This guest blog is written by Trish Lucarino. She is the CEO & Founder of Principessa Beauty, have major wanderlust and an affinity for all the finer things in life.
Our trip to Jumeirah Dhevanafushi last year was probably the most incredible vacation we will ever have the pleasure of going on! Whoever said that money can’t buy happiness has obviously not been here.
There are simply no words or pictures that can do justice to this resort. It’s luxury to the power of ten! This was our 3rd trip to the Maldives and we have loved every single resort we have been to which are Shangri La, One & Only, Alila, Huvafen Fushi & Six Senses Laamu. I’m always astonished when I find people able to find anything wrong with any of these places. They are all perfect and some are just more perfect than others.
My hubby and I are always in search of the perfect resort/destination and I have to say we found it at Dhevanafushi. This place has it all! Best location, service, food, spa, villas. They didn’t miss a thing here. Like all resorts in the Maldives they pick you up at the airport to transport you to the resort. The yacht was the nicest one we have been on yet and you get fresh towels and water for the voyage.
We weren’t sure what to expect as we knew we had been upgraded to their brand new ocean pearls water villas. The main Island is beautiful and quite small and then the ocean pearls are 5 minute speed boat away with their own restaurant, infinity pool etc. It’s not an Island; it’s are just a cluster of ridiculously amazing villas and amenities suspended above the Indian Ocean.
They treated us literally like kings and queens. In fact, one of the only other guests at the Ocean Pearls while we were there was a Royal Family, I think from the Kingdom of Bahrain? However, when we first got there we had the whole place to ourselves it seemed? We were the only ones at the restaurant and infinity pool and after Roger & Ajung spoiled us rotten we moved the party to the infinity pool. Roger made us the most amazing Margaritas I have ever had, they plugged in our ipod and we had our own private pool party. Completely amazing!! They were so awesome and accommodating!
The food was absolutely incredible. When we first arrived the menu was a little confusing and limited but they had just opened so I’m sure they have perfected it by now. They allowed us to order from the room menu that was much more expansive and it was absolutely perfect. No request was denied and all the food was some of the best we have ever had and we are huge foodies! One time over on the main Island we went for dinner at the restaurant there and had amazing seafood ravioli & incredible risotto. We asked the Chef at the Ocean Pearls restaurant if he could do it because it wasn’t on the menu. He didn’t have the ingredients but said he would do it for us the next day. The next day at lunch they couldn’t wait to show us what they had done and it was out of the world. Even better than the other restaurant and custom made just for us. Thank you Chef!
We did yoga every morning, sometimes the yoga instructor would take the speed boat over and we would do it by the infinity pool. One morning there was a beautiful rainbow over the Indian Ocean in front of us and it was hard to believe we weren’t in heaven! Most mornings we took the speed boat over to the main island and did it in the yoga pavilion which was completely surreal! If this isn’t the best way to start out your day in paradise I don’t know what is?
We are also spa junkies. The spa at Dhevanafushi was one of the most surreal, zen, beautiful spas I have seen anywhere in the world. To top it off my masseuse Ari had the most magic hands on the planet. I truly thought I’d died and gone to heaven! It had huge vaulted ceilings and tons of floor to ceiling windows. They slide open and you can listen to the sounds of the Ocean during your treatment. I simply can’t imagine anything better…
The gym was equally amazing! It’s a beautiful white building on stilts suspended above the ocean with high ceilings lots of glass and top notch equipment. I was on the treadmill and my hubby was on the elliptical and he spotted a turtle right out front. I never would have seen it and it was the 3rd turtle he spotted on the trip (the other two we swam with!) so I started calling him the turtle whisperer. Below is the view from the treadmill.
Speaking of swimming with turtles we were lucky enough to get to do so twice on this trip! It’s always been a huge dream of mine and has always eluded us. I was so happy as they are incredibly beautiful and so cool. They were so close we could touch them and we got to swim with them for quite a while. One morning we were walking along the dock to breaky our friend spotted an octopus in the water. I have no idea how he spotted it because it had camouflaged itself.
The villas were among the most beautiful we have ever experienced. I think they are approximately 3,000 square feet and luxuriously appointed. Perched above the Indian Ocean with your own private infinity pool, living room, dining room, two bathrooms, outdoor soaking tub and massive bedroom with huge vaulted ceilings and the largest bed I have ever seen in my life! I even got out my pink measuring tape (building a house I’m never without it) and measured the bed. It was 10 feet wide!! At night they close the curtains around the canopy and it’s so romantic and the ultimate sleeping experience ever. There is a view of the ocean and infinity pool from the bed as well!
The resort is stunningly beautiful it’s hard to fathom such a beautiful place exists on earth but it does!
This place was over the top amazing and the people were so incredible they just made the experience that much more perfect. This is one of the few places that I have actually shed tears when I had to leave.
Well done Jumeirah!
Maldives Insider
