Gili Lankanfushi

We love Gili. When they say 'welcome home' in some hotels it feels like a line. But in Gili it feels real. This was our second visit and it didn't disappoint. Fro the moment the boat greets you at the airport, to losing your shoes and then being welcomed to the resort you instantly relax. One main reason why we love the hotel so much is because within a couple of hours of getting off the plane, you are on the beach in and feeling relaxed. It feels like being on a desert island, but will all the luxury's you would want. Lovely beds, great food, loads to do and the water is incredible. Rodrigo and his team make such an effort to make you feel special. We've been twice and will be back again next year!

An absolutely spectacular experience! The facilities are incredible and everything is completely spotless; Easygoing luxury. You can tell every single detail is meticulously taken care of. But without a doubt,the best part is the staff: everyone is wonderful, super attentive, and genuinely warm. ( Sharif, makif, Ibraim…)They go above and beyond with every detail to make your stay unforgettable. Great food. Without any doubt, I recommend it as the absolute best option in the Maldives!

Our first time to Gili was in 2016, usually we go to this hidden sanctuary in December or October. Unexpectedly, we had to change summer plans and decided a last minute trip in August for the very first time. We were worried about how the weather would be, but luckily we got 10 days of sunshine out of 14. I can confidently say that during the festive season, at least 80% of the guests are repeaters. What surprised us was that the majority of guests in August were also repeaters, some of them we already with us last December. If there was a prize for the hotel with the highest ratio of repeaters, Gili would easily be walking away with that prize every year. This by itself, should tell you a lot about what sort of resort it is, and also the level of service at Gili. I don't know how they do it, but they have the ability to make every single guest feel like he is their favourite guest of all time, like this was actually his island. The General Manager, Rodrigo, is an amazing leader. First of all, in many instances you would see him help in serving water or putting down the shutters when it rains, etc... There is a very special synergy between him, Florian and the whole team. The staff are always happy, and it is genuine, you can see that they are not just acting nice, they are nice, they are happy to see you. They are like one big family, and you can notice it when a team member leaves to another resort, they generally come back to Gili, because they would see that Gili is different. The resort itself is so beautiful, this trip we were so lucky with the Marine life. We didn't really need to go snorkelling to see the fish, we could see many sharks daily around our villa, stingrays, baby stingrays, baby sharks, picasso trigger fish, titan trigger fish, porcupine fish, lion fish, puffer fish, turtles, baby turtles, parrot fish and so many different species. The food as always is incredible. I cannot give enough credit to Chef Hari, he is a genius, we are all plant based and the options that we have there are abundant. Chef Hari is making a cook book, BUY IT, his food is simply out of this world. Also we had Chef Francis, taking care of our every little need, creating dishes and always checking on us if we needed anything. We makes a delicious linguine with white sauce, our children basically lived on it! We were so happy to see that Chef Abraham came back to Gili and we were so lucky to be the first family that he cooks for upon his return. His Japanese omakase elevated our experience and he is such a talented Chef. We are so excited and looking forward to see his new menu at the Japanese restaurant the coming December. Chef Ashinta, made us incredible curries, his Maldivian Curry, his Indian Curry and his Laksa were full of flavours and very hearty. Chef Rupesh was working around the hour to make us incredible desserts, you could feel the love and effort that he put in every plate. Also we would like to mention Chefs Alaaudin, Kalaam, Dili, Hally, Sami( for the amazing Philipino dish), Muzna and the others for all the amazing food and treats! I have noticed that every time I go to Gili, I come back slimmer. I don't know how to explain it, for instance, I was 89.8 KGs the day before we arrived to Gili, then I went there, and I would EAT, like eat a lot, for instance( 3 pancakes, 3 avocado toasts, 4 chocolate crepes, mango, watermelon, nuts, maki rolls, jam, honey and french toast for breakfast. Maldivian salad, pumpkin risotto, Maldivian curry, a lot of french fries, edamame, vegetable tempura for Lunch. A set menu for dinner( Indian or Asian or something) plus desserts plus at least 2 scoop of ice cream every day!) I got back home went on the same scale, weighed 88 KGs!! Does their food have negative calories?? :) Or maybe they use premium organic ingredients? Many thanks to the F&B team, starting with the best of the best, Shawwaf, you have been so incredibly kind to our family and you are such an amazing person, your leadership in the F&B team has elevated our whole experience and thanks for tolerating us! Thank you Ganey, Charito, Siyam, Santo, Ibrahim, Kuchey,Shifaz, Niyaf, Hadeef, Amin, Monica, Amani, Lolzi, Muffin, Wahid, Wahab, Elawi, Raman, Gayan, Rohan, Sharrey, Shaiju, Rifaq and everyone else for making us feel like your family. Our Mr Friday, Thasleem, always incredible. He goes above and beyond to make sure that our every need is met. Honestly their whole Mr Friday team are incredible people from Shazu, to Thasleem, Makif, Ziyan, Mifi, Rashid, Raya, Shaani, Zuba, Ada, Nelly, they are all very helpful and kind. We want to highlight also the gardening team, they are the unsung heroes. They Keep the island, pristine, but still not polished, just rustic enough. Special shout to Kumar and Mani. Also Deepak and Karan, they grow the plants in the garden, they do an amazing job. Thank you Reynaldo from the Marine team, for being so informative and teaching us a lot about the marine life. Thank you for also being kind to us and our children and arranging the most amazing treasure hunts. Thank you to our great housekeeper Ajuwad and to Saadiq. Our room was always spotless, and felt fresh. A special thank you to Afzal and Abbas as well. Finally, it is worth mentioning that many guests have been to other luxury resorts and to Gili, they say that they love Gili the most, because it feels like real island life, and the food and service are just top. Gili only has 45 rooms, so it is quite exclusive, compared to the other islands that would have atleast double the rooms.

After four years, we returned to Gili Lankanfushi for our second stay – and from the moment we arrived, that very special Gili feeling was immediately there again. For us, Gili is not a typical luxury resort. It is a place with its own unique soul: the unmistakable Robinson Crusoe style, lush tropical vegetation, beautiful wooden jetties, barefoot luxury and exceptionally spacious overwater villas. Everything feels wonderfully natural, relaxed and authentic – and that is exactly what makes Gili so special to us. We once again stayed in a beautiful overwater villa and truly enjoyed the peace, the ocean and the wonderful feeling of freedom. The Meera Spa is also absolutely beautiful – its unique location over the water and peaceful atmosphere make it a very special experience. But above all, what makes Gili truly exceptional are the people. So many members of the team made our stay unforgettable. A very special thank you goes to our wonderful Mr. Friday, Rasheed, who looked after us with so much warmth, kindness and care. It was especially lovely to see him again after four years and to have him taking care of us once again. ❤️ We would also like to give a very special mention to Wabbe, Restaurant Captain, for his outstanding and attentive service and his warm and friendly personality. It was always such a pleasure to see him, and he made our dining experience even more enjoyable. Our heartfelt thanks also go to Shanto, the Supervisor, Faiz, the Restaurant Manager, Monica, who always welcomed us with a lovely smile and Azmee- waiter, for his friendly and attentive service. A special thank you also to Gayan, the Sommelier, for his excellent service and wonderful wine recommendations. And of course, we must mention Mainuddin – his beautifully prepared fresh fruit every morning was always a little highlight. We would also like to thank Florian, the Resort Manager, and Rodrigues, the General Manager, for their warm hospitality and for making us feel so welcome as returning guests. Our final day was another wonderful surprise. As we had a late evening departure, we were able to spend our last hours in a beautiful Residence Villa. With glorious sunshine and the incredible turquoise ocean around us, it was the perfect ending to our stay. 🩵🌴 After four years, we can truly say that Gili has lost none of its magic. Gili’s charm lies in its natural, authentic Robinson Crusoe style rather than contemporary luxury. If you appreciate barefoot luxury, beautiful natural surroundings, privacy and a very special atmosphere, you will understand why Gili has so many loyal returning guests. We left with wonderful memories and sincerely hope that we will not wait another four years before returning. Thank you, Gili Lankanfushi – and especially to Rasheed, Wabbe and the entire wonderful team for making our return so special. 🩵🌴 Dr. Vesna & Peter

I finally understand what all the hype is about and why this resort is so famous ! The rooms are gorgeous and the lagoon is full of life. Service is really excellent and the food is great. Probably the best breakfast we have had in Maldives . The resort is even more beautiful than in the photos. We stayed in a two bedroom family villa with pool on Jetty 3 and it was perfect. Yes its close to the airport and you could see Hulhumale and hear the constant plane engine and seaplane noise and see cargo ships ans boats constantly and there is another resort facing Gili which sometimes has music at night on one side and on another side a local inhabited island so the area is quite busy and there is a lot of light pollution at night but its a trade off- you dont have the sense of quiet or remoteness but you are super close to the airport in a beautiful setting with excellent service and food so we still loved it. They anticipated that the kids would be hungry when we arrived and amazingly prepared some food for them in the villa and giant soft toys which they loved Raaya was great and helped us with everything we requested very efficiently The only issue that i didn’t enjoy which is out of the resort’s control is the visible burning of waste from one of the islands near the airport which ruined our dolphin watching trip as the fumes reached the area where the dolphins were and we had to cut the trip short out of concern for the kids breathing in the fumes. Maybe this issue could be addressed with the tourism ministry as it a really harmful to burn waste in such close proximity to inhabited islands and resorts. So next time I would skip any boating trips and just stay on the island and enjoy the beautiful beaches and lagoon. Also they need to insist on kids wearing life jackets on the boat at all times on the dolphin watching trip for safety as somehow that was missed for our trip. One suggestion would be to make the ice cream free for both adults and kids like other resorts do (soneva, six senses) and at this price offer more complimentary snacks and inclusions and inform the guest early on of these inclusions as well as book the restaurants for them in advance so guests staying for a few days dont get told everything is booked up already. They did this at six senses and we got the chance to try all their restaurants during our stay as well as take full advantage of villa complimentary inclusions such as private BBQ and in villa sunset cocktails. A special thanks to Rayaa, Ahmed from housekeeping, the in villa dining team, the breakfast team and the management (Florian, Rodrigo) for their visible efforts and hospitality We will hopefully be back soon !