates that are paired with the wine are all made in house. With flavours like pistachio to unique ones like Curry Raspberry, the chocolates were equally as enjoyable as the wine. This is definitely well worth the price tag ( and pretty reasonable if you ask me for what you get!)

#4. FLOATING BREAKFAST

Someone asked me if they felt the upgrade to a pool villa was something I would recommend or felt was necessary. Our last villa didn’t have a pool and we felt that it got us into the ocean more exploring the beautiful ocean water surrounding us. However! After experiencing a pool villa, I have to say it was absolutely nice to have and definitely worth the extra money if you are debating it. One of the reasons why I loved it so much too was because you have the option of doing a “Floating Breakfast”. You can arrange this through your Mr. Friday and all ordering is done the night before. In the morning, the team sets up this extravagant breakfast RIGHT in your pool. It was a bucket list moment for me and we actually enjoyed it for hours!

#5. SNORKELLING

You will truly have an unforgettable experience if you book a snorkeling session with in house Marine Biologist Tiana. The underwater world at Gili’s felt like a scene from Finding Nemo. The variety of fish and coral life left me speechless and really makes you appreciate the nature surrounding you. What makes it incredibly special above all this is that they have created the “Coral Line Project” where they rebuild endangered coral pieces and protect them. The nursery boosts over 160 lines now and is monitored often by the “Gili Veshi” team. We enjoyed our post snorkeling visit to the Gili Veshi hut where we learned a bit more about the sea life. I would definitely recommend visiting this hut especially if you are bringing the kids!

Whatever activities you choose to do, whatever you decide to eat or how you choose to spend your day, there will be one thing that is a guarantee: Gili’s will win your heart over no matter what!

The resort prides themselves in the notion that you will “Arrive as a guest, leave as friends and return as family” and I can whole heartedly say this is 100% true. In fact, many of their guests are return visitors! It’s not often you find yourself a place where you feel so welcome AND where the standards are so high.

Someone asked me if I am going to try another hotel in the Maldives eventually and after visiting so many luxury spots all over the world through my job, I feel there is no need to try another spot. I already know it’s the best of the best and there’s no place like “home”

INSIDE: GILI LANKANFUSHI MALDIVES

Marisa Mercanti — Sat, 26 May 2018 14:26:12 +0000

Choosing a resort to stay at in the Maldives is not an easy task. There are HUNDREDS of resorts on all of the tiny islands that make up the Maldives however if you want to skip the research do yourself a favour and just book Gili Lankanfushi. The 5 star resort located just 20 minutes from the Male airport by speedboat was named the #1 hotel in the WORLD by Trip Advisor, is a mix of luxury meets treehouse living and has the best service you could ask for. I spoke about my stay HERE but I wanted to get a little more in depth about the resort and hotel and all of the amazing features it has. To be warned though, the only downfall of visiting is that no holiday will compare..NO REALLY

THE GROUNDS

The scenery at Gili Lankanfushi is breathtaking. It is made up for powder white beaches, lush tropical palm trees and plants, an assortment of water colours ranging from clear to deep turqouise and overwater huts that sprawl out on various jetties. It is a true version of paradise. I would honestly be surprised if heaven was nicer than this!

Aside from all the over water huts that make up the property and the beaches that surround the island, there is endless dining options. All restaurants here focus on fresh and sustainable ingredients ( lots coming from their very own garden which we got to tour!!). The main restaurant focuses on South Asian flair with locally sourced seafood, organic herbs and veggies. Each week they offer a “street food” market which was AMAZING! Each stall focused on a different country- Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia! It truly felt like a luxe market in Asia. We also were heading to Sri Lanka after Maldives so it was almost educational as well. The Chef was so personable and gave us a break down of what each country is really known for

If you are feeling something a bit different they have a Japanese fusion restaurant. The restaurant is perched up in a tree house like building where you sit cross legged while munching on the FRESHEST sushi and sashimi. They also offer private dining options though out the whole island which we were lucky enough to experience! We were whisked away to a tiny corner of the island where we ate a moonlit feast on a secluded sandbar, surrounded by hundreds of glowing lanterns. It was magic. The Chef sets up shop right by you so you literally see your Lobster being grilled to perfection next to you. The photo above is what it looks like!!!

There is honestly just so many nooks and crannies to hang out at this island that we spent one day riding our bikes around and setting up shop at different places.

THE ROOMS

The room at Gili’s are among some of the largest in all of the Maldives. There is 3 different jetties that make up the 44 suites it has! Some of these suites are only accessible y boat and are slightly larger! Regardless of what suite you get, you are guaranteed this: HUGE, airy living rooms ( half of which is enclosed and the other half open), massive bathrooms (with his and her sinks, closet space, glass floor inserts and an outdoor path leading to a shower), and bedrooms that have the comfiest linen and pillows you will ever experience. Even though the rooms are all natural looking, you will have all the modern amenities such as Satellite music, DVD players, TVs and fans.

With over 2000 square feet to yourselves, it is EASY to feel like you live there after a day. They are that amazing. The only downfall is that you almost don’t want to leave your room!!! We spent the few afternoons lounging on our private sundeck and made sure we got out onto the resort in the morning. If we didn’t do it first thing in the morning, we would have never left our room!

If you really want to BALL out, Gili Lankanfushi has the LARGEST OVERWATER VILLA IN THE WORLD called “The Private Preserve”. Pictured above. It will set you back at $14,000 a night but with multiple bedrooms, a private kitchen, spa, WATERSLIDE, private infinity pool and more- you could quite possibly fit a small town in there and split it! Ha!

IMPORTANT TIDBITS

Price	$1000 + a night	Mini Bar	Yes
Wifi	YES	Year Opened	2001
Pool/Gym	Pool, Gym ( with amazing equipment), Yoga Classes	Location	20 Minute Speedboat from Male Airport
Children?	Yes- SO KID FRIENDLY!	Restaurants?	Yes. 4 plus personal dining experiences

5 things to do here

#1. Hit the Spa

The spa is perched off a private jetty far removed from the main action of the resort. It offers holistic treatments meant for you to hit the ultimate level of relaxation. We used the steam room everyday when we were there and then sat on the 2nd level of the spa drinking some cucumber water. It was pure bliss!

#2. Do a special dining experience

Gili offers unique dining experiences around the island. As mentioned above, we chose to do a private dinner on the island with a private chef! It was something we will never forget. They have soo many unique options to choose from though and if we end up going back, I am forsure going to pick the option of having dinner in your own villa’s rooftop deck where you can even finish the night by sleeping out there!! Is this not out of a movie?

#3. Take a tour of their Organic Garden

If you ask you can get a tour of the garden where they grow so much of the food and herbs that they cook with. We loved checking this out because it really is reflective of what Gili is about- using local materials, foods and supplies that is found on the island itself. Knowing you are eating fresh food that is grown right in the backyard makes the already delicious meals even MORE delicious!

#4. Eat at the Sushi Restaurant
Do not ask questions- JUST DO THIS. I have dined at the fancy Nobu, had sushi in Tokyo and have tried some legitimate sushi places when I lived in LA and they all did not remotely compare to the sushi at Gili Lankanfushi. To add to the delicious food, the atmosphere and setting of the restaurant was out of this world and made us feel like we were eating in the most exotic treefort.

#5. Snorkel!
You can very easily see stingrays, yellow exotic fish and more just from looking over your balcony but it is an entirely different world when you are underworld and see all the amazing coral that goes along with it! Snorkel gear is given to you upon arrival and your Mr. Friday will guide you to the best spots on the island to really see the best fish!

INSIDE: Le Riad Yasmine

Marisa Mercanti — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 18:12:51 +0000

Le Riad Yasmine

If you haven’t heard or seen photos of Le Riad Yasmine, you have likely been living under a rock. It is easily one of the most Instagramable pools and riads in Morocco….and quite possibly one of the most instagramable hotels in the world. While the pool is the big draw, the rest of the hotel is equally as beautiful. We arrived in the morning when we could already feel the craziness of the city stirring up. Once the door opened to the Riad, we instantly felt like we had entered a calm oasis and if I had my eyes closed, I would have felt like I was in a spa. It smelled of tranquility and peacefulness. YES PLEASE

THE GROUNDS

The hotel begins with a small hallway decked with Moroccan carpets, cool photos and as mentioned above- calming essential oils. This leads to the focal point of the hotel- the pool. Green and white tilework wraps around the small plunge pool and this colour theme carries onto their lounge beds, small sitting tables and walls. It is basically a page out of Architectural Digest. Lush plants surround this space as well adding even more life to this already beautiful area. There is sleek room next to the pool that is covered and equipped with tables for eating, a couch and a very inviting fireplace. If you head a few more floors up, you will find the rooftop which is where we had breakfast every morning, watched the sunset every night and caught a few rays in between. This area has many different zones for chilling out and it may be my favourite spot in the entire hotel

THE ROOMS

There is 7 unique rooms at Le Riad Yasmine which makes me think its best to go there 7 different trips and stay at each one. Good idea? Yes I think so! Each room has a chic minimalist Moroccan decor feel. Our room in particular was mainly black and white ( my fav) with hits of colour here and there. Each room comes with free Wi-Fi, strong AC, and ours in particular had an all green bathroom with a large bathtub!

IMPORTANT TIDBITS

PRICE	Rooms range from $150 USD and upwards	MINI BAR	No
WIFI	Yes.	YEAR OPENED	2003
POOL/GYM	Pool. No Gym.	LOCATION	Right in the Center of the city!
CHILDREN	You can but the pool may be a bit small	RESTAURANTS	Yes!

5 things to do here

#1. Enjoy Mint Tea while lounging by the pool

Even if you aren’t a tea person, you will undoubtedly become obsessed with it when visiting Marrakech. Their in house tea was one of our favourites and when its served like this, it is easy to see why! Not shown: Fancy pouring

#2. Get cozy with your honey

The space offers so many nooks to relax in! With illuminating lanterns and the cozy cushions, it is such a romantic place to come with your lover!

#3. Buy one of their Blankets

In the lobby, owners Gabriel and Alice have a little area with items you can purchase. It is clear that they have sourced out the best of the best! We fell in love with one of their Pom Pom blankets and didn’t see anything as unique and cool when we were shopping. The quality was second to none!

#4. Wear one of their In-house Hats

Cutest hats ever right? It is common for a lot of restaurants and hotels in Marrakech to have personalized hats and Le Riad Yasmine is on trend with this! It was so fun wearing the hats around the place. They also were so key in shielding us from the afternoon sun!

#5. Explore the Souks!

At a place as beautiful this, it will be hard to leave but if you are feeling like you want to shop, you are a hop, skip and a leap away from the best part of the Souks! Lanterns as shown above, bags, carpets and MORE are just steps away!

Bonus Feature?

The rooftop was the best sunset watching place from our entire trip! We checked out trendy restaurants and other notable rooftops but this one was the most amazing. In addition to the city, you get an epic view of the Atlas Mountains

Best way to book?

Directly on the website HERE

Maldives Photo Diary

Marisa Mercanti — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 16:14:54 +0000

Is it possible that as I type this I am still dreaming?

Because the Maldives was just that….a dream

Before going there, it was on my bucket list but it was more like “Wow I would love to go there one day” but I didn’t feel confident that I ever would. It just looked like it wasn’t on the same planet as the one I was living on!

Well- this dream of mine came true this past August and it was everything I thought it would be plus more! Even when we were physically there, we felt like we had to keep pinching each other to make sure we were actually there

We stayed at Gili Lankanfushi and we are so happy we choose to stay there!

*( I will be doing a full hotel tour in another post but thought I would share a little pre post first ;))

The reason for making this dream a reality was because we would be going for our honeymoon. Seems like a pretty good reason, right? When researching where to stay in the Maldives ,we were bombarded with choices. The Maldives has over 1000 different tiny islands with resorts taking over each of the islands. I decided to meet with a friend who went for her honeymoon to pick her brain. Almost immediately she said “Book Gili Lankanfushi if you want to have the best experience of your life”. Thank god I listened to her. She couldn’t have been more right.

When we arrived at Gili Lankanfushi, we were whisked away on their speedboat and immediately welcomed with lemon mint shots, cold clothes for our necks and we were asked to remove our shoes. Their policy is “No News, No shoes” and it got us into relaxation mode quite quickly.

The boat ride from the airport to the resort is a short 20 minute boat ride which was a huge draw for us. We made it to the resort in no time! After a 15 hour flight to get to Male ( the main airport), we were NOT looking to get on another airplane! Once we made it the resort, we were greeted by our “Mr. Friday” aka our personal butler for the week.

Our Mr. Friday invited us off onto his golf cart and made us instantly feel comfortable with him. He went over some details but wanted to ensure we would get comfortable in the room first before diving into anything in too much detail. Since we arrived at night and missed dinner, our Mr. Friday put together some small late night items for us to munch on to tide us over until the morning. This was the start of EVERY. SINGLE.DETAIL being thought of. We often wondered throughout the week if our Mr. Friday and the staff at Gili could in fact read our minds. Someone would appear the minute we thought of something we needed. They were 5 steps ahead of us and it helped us to relax at a level that I have never experienced before.

The next morning we woke up at about 5AM because we were just too excited to

A: Be there

B: Witness the sunrise and

C: See everything in the light!

I felt like I was a kid waking up on Christmas morning waking up to the best present ever. We both walked out of the open air villa (pretty much a small house!) and onto our back deck area. We were greeted to the most stunning sunrise. We later found out this is pretty standard. 10 out of 10 level sunrises and sunsets. EVERYDAY.

Even though we were dropped off by golf cart, we were given two bicycles to explore the island on. I love being barefeet but being barefeet on the bikes- NEXT LEVEL! We would ride down the docks and through the jungle sand roads and I never felt so liberated, adventurous and happy. Simple pleasures.

We woke up each morning early to catch the sunrise, do a little work out and then lounge for a solid 2 hours over breakfast. The lavish breakfast buffets included the most insane variety-health shots, coconut juice, Mimosas, pancakes, omelets, fresh fruit galore, fresh baked breads and pastries- just to name a few! All meals were made with top quality ingredients – a lot of them harvested in their own organic garden!! There was a reason we made sure to work out everyday;)

The days felt slow and relaxed yet we filled them up with many things. We laid in our hammock and not just any hammock but a hammock hanging in the middle of the ocean outside of our villa. We would read, we would nap, we would let the water slowly spill over us…it was perfect. We went snorkeling and saw the most colourful fish you can imagine! We saw reef sharks, sting rays and so many little Nemos! We took a boat and cruised around the island- even stopping to tour the Private Reserve which is the world’s BIGGEST over water villa. They basically dragged us out and who can blame us- the villa has 4 bedrooms, its own spa, its own pool, its own kitchen and best of all- a WATERSLIDE! Yes I am 32 going on 13 and am proud of it!

We spent our last night doing one of their “Destination Dining” options. You could choose from many options- some of them being: heading out to a private island , climbing up to a treehouse that overlooked the water, snuggling in the Jungle Cinema ( a private area in the jungle with a massive screen) or eating on a private part of the island with lights around you on the beach. We choose the last one and it was the perfect ending to our incredible day.

When it was time to leave, we could truly see why Gili Lankanfushi was named the “Best Hotel in the World” in 2016. There was no detail that was missed, every guest that was there wore an expression on their face that read “I am in a state of bliss” and we truly felt we wouldn’t change one single thing.

We already decided we would be coming back for our 5th anniversary!

Until next time..

MALDIVES: The Video

Marisa Mercanti — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 18:45:36 +0000

Officially back in Canada and back at work which means I have spent good portions of my days re-looking at all our vacation photos!

TAKE

BACK

Here is a little video summary of the Maldives portion of our honeymoon at Gili Lankanfushi aka paradise on earth!

Will have a full recap and photos up on the blog over the next while!