The Best Overwater Villa You’ve Ever Seen.

By Posted in - Maldives & Travel Blog on August 21st, 2013

If there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, I can only imagine it looks exactly like our Gili Lankanfushi villa in the Maldives. We made it to the island approximately 35 hours after we left Boston. It took three flights, the longest being 13 hours, before we arrived in paradise.

As we boarded the resort’s boat at Male, a crew member flashed us a smile and handed us a small linen bag with the words “No Shoes, No News” all in the same instance. No sooner had I slipped my hiking shoes and compression socks off and into the linen bag, I was offered a glass water bottle with a paper straw (my first taste of Gili Lankanfushi’s strong eco commitment). Then, we were off, buzzing through the cobalt blue Indian Ocean to the place that would forever change my travel days to come.

Story: We’re Going To The Maldives

By the time we walked into the villa, I was jet lagged and sticky from the heat. But my senses jolted back to life like a fallen boxer sniffing smelling salts when we entered the large open-air living room, and then made our way through the villa as the warm Indian Ocean lapped against the wood stilts below us.

I could wax long and beautiful prose about our overwater villa, describing in great detail its stunning bathroom, plethora of daybeds, perfect sundeck, elegantly rustic bedroom, rooftop sundeck with a dining spot and another daybed, and the Bose sound system that ties everything together.

Or, I could tell you about how incredible it is to have your own private coral garden just off of your bathroom and how each morning the low tide brought a fury of activity–tropical fish and reef sharks– around our private villa.

But I know that nothing I say could match the feeling of awe I get from Beth’s photographs, and the joy I find in reading her thoughts about our stay at Gili Lankanfushi.

The Villa!

It’s gorgeous and looks amazing morning, noon and night! All of the villas at Gili Lankanfushi were created with a Robinson Crusoe theme. They are rustic, elegant and have ruined me for life. Now that I’ve experienced life in an overwater villa, I don’t think anywhere else will compare. Every day I would wake up and literally walk right into the ocean. I was never bored because yep, you guessed it, I’d just walk right into the water and go snorkeling. It’s amazing how much time you spend in the ocean when it literally surrounds you.

Living Room

The open air living room in the villa has clear, thick shades that can be pulled down to turn it into a more typical looking indoor space. The living room is right in the middle of the villa with the bathroom being on the left and the bedroom being on the right. There are built in game boards to play on and there is also a mini fridge, coffee maker and tea pot in the living room, discreetly concealed so they don’t interrupt the overall feel of the villa. The living room also leads directly to the outdoor deck which ultimately takes you right into the ocean. The deck has two over water hammocks and several lounging spots. We kept the living room’s canvas walls open whenever we could to enjoy the views and the breeze. Each day you can choose to have breakfast, lunch or dinner (or all three) in your villa. As incredible as it was to dine at the beach restaurants, there were many times we just ate here in the living room overlooking the water.

The Bedroom

The Robinson Crusoe effect really comes to life in the bedroom. There is a dramatic mosquito net (don’t worry you won’t need it, I think I only saw 1 mosquito the entire time I was here), snacks served upon arrival and of course a Robinson Crusoe book to read. I should note that the entire resort prides itself on being a healing resort and as eco friendly as possible. You won’t find any throw away containers in the bathroom and all of the in-room documents are covered in and printed on recycled material. There is also a large TV here but we didn’t even turn it on once – why would you when the views are this good? But out of everything my favorite part was listening to the surround sound music at night. The entire villa is wired with surround sound–even the bathroom. You can walk from room to room listening to the same CD but my favorite was the one of nature sounds. It was on when we walked into the villa for the first time and we kept it on each night. We would fall asleep listening to birds chirping and water lapping while sleeping over the water. It was extraordinarily relaxing.

 

The Bathroom

The bathroom is HUGE. It’s really more like a large dressing room because the open air shower is actually down a small walkway above the water. I LOVED showering here, just being able to look out on the water with not even an inch of glass between me and the Indian Ocean was amazing. Instead of just the daily showering chore, this was a full on showering experience. Everything in the bathroom is eco friendly – no throw away soaps here! The other thing to note here is that next to the shower walkway there is a stairway – this leads to your own private coral garden!!! Seriously, this is awesome. I loved having a private coral garden and we were lucky because our garden was always really active with lots of fish!

Roof Deck

The villa also has a roof deck with yet another place to take a nap! There is also an additional spot to eat which looks down to the living room from above. The views from the roof deck are absolutely beautiful!

What’s your favorite part of the villa?

Disclosure: While we were hosted by Gili Lankanfushi, our thoughts and opinions are entirely our own.

(25) awesome folk have had something to say...

  • Savi of Bruised Passports -

    August 21, 2013 at 7:28 am

    Looks amazing – that bathroom is gorgeous

  • Cathy Sweeney -

    August 21, 2013 at 7:56 am

    You convinced me — this is paradise. And well worth 35 hours of traveling. Beautiful place! Hard to pick a favorite spot in the villa, but I’ can see myself spending a lot of time on the roof deck.

  • Bev -

    August 21, 2013 at 8:52 am

    what a dream-like place! my favourite part is the whole thing! and the water. and open spaces. stairs down into crystal-clear water. thanks for a lovely post.

  • Jennifer -

    August 21, 2013 at 8:57 am

    Looks gorgeous! I’d spend most of my time on the deck spotting fish, taking dips in the ocean, and napping on the hammocks.

  • Jason’s Travels -

    August 21, 2013 at 9:39 am

    Ah-mazing! That truly looks awesome.

  • freya -

    August 21, 2013 at 10:30 am

    WoW that’s absolutely gorgeous, I would never want to leave

  • Melissa @ Suitcase and Heels -

    August 21, 2013 at 10:37 am

    That place is amazing! I love the open air shower.

  • Andi of My Beautiful Adventures -

    August 21, 2013 at 12:31 pm

    There are no words to describe how beautiful of a place that is! I can’t pick a fave…it’s all perfection!!!

  • tony -

    August 21, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    Damnnnnnnn…. that is my wife’s dream! I’ve watched enough Bachelorette episodes (only by force of course…) to know how awesome those overwater bungalows can be.

    Great pics!

  • OCDemon -

    August 21, 2013 at 3:35 pm

    A couple friends of mine spent their honeymoon in a place like this, though this has a much more rustic look that I think is great. Seems like the sort of indulgence that’s hard to beat. I’d rather stay somewhere like that for a special occasion than a fancy hotel with room service and stuff.

  • Shirley Hollick -

    August 21, 2013 at 6:37 pm

    WOW!!! I absolutely must go there now! Was it very expensive???

  • Shirley Hollick -

    August 21, 2013 at 6:39 pm

    WOW!!! I absolutely must go there! Was it very expensive???

  • YJ @ thefancyvoyager -

    August 22, 2013 at 6:51 am

    This is absolutely gorgeous! It would be a dream to have a stay here. I love the stairway leading down to the crystal clear waters!

  • Nicole -

    August 22, 2013 at 7:58 am

    Wow, wow and WOW! That place looks to die for. The Maldives are a place we want to visit one of these days. Hopefully in the next couple of years.

  • Kirsten -

    August 22, 2013 at 1:00 pm

    Can’t choose a favorite part. It’s ALL TOOOOOO AMAZING!!!!!!!!

  • Rebecca -

    August 22, 2013 at 10:03 pm

    amazing! thought I imagine this would cost an arm and a leg!

  • Cacinda Maloney -

    August 23, 2013 at 8:24 pm

    OK, after 35 hours of flying, I think I can do this! AMAZING! what a grand adventure you guys went on! I would love to do this trip!

  • LandLopers Picks of the Week -

    August 23, 2013 at 8:56 pm

    […] The Best Overwater Villa You’ve Ever Seen […]

  • Kristin @ KEEN Digital Summit -

    August 24, 2013 at 6:47 am

    The Maldives was my first big international assignment for Newsweek in my early magazine days and still one of the top places I’m dying to return to. There’s just no beating the villas there; I’ve never seen anything like them. We went to Borneo for our honeymoon thinking we’d find a similar scene and…nope. Not even close.

  • Cam @ Traveling Canucks -

    August 24, 2013 at 2:07 pm

    Terrible! How ever did you survive?

    Serious WOW going on. What a fantasticly dreamy place!

  • Jenna -

    August 24, 2013 at 8:12 pm

    Wow, amazing. I can’t imagine a more beautiful setting or accommodation. The rooftop deck is my favorite because it seems so relaxing.

  • RobRob -

    August 25, 2013 at 11:50 am

    Over. Water. Hammock. Sold! So sorry you guys had to tough that out to bring us those fab pictures! 😉

  • Josh & Liz -

    August 26, 2013 at 4:36 pm

    Wow!!! Wish we were here now!!!! Looks like a Postcard! hahaha Great Post!

  • Colleen Brynn -

    August 30, 2013 at 9:02 am

    My favourite part is the stairs down into the water!!! How amazing is that!

  • Maria Alexandra @LatinAbroad -

    September 13, 2013 at 10:23 pm

    can’t decide what I love more: the beautiful canopy bed, the UNBELIEVABLE shower at the end of the long overwater corridor OR the rooftop DECK…?!

    It’s been a dream of mine, for a long long time, to stay on an overwater bungalow. Someday, someday! 😀

    -Maria Alexandra