We are back in the Maldives and just reconfirming that this has got to be the most beautiful place on earth!! Our first resort we visited was Alila Villa http://www.alilahotels.com/hadahaa It takes so long to get to but it's ultimately worth it. Arriving in Male from Singapore we had to take another short domestic flight to a tiny little Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean where the resort picked us up from there for another transfer via speedboat to Alila. All of the resorts in the Maldives are on their own Island so each one has representatives that pick you up at the airport and handle all the logistics for you. Sitting in the speedboat on our way to Alila I couldn't get over how amazing the air smelled. It was like fresh cut flowers and we were in the middle of the Ocean? I wish I could bottle that scent!!
Upon arrival you are met at the Jetty by a team of representatives to grab your luggage and whisk you into a golf cart to transport you to your villa.
What an incredible feeling walking in sand that is pristinely white and more like icing sugar than sand with the clear turquoise lagoon. It's an ultra sensory experience. The only time we put on shoes was to go to the gym...
Speaking of the gym, it was a necessity due to the amount of absolutely incredible food we were feasting on. Last year when we first came to the Maldives we were pleasantly surprised to find the quality of the food at the resorts was amazing! We have had some of the most incredible meals ever here and Alila was no exception. Chef was awesome and came to our table every night to make sure everything was perfect (and it was) and address any needs etc. He even gave me the recipe of the most amazing pasta dish ever!! Even rivals my Italian mother in laws amazing homemade pasta dishes!! Sorry Mom :) It was called Tagliatelle Prawn Thermidor and was to die for! I even took a picture. I haven't made it yet as we are still in the Maldives but if it turns out as incredible as it was there I will post the recipe later...
Indulging like this daily we were bursting at the seams in no time. Our amazing villa host Hussein shocked my husband and I one night as he asked if we would like a scale in our room to weight ourselves. Angelo had just said to me that morning that he wished we had one in the room so when Hussein asked us we thought he was either psychic or there was a bug in our room! In hindsight I realize our rapidly expanding girth may have prompted his question. When we finally stood on the scale we were shocked again and were at the gym every day after that :) We even brought the scale to the gym with us to see if it was correct by putting one of the free weights on it. LOL Unfortunately, it seemed to be right but it's a glowing testament to the food at Alila. We are huge foodies (read gluttons) and amazing food is majorly important to us on holidays.
The Island itself is very small (you can walk around the entire thing on the beach in about 1/2 an hour) and intimate. Basically the resort had everything covered. Incredible villas, awesome food, the spa was amazing as well and we indulged in several treatments that were heavenly. Also most resorts in the Maldives are as environmentally friendly as possible as they have to be but Alila Villas Hadahaa is the first resort in the Maldives to adhere to the standards for Green Globe certification in the construction stage and resort operations.
The house reef is one of the best we have ever seen!! We didn't even feel the need to go scuba diving as the snorkeling was so beautiful. I have never seen that many fish in my life and the colors were crazy!! The coral reef was stunningly gorgeous too and we went out everyday just in complete awe. I felt like I was in "Finding Nemo"...
The guys at the dive center said many guests see sharks, manta rays, dolphins & turtles but we didn't see any during our stay. The fish were so amazing though it didn't really matter as it was like being in a giant aquarium.
The guys at the dive center said many guests see sharks, manta rays, dolphins & turtles but we didn't see any during our stay. The fish were so amazing though it didn't really matter as it was like being in a giant aquarium.
Another one of our favorite things was the service!! The General Manager Greg and his team made sure that we felt right at home and were pampered. From Kamal and everyone in the restaurants to Raj in the lounge where we would have an amazingly delicious concoction while swinging in the comfy lounges and watching the sunset with warm ocean breezes.
Our villa host Hussein was incredible and he absolutely made our stay. His courteous professionalism, warmth and positive happy, attitude was so nice and we felt so relaxed and taken care of. Hussein even performed a wedding ceremony on the beach that was beautiful for a couple from Germany with traditional dancers and drummers.
Everyone there really takes pride in their work and goes out of the way to make sure you are happy and blissed out!! Mission accomplished guys!
Very nice blog, I booked this resort for my Honeymoon next year and i'm glad to hear you had an amazing time.
ReplyDeleteWe were in Alila Villas same time and can not understand this blog article.
ReplyDeleteWhich time did you made the pictures? In September the weather was not as clear as I can see on your photos. Hussein did not wear glasses and why did you have booked two villas (6 and 7) at same time? Everything seems you have a special professional relationship to Alila!
At the end, remember we were at Alila Villas at same time, this hotel is not worth the money. Service is much better in some 3 Star Hotels and everything within the resort was without love to their job of hospitality of premium guests. Finally the transfer with a very small motor boat from the airport without a toilet of about 2 hours was not acceptable. Everyone have to be warned to book that hotel!
In response to the above comment I would just like to say a few things. We certainly don't have a professional relationship with Alila and that was our first time there but second to the Maldives. We did have some terrible weather when we were there and monsoon rains but it didn't bother me at all and I thought it was quite cozy and we read, went to the gym & spa etc. We only had a couple of beautiful days when we were there which is when I took some of the pictures. Some of them you can see though are really cloudy but still beautiful. We only stayed in villa #7 but I took a picture of #6 from the beach because I just thought it looked pretty :) Hussein only wore the glasses for the wedding ceremony as he had to read and our transfer was only just over an hour. I'm sorry as it doesn't sound like you loved it but I really did. My husband didn't love it quite as much as I did and we went to the Shangri La the week after that we loved much more to be honest and I'm going to post some info on that soon too but I think it's a little more expensive than Alila but really worth it!!!
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