Travel Blog Joao Cajuda

St. Regis Maldives

St. Regis Maldives
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Have you ever dreamed about having an unforgettable vacations on the paradisiac islands of the Maldives?! I’m sure you do (or probably you have been there and keep dreaming about going back lol)! Dreams come true and I finally made it to this little paradise! One of the things I was expecting about Maldives is that the islands are so small that I didn’t have much to do beside swim in the turquoise waters and sleep, lol, guess what?! I was SO wrong! There are so many things and activities to do (if you want of course) that I needed another vacations after Maldives (I’m not joking). One of the most important things to have a breathtaking experience is to choose the best resort to stay. St. Regis Vommuli was my first option without any doubt… Want know why? Find out in this post one of the best hotels in the world.

 

 

 

 

Built in 2016, the brand new St Regis Maldives is the latest pearl of the Maldives. It is located in the southern part of the Maldives on the private island of Vommuli. When we arrived at Malé airport, we had a hotel butler to greet us, assist us with the luggage and direct us to the Hotel Lounge in Male. Meanwhile, when waiting for the transport outside the airport, I saw a huge Bentley crossing the road, I thought … “Nice… a Bentley!” … well, it was for me, ahahah. Honestly I was not expecting to see a Bentley in such a small island like Male, and definitely not expecting to be my ride. It’s the only Bentley in the country and fortunately it from St. Regis.

 

I got in the car and they give me an Ipad, I pressed play and I a video of my Butler pop up. “Hello Mr. Cajuda, my name is Nassib and I am your butler! … – I loved it! Ahah. The trip to the hotel lounge was super fast, 10 minutes. The Lounge is at the Seaplane Airport, only few hotels have a private lounge for their guests. The huge hall is nicely decorated and gives you access to a balcony / deck by the sea where you can see the planes landing and taking off. I sat outside despite the 40ºC and asked a La Carte for breakfast, while waiting for the airplane.

 
 

It’s time to board. Have you been in a seaplane?! The plane stops right outside the Lounge, you walk 20 meters and you’re already there. The planes take around 10 people pilots are wearing shorts and barefoot, too much style. The trip was fantastic, the privileged views of the small islands and their corals from the air are incredible…

 

 
 

 

The trip took 45 minutes and after many islands I started to see ours. The scenery is incredible … After landing I finally met our butler Nassib, our new best friend in the island, always worried in making our days perfect.

We went to the room by golf cart. The Island is small, like every island in the Maldives … I think a 30 minute walk is enough to get around, which is great, eheh, I came here to rest, not to do the marathon. There are 8 types of rooms in the resort, mine was an overwater bungalow suite with pool. With an area of ​​282m2, this is probably one of the best hotel rooms I have ever been. Decorated with a modern design in shades of cream and blue, minimalist but at the same time super luxurious, this bungalow is equipped with the latest technology.

 

 

The huge bedroom is shared with the living room and a desk, both with huge windows and unobstructed views to the turquoise sea of ​​the Maldives. The environment is extremely relaxing and all details were carefully planned to make sure you are comfortable and in privacy. There is also an dedicated area with mini bar with a huge variety of drinks, exotic fruits and small snacks to accompany with coffee and tea.

Opposite the room we found the closet which it gives access to the beautiful bathroom with a shower area and a huge bath whose views promise very long baths.

The outside space of the Bungalow is all in wood, with chairs, hammocks over the water and comfortable sofas that extend along the pool and where I will spend a lot of time, not only working for my tan but also sleeping amazing naps.

The private pool is large enough and you also find a stairs which gives direct access to the turquoise sea.

One of the things that fascinated me most was the fact that the whole Bungalow is controlled by a simple click on the Ipad available in the room… All the lights, TV, curtains, internet, meteorology, room service, Menus and restaurant reservations, activities In the hotel and a direct contact with your butler.

I had the opportunity to visit all the rooms of the hotel, the garden villas, the beach… All of them incredible and quite identical, but I’m very happy with my room, an overwater Bungalow is in my opinion always more exciting.

Of course if you can afford (30,000 $US a night) the John Jacob Residence (name of the founder of the St. Regis hotel chain) don’t think twice. The largest Water Bungalow in the Indian Ocean is the most expensive and extravagant room of the Hotel. I was fortunate to spend two afternoons there enjoy that swimming poll just to know what is like to be a millionaire for a day. It has a colossal area of ​​1540m2 … yes it is larger than many buildings and has three bedrooms, two kitchens, a spa, a gym, a cinema, two living rooms, a dining room and three swimming pools … plus an annex with three service bedrooms, kitchen and toilet for employees and security.

The main patio is huge, has several recreational areas, a dream pool, a sandbar with sun loungers and a stairs with access to the sea. The residence even has its own golf cart which looks more like a tropical resort version of a Bentley.

There aren’t many words that can define the luxury of this space… Photos and videos speak for themselves.

But let’s talk about the resort … WOW which is also the name of the architect company who build the hotel. Its architecture is indeed avant garde, but its design fits perfectly into the nature of the island. The bungalows are shaped like Mantas and the materials used are wood which makes the atmosphere very sober. The hotel has 77 villas, three restaurants, a beach bar / pizzeria, a huge sea bar / lounge, a leisure center with gym, children’s area, hairdresser, reading space, Anti-gravity Yoga (Which I tried and loved) and Pilates … tennis court, SPA, Water sports school, games room … there is no shortage of things to do here. The beach … a scandal, the sand looks like flour, the hot water is crystal clear and almost looks like a pool.

Breakfast is served in the resort’s main restaurant, ALBA. The variety is incredible, I’m always one of those who gets very undecided and I take everything to the table, then I have to eat everything because the food is delicious and I hate wasting food, then comes the drama that I feel full and I can´t go to the water… Ahah. If these were my problems every day… Here there is a huge selection of jams, pancakes, cheeses, natural juices, even eggs with lobster and caviar … is there always space for a dessert, an ice cream or a pancake? “Bring both!!!” For dinner you can have pastas, risottos and fish among other wonderful dishes.

I went to see the Spa which has six huge, very relaxing villas with Jacuzzi on the balcony, I didn’t  get to experience any massage but I was able to use the Blue Hole, the largest jacuzzi in the Maldives, such a beautiful space.

For lunch we went to Crust, the Beach pizzeria with beautiful views over the pool and beach. Here we had lunch with our feet in the sand while enjoying delicious pizzas made in wood oven and accompanied by a refreshing coconut water!

I spent the day diving, I took a boat trip where I had the opportunity to fish and after a beautiful bath I got all dressed up and smelling good to have a drink at the Whale Bar, it has a whale’s name because of his shape. Is the perfect spot to see the sunset with chill out music. The specialty is Bloddy Mary that comes in a huge shell… I stayed there for few hours, such a relaxing space. The bar is stunning and has a very beautiful ceiling made by the artist Maya Burman which is already a signature of the St. Regis hotels.

Today’s dinner is at the Orientale, in my opinion the most beautiful restaurant of the hotel which is dedicated to Asian cuisine, from Indian and Pakistani cuisine, to the flavors of Japan and finally Korean cuisine. All the dishes were extraordinarily well made and very well accompanied by a Portuguese wine, obviously. Did I already tell you that the resort also has a wine room? There are more than 1 million euros in wine here and do you know which is the most expensive bottle? A Portuguese wine from Madeira island made in 1755, it cost 23,000€.

But if there’s a restaurant that I loved is CARGO, it is located in the interior gardens of the island where Arab food is served… it was superb and for that reason it is my favorite restaurant.

I recommend all of you wanting to visit the Maldives to choose carefully the resort because basically there is not much things to do besides the activities that each resort provides. St Regis Maldives is undoubtedly one of the best and most complete resorts in the country. The excellent service combined with all the comforts of the Villas and the wonderful beaches of the island will make your stay unforgettable. I had an incredible 5 days stay here and I wish I can visit them again! I’m totally in love with St. Regis Maldives.

 

Connect with St. Regis Maldives

Bookings:

www.stregismaldives.com