17
Aug
2015
0

Reethi Beach Resort: Review

Have you ever visited Maldives?  If not, plan a trip soon; you truly are missing something extraordinarily beautiful. If you have already been there, you can understand why we love the Maldivian islands so much. Turquoise waters, white sand beaches and sunshine …There are plenty of reasons for wanting to revisit Maldives. We succumbed to all of these reasons and planned a trip to Reethi Beach Resort, a slice of paradise.

Getting there

Reethi Beach Resort is part of the Baa Atoll located to the North of Male at a distance of about 125 km from the main Male airport. The resort can be reached by a sea plane – a 25 minute flight. Another way to reach the resort is to take a domestic flight from Male to Dharavandhoo airport (25 minutes) and then hop on a boat to reach the resort in a matter of 20 minutes. FlyMe is the new local airline offering tickets at great prices and the resort will help you book the tickets from Male to the local island.

Sights from the plane...

Sights from the plane…

We took the domestic flight option, which was convenient and comfortable. We had a couple of hours to kill between the two flights that were happily spent at the coffee shop at Male International Airport.

The minute we reached the resort, we knew we had made a mistake… by planning a four day trip only! The place looked like the perfect Tropical paradise …we should have planned for at least a week!

Rooms at the Reethi Beach Resort

We were received by Inge, our lovely hostess who told us about the resort using a map, highlighting our room, the bars, restaurants, spa, dive school and privileges included in the all inclusive plan. And then came the super news – Inge told us that we had been upgraded to the water bungalow.

Water Bungalow Reethi Beach Resort

Water Bungalows at Reethi Beach Resort

Yooohoooooo! Lucky us! Happy us!

The Reethi Beach Resort has about 100 rooms in the following categories: (1) Reethi Villa (2) Deluxe Villa (3) Water Bungalows

The main difference between the first to categories is the size and privacy. The Reethi Villas have an area of ~38 square meters while the Deluxe Villas are larger and measure ~47 square meters. Secondly, the Reethi Villas are either semi-detached or detached while the Deluxe Villas are detached, thus offering more privacy than the former.

The water bungalows are rooms of the highest category. We loved our large, spacious bungalow. The wooden flooring and planked sundeck maintained the theme of ‘Being one with Nature’. Beyond the sundeck was the Indian Ocean… for miles and miles… and miles! I loved watching the sunshine from the bed, the bright red Sun sending the stars back home.

For a good night's rest....

For a good night’s rest….

Our room had a spacious bathroom with a tub that allowed me to wallow in – another must do on vacation thing for me. We appreciated the fact that the toiletries were refilled in ceramic bottles daily …lesser plastic sure is better for our environment.

Food

The Reethi Beach Resort has five restaurants which offered a considerable variety to keep us happy. The Rehendi is the main restaurant that offers buffet meals which are part of the All-Inclusive Plan. Every night we would tell ourselves ‘If we don’t find enough vegetarian food, we will try one of the other restaurants’. Well, Rehendi never disappointed us! There was plenty on offer to keep us vegetarians happy. I enjoyed trying the salads and local Maldivian vegetarian curry every night, the pumpkin curry being my favourite.

A healthy meal before the SCUBA diving session

A healthy salad before I sin on desserts!

We were at the resort for three nights, the first one was a special Italian feast. We totally enjoyed the live pasta counter, my favourite being the freshly made pesto. On our third night, the resort celebrated the Swiss National Day. Cheese… Cheese… and more yummy cheese! Chocolate… chocolate… and more yummy chocolate desserts! I was in food heaven!

Celebrating Swiss National Day!

Celebrating Swiss National Day!

Dinner that night tossed a month’s diet and exercise out of the window!

I know we Indians start craving our spicy curries. There was a superb vegetarian menu at the Reethi Grill that included the classic Indian vegetarian dish ‘paneer tikka’. For those who want a romantic dinner in the middle of the night, the Moodhu Bar and Restaurant is the place to go to. Set on stilts in the ocean lagoon, it is delight to sip your drink and nibble of food as you watch the silver moonlight dance on the water.

Moodhu Restaurant and Bar at sunset

Moodhu Restaurant and Bar at sunset

Service

The night we were supposed to leave for Maldives, Ankur developed a sore throat. Needless to say, the next two days were followed by high temperature and chills, even in the warm temperatures of the Maldivian island. Knowing that the resort does have a doctor did make us feel a lot more comfortable, though I am glad we did not need his help. I called the reception for a blanket in morning and was glad to see it neatly laid on our bed when we got back from breakfast.

The service at the restaurants and bars was great as well. After the first breakfast, our waiter knew that I liked black tea and took care of it during the days to come. The bar tenders were friendly and it was great chatting up with them and knowing a little about their lives and families back home. They had the best views and the best alcohol… what a superb combination!

Spa

I spent most of my time under the water’s surface. However, Ankur preferred to visit the spa and relax his muscles. We both agreed that this was best for him considering that he had spent the past two days being unwell.

Spa Reethi Beach Resort

What would you prefer?

I give an extra star to any spa that lets one choose the fragrance of the massage oil. The Coconut Spa allowed that…an extra star from me. Ankur was happy with the therapy and gave the spa a thumbs up!

I would have loved to have a massage on the beach…or maybe a table with that overlooks the water. But those are just my fancies… and they can be quite bizarre. While the spa did not have such a set up, I too would give it a thumbs up as the therapists let me soak in the jacuzzi with some fresh tea and coconut while I waited for Ankur. Service levels across the resort were top class!

Activities

The island has its own house reef, teeming with aquatic life. There are mounds of colourful coral with even more colourful fish swimming. While there are patches where the coral has died, you can find plenty to marvel without any trouble. I spent at least three hours every day with my snorkel mask and fins. I did two dives with the resort’s dive school Sea Explorer at the house reef itself!

Under the sea...snorkeling at the house reef

Under the sea…snorkeling at the house reef

For those who like to work up an appetite, there are tennis courts, indoor badminton courts, a well equipped gym. For those who want to exercise and still enjoy the natural beauty, rent a kayak or a catamaran at the resort’s water sports centre.

Fun in the Sun

Fun in the Sun

For those who want to add more romance to an already romantic trip, take the sunset cruise and watch dolphins jump or manta rays glide. Or surprise your better half by heading to an uninhabited island for a picnic. Romance is in the air!

Our Verdict!

If a romantic vacation in Maldives is what you want, without boring a ‘mega hole’ into your pocket, think no further and book yourself at the Reethi Beach Resort. Natural beauty will soothe your eyes, warm ocean waters will wash your feet, the chef’s culinary skills will treat your taste buds and the staff will surely make you smile! What more could one want from the perfect vacation?

Many thanks to the Reethi Beach Resort for hosting us for two nights with the all-inclusive package. Our opinions and views, as always, are our own. 

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