Today is the day. Here is my Maldives Travel Diary. On this beautiful islands I have visited two new luxury resorts there for you in the past few weeks. Both have only been in operation for a few weeks now. I had ten very exciting and interesting days. What I can say in advance about both resorts is that they both belong to the top category and that no luxury wish remains unfulfilled there. For that reason I decided to write about both resorts in one blogpost and to compare them both with their differences. So each of you can decide which is more suitable for you and in the best case book the next vacation there straight away.
THE BAGLIONI RESORT MALDIVES
The island is about ca. 300 Kilometers north of Male and can be reached after a 40-minute seaplane flight. Before you start, you can wait for your flight in their own luxurious lounge. This is a family-run hotel chain that already has great properties in Europe like in Italy or France. The resort sees itself as the only one in the Maldives with a special Italian touch. You can find that again in the food offering, which is very Italian… great homemade pasta, pizza etc. … but also in the hospitality and good mood of the staff. Many of them are native Italians. The interior design of the whole resort is pure, tropical and high quality with furniture from the Italian brand Cassina.
The island is small and cozy. You can easily reach everything on foot. We were in a water villa. It was my first time and I really enjoyed it. I don’t want to miss this experience anymore. As is usual in the Maldives, there are different categories for overnight stays. It ranges from simple one with the garden villa to super luxury large water villa. We took a tour and got to know everything, like the spa where we got a great couple massage and the gym where I was almost every day. And if you think that such a vacation is boring, you are totally wrong. The range of activities on the island is great. It ranges from yoga sessions to diving trips. Even a very experienced sommelier is on the island and offers special tastings. We tried it and really enjoyed a very nice selection of Italian wines.
Although the Italian food offer was very good, there is also an outstanding Japanese restaurant on the island. It is over the sea. That was one of the highlights for me. The food was great. Please scroll dow for more.
THE PULLMAN MALDIVES
The island is about 300 kilometers south of Male and can be reached in an hour with a normal propeller plane. Since the equator is no longer far, the tropical heat is simply incredible. You land in a mini airfield where the first thing you see is a cat looking for food. After a friendly greeting by the hotel staff, we go by express boat to the island, which is situated 15 minutes away.
The Pullman is a large hotel chain in Asia that has been bought by the Accor Group. The resort in the Maldives is their first. It is an luxury all inclusive resort. I found that very special because I have never had anything like this. You could really let go and don’t worry about spending money or not. The island is very large, so you can’t get very far without a bike. The architecture and interior design has an high end contemporary style. I felt in love with it immediately. They even have a fresh water lake there.
Here we also lived in a water villa. But this one even had an own pool and outside shower area. The decor is very luxurious and on point. There was even a transparent floor where I watched the exciting underwater world several times a day. Of course you can also here book different categories of accommodation, depending on your needs.
The food offer is great. You can even find a vegan restaurant on the island with its own vegetable garden. They also pay attention to allergies and ask for them when you arrive. Lactose and gluten-free products are available there. There are several restaurants on the island, but my favorite was the Saffron Affair, where I ate wonderful food with an oriental twist. They also had a wide selection of wines.
Here, too, we received a detailed island tour and discovered the different options for accommodation, as well as the spa (on the sea), where we received a wonderful couple massage. The spacious gym and entertainment corner with its own karaoke room and several games options.
Unfortunately we were not able to experiment the huge range of all activities on offer like diving excursions or stand up paddling, but we could try yoga and were exploring the island with a marine biologist. As one of the highlights we did a wonderful sunset boat trip looking for dolphins. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the water Vilas with an underwater bedroom as they were not yet finished. So I think it cries out for a return. I can’t wait to be there again. Please scroll dow for more.
SUMARY
Both hotels offer luxury in all forms and their services belong to the top league. The difference here is in positioning. The fact is that you only get the best for your money and a unique experience. Because the Maldives remain unreachable for me when it comes to paradisiac experiences. And now I’m excited. Do you have a favorite hotel or do you like both?
Stay tuned, because I did some fashion shoots for you on site with the latest fashion from the upcoming FS 2020 collections. So you have the next weeks the chance to get a little summer feeling from me in advance before the warm season starts. And if you wish to see more about my Maldives trip, please check my instagram highlights. There you can watch all videos and experience this journey up close with many interesting details and atmospheric moments. xoxo Georgina Moreno
Collaboration with Baglioni Resort Maldives & Pullman Maldives.
