We travelled, as a couple, in early October and stayed 12 nights on this wonderful island. This is our 6th island we have visited in the Maldives and is by far the best!! There is so much already said in the reviews so we wanted to highlight what made this holiday so special for us….. Having landed at 8:45 in the morning, to being in our Villa by 10 a.m., looking out over the most enchanting lagoon, we knew we had made a great choice. This was our first island we visited that had a speedboat transfer and we found it such an upside both on arrival, and particularly, being able to leave 15 minutes before your return flight check in time is very relaxing. It also meant we felt like we got at least ½ a day extra on the holiday which for shorter breaks could be important. The whole design of the island is unpretentious luxury. It is hard to pull off a feeling of such sophistication when the concept is rustic Robinson Crusoe. Gili has nailed it. We took our shoes off as we left Male and didn’t put them back on until we returned. Such a small thing had such a big effect on us, shifting down gear and feeling more connected. The rooms are the best we have been in anywhere in the world. They are huge, based on two floors with the showstopper being an open-air lounge at the centre which overlooks the step-down deck into the lagoon. The feeling of being in the open air, taking regular dips in the worlds natural sand-based swimming pool, was the most relaxing experience of our lives. The rooms are a testament to building using wood which we also found connected us to the nature that surrounded us and again helped us switch off. It sounds obvious, however, being able to have the outdoor lounge separate from the air conditioning of the bedroom which we could keep sealed off worked perfectly for us. It felt like a home. And we must mention Waheed who kept our Villa so well and gave us little treats like a special rose covered bath and lovely bed art. The island itself is very pretty with large palm lined beaches and a lush jungle interior. As is often the case the island is manicured beautifully, full of vegetation and at Gili with the addition of no mosquito bites!! The facilities are thoughtful and done in a way that blends in with the island. You can tell that maintenance is very key to the management with a constant drive to improve and upgrade. This was particularly evident as we arrived during the opening of the updated Overwater Bar which is the perfect spot for watching the sun go down whilst having cocktails and a canape. The spa was hands down the best we have ever been to, its location above the lagoon is beautiful and the calmness and skill of the team take those stresses away. Sara and Kamal are just lovely. We tried several activities: Sunset Dhoni – was so special, calm, and romantic. Cheese and wine tasting – was special, the setting is unique, underground with the table made of a tree trunk which was chosen with such sentiment. Raman our sommelier was professional and generous with his knowledge. We were a little tipsy when emerging 😄. Sunset Dolphin cruise – those creatures are so magical and playful, and we were blessed to be joined by our waiter Wabbe and Stefanie. Cooking classes – we learnt to cook a Maldivian fish curry which we have already tried since getting home. Hari was very kind to send a few recipes for us on our return (the acai bowls at breakfast became an obsession of ours). Marine Biologist snorkelling – she is so knowledgeable and welcoming, and you can tell passionate about the work Gili do to improve the coral and sealife locally. We would recommend this complementary activity. That brings us onto the food which for us is the standout. We have done lots of fine dining and, in some ways, more formal settings in the Maldives, however, this was some of the best food we have ever eaten. Chef Hari and Chef Francis have created something so distinctive. Unfussy yet so tasty and creative. There are two main venues where we ate during our time; Kashivelli where your feet kiss the sand for breakfast and dinner, and By The Sea, a magical setting serving sumptuous Japanese and Teppanyaki. For drinks the Overwater Bar which re-opened as we arrived, its name says it all, serves the best Spicy Margaritta in the world! Niang was so lovely, do make sure you get chance to chat with her as she makes you feel at home and is very funny. Somewhat magically, it felt like there were 10 venues as the culinary voyage you go on, with different buffets and a la carte, means that even sat at the same table your surrounding change around you. A charming rotating set of feasts whilst your feet stay connected to the soft sands next to the lapping lagoon. Our favourite nights were the Indian and Asian Street Food market, Hari has created these culinary journeys that overwhelm your senses and are delectable. Wabbe our server throughout was stupendous! He got to know us to a point where he felt like a friend. He knew what we liked and gave us so many treats, including a specially set dinner for our last night and handmade gifts. He is such a talent – try and make sure he can look after you! The Japanese is just incredible, both as a setting and what is on offer, try the Bento box for lunch, and the Tuna dinner was as good as we have tasted. Hadif looked after us at By The Sea and is so interesting and we loved his ambition – congratulations on becoming captain Hadif! Chef Micho who has been at Gili for over 20 years is the star of the Japanese. Gayan, our sommelier did the perfect Sake pairing which we would recommend. We tried the Teppanyaki which was great fun and again the setting was remarkable. Chef Novy was really talented and hilarious – for any Liverpool FC fans out there he doesn’t need much prompting to sing ‘you’ll never walk alone’. Breakfast at Kashivelli was so fresh with so many offerings and some of the best coffee which Gili has hand chosen. Watch out for the Maldivian Crane Bob if you choose Sushi 😳. We could go on, and, as others have said, that whilst the hardware of the island is so well done what makes this space special is the team/family there. We lost our dog of 14 years whilst at Gili and the staff were so caring and thoughtful. Our Mr Friday Miffy was so kind and professional and was always on the look out to make our stay special. Whilst Miffy had a short break, to see his gorgeous son, we were looked after by Shanny who was also amazing. Nikolas, the GM, has created a special environment with a team that feel like they really enjoy their jobs and are like a family. Rodrigo, the Resort Manager, always sought us out for a conversation and he is so talented and cares about the culture that he and Nikolas are creating at Gili. It made us reflect a lot about how to create teams that care so much about their jobs but also each other, a family. And we could go on, such professional people yet so charming and funny; Riyaaz, Shiyaan, Monika, Lolz, Toby, Irufaan, Aslam – we will only have missed so many for which we apologise as you all deserve a mention! Thank you to Gili and the team there. We can’t not give a special shout out to Wabbe he was our stand-out member of the Gili team. We left with heavy hearts (as the team threw Wabbe into the sea as they waved us goodbye 😂), however we felt reenergised, reconnected with each other, which is no mean feet after 30 years together!, and importantly for us we had slowed down. Well, our final message to Gili is you have ruined the rest of the Maldives for us, as we only want to come back to you, you have a special place in our hearts.…
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.