Our stay at Raffles Maldives Meradhoo: a Maldivian jewel
The Maldives will forever stand out in our minds as the most striking landscape we ever had the chance to lay our eyes upon. Like most of us, we had seen thousands of images of the Maldives, but in the real-life, the beauty of this country left us truly speechless.
Flying over the archipelago to reach your resort-atoll, you can peek down from the small aeroplane or seaplane window and admire the deep blue ocean dotted with picture-perfect islands. It is rather mesmerizing to think that these twenty-six ring-shaped atolls ara a submarine mountain range which flourished into islands where nature is lush and abundant.
Raffles Maldives was born on the tiny atoll of Merahdoo and it comprises of twenty-one villas split between the small island and the newly opened overwater feature. The Raffles experience is a luxurious one, made of details that create a truly unique holiday.
Start from the greeting at Male airport, where you are escorted to the lounge while your check-in is being taken care of to the welcome on the speed boat to the island, where fresh drinks are served with a side of a heavenly neck massage by one of the spa masseuses.
The Location
Arriving at the island feels as stepping into a dream. The colours of the landscape are so vivid. The clear blue of the water, the lush greens of the palm trees, they burst against the white powdery sand. An enchanting landscape in which Raffles blends in carefully, without disrupting the natural perfection of the scene. Using nuances of pastel blue, white and neutral colours, the main area of the hotel welcomes you, promising an unforgettable time.
The tiny little island hosts beach villas, two restaurants, an ocean-facing pool and the famous Long Bar, one of Raffles’ signatures. The decor is a mix of colonial classic elegance modernized and adapted to the tropical environment.
The Experience
During our stay, we enjoyed two night in the Delux Pool Villa, before moving to the overwater villas and both experiences came with wonderful highlights. The island villas are extra spacious ocean-facing, stand-alone villas, with private pool, tv room and outside area. Each area of the villas is conceived to offer the luxury of space, with separate areas for the bedroom, closet room bathroom and study. One of our favourite features was without a doubt the bed, an extra-large king-size heavenly cloud providing some of the best night sleeps we have ever had. Staying in an island villa gives the opportunity to easily access all the main facilities of the resort. The restaurants and bar, the water sports centre, the common pool, the spa, without mentioning the beauty of walking on the white sand.
The overwater villa is, on the other hand, an truly unforgettable experience and we would definitely recommend to split your stay between the island and overwater villa so to experience both. Reachable with a two minutes boat ride from the main island, the overwater villa complex includes twelve one-bedroom villas and two bedrooms, a restaurant, Yuzo and a bar with infinity pool, Yapa. Arranged in a fish-like shape atop of a small send bank, creating a natural pool in the middle and giving the possibility to walk into the turquoise water right from your own private deck. Each and every single design detail has been created to offer an extraordinary experience. From the bedroom (with the same incredible bed!) opening on the infinity pool that meats the vast ocean, to the ocean-facing bathtub and shower. Everywhere you turn, you are greeted by the ocean, with its vibrant shades of blue. The big room windows frame the beauty of the view, making you feel as if inside an artist painting.
The overwater villa is a small little perfect universe, so comfortable and beautiful that you seldom want to leave. Some of our favourite moments have been admiring the sunset while sipping on a glass of wine in the infinity pool, stepping down from our deck into the ocean for a daily snorkel adventure, watching pods of dolphins swim by in the distance. Forever memories!
The Dining
Dining at Raffles Maldives is an experience worth a mention. On our first evening, we were spoilt to a very romantic dinner at The Firepit, an open-air restaurant with tables in the sand, serving grilled food in a magical setting. The main restaurant, Thari, with seats reaching the white sand beach, offers a wide menu of international and Asian dishes in an idyllic island setting. Our favourite dining experience at Raffles Maldives was the one at Yuzu, the restaurant part of the overwater villas. This beautifully designed restaurant opening on the water serves Nikkei cusine, a blend of traditional Peruvian dishes with influences from Spain, Italy, China and Japan which results in unique flavours and dishes. We enjoyed sipping on truly special crafted cocktails on at Yapa bar before dinner, watching the sunset on the horizon, tining everything gold.
A place where the beauty of Maldives is captured with elegance.
