Taj Exotica Resort in the Maldives exuded a high level of exclusivity and luxury beyond anything you would expect. Sure, celebrities are known to dally in the multitude of islands and escape from the city life in an effort to satisfy their every desire; but somehow the highly contrasting lifestyles between Malé and any of the upscale resorts does not prepare you for the kind of purity and unpretentious serenity found only in this dreamlike seclusion. We could only imagine that this is what French Polynesia (or at least Tahiti and Moorea) is desperately trying to preserve and save from over commercialism. If resort life in the Maldives was a person, it would probably be the Dos Equis man.
Rooms at this six star resort start at 700 USD a night and run upwards of 3000. So we threw caution to the wind and booked a suite for the entire week!
Yea right.
The owner of our hotel in Malé where we stayed for a couple of days before boarding the dhoni suggested that we take a day trip to the resort. For 85 USD a person (45 of which served as a credit towards food and beverages), we were able to use all the amenities including non-motorized water sports. We took a 20 minute boat ride from Malé to the Taj, which is situated on its own island (probably about twice the length of a football field and half its width). In other words, the length of the island could be explored in less than 10 minutes and the width in less than 1.
Once the boat docked on the island we were escorted by a dashing Swiss staff person who we later learned was a hospitality management student interning at the resort for a semester (lucky!). He led us to a small golf cart that shuttled us to the resort lobby where we were greeted with a cool towel and champagne. This is what a rock star must feel like. (Okay a rock star probably has a personal bartender on their own private island, but still…)
We spent the rest of the day on the resort living the high life: sipping on cocktails, wading in the tepid water, and watching yet another stunning sunset. All this made us feel like the luckiest people this side of the equator.
