Maldives - Our stay at Shangri-la

Shangri-la hotels are very famous for their beauty and their service. We experienced our stay in the Maldives and these are the reasons why I would recommend going there :

They are located on the southern atoll of the Maldives

To reach this island you will need to take a national flight on a little plane. The Shangri-la is actually located on the other side of the equator in the Maldives. And trust me when you land there you feel like you are on the other side of the planet. 

The island is quite big and all of it is the hotel, to go from one point to another you will use your own bicycles and you will explore the beauty of it ! They have 3 little lakes, a forest an ocean coast line as well as a lagoon side. You can feel that the nature was well preserved and that the hotel was built in consideration of the local landscape. 

We took a water bungalow 

My dream idea of the Maldives has always been to hangout on these above lagoon hammocks. This is probably one of the reason I chose to stay on their hotel.

• Take a water bungalow if possible close to the reef on the right side of the island 🌴 or on the left side to have the clear sand in front of your bungalow - close the the coral regrowth project. 
• And yes ! They are also taking care of the ocean and they host a coral nursery on one side of the island to grow a coral reef. You can snorkel around there to see the baby corals and the ones who were placed here a couple of years ago and which are now expanding 👏🏼

Enjoy the Lagoon 

The island has 2 sides a rough natural coast with big waves and open waters on the indian ocean side which are beautiful to see, and a lagoon side to swim and snorkel. 

• They have a scuba diving club on the island. We were too short on the days we had with the plane, but is seems that their spots are great for turtles, manta rays and sharks.
• You can snorkel right from your bungalow, you only need to ask for your free palms and masks at the diving center and to return them before leaving. You can jump from your terrace and move on to the reef to see the beautiful corals and turtles ! It's quite a swim so don't forget to put on your ocean friendly sunscreen or a large t-shirt.
• Take a Stand Up Paddle for free and go see the turtles on the reef if you prefer to see them from above - careful with the current get on your knees to come back if the wind blows to hard from the island - take a bottle of water and a hat and enjoy the ride !

Enjoy the beach and the island 

• Their pool is one of the best I experienced in a hotel, the sun hits quite hard especially if you visit around march, Their pool offers you to perfect cool down and tropical shadow you need facing the beach and the lagoon. 
• They have a great paradise looking swing over the lagoon that you can enjoy when the tide is not too high. 
• Their beach is really paradise this is the place where we spent most of our time. The sand is purely white and thin and the water temperature feels like a giant bathtub. 

Eating on the island 

• Breakfast is awesome you have this huge buffet with everything you can ask for and my favorite thing  was the different local specialty made by the chef every morning. You have to try them 
• We loved to eat at the Dr Ali restaurant on the island. They had the most amazing middle eastern / indian cuisine and you can book elevated table with the ocean view under a pergola for sunset facing the open waters. It is very romantic.
• Enjoy fresh coconuts 🥥 by the pool they have a bar were you can get fresh island coconuts and they are quite addictive.

The atmosphere of the island

The island gave us space, it's spread out and it was very enjoyable to ride our little bicycles around the island to go from one part to the other across the forest under the shadows of the trees. The staff was so welcoming and always smiling taking extra good care of us. It was definitely a very relaxing stay on a beautiful paradise.

I also loved how they kept the traditional architecture of the buildings it's the perfect touch that made this island magical 😃

 And if you want to see more of this beautiful hotel keep scrolling 😄