Many resorts in the Maldives are just a speedboat ride or a seaplane spin away from Malé’s Velana International Airport. The Residence Maldives is one of the exclusive few where you get to board a flight on Maldivian to get to its location on Gaafu Alifu Atoll, one of the largest in the world. It’s a 55-minute journey from the country’s capital to Koodoo airport, passing over aquamarine ocean. Of the 80 islands on this atoll, only about 20 are inhabited and you can count the number of resorts on the fingers of one hand. As my plane gets into landing mode, I see exactly why this palm-fringed paradise is so special. By the time I’ve sipped my drink on the seven-minute speedboat ride over, I’m already on stretchable tropical time.
Like I’m delighted to learn during the welcome briefing at check in, The Residence Maldives boasts not just one but two resorts – one known as Falhumaafushi and the newer one, Dhigurah, both owned by Cenizaro Hotels & Resorts. Each is on a separate island, connected by a one km-long bridge that’s easily walkable, cyclable or accessible via golf cart. So, while I’m staying at Dhigurah, I’m more than welcome to enjoy all the benefits of Falhumaafushi while I’m here. This twin-resort concept is quite unique and gives a heightened sense of expansiveness, which somehow adds to the vast vistas of the Indian Ocean drawing my eyes to the horizon.
Living well
But first things first… let me unpack the stellar qualities of my beautiful Sunset Water Pool Villa. While it’s one among 173 similar villas over the water or right on the beach at Dhigurah, each with its own pool, it gives me secret island vibes with its privacy and perfect silence. The only sound I can hear once I shut the door is the gentle lapping of the ocean. The view I enjoy from my pool-side lounger is of the multi-blued sea.
Inside, the living and sleeping area is done in muted shades and a contemporary-colonial feel. It has a substantial bed with great sleep quality, a cosy day couch, spacious desk, and plenty of room to strut around trying on their complementary sarong. The not-so-mini bar in the villa opens up to reveal accoutrements for a luxe stay – excellent coffee, glassware and snackables. A champagne bucket with a bottle of bubbly awaits ice.
The bath area through double doors, has twin vanities, and a roomy walk-in closet. It gives you the option of an indoor as well as outdoor shower and an ample tub.
Outside, a pair of courtesy bicycles built for joy are ready to go when you are. The boardwalk beckons temptingly, while the Indian Ocean shimmers with promise.
Doing well
Of course, there’s plenty to do for everyone in this family-friendly resort, even though it’s tempting to just relax in your pool. Think yoga at sunrise and sunset at the spa, or a game of chess, beach volleyball, water polo or bocce ball in the day.
Informative screenings about Maldivian history or marine life to Sunday movie nights. Evening pool parties to daily DJ nights at the Beach Club. Cocktail classes at Dhigurah’s Long Island Bar to wine tasting at Falhumaafushi’s Library Bar.
Visiting Maamendhoo village on a walk through with Nafiu Napo from The Residence as my guide, I’m very aware that I’m just 20 kms north of the equator. The blazing sun and high humidity hit differently when you’re not in the water or in breezy beachwear. But the village walk is a great way to meet local Maldivians as they relax outside their homes in mesh chairs, shop in the little neighbourhood supermarket, and see the local school, mosque, and bank to get an idea of their way of life.
The list of water activities at the resort is huge but snorkelling around the house reef or and scuba diving nearby top it, thanks to the lagoon that boasts unspoilt coral and spectacular marine life. Just walking around the twin resorts, you can spot turtles, colourful fish, and eagle rays from the boardwalk, so you can imagine what a wealth of underwater life you can discover.
Shaifan and the rest of the team at the dive centre are skilled, knowledgeable, and encouraging, so trying a new activity seems doable rather than daunting. They teach courses in snorkelling and scuba, take you out on a boat, and can even arrange a full-day excursion with a picnic that’s centred around under-water adventures.
Over the water, you can try windsurfing, sailing a catamaran, ocean kayaking (in a regular or glass-bottomed one), and stand-up paddling. There’s motorised fun as well, which includes jet skiing, wakeboarding, water skiing, knee boarding, flyboarding, banana riding, and parasailing from a speedboat.
The dolphin cruise at sunset is a chance to spot spinner dolphins being acrobatic or the bottle-nosed ones swimming alongside the traditional Maldivian dhoni boat as you sip your sparkling wine. This is an easy way to engage with the ocean if you’re in the mood for something more mellow.
Being well
Speaking of mellow vibes, the spa beckons. The 10 treatment rooms with thatched canopies are large and ocean facing. These are accessed through a peaceful path among the palms. In keeping with the wholesome location, The Spa by Clarins offers two to three-day wellness retreats with a focus ranging from ultimate beauty and sleep, vigour and vitality, detox and contouring, to holistic healing and awakening. They also have several signature treatments for those who want some pampering but don’t want to go all-in on wellness on their vacay. Sea Serenity, created exclusively for The Residence Maldives, is a luxurious glow up for the face and body. Essence of Residence uses their homegrown plants and herbs as ingredients for their coconut scrub and herbal compress. The ayurvedic Soul is great for deep relaxation and detoxification, while Balance, which involves lava shells and a deep relaxing body bamboo massage, is perfect for stress relief. Peace incorporates Balinese techniques, and Holistic blends Swedish and Eastern styles to stimulate circulation. Revive is just right for relieving tension, and Heaven harnesses the power of basalt stones for soothing and energising.
I know I need a good knead with aromatic oils, but I haven’t factored in the sheer bliss that the therapist’s expert hands work. The post-massage hot herbal tea is best enjoyed in a bathrobe on the deck outside. The glorious blue of the shallow sea, the wafting breeze… it all helps to slow me down and breathe, truly breathe.
Behaving well
General Manager Meenakshi Sundaram tells me The Residence Maldives has 3,500 palm trees on the property. Under these trees, the island floor blooms with a variety of other plants, making this a very green getaway. It’s green in other ways as well, with its own desalination plants, composting almost a thousand kilos of food waste, and even using mulch made from coconut tree bark. The Maldivian government has an efficient waste management system in place, where ships arrive regularly to collect garbage from even resorts as far-flung as these.
Sustainability has been a way of island life from the start and The Residence Maldives ensures that they give back to the environment more than they use from it. The experiences that they curate for guests at their Earth Basket, a chef studio and beautiful table inside an herb garden – picking the freshest herbs, fruits and vegetables for a personalised cooking session followed by a wholesome meal – help to showcase their efforts at sustainability through a farm-to-table approach.
Dining well
In fact, The Residence Maldives at Dhigurah has some fab restaurants. You’d think that being on a secluded island like this, the meals would start feeling repetitive after a while. But the reality is quite the opposite.
Breakfast is a buffet bursting with options at The Dining Room, with multiple live counters, a vast array of fresh salads, homemade compotes and sauces, a tempting ‘doughnut wall’, and a general emphasis on Asian fare, which includes Maldivian delicacies and a generous Indian section that vary daily. Spacious and beach facing, it’s a relaxed space that encourages you to indulge.
For lunch, I head to Li Bai, luxuriously laid out, and a mix of contemporary and classical Chinese in feel. Its Cantonese cuisine is poetry on plate, apt for a restaurant named for a Tang dynasty poet. My scallop salad is delicate, while my lobster main in a punchy XO sauce is deliciously robust. While Long Island next door has some excellent Italian with a fantastic view that can be enjoyed from cosy beds for two.
The high-ceilinged bar attached is stylish and sparkles with innovation. A range of infused whiskies sit on the counter invitingly and the mixologist has many aces up his sleeve. Another spot for liquid libations, finger food and Mediterranean flavours is the pool-side Café Del Sol.
For even more variety, you can book a table at one of the restaurants in Falhumaafushi. The Beach Bar is ideal for lunch, edged with azure ocean and white powdery sand, and featuring a range of cuisines. Be it a refreshing somtam or a burger, or excellent seafood, it’s very well crafted. I appreciate the taste and smiling service here.
The elegant dinner at the simply stunning The Falhumaa makes for incredible memories, thanks to its al fresco location right over the water and the high standard of the French dishes I try (that most luscious lobster thermidor!). Watching schools of fish swim below me as the balmy breeze caresses my face and the mood music and lighting make everyone seem a more glamorous and mysterious version of themselves… it all gives very magical Maldives.
On my last night here, I get to experience yet some more sorcery… a dinner at Castaway Island! Now this is a truly gorgeous stretch between both resorts, just a few steps down from the connecting bridge.
In the day, it’s virgin beach with a few spots for photo ops and romantic walks. Come sundown, it morphs into a seductive location for special, private dining set-ups.
The kitchen team brings in everything they need, including cooking equipment, furniture, lighting, tableware, even the paraphernalia for a beach bonfire! And there I am under the stars, with the Maldivian waters gently lapping close by, surrounded by delighted faces, sipping cocktails, appreciating the multi-cuisine tasting menu, and counting my blessings.
If a resort can make you feel this way daily, like The Residence Maldives manages to, you can be assured they’re going to have guests from all over the world coming back for more, again and again. Not surprisingly, they do.
The Residence Maldives Dhigurah
The Sunset Water Pool Villa (including green tax) costs $1465.44 per night. The Residence Maldives Dhigurah is located at Dhigurah, 20888 Gaafu Alifu Atoll, Maldives, and is a 55-minute flight plus a seven-minute speedboat ride from Malé’s Velana International Airport.
