Tag Archives: travel

The Residence Maldives | Spa by Clarins

The SPA by Clarins is exclusive to The Residence Maldives.  It is the first and only Spa by Clarins in the Maldives and offers an array of holistic treatments, pampering massages and hair services.

The spa was a 5 minute walk from our room, located on the quiet side of the island out on its own pier. All the treatment rooms have sea-facing views. The therapists are experienced and professional, and often from Thailand or Indonesia – best countries for massages in my opinion.  It was our one hour escape from the children, and that made it feel even more like a sanctuary.

It was a soothing 50-minute massage, in a tranquil couples room with a priceless view.  My husband and I tried to stay awake during the massage to savour every moment but the soothing body rub lulled us both off at some point to sleep.  A lovely variety of oils to relax or to boost energy – we must have chosen the sleepy kind.  We woke up refreshed and ready to deal with the 4 children. The massage was so revitalising that we sneaked in on another day   when the children had an hour or so at the kids club after a 4am start for fishing.

We would love to have extended our time at the spa to 90 minutes to enjoy the views longer and try other treatments but duty called.  The Maldives isn’t a place I would normally recommend a massage.  Often, they are overpriced but The Residence Maldives charges just over USD120 for a 50-minute full body massage which makes it more reasonable than most five-star hotels in Dubai.  It is worth booking it upon landing to massage away all journey stress to start the holiday a little more relaxed.

For more on dining options for the family click here

For more on the hotel click here.

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

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

The Residence Maldives | Days in Paradise | Affordable Five-Star luxury | A family review

The Maldives has always been on most travellers bucket list, and it is sometimes a struggle for parents who still delight in travelling to know what to do with young children on an enclosed island and some parents are intimidated at the prospect.  The Residence Maldives is different – it gives the children a sense of adventure and fun alongside experienced staff and warm hospitality.  It is located on Falhumaafushi, an island located on one of the largest atolls in the world.  We stayed at the property for 5 days, and by the end of it we wanted to extend our stay. We will definitely be returning to this property next year when the resort expands to a second island connected by a bridge making it one of the largest hotel in the Maldives with a further 173 villas.  There is much to do every day from diving to paddle boarding, to lazing around by the pool, to long luxurious massages.  It is a long time since my family has felt this well rested.  Also check out the special summer offer below, and Seashellsonthepalm’s special offer for readers.

The Hotel

The hotel is owned by the Cenizaro Group, a Singapore based company, and headed up by Gary Xie, a second generation hotelier, who was recently featured alongside his wife, Beverly Chin, in the most recent issue of Singapore’s Tatler Magazine.  With a Singaporean at the helm  of the company, I knew there would be some guaranteed standards including efficiency on the island as well as good food.  More on our food experience…

We took the morning 4-hour flight from Dubai to Male.  Our arrival to Male was easy enough, as we waited two hours in the lounge before taking a 1 hour flight to the closest island.  The children were exhausted after the travel, but nevertheless, very excited to arrive to a 10-minute boat ride to the island.  Staff were efficient, warm, and great with the children and our luggage had moved from Male to island with little or no effort on our part allowing us to focus on the children.

The island is long and narrow so crossing over the width is a stone’s throw away, whilst the length is a good 15 – 20 minute walk but long enough to require buggys in the rain.The main arrival jetty is next to the infinity pool where most families gather after breakfast every morning either for a swim or a stroll on the beach.  The island’s sandy roads are beautifully manicured and well-kept in keeping with the paradise feel of the resort.    The island also has its own house reef located at one end of their water villas, and reefs sharks and turtles can be commonly spotted along the shallow waters as well as colourful reef fish.

Island fashion is relaxed and casual so bring only a pair of wedges and a dress for women and long trousers and shirts for men for the occasional date night at Fulhumaa Restaurant.  The guests at the hotel during our stay were a good mix from America, France, UK, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China even in low season.

Rooms

We took a two bedroom beach villa with pool – we prefer this option to water villas because of the children’s safety plus our kids love to explore the sand for shells and crabs.  The rooms are extremely clean, with simple white tiles floors and Bali-styled teak furniture, very practical for children with no delicate or breakable tables or furniture.  Each room has a spacious bathroom with a large bathtub (on the water villas, this bathtub lays at the glass doors which can be opened for the perfect view), an indoor and outdoor shower which the kids enjoyed.  The rooms are simple, but more importantly, the rooms are well taken care.  The only way to describe the rooms is they are cleaned with ‘Singapore standards’ – a concept most people who have travelled to the Lion City would understand.  My children had room service on a couple of evenings and often food and sand would be evident on the floors.  During turn down service, the floors were back to their bright white colour and not a grain of sand could be found anywhere.  Laundry is quick too, and clothes can be usually returned to your room within a day.

Kids Club

The property does have a cosy temporary Kids’ Club whilst the island awaits for the construction of the larger and more permanent Kids’ Club to be completed later on this year.  The comfortable and clean converted room serves it purpose with tables for colouring and painting, board games and other toys.  More importantly, The Residence Maldives, creates a Kids’ Club all over the island.  The children’s daily activities are not restricted only to the Kids’ Club but they can range from crab hunting, baking cookies in the main pastry kitchen, BBQ with a professional chef, swimming activities at the main pool to make it fun for children of all ages.  My eldest is thrilled that at age 7 is now an expert crab catcher, a brilliant experience and at least I know that he can catch fish and crabs so he won’t go hungry on any island.

Paid Activities – Diving, Snorkelling, Dolphin and Fishing

My husband has been training our older three children, aged 7, 5 and 3, the last couple of months prior to our trip to ensure that snorkelling techniques were being refined before embarking for the best snorkel of the children’s lives.  We were so excited to take the children out to a large stunning reef that was only 10 minutes by boat.  The children were over the moon as they spotted reef sharks, leopard sharks, turtles, and several Nemos, of course.  Luca and Sofia, my elder two, still say today that ‘The best part about the hotel was the snorkelling and fishing.’

Also, surrounding the island are pods of dolphins, and it is possible to go out by boat to catch these incredible creatures who chase the boat to give you a spectacular show whilst they are hunting for their supper.  The dolphins are not always guaranteed but we were lucky enough to catch hundreds of them as soon as we set out.  Then, all by chance, whilst big-game fishing early in the morning we also caught sight of several more dolphins.

The diving is splendid as it one of the islands furthest south from the capital, Male, and it nests itself in one of the largest atolls in the world, The Gaafu Alifu Atoll.  The international dive team is extremely experienced and is headed up by French/American Master Diver, Nicholas.  He is cautious and safety is a priority for his team and guests.  You do feel safe in their care.  We saw leopard sharks, turtles, reef sharks and a family of eagle rays surfing though the channel.  Great visibility and possibly one of the best places in the world to dive.

Weather

The risk of travelling in low season (May – October) is possible monsoon rain but it never rains for long in the Maldives without gorgeous burst of sunshine.  Our risk paid off, and despite it being rainy season we had 5 glorious days of sunshine, and it only rained at night so I didn’t need my secret stash of children’s rainy day backup activities hidden in the suitcases.

Pricing

Often, price and budget has also stopped many families from taking holidays in the Maldives.  At many other five-star properties, paid activities are often unaffordable, like a fishing trip on other properties can cost up to USD1,000 whereas at the The Residence  works out at USD300 an hour.  Most five-star Maldives properties today are still very expensive and each day including activities and food can cost a further USD800-USD1000 a day.  The Residence Maldives has priced itself affordably which wins them most clientele to date.  Even, a massage at the spa only costs just over USD120 for 50 minutes, making you more willing to spend knowing it is value for money. For more information on the Spa by Clarins, click here.

Our family has been blessed to try out several other Maldives properties but as a family this is the one that we will come back to.

To read more about dining options and the delicious Asian delicacies available click here.

To read about our spa experience click here.

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

 

Visiter Dubai | Day trip to Abu Dhabi | UAE | Travel | What to do with visiting relatives & friends | By Claudia Ong

Sometime last year, my cousin, Edwina Viel, wrote a post titled “A private tour guide for your visitors”. True enough, she heeded her own advice and organised a private travel guide for me to Abu Dhabi, and I’ve got to say that the experience was truly amazing and enriching.

Being extremely psyched about my big summer trip to Dubai, I spent a lot of my time doing my research about the place. And of course, being pretty hooked on social media, I found myself spending a ton of time exploring through Instagram for gorgeous pictures taken in Dubai by fellow enthusiasts. To be frank, I didn’t know much about the UAE or Dubai for that matter. The things I associated Dubai with was firstly, it’s a desert – so it’s incredibly hot in the summer, secondly, it’s where all the cool expats go to, and lastly, it’s a place for luxurious living. Eddie told me that you could call for an Uber Chopper! #mindblown

Of the many beautiful pictures that came up on Instagram during my research, the few that caught my eye were of course the #dubaigems like the well-known Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa. But there was this one, that was as white as snow, lined with gold and so perfectly symmetrical – The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. At first I was pretty bummed that it was in Abu Dhabi and not in Dubai. I wasn’t quite sure I’d get the chance to see this magnificent structure.

I have to say I’m very blessed to have such a hospitable cousin. Knowing that I wanted to delve deeper into the culture of UAE, she introduced me to Victor Cassé. If you’re looking for a warm, friendly, knowledgeable and personable travel guide, he is the man to go to. He dropped by the house at 1.30pm and we set off for our excursion. The drive to Abu Dhabi didn’t seem long because Victor was able to share his knowledge about the UAE in a way where you don’t even feel like you’re getting an information overload.

Unlike many regular tours, this one is flexible and customised to suit your interests best. You don’t need to fight with hordes of other tourists and it makes traveling from site to site very easy. The trip around Abu Dhabi took about 7 hours, and I was able to get a much deeper understanding and appreciation for its culture and development.

Here is where we went on the tour:

1: Saadiyat Gallery

2: Fruit and Vegetable Market/ Fish Market

3: Corniche Bridge

4: Al Hosn Exhibition

5: Emirates Palace

6: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

In the galleries and exhibitions, you get to see what Abu Dhabi was and how it has made its way to what it is now and will be in the future. It’s such a fast growing state and it’s definitely worth a visit, especially with the new heritage and culture developments coming up. You’ll get to admire the unique architecture that both Abu Dhabi and Dubai is known for. At the market, I had a sneak peek into a different side of the UAE, where you see local fruit and vegetable sellers with a variety of brightly coloured crops. I even got to sample home-grown dates, which was a real treat for someone with a sweet tooth.

The trip ended off with a gorgeous sunset, which made the grand structure even more unbelievable. I was in awe of every single little detail that was so intricately designed and carved. I believe that pictures speak more than a thousand words, so I’ll let them do the talking for me.

For more information on Victor and the types of tours you can expect please go to www.visiterdubai.fr/en/

Photos by Claudia Ong.