From pining and whining to wining and dining 🥂
After a gazillion years of talking about the ultimate vacation dreamland, Maldives, I can finally tick you off my bucket list!
Woo hoo!
We looked at several resorts on Trip Advisor and were totally wooed by Shangri-La’s acres of secluded palm-fringed beaches and luxurious water villas, especially those excitement-inducing hammocks that hang over the lagoon. The idyllic resort definitely lived up to its name!
So we waited no further and booked our tickets. Once the deal was sealed, all that was left was to sit back and boogaaay! Haha!
Ready for some vacation dreaming too? Grab your champagne and join us on a scenic tour of this breathtaking resort!
Journey To The South
Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa is the only Maldivian resort located south of the equator, giving you undivided and unblocked access to its gorgeous emerald green jungles and miles of turquoise waters. Talk about having a world of your own.
But who says that a trip to paradise is ever easy?
Getting to the resort was quite an experience as we travel through land, air and sea. We arrived at Male International Airport after a 5 hour flight via TigerAir. Once we were cleared up at the Immigration Counter, we were warmly received by one of Shangri-la’s Airport Representatives who assisted us with our luggage and escorted us to the Domestic Terminal for our flight to Gan. Since it was a 3-hour wait before the flight, we were treated to a sumptuous buffet as well as some very delicious beverages in the airport’s Executive Lounge.
Then we were whisked off to paradise!
Okay. Not quite. We arrived at Gan International Airport after another 70-minute flight and then, we were finally on our way to Shangri-la’s exclusive island haven through a five-minute boat ride.
Welcome to the ultimate ‘Heaven on Earth’!
The Bathroom
Double vanities are always a good idea!
The resort even equipped one of the vanity areas with a beauty-buff-approved lighted makeup mirror, body lotion and some beauty necessities for both the belles and the beaus.
The more masculine vanity area was kept rather simple with just hand soap and towels.
Maybe that’s because they know most guys only care about the tub? Haha!
Outdoor Shower
The Closet
The Pantry
The Bedroom
Knowing we were there for both our honeymoon and Bobby’s birthday, the hotel kindly decorated the bed with these roses and a birthday message jiving both occasions nicely. Our little oasis getaway just kept getting better! Thank you Shangri-la!
The Deck
Bobo looks excited! Whee!
It’s snorkelling time!
Say cheese! *choke choke*
Now let’s enjoy the sunset!
Food and Entertainment
We decided to stay in on our second day and ordered a delectable room service spread comprised of burgers and traditional Maldivian cuisine. Yum!
Breakfast at Javvu
Dance on the beach like no one’s watching! (This should be my daily agenda. :P)
And it was finally time to leave and our tranquil holiday home decided to bid us goodbye with this lovely rainbow. Aww…
See it in action!
Our #Honeyzmoon
After the love hate relationship that is planning a wedding, we definitely needed a break to sit back and kind of soak in the fact that we were now married and embarking on this new chapter in life together.
We were torn, however, should we do our home renovation first, get our castle looking ship shape and then plan a honeymoon or just bite the bullet and dive into a sun-kissed honeymoon.
We chose the latter option and my goodness, it was one of the best decisions we could have ever made and Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort was the icing on the cake.
People use the term ‘dream honeymoon location’ way too much, but this place really was! Every day felt like waking up in a dream or inside a screensaver, never have I seen such natural breathtaking beauty all around. All the pictures and prose will never do justice to just how breathtaking an experience it was.
The service of the staff made us feel like royalty, with our very own twenty-four hour assigned assistant, we were in the best of hands, whether it was to order room service, ice or just ask for snorkelling recommendations, our concierge was always there to greet us with a big sunny smile. Everything was, for the lack of a better word, perfect!
Looking back, I’m so glad we actually had a honeymoon. It’s so easy to get caught up in life and put things off until tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure if we hadn’t done it this way, after buying our home, settling our renovation and furthering my business, I would have probably ended up never having a honeymoon. If you’re having the same quandary now, let me help you! Do it, take a honeymoon, you won’t regret it!
I loved every second of the Maldives, a true untouched paradise on earth and I hope that maybe one day I can go back there.
Psst!
Here’s a tip that’s simply too good to keep to myself!
We all love the price comparison sites which allow us to try and find the best hotel rates, but with more and more of them, I find myself having to search multiple sites before I can get myself the best deal.
Well voila! HotelsCombined.com.sg compares the comparison sites for you! Haha!
It does all the hard work, combines all the data from all the top comparison sites with just one search. So we can finally say goodbye to having hundreds of tabs open while we laboriously search them all for the best rates! Leaving more time for packing and jet setting!
Have fun and keep sparkling!
Your friend, Juliana