Friday 5 August 2016

Personal service in paradise

One of my favourites among the paradise island resorts of the Maldives is The Residence.  I stayed in a lovely 2-bedroom beach villa there a few years back.  The resort is not just fresh and picturesque but they indulge you with very nice personal service.

This week I had my pleasure reflected by one of our customers, whose trip was booked at our Stavanger office in Norway.
My professional travel advisors make a point of asking clients for feedback after travels, and then pass it on to me. This is important information which assists us in advising clients and in helping us and our hotels to maintain perfection.

The Residence Maldives - great feedback.
Island 1 km long with rainforest, white sand and turquoise lagoon. And great staff.


I think this account of our client’s stay at The Residence is worth sharing on my blog too….

The Maldives turned out to be another FIRST for me. I have never been on an island holiday where the only thing to do is relax with so many nice people helping you to do just that!! No shops, no tours, no planning for the next day events and (within the out of season period) just a few people with no crowds or queue's!! It's really was a holiday where relaxation was at the top of the list for us with the help of the staff and we all loved it.

The villa was, of course, a real plus with its spacious pool and passing sharks (small) sting rays and all kinds of smaller fish.
Water villa - ringside seats for fish passing by
When the storm came in one night it was another new experience, winds making strange noises as it whistled across the sea and through the gaps in the sea villa. It could have been a little frightening if, as an Engineer, I had not noticed the concrete covered steel legged foundations. As it was, we all enjoyed the experience with the knowledge that if we did not get to sleep till late we could easily recover during the next day of total relaxation.


We all thought it would be difficult to beat our resort in the Bahama's but unlike that resort this place had really, really nice staff and no sand flies, horse flies or mosquitoes to bite you. The food was another bonus that put the edge on this place as a front runner. Just one day that got a little boring, that was when the storm ran into a second day and although it was expected we were not compensated until the evening when we went fine dining to a lovely sunset.


Rest of his mail is (humerously) about Singapore …


Raffles was a new experience for us and we enjoyed every minute of it. You do pay a heavy price for the name however and with the cost of living in Singapore on the rise, since our last visit, it was a good idea to try for a mortgage before using the mini bar in the room (joke.

Our client then moved on to Four Seasons Langkawi, staying in the Royal Villa, which got this great review in a new mail…


It seems that in the Four Seasons Resort Langkawi we found a luxury resort all to ourselves in the Royal Villa. We enjoyed a massive private pool, an incredible private beach, a massive lounge area with everything you want, a fantastic separate master bedroom suite, an impressive secondary bedroom suite, fantastic jungle areas with flora and fauna in many forms and masses of peace and quiet. There were many things to do outside of our mini resort but what we had inside held the magic of tranquility and peace and when you did decide to venture out, wine and canopies arrived in time to slow your departure and make you think of staying home. It was seen as a good sign of things to come as this was only the first day!!!!!!

Royal Villa at Four Seasons Langkawi
Many thanks to this client for his permission to publish his feedback. His expert travel advisor was Laila Ånestad in our Stavanger office. Or as our client insists; his Expert Holiday Dream Maker

For more about the Residence click HERE.


Four Seasons Langkawi click HERE.