Welcome to the Turquoise Travel Diaries, a collection of interviews, stories and excerpts from our fabulous team, as they travel around the world. Here at Turquoise we pride ourselves on unrivalled knowledge of the destinations in which we specialise, so that we can provide honest, expert advice to all our guests and fellow travellers. This week, our interview is with Lisa, our Indian Ocean Product Manager, who has returned from a Turquoise research trip to one of our favourite romantic destinations, the Maldives. Here, Lisa gives us her expert knowledge into the best food, resorts and activities these stunning islands offer!
1. If you could describe the Maldivian islands in three words, what would they be?
Paradise, romantic and remote!
2. Do you think the Maldives is somewhere to stay put for the entire length of your holiday or would you recommend island hopping?
I would recommend staying in one hotel in the Maldives and really relaxing and enjoy that hotel’s facilities and amenities. Make use of the time you have there, rather than having to keep packing and moving for a very similar experience.
3. You visited an incredible 9 different resorts this time around! Which one was your favourite and why?
Oh this is a hard one! I loved them all for very different reasons. I think I would have to go with Six Senses Laamu – their over water villas are stunning and they have a rooftop chill out area with a day bed on top of the villas! It offers a personalised service with high attention to detail without feeling pretentious. I also loved the fact that you can snorkel with turtles straight from chill bar!
4. Is there anything which you learnt about the Maldives from this trip in comparison with your other visits?
I learnt that a lot of the islands offer more experiences that I first realised. Local island visits are really popular and surfing is also a lot more accessible than originally thought – perfect for people looking for more to do!
5. What would you describe as a traditional Maldivian meal? Where did you enjoy food the most on this trip and can you describe your favourite place to watch the sunset?
The curries are delicious and offer stunning flavours! The dinner we had at Niyama at Tribal was pretty epic – in fact they have some very cool dining options at this resort– Nest in the tree tops and Subsix the underwater restaurant with glass walls to see the marine life!
Watching the sunset at Ayada was pretty special – here you are so far south there is no one else around so you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere!
6. We have newly featured Ayada as part of our Maldivian family of resorts. What makes this resort stand out?
It’s great for families and couples and we love it because it caters so well for larger families and young children! The food here was fantastic too and the lagoon was the most amazing Turquoise colour we have seen! If you’re looking for an island with an amazing house reef then the location of Ayada is perfect- being so far south that the reef is yet undamaged and the marine life is exceptional.
7. Out of the resorts which you visited, which would you recommend most for honeymooners, families and a group of friends?
I would say Constance Halaveli, Ayada and Niyama would be perfect for families as they cater so well for children and offer a good choice of restaurants and facilities.
Baros is perfect for honeymooners and so is Constance Moofushi and Six Senses Laamu – with their romantic nights and attention to detail.
8. Where did you experience the best snorkelling and sea life?
Constance Moofushi was fantastic right from the beach, so was Baros – here we swam with a nurse shark which was pretty cool! At Laamu you can see Rays and Turtles straight from Chill bar!
9. What would you say is an absolute once in a lifetime experience if you’re staying in the Maldives?
Definitely get in the water and have a go at snorkelling! The sea life here is incredible and you won’t get much better snorkelling than in the Maldives! It’s great for anyone of all levels. Also, just make the most of being on a remote island and not doing a lot– it’s amazing how quickly you will settle in to island life!
I would also recommend destination dining – maybe dinner on a sand bank surrounded by the ocean or out on your over water villa deck!
