Gili Lankanfushi

An experience that is almost impossible to put into words. We had visited the Maldives two years ago, so we already knew that this part of the world was paradise. That is exactly why we chose to return. But we could never have imagined what awaited us at Gili Lankanfushi. Gili is much more than a luxury resort. It is a world of its own — a beautiful, intimate island where every detail, every place and, above all, every person comes together to create an experience that is truly unforgettable. And we say this having stayed in some of the finest hotels around the world. THE VILLA ✨ Simply breathtaking. The photographs cannot possibly do it justice. Our villa felt like an entire private home, surrounded by nature and the ocean, with beautifully designed spaces and an impeccable level of cleanliness. Every single day, everything was taken care of to perfection. It felt as though we were the first people ever to stay there. THE RESTAURANTS 🍽️ Exceptional locations, extraordinary food and an incredible attention to detail. The quality of the cuisine is something you have to experience to understand. Outstanding ingredients, imaginative recipes and flavours that genuinely surprised us. There is “hotel food”… and then there is Gili food. At Gili, you feel as though you are dining in some of the finest restaurants in the world — from breakfast all the way through to dinner. And the themed evenings were simply incredible. THE PEOPLE — THE HEART OF GILI ❤️ This is where Gili truly becomes extraordinary. The hospitality is, without a doubt, the most special part of the entire experience. From the waiters to the management, every single person we met was exceptional. Warm, kind, professional, discreet and genuinely attentive. The communication between everyone is remarkable. They somehow know what you need before you even have to ask. And that is something very rare. You don’t simply feel like a guest at Gili. You feel like family. The people here should be teaching the world what true hospitality, service and professionalism really mean. And then there is Mr. Rasheed — our Mr. Friday. ❤️ He was one of the reasons our stay became so incredibly special. From making sure we had the exact villa we wanted, to taking care of every little detail, to making our anniversary truly unforgettable, he was always there. Always kind. Always discreet. Always attentive. He would simply appear at the right moment, making sure everything was perfect and asking if there was anything we needed — never intrusive, always thoughtful. And what makes the experience even more remarkable is that it doesn’t begin when you arrive at the island. It begins the moment you are welcomed at the airport and continues until the very last moment, when you are taken back to the airport and personally looked after until your check-in is complete. This is not simply luxury. This is genuine hospitality. Thank you, Gili Lankanfushi, for giving us an experience we will remember for a very long time. Thank you for the beautiful villa, the incredible food, the unforgettable moments — but most of all, thank you for the people who made us feel so welcome and so special. We came back to the Maldives looking for paradise. We found something even more special at Gili. ❤️ Until next time… We will see you again very soon. 🌴✨ Villa 37 18/8-26/8/26 Ch.E- S.D

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