First stop in paradise: Taj Exotica Resort & Spa
This set the tone for our stay – wherever we went, the staff greeted us by our names. The resort’s welcome card invites you to experience a life based on personalised attention, caring and providing comfort and Taj Exotica certainly delivers all of that.
We were taken to our accommodation, which was a Deluxe Lagoon Villa with a private deck and freshwater plunge pool, with steps down into the lagoon and the endless turquoise water. Very nice!
Taj Exotica is located on the exotic Emboodhu Finolhu Island, encircled by one of the largest lagoons of the Maldives. You could even lie in your bath enjoying the panoramic views of the Indian Ocean (luckily the window is one-way).
Each of the 64 villas has an assigned butler to take care of you and they can arrange special romantic dinners, spa treatments or excursions for you. There’s a whole range of luxury accommodation to meet your needs. If you have young children, you may prefer a Beach Villa. The Deluxe Villa has an oversized plunge pool, a private veranda with sun beds and a tropical outdoor shower in a private walled garden. Or you might find the newly built Premium Beach Villas or the 2-bed Beach Villa Suites more suitable from a space point of view.
Situated at the end of water villas is the fabulous Rehendi Presidential Suite, with a master bedroom, guest bedroom, an 18m fresh water pool with a private sundeck, two ‘salas’ for relaxing and dining; and a beautiful suspended deck filled with powder soft sand and a hammock suspended over the beautiful turquoise lagoon. Wow.
We loved breakfast time – opting to sit in the sunshine usually, picking out lovely things to try from the a la carte menu. What a relaxing way to start the day, digging your toes into hot sand, in this beautiful place.
We enjoyed the stunning infinity pool and beach, and felt very much cossetted with staff bringing fresh sorbet, fruit platters, cool towels and water.
There were lots of nice touches like seats in unexpected places so you could just chill out and gaze out at the ocean. There was even a swing in the ocean, which we swam out to. (It’s funny how some people see a swing as a romantic thing, while other people just want to see how high they can get it to go.)
The shallow sandy lagoon surrounding the resort is a paradise for water sports lovers; you can try scuba, snorkelling, jet skiing, parasailing and more. There’s plenty of small fish to see in the shallow waters if you are not a confident swimmer.
The usual mode of transport seemed to be by buggy; however we liked to walk everywhere, not least to work off breakfast. It only takes 10 minutes to walk across the island. It was a great way to see the local birdlife, and spot swings or totem poles hidden amongst the foliage.
In the early evenings, guests would gather to watch the feathered tail ray and the Black tip reef sharks (see the photos) being fed, as well as the other marine life. We’ve noticed there is always an egret or two on each island we visited, and they are very territorial. Returning to our villa one night, we were really excited to find an egret on our private deck. We’re not sure if he’d adopted us or vice versa.
One of the highlights of our stay was the fantastic beach barbecue, where we ate outside under the moonlight, with a great band playing. If you’re not sure you like lobster and other seafood, it’s a really good way to try small quantities of new things.
Another highlight was the Equator bar – the music was very “chilled” and the staff top notch. It was great to start each evening there, hearing the waves and watching the sunset. I had a bad cold, so one evening, they brought me a huge glass of hot toddy. For once, having “man-flu” was taken seriously!
For our last night, we made a reservation at the Teppanyaki - Japanese Live Kitchen, which was great fun – a real spectacle. I would hate to think how many fingers I would lose in the kitchen, if I attempted to slice seafood in mid-air like the young chef did.
Both restaurants are in spectacular locations at opposite ends of the island and the food exceeded our expectations. For honeymoons and special occasions, your butler will arrange private dining, and the “Beach at Dusk” dining experience looks wonderful or out on the Ocean Pavilion.
The only thing we didn’t really want was the farewell cake which was iced to say “Sorry to see you leave” and delivered by our excellent waiter. First class service and attention to detail sum this resort up.
When we left the island, we were presented with a lovely photo album and farewell card, and then waved off by our butler and reception staff. We felt like royalty! We were so pleased we were not going home to the cold weather, but onto our next island…and this would be our first time in a sea-plane.
Please contact me on 020 3432 2510 if the paradise that is The Maldives is on your list! I’ve got lots of great contacts, as well as hints and tips. Speak soon!