Listen, I love a good excuse to travel. Even more so when I know a baby is coming and our lives are going to change forever. We had an amazing trip to the Maldives, and I have so many recommendations to share if you’re planning a trip. Also, read on to learn everything I wish I would have known about traveling while pregnant!

Why We Chose the Maldives For Our Babymoon

I’m blaming my sister for putting the idea of Bridger and I going to the Maldives in my head early on in my pregnancy. It was something I was considering, but didn’t seem super realistic at the time.

Fast forward to January, we had to make a decision. We were considering somewhere close, like Cabo, or further, on the other side of the world (lol), to the Maldives. I personally wanted the trip to happen during my second trimester. Not only did I feel amazing, but it’s the safest and most recommended timeframe to travel while you’re pregnant.

I researched tons and tons of hotels. The Maldives make up about 187 inhabited islands and the country is located south of India in the Indian Ocean. Most of the hotels require you to take a seaplane once you arrive in Malé, the capital. Honestly, after two long plane rides to get there, I was looking for hotels that were closer.

We ended up choosing Gili Lankanfushi. My sister stayed there twice and loved, and it’s close to the airport in Malé. Less travel time felt like a win after our long journey! We also read that the service was superior to other resorts. I can confirm that from the time I reached out to inquire until the day we left, the service was outstanding.

FLIGHTS

SEATTLE –> DUBAI: 14-hour flight via Emirates
Layover: 8 hours
DUBAI –> MALÉ: 4-hour flight via Emirates
MALÉ –> Gili Lankanfushi: 15-minute speedboat ride via the hotel

Returning to Seattle

Gili Lankanfushi –> MALÉ: 15-minute speedboat ride via the hotel
MALÉ –> DUBAI: 4-hour flight via Emirates
3 nights in Dubai (to help break up the flights/travel day)
DUBAI –> SEATTLE: 14.5-hour flight via Emirates

Where We Stayed: Gili Lankanfushi Review

I will be dreaming of this island forever, it was heaven on EARTH. I would, hands down, recommend this hotel for anyone traveling to the Maldives. The service, the details, the food, the rooms, literally everything was such a great experience and I still can’t get over the trip Bridge and I had together.

Room & Amenities: VILLA TOUR

Watch my IG Reel above to see the full tour of our villa. We stayed two nights in a Villa Suite with a pool (and 2 nights withou)t in Jetty 2. The villas felt huge! A big open living space in the middle, bedroom with AC on one end of the villa, separate bathroom and closet area on the other end, shower outside, an upstairs, a lower private swimming area near the shower. It was so dreamy. We took advantage of villa pool one of the days, but mostly went to the beach by the public pool and restaurant on the island.

Transportation

They also have Crusoe Residences (see the map here), not connected to a jetty. We got to see these on our last day since check out was earlier and our flight wasn’t until the evening. They were nice enough to transfer all our bags to that residence until we needed to leave. In terms of transportation, you can call ahead and they’ll come get you in a pontoon boat. Or, you can have your own personal motorized boat. Personally, I loved having the jetty connected to our room (especially while pregnant). We had bikes right at our door, so we could leave whenever we wanted.

You’ll find all kinds of hotels in the Maldives, but I really loved the open, beachy wood feel of Gili. It made it so much more homey and comfortable. Not to mention, their saying on the island is “No shoes, no news.” It’s very relaxed! Shoes are optional, bikes are the only form of transportation, and there is no pressure to dress up. We wanted that vs a more ritzy feel that other resorts have. Even the employees, who have worked at multiple hotels in the Maldives, say they prefer Gili Lankanfushi, which says a lot.

Every guest gets their own, ‘Mr. Friday,’ who takes care of them throughout the entire stay. From escorting you through the airport, booking reservations and excursions, driving you around in a golf cart, and greeting you everyday at breakfast, he’s a staple of the experience. He even delivered me ointment for my burnt hands! And then picked up nasal spray from the doctor on the island. I mean, they really do everything.

*If you can, request Makif! He was the best.

Best Activities For A Babymoon in the Maldives

Of course, the entire trip was a highlight. That’s even with my burnt hands, Bridger’s lobster feet, and my cold. But, I’ll name some of our favorites below.

Beach cinema. They have public cinema nights too! We paid extra for a private viewing of Pirates of the Caribbean after dinner one night.

Citrus Cold Flu Fighter. Okay, so I’m sure I was the only one on the island ordering these at the time, but it was one of the best drinks I’ve ever had. I was ordering like 2-3 with each meal because it was so comforting and soothing. I recreated it HERE as soon as I got home.

Private dinner on the beach – Whether you go with your significant other, your mom, sis, your family, etc. I would definitely recommend dinner on the beach. It was so dreamy having our own private BBQ and the food was incredible. They set up lanterns and a cute cocktail lounge area before our dinner to celebrate our babymoon.

30-minute photo session – every guest/couple gets their own 30-minute photoshoot with the photographer on the island. You can choose to purchase the photos afterward if you like, which we did, so we could have these memories preserved. But pro tip – bring a tripod on the trip! This is an easy way to get photos together, andwhat I used to take our cocktail beach photos above.

Afternoon sorbet by the pool / beach. So, not to play favorites, but Gili has some of the best sorbet I’ve ever tried. I’m a sucker for the coconut + passionfruit combo.

Tennis lessons – Gili has a professional tennis player on the island and you can pay for hour-long lessons. Bridge and I both loved it. He did two mornings in a row and I did one.

Spa – We loved our couples massages one of the afternoons at their spa.

Packing Essentials for a Babymoon

BABYMOON RECAP

This trip was exactly what I was looking for in a babymoon. It was relaxing, we were on a beach, the service was five stars, food was phenomenal. I loved every minute and would definitely recommend it. Let me know if you have any questions about our trip below 🙂 Dying to go back one day!!!! xx Rachael