An Idyllic Holiday Spent with Friends at Soneva Gili
It’s a birthday wish of J-Blogged that I cannot say NO to…… your wish is my command madam!
I have written about Soneva Gili before when I visited the place last year. Although it was purely work-related, the island has left a mark on me. It was simply magical.
When J-Blogged asked me if we can go to Soneva Gili for her birthday last April, I immediately said Yes! And even invited my cousin to go with us, all the way from Dubai! Thanks Yen for joining and for the lovely perfume (how did you know I am an Elizabeth Arden fan???).
The resort remains breathtakingly beautiful one year on. A pocket of sublime perfection in paradisiacal Maldives.
No News, No Shoes
From the arrival jetty, you will be requested to take off your shoes and go barefoot in the sand. It can be pure hell sometimes during noontime when the sun is at its peak and you have to walk through a long jetty with sun-dried wooden planks --- respite comes from these water urns (or “banga” as we call it back home) where you can dip the wooden ladle and cool your feet with water.
Although the rooms have TV, it’s covered up so guests will forget to even turn it on. And not surprisingly, for the entire 5 days we stayed there the thought of opening the TV never entered our minds! We were so blissfully satiated with the comforts we have in our villa and out of it. We were cocooned in our own world, so to speak!
Our Villa
For the exquisite villa that was given to us, I have the SGR team to thank for. Thank you guys for such a good welcome!
You see, we were given the one of a kind --- Spa Residence Suite. It has its own Spa treatment area complete with a Jacuzzi nearby. For the gym fanatics, you can do your daily exercises right there in the privacy of your villa! And on top of it, our own private sauna! I think I must overdosed on the sauna --- can not count how many times I toasted myself there! Lol
If I can get myself to come out from the sauna (I just love it there! Haha), I always end up with a book and reading under the umbrella shade with the beauty of Nature right in front of me. What else does one needs?
Dining
Superlative! I just love laidback mornings where you can dine in the beach with the sound of the crashing waves creating music to your ears while taking your time and chatting with friends over a custom-made breakfast. You can order what you want and voila! Its cooked the way you want it.
Lunch is served buffet style at the overwater Bar. The scrumptious display of dishes is so yummy that we keep on going back for more. You can choose from the fresh vegetable area (most are from the organic garden in the resort) and create your own green leafy salad, or ask the chefs to grill the raw seafoods or meats --- I want mine very Well Done. Our lunch usually stretches out to 2 hours!
Everything though has to come to an end. I want to stretch it to infinity but Alas! we have to say goodbye.
I have written about Soneva Gili before when I visited the place last year. Although it was purely work-related, the island has left a mark on me. It was simply magical.
When J-Blogged asked me if we can go to Soneva Gili for her birthday last April, I immediately said Yes! And even invited my cousin to go with us, all the way from Dubai! Thanks Yen for joining and for the lovely perfume (how did you know I am an Elizabeth Arden fan???).
The resort remains breathtakingly beautiful one year on. A pocket of sublime perfection in paradisiacal Maldives.
No News, No Shoes
From the arrival jetty, you will be requested to take off your shoes and go barefoot in the sand. It can be pure hell sometimes during noontime when the sun is at its peak and you have to walk through a long jetty with sun-dried wooden planks --- respite comes from these water urns (or “banga” as we call it back home) where you can dip the wooden ladle and cool your feet with water.
Although the rooms have TV, it’s covered up so guests will forget to even turn it on. And not surprisingly, for the entire 5 days we stayed there the thought of opening the TV never entered our minds! We were so blissfully satiated with the comforts we have in our villa and out of it. We were cocooned in our own world, so to speak!
Our Villa
For the exquisite villa that was given to us, I have the SGR team to thank for. Thank you guys for such a good welcome!
You see, we were given the one of a kind --- Spa Residence Suite. It has its own Spa treatment area complete with a Jacuzzi nearby. For the gym fanatics, you can do your daily exercises right there in the privacy of your villa! And on top of it, our own private sauna! I think I must overdosed on the sauna --- can not count how many times I toasted myself there! Lol
If I can get myself to come out from the sauna (I just love it there! Haha), I always end up with a book and reading under the umbrella shade with the beauty of Nature right in front of me. What else does one needs?
Dining
Superlative! I just love laidback mornings where you can dine in the beach with the sound of the crashing waves creating music to your ears while taking your time and chatting with friends over a custom-made breakfast. You can order what you want and voila! Its cooked the way you want it.
Lunch is served buffet style at the overwater Bar. The scrumptious display of dishes is so yummy that we keep on going back for more. You can choose from the fresh vegetable area (most are from the organic garden in the resort) and create your own green leafy salad, or ask the chefs to grill the raw seafoods or meats --- I want mine very Well Done. Our lunch usually stretches out to 2 hours!
Everything though has to come to an end. I want to stretch it to infinity but Alas! we have to say goodbye.
We got a glimpse of how the other half lives…… hahaha…..it was a lovely life of ease but on a normal day the price tag is something way way out of our meager budgets!
A big thanks to the Soneva Gili team for such a memorable stay!
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