Raffles has its own distinct font for its bath decorating to make its sudsy welcome even clearer (thanks Paola).
Best of the Maldives: Champagne Bath – Velaa
Happy Valentines! Instead of showering your beloved with gifts and tokens of love, why not let her bathe in decadent luxury to soak in all your adoration. And instead of sipping champagne, Velaa is providing a special immersive Valentines experience were you can *be* the glass of champagne:
- “The romantic package’s pièce de résistance is all about sparkling wine. The interlude will quite literally bathe you in bubbly. That’s because the package comes with a bonkers couples bath filled with no less than 600 liters of Delamotte Champagne.”
Rates for the package start at $200,000 for the first night and $12,000 per additional night.
Happy Vellantines!
Best of the Maldives: Jacuzzi Glass Floor – Soneva Fushi
We’ve had glass bottom boats and glass bottom tubs, Soneva Fushi’s Soneva in Aqua features a glass bottom tub in its floating villa.
Best of the Maldives: Comfort Menu – One & Only Reethi Rah
One & Only Reethi Rah’s “Comfort Menu” offers up a selection of treats for floating in the comfort of your own villa – “Individually chosen ESPA bath oils, mineral sea salts and petals envelop the body as candles bath the room in a soft relaxing light.”
You have a choices of several variations including:
- “Essential oils of the West Indian Bay and Clove” served with Hot cinnamon tea
- “English Peppermint and Rosemary” served with a refreshing ice cold Earl Grey tea with Rosemary and Citrus
- “Frankinceance and Ylang-Ylang served with a hot herbal tea of Rosehip and Hibiscus
Calgon take me away…to paradise.
Best of the Maldives: Bath Salts – Park Hyatt Hadahaa
“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.” – Isak Dinesen
You can add Park Hyatt Hadahaa’s “Vidrun” (meaning “to shine” in Dhevehi) spa to that list. Their treatments incorporate a selection of special salt and herb blends based on Maldivian concepts…
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- Hoonu – rose and sandalwood (Cooling)
- Fini – ginger, clove and aniseed (Warming)
- Hiki – jasmine and lotus (Balancing)
All massages start with a foot scrub with signature foot salt…a symbol that your “journey has begun”. Then of course, you soak in a soothing bath using your chosen bath salt.
Definitely worth its salt.
Best of the Maldives: Bath TV – Ayada
When I’m not in the Maldives, my two relaxation havens are (a) in front of the TV, and (b) in a hot bath. But if you are in the Maldives, then you can have the relaxation trifecta with both looking over the somnifacient seas of the Maldives at Ayada water villa. One of the all time great combinations up there with peanut butter and chocolate, Paul McCartney and Steve Wonder, or Star Wars and Lego.
Best of the Maldives: Private Jacuzzi – Huvafenfushi
Huvafenfushi has its own bathing with multiple heads, but of a more reclined style. Its bathroom’s Jacuzzi bath has not one but 4 places to rest one’s head. Head rests on bath tubs are a bit of a pet peeve of mine. The Calgon-take-me-away moments are all about blissful floating and yet invariably your head is uncomfortably pushing on some ceramic-hard surface.
Huvafenfushi take me away!
Best of the Maldives: Bath Pillow – Constance Halaveli
If you are serious about lounging in the bath, then I can’t imagine an accessory more essential than a bath pillow. And yet, they are astonishingly rare. I had to find on online for our bath a home. Without them, your head has to rest on a cold, hard tub.
Fortunately, Constance Halaveli has gotten suds soaking down. Not only do they have a comfy head rest, but they also have extra long tub so you can really stretch out.
Pass the Calgon.
Best of the Maldives: Glass Bottomed Bath – Anantara Kihavah
If you want to soak in your own bath of floral scents and colourful visuals, then Anantara Kihava’s glass bottomed bath extends right down into the ocean. You can be surrounded by vibrant petals floating above and vivid sea creatures scurrying about beneath.
Kihavah’s distinction has tipped that balance of “bath” features enough for me to now add a “Bath” sub-category to “Relaxing” in the Best of Maldives.
Glass bottomed soak.
Best of the Maldives: Bath Decoration – One & Only Reethi Rah
The latest celebrity Maldives visit (also in a ‘family way’) is Marvin and Rochelle Humes. No surprise that they too are staying at Reethi Rah. Daily Mail coverage included a pic of their bath decoration. Petals in the bath water are de rigeur for romantic spa experiences, but Reethi has gone a step further applying this time honoured bed decoration to the other most relaxing (and at time romantic) part of a villa.