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The Residence Maldives by Cenizaro | Dining Options

The Residence Maldives is run by Cenizaro, a Singapore based company, and that made me curious as to what the daily menu at the resort would be composed of.  I was thrilled to know that the head chef is from Indonesia with much experience in Asian and Western cooking.  Then, the next concern was if the children would like the menu  – every parent’s worry.  My children are not fussy eaters in general but out of 4 children, one is bound to disagree with something the others like.  For more about their special offers see below.

Asian Delights

When I discovered Pad Thai, Mee Goreng, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Nasi Goreng, Char Siu Wonton Noodles, on the menu I was delighted, and even more delighted that the authentic tasting dishes were prepared well.  The pool side restaurant where we ate at almost everyday served all the mentioned Asian delights as well as good quality pizzas, burgers, pastas, and sandwiches.  One of my husband’s favourite request in the Maldives is Spaghetti Alio, Olio e Pepperoncino using the extremely hot Maldivian chilli.  This was made to perfection.  If you are into spicy food do ask to try the flavoursome Maldivian chilli, perfect with Pad Thai and Mee Goreng but heed my warning – they are very spicy!

Breakfast & Dinner

Breakfast and dinner is usually served in the open-aired main dining room.  Breakfast has a wide variety of options from deli meats, pancakes, chinese porridge, pastries, yoghurts, fresh honey comb, sushi and so forth.  Perhaps the only missing thing was more organic options but the children loved every meal regardless and lapped up   their food at meal times. Dinner is an a la carte menu with different curries varying from Maldivian to Thai or pasta with crab as well as vegetarian options.  On occasion when we chose in-villa dining, the food was also of excellent quality, and we were excited for meal times.

Formal Dining at Fulhumaa Restaurant

For formal dining options, the hotel has its signature Fulhumaa  Restaurant nesting itself on a pier where you can hear the lapping of the waves over the reef, and guests dine under the stars on a clear night hoping for no evening showers.  The dishes are thoughtfully creative in line with any fine dining restaurant and we tried the tenderised pork dish and the tasty wagyu beef served on a bed of Himalayan salt cooked to choice.

The Residence Maldives also caters for other dining options but we didn’t have time to try it all including a dinner at the Sunset Grill, a private dining option, and a picnic on a deserted island.

Fishing

Our deep sea fishing expedition led my son, Lorenzo, to catch a large local fish called the Wa Hu, and can be described to be from the same family as the Barracuda.  The kitchens then prepared the fish in a variety of ways including sashimi, Thai curry and grilled.

To check out our family’s review click here.

For more information visit www.cenizaro.com/theresidence/maldives-fm 

Summer Island Savings with Seashellsonthepalm. The Residence Maldives is offering 50% off Best Available Rates, complimentary room upgrades and USD 100 resort credit per day.

Exclusively for Seashellsonthepalm.com, The Residence Maldives will offer an additional 5% discount on Best Available Rates (Total 55% off BAR Rates), along with the room upgrade and USD 100 resort credit.

Quote “EBO 5%/SeaShellsOnThePalm” and send enquiries to sales-maldives@theresidence.com

Travel | Phuket, Thailand | Indigo Pearl Luxury Resort |Review 1 of 3 | Hotel & Accommodation

Photo credit: Seashellsonthepalm

Travel

It’s easy with Emirates going direct to resort towns like Phuket and Bali.  We are now spoilt for choice with flights from Dubai.  This summer we head to Phuket to try Indigo Pearl Luxury Resort, which is an easy 6.5 hours from Dubai via Emirates Airlines.  There are easy day flights landing in Phuket at 8pm, which is just perfect for the children to go to bed after a quick room service.

The hotel can arrange transfers from the Phuket International Airport to the hotel – a mini van if need be, and we were surprised that the journey is only 10 minutes.  We were concerned with hotel being so close to the airport that we would hear the planes but it was very quiet and peaceful.

Weather

We travelled during rainy season but in Phuket this is not really a problem.  The dry season runs from December to March but we had sunny days during out stay here.  Our kids loved the rain – a novelty for Dubai kids.

Hotel

The hotel is privately owned by the Na-Ranong family who accumulated their wealth and success on their ancestors’ investment in tin mine known as ‘black gold’ back in 1932, which in turn created a flourishing Phuket economy, but today there are only three tin mining sites still active in Phuket. The current owner and Managing Director, Wichit Na-Ranong, used the hotel to attribute memories to his family’s history in the tin mine industry as part of the inspiration to create hotel’s unique designs.

The industrial chic boutique resort set within a jungle landscape was designed by the American architect designer Bill Bensley.  The Lobby with its open air unique design is welcoming with its metallic blue tones overlooking the open air Tin Mine breakfast room with cutlery designed to represent wrenches that can be bought as a memory of your stay.

Bensley creates each suite to remind us of the family’s history in the tin mining industry with metallic features at every turn and large compounds of concrete and breeze blocks.  In contrast to all the metal, are soft and extremely comfortable beds, and there is little or no reminder that you are in Thailand.  The hotel was last renovated in 2006 but the upper tier rooms are still well kept, and the gorgeous  pool villas were only built in 2012.

SOTP experienced two room categories…

#1 night in the D-Buk suite.  This is their lower & affordable category of suites and during off-peak you might only pay AED900 ++ night. We advise you to take rooms which are not on the ground floor, and if you are travelling with young children note that the lower tiers do not have interconnecting rooms.

#4 nights in the Pearl Shell Suite – there are 7 of these stunning rooms, and they can be arranged in a 2 or 3 bedroom formation.  They must be booked in advanced because even in low season they are mostly sold out.

SOTP Recommends: Take the top three luxury tiers: The Pearl Shell Suite, Private Pool Villas or Coqoon Spa Suite.  We also recommend booking with the Lightfoot Travel Team in Dubai who have great relations with this hotel for seamless travel.

Indigo Pearl Facilities for families Review 2/3 – Read more…

Indigo Pearl Food & Beverage for families Review 3/3 – Read more…