I recently spent a couple of night’s at Universal Resort’s Dhigali Maldives. It’s no secret that I adore the Maldives, and now after visiting several different resorts, I feel I’ve got a good handle on the different types of stays one can have. For me, Dhigali had a slightly more luxury boutique vacation feeling about it than the more commercial resorts I’ve been to. Although quite a large resort with 90 rooms on offer, at times it felt as though there was no one else on the island. Quite a feat, considering they were near full occupancy when I visited! It is undoubtedbly a great spot for couples in search of a quiet, romantic getaway in paradise. On this occasion I visited with my sister, so a little less on the romantic side and a little more on the girl’s time side! With my having lived in Dubai for 12 years now, my sister and I have spent so little quality time together, so this was an absolute treat!
Highlights:
Haali treehouse bar
One of the most picturesque points on the island, Haali is nestled into the tip of the island offering stunning views over the sandbank, the horizon and of course those perfect Maldivian sunsets.
Faru
While most of my meals were in Jade, the resort’s buffet restaurant, I did enjoy a delicious evening at Faru. The seafood served just steps from the sand was impeccably succulent and the portion sizes had my sister and I rolling out to our room!
Spa
Dhigali Maldives’ spa is in the center of the island and hosts 12 modern, minimalist treatment rooms and an outdoor pool. With so many rooms, making an appointment at whatever time I pleased couldn’t have been easier.
Privacy
We stayed in a beach bungalow with it’s own pool at Dhigali Maldives, and as previously mentioned, it felt extremely private. Had we never left the room, we could’ve imagined we were on our own private resort! The rooms are minimalist and modern, boasting an open-air bathroom with freestanding bath tubs, that I obviously couldn’t resist. Being the mother of a now, 2-year old, I can’t remember the last time I treated myself to a soak in the tub!
Lowlights:
Weather
Unfortunately we were very unlucky with the weather during our stay at Dhigali Maldives. For all, but the final morning of our stay and an hour here or there, we experienced heavy rain and storms! It is certainly nothing that the resort could have controlled, but it did weigh in on our experience. We were expecting to be sipping cocktails on the beach the whole time after all!
Newness
Having opened only 6 weeks prior to my visit, I did feel that the resort was still experiencing a couple of minor teething issues, such as some missing items in the rooms and a slight lack of variety within the buffet. On query with the chef, I was told that the menu would be expanding in the coming weeks, so I don’t see that there is much that can’t be ironed out with a few more weeks under their belt.
