Planning Your Escape

How to choose the perfect Maldives Resort for you? What style of luxury resort suits you!

The Maldives is the ultimate dream island destination with its exotic turquoise lagoons, iridescent white-sand beaches, and illuminating Maldivian people, it’s no wonder the Maldives has become synonymous with paradise. But with so many luxury resorts spread across its pristine atolls, each offering its own version of island indulgence, the question becomes: how do you choose the one that’s perfect for you? From castaway-inspired hideaways to sleek, contemporary marvels and resorts infused with authentic Maldivian charm—your ideal escape depends on your personal style of luxury.


Robinson Crusoe Luxury: The Barefoot Dreamer’s Paradise

If your idea of luxury is freedom, simplicity, and nature at its purest, then a Robinson Crusoe-style resort may be your perfect match. Think barefoot days, villas tucked amidst jungle greenery or suspended above a tranquil lagoon, and the sense of having no where you have to be and nothing you have to do. This is the Maldives at its most natural and enchanting—where luxury isn’t about opulence but about reconnecting with what truly matters. Whether it’s a treehouse-style villa with open-air bathrooms or an overwater hideaway accessible only by boat, this style of resort invites you to live your childhood dream of castaway life—with every conceivable comfort discreetly at your fingertips. You’ll love this if you find joy in the sound of the ocean lapping beneath your villa, prefer the feel of sand underfoot instead of shoes, and crave a deep sense of serenity.


Modern Luxury: For the Style-Seeking Sophisticate

For those drawn to design, innovation, and modern comforts, the Maldives offers a new generation of ultra-luxury resorts where architecture and artistry meet the ocean. These resorts are defined by their sleek lines, minimalist interiors, and cutting-edge technology—all seamlessly blended with the surrounding seascape. Picture glass-walled villas suspended over turquoise lagoons, underwater spas where you relax surrounded by marine life, and infinity pools that appear to merge with the horizon. Modern luxury resorts in the Maldives cater to those who appreciate fine design, curated experiences, and contemporary elegance. It’s the choice for the aesthete and trendsetter—for whom every detail matters and indulgence means perfection crafted through design and service.


Maldivian-Style Luxury: Culture Meets Nature

For travelers seeking authenticity and a sense of place, Maldivian-style luxury blends the spirit of the islands with understated elegance. These resorts celebrate the local culture through design inspired by traditional Maldivian architecture, natural materials, and warm island hospitality. Expect palm-thatched roofs, handcrafted wood details, and interiors that reflect the colors of the sea, sand and sky. Many of these resorts place sustainability and community at their heart, offering experiences like local island visits, traditional cooking classes, and marine conservation programs. This style of resort is for those who want their escape to feel connected—to the island, to its people, and to its heritage—without sacrificing the luxurious comforts that define the Maldives experience. So, which style calls to you? Whether you’re the barefoot dreamer seeking a nature- filled escape, the design lover craving modern sophistication, or the cultural explorer drawn to authentic island life, the Maldives offers a resort that feels as though it was made just for you!

Contact Extraordinary Escapes and we will help you find your perfect resort.

Who do I listen to? Traveller Reviews, Social Media Influencers or Expert Advice.

The Maldives is unlike any other destination.  The resort you choose will dictate the success of your entire holiday.  With other destinations, the hotel is simply a room for you to store your belongings and to sleep. You dine at outside restaurants and do activities around the destination. In the Maldives, the resort is not just the room but the entire holiday.  There are characteristics you can research yourself such as the resort style, villa design, resort restaurants and available activities. More importantly however, it is the unseen characteristics that you cannot find anywhere unless you have actually been to the resort, for example the resort atmosphere, food quality and service.  It is these unseen characteristics that really differentiate resorts.

How do you get access to this information then?  You could go directly to the resorts websites. This is their place to advertise after all.  I have people come to me and ask me why there is a price difference between one resort and another, when they both say they are luxury 5 star resorts. Over the last 21 years, we have travelled to the Maldives at least twice a year, staying at the resorts we have chosen to sell and visiting some we decide not to sell.  We only sell resorts that truly reflect the star level we have labelled them at and are priced accordingly. I am lucky enough to say that since starting Extraordinary Escapes, I have spent over 341 days in the Maldives.  Price difference can also come down to some resorts not including critical components in the pricing like transfers but unless you have been doing this every day, you may not realize they are not included.

 

You could research on Traveller Review sites.  What I say to anyone who ask me about relying on Traveller Reviews is that it is always good to see consistent comments about a resort however I advise people that any Traveller Review is an entirely subjective opinion written by one person.  You have no idea who this person is and what their pervious travel experience has been, what their likes and dislikes are. What one traveller can see as the ideal holiday experience can literally be another traveller’s nightmare.  For example, sending a family to a quiet resort with no family facilities, could lead to a bad review for this resort. When a couple visiting this same resort could write a review of a lifetime. While Traveller Reviews are not incorrect, they are simply subjective.

 

Recently there has been the Social Media boom and with this there has been the trend of the Digital Influencers visiting and promoting exotic destinations.  Can you rely on Digital Influencers and what they have to say? I believe their job title summarizes it.  They are digital influencers paid by the resorts to promote them via social media platforms and influence the public.  It is the modern-day version of the Travel Section of the Sunday Paper.  Every resort should be advertising of course.  People should recognize that Influencers are an advertisement for the resort.

 

As a lawyer in my younger years, I have trained my Extraordinary Escapes’ Consultants to base their advice to clients purely on facts.  We ask each individual client what they are looking for from their Maldives holiday and what is important to them.  I tell my Consultants, what I see as the perfect resort for me, is not the perfect resort for my sister and the same applies to each client. Its about having the knowledge and expertise to understand what each client is looking for and then matching them with the right resort or resorts.

It comes down to knowing the intricate details about each resort that you cannot find online. For example, for me on a Maldives holiday, if I am not snorkelling every day at least once a day, I would be disappointed.  I therefore need a resort with an outstanding house reef.  These are the things that you cannot know unless you have been to over 30 resorts and snorkeled at each resort to compare each house reef.  Resorts even ask us for information on other resorts when we visit them.  Knowing the Maldives surf season and the surf resorts, knowing the Manta Ray season and best location, knowing that every resort changes its rates on different dates which could mean thousands of dollars difference in price is all imperative information for our clients.

We work very hard to maintain our extensive knowledge of the Maldives and the luxury resorts.  We also endeavour to provide our clients with the same luxury service they will experience at the resort from the time they contact us at Extraordinary Escapes. Now with so many luxury resorts to choose from and so much information available, our goal is to provide our clients with all the facts they need and assist them in choosing the perfect resort for them.  From family resorts, to couples’ escapes.  From wellness retreats to active adventures.  There is a luxury resort in the Maldives for everyone and Extraordinary Escapes’ experts are there to curate the perfect Maldives luxury holiday for all of our clients.

Air travel in New times: when you’re excited for long haul

Being at an Airport again was honestly just so exciting. It didn’t even matter that the 24 hours prior was shear chaos as we had just moved house. But that aside, we had our passports and were ready to go. We said goodbye to our golden retriever who I think was really a bit excited to go off to the pet motel and have a break of his own. We weren’t quite sure what travelling would be like now and like most people, we had bunkered down during the height of covid so this was going to be all a new experience.

Not surprisingly the check-in process does take longer than usual so it’s really important that you allow extra time for this as you don’t want to miss your flight after all the planning and anticipation — there would be tears and I’m sure not just yours. Once checked in, comes the realization that we’re travelling again. It feels like a lifetime ago that we have travelled. Our passports were still valid (a good thing to check before you book anything as like us I’m sure yours were getting a little dusty in the bottom drawer). The feeling that you’re about to get on a plane and go overseas is surreal . It’s finally here. It’s that same feeling I had on Christmas Eve willing myself to try desperately to stay awake and catch a glimpse of Santa, maybe even say a quick hello.

It’s true, Covid has been so hard on everyone. All this waiting, worrying, missing family and lockdowns but I think we can finally seem a glimmer of hope again that things will get better. Personally we’ve done all the pre-testing, had vaccinations and packed the ultimate carry-on with spare masks, sanitizers, wipes etc. We were fully prepared and I didn’t even mind that this was a long haul flight with children (four in fact) and all in the comfort of economy. I was thrilled and felt really lucky to be able to be travelling again!

There’s a lot of room to spread out at the moment…..

There’s a lot of room to spread out at the moment…..

So what’s changed in terms of air travel due to Covid? Well, as you’d expect there’s a lot more requirements that need to be met prior to travelling and each country is different. So you need to make sure you are fully across what’s required for the country you are going to. Also, if you’re in transit check what happens at that location as well. Travelling now is a little different. That said, if you have someone to guide you through the new requirements and they know what to do, it’s as easy as 1..2..3. One of the main reasons we did this trip was to test it out and to be able experience first hand what’s actually required. We need this experience to guide our clients when it comes to their time to travel. A upside of travelling in this new era of physical distancing is that airports are super quiet, yes if you can believe it even LAX! And you get space to yourself on planes.

Wow how we’ve missed Changi Airport in Singapore this is hands down my favourite airport it’s super easy to navigate whether you’re there only of a few hours or need to overnight in the airport hotel.

Wow how we’ve missed Changi Airport in Singapore this is hands down my favourite airport it’s super easy to navigate whether you’re there only of a few hours or need to overnight in the airport hotel.

I’ve learnt so much from this most recent trip, we intentionally added stop-overs to our flights to the Maldives as a lot of our clients do this. We’ve learnt what was required by each country and how to best navigate this new world of travel. Everyone to be honest is at a different stage in terms of when and where they can travel. We’ve got clients travelling now, some planning for later this year and other really looking forward and planning for what 2022 will bring. Best piece of advice I can give to anyone travelling now is do your research on what’s required and get help from an expert who’s recently travelled. And make sure when you do find yourself travelling again allow plenty of time at airports and words to live by (even before covid) always pack a spare pair of swimmers in your carry-on (luggage can still get lost).