Megan Ellaby

Hi Hello How are ya!? I hope you’re doing good and all is well in the world. I for one am extremely busy right now and I must admit that I don't know if I’m coming or going. My mind is struggling to focus on one task at a time which is both good and bad.

Good because it means I have no time to stress, worry or fret about anything, but bad because half the time I feel as if my head is about to explode and my tummy burst from all the adrenaline/butterflies kicking about in there, I think I need another break ahah!

So what better way to let go and relax a little bit than to look back at our time in the Maldives.
This is part two of three posts from our time in the beautiful Maldives (see the first post here) and I’m very excited to share with you our time on the stunning island of Dhigali.
A brand spanking new island located in the Raa Atoll, Dhigali brings a real modern and oh so minimalistic design to this rather remote part of the Maldives.

So remote, we had to board a domestic flight from Male airport for twenty minutes followed by a 45 minute speed boat(!) to get to the island, but it was SO worth the half a day spent travelling once we arrived.
A brand new resort having opened in July 2017, Dhigali is surrounded by the most beautiful of clear water and pristine coral reef, it’s a 5 star tropical island and the biggest of the three islands we were lucky enough to visit whilst in the Maldives for 9 days. The first thing that struck me about Dhigali was just how green it was, it felt as though we had just arrived in the jungle with it’s 18.5 acres of natural vegetation; there was palm trees, banana leaves, and flowers aplenty, my absolute idea of paradise.

We were greeted with such a warm welcome with members of the Dhigali team on board the jetty waving us onto the island with cold flannels and cocktails, which was such a treat after travelling so long to get there.
As I said earlier, Dhigali was the biggest of the three islands that we visited, so big that they operate with a golf buggy taxi service that passes the same given point every 15 minutes (extremely useful and reliable) so we hopped in our buggy and headed off down the island to our accommodation for the next 4 days.

Whilst in Dhigali we were lucky enough to stay in a Beach Villa with a Pool so it really did have a completely different vibe to our last room at Kurumba (see this post here) but equally just as fabulous!
Located directly on the beach we had white sands and crystal clear water to wake up to every day, not to mention our own private patio with a small swimming pool too. It was really nice to be completely cut off from the rest of the island, the perfect place to stay for a romantic holiday with your other half!
The rooms were truly beautiful, completely modern, clean and just down right gorgeous with the bathroom providing both George and I with all the interior inspiration for when we get around to doing our own bathroom renovation work, I mean JUST LOOK AT IT with it's turquoise tiles and real palm leaf border!!!

We spent a great deal of time just the two of us, soaking up all that the Beach Villa had to offer which really was so lovely, however, not one to feel like I'm missing out, we decided to spend more time at the main pool and beach area to ensure we were truly able to experience Dhigali to the fullest!

White sands made up the vast majority of the island, with the rest being made up of vegetation and buildings of course; white sand and crystal waters wrapped around the whole of the resort, with the communal beach areas being SO big that it felt like you had your own private patch anyway. The pool areas were truly gorgeous and extremely modern also, with wooden decking, hammocks and palm trees lining each of them; we found ourselves itching to get back there at any given opportunity especially for a pre dinner cocktail at dusk, just perfect!

The food offering at Dhigali really was sensational with 5 restaurants to choose from and all with very different cuisines and vibes to them. Capers was the buffet style bar and quite literally the most incredible hotel buffet I have ever had the pleasure of eating at! Both George and I were so impressed and we truly looked forward to dining at the relaxed restaurant as much as possible. There was everything from hot dishes both Maldivian and otherwise, with sushi, fresh meats, salads, breads and a HUGE desert tray! You really wouldn't need to worry about booking in at the other restaurants if you didn't want to as Capers really does have everything you would ever need and with SO much flavour and choice! This is also where we had breakfast every day, a little tip... Try the pancakes!!!

Jade is the relaxed "pool side" lunch bar where we spent most lunch times having an hour out from the sun. George and I tried to sample as much of the menu as possible which features favourites such as pizza and pasta, however with some more traditional dishes such as a Mas Huni wrap, something I am utterly obsessed with and am now recreating at home- it is essentially tinned tuna with fresh coconut and my goodness is it incredible! Dhigali wrapped the Mas Huni in a pancake and seasoned with red onions and salt and pepper and it was one of the most deliciously simple lunches I've ever had and as mentioned have been making at home since.

We decided to book into one of the restaurants on our second evening in Dhigali and selected Battuta which claimed to be "A journey through Middle Eastern and Asian Flavours" and it certainly did not disappoint. We opted for a sharing platter of various curries and each and every one of them was sensational, not to mention the attentive and fun staff just wonderful!

I think one of our favourite parts of the island has got to be Haali bar, a super fun yet stunning beach bar in the most beautiful of settings. Haali offers the most breathtaking sunsets I have ever, ever, ever seen, so beautiful it brought me to tears... Yeah really!

The bar has a really fun and relaxed vibe to it yet it's extremely modern and romantic also; made entirely from wood with hanging chairs and even a swing or two along the bar, it's a really fun bar, however as you make your way to the beach front thats where the romance kicks in as you prepare for the tear-jerking-sunset!

We spent two out of three nights here but I honestly wish we'd have discovered it from night one, those sunsets are something I will never, ever forget!

My outfit for our first Dhigali sunset couldn't have been more perfect I have to admit!
Opting for a beautiful Boohoo striped skirt in a really gorgeous coral/red colour, that moved wonderfully in the breeze and provided the perfect high waist for the clashing mint green and glittery bralet from Topshop.
Opting for my hair up (which I'd recommend for sunset nights as boyyy does it get windy on the beach) and with my red next sandals which, admittedly got taken off as soon as we arrived on the beach, it was the perfect mid-week holiday look and my ideal mix of put together yet undone, would you agree?

In each destination we decided to sample a treatment at their in-house spa so similarly to Kurumba we booked in for a traditional Maldivian full body massage each and this time I even had a facial too. Both treatments were incredibly relaxing and such a huge treat for us, however this spa was probably my favourite of the three due to the truly beautiful, modern yet traditional setting, I mean just look at it in the photograph above. I would highly suggest booking in for a little touch of pampering whilst in the Maldives, it's the perfect way to relax. Take a look at the spa menu right here as Dhigali really was the best for it!

Admittedly this outfit was somewhat thrown together and mustered up through not being overly sure what I wanted to wear. I knew I wanted to be somewhat casual and relaxed so a denim skirt and flat espadrille combination was pretty much a failsafe option, however the crochet top was a last minute game changer but something I felt really worked to give the look a holiday feel whilst still paying homage to my beloved era of the sixties with a casual touch. The earrings are super old Mango but once more added those holiday vibes for sure!

And now for a mini review from my boyfriend George, again to offer a little insight into the island from a man's perspective;

When we arrived in Dhigali we were instantly blown away as it was everything we’d hoped for and more. When we thought about what a secluded island in the middle of the ocean would look like, Dhigali was what came to mind. The sand was white af, the greenery jungle like and there was literally nothing in sight as you looked out across the ocean.

Taking a golf buggy everywhere on the island was a massive upside for me as I don’t like walking that much, especially in the heat, it was ridiculously hot so the golf Buggies were a 10/10 vip star treatment vibe.

The outdoor shower & bathroom areas at this resort were the dream, I had about 10 showers a day and the shower products were top! I watched bats and other wildlife flying past from the bath one night, it was ace.

One thing we loved about this place was that they had only removed a very small percentage of the forest to be able to build what they needed to to set up the resort. It was all very natural in terms of layout and there were gorgeous palm trees everywhere, Megs was loving it of course!

Strong cocktail game here, and the buffet was so good. There also were some great options of restaurants dotted around the island. It was all really magical and I can’t wait till we can go back one day.

My final outfit was comfy, casual and with those jungle vibes that Dhigali offered by the shed load!
Out last night was spent frolicking in the sea as we watched another sensational Dhigali sunset, a night I will never ever, EVER forget!

Dhigali was truly incredible and absolutely somewhere I would urge you to consider visiting should you be booking a special trip to the Maldives.
It is new, modern yet with it's traditional Maldivian touches throughout, it's a completely different experience to the other islands for all the right reasons and a real all round glamorous experience.

I hope you enjoyed reading up on our second resort stay in the Maldives and of course seeing exactly what I wore and why.

Stay tuned for the third and final Maldivian instalment coming up very soon.

x M