The Nautilus series – Day 3

The nautilus ocean houses and residences aerial view scaled.

Hand-crafted, luxury experiences curated by our team—speak to our concierge to learn more

By Ruth Tertilt on 24th May 2022

Our final day. We woke up to breakfast in bed giving all of our culinary desires to our butler the evening before.

We ate happily in our room before sending our five-year old for one last day of adventure. This was also the first day where we left our one-year old in the hands of the caretakers which we were apprehensive about as she was going through a bout of major separation anxiety. We felt we had no choice as we didn’t want to bring her along to our turtle snorkelling excursion. In the end there were no regrets because our butler kept us informed throughout, giving us much assurance that she was in good hands. 

Our turtle snorkelling was a hit and miss due to the weather but we were fortunate enough to find a window of time in the morning to go ahead and do it together with their marine biologist. We were taken aboard their private yacht and set out about 15 minutes away from the island before jumping into the water. There’s never a guarantee that you’ll find turtles on these excursions but with our marine biologist we managed to spot two turtles asleep down below with another coming up for air.

The nautilus maldives_spa.
The nautilus maldives_bedroom with sea view. The nautilus maldives_.

After about half an hour the waters started to become choppy and so we were advised to end the excursion there. We were grateful to have experienced this and it is truly an activity that we would highly recommend to guests staying at The Nautilus. Just as it is exciting it is memorable, educational and something different.  As with The Nautilus, excursions are certainly personalised for the guest, which means that activities can be done with flexibility (weather dependent of course). That intimate moment of going through one of The Nautilus’ personalised and privatised experiences simply elevates the meaning of one's stay all the more. 

We took lunch very casually at the Naiboli bar and ordered at our free will before heading back to our villa for a cat nap. By the time we awoke it was late afternoon and so we decided to go for a swim at the beach before attending our final Nautilus Rising this time at Zeytoun, their Mediterranean and Middle Eastern inspired restaurant. It was a lovely social affair with most of the guests present, enjoying each other's company, holding onto the timelessness of it all. 

We proceeded to have dinner at Zeytoun as soon as we sipped our last cocktails and took in the ocean views knowing that it was our last day. The feeling was a cherished one as we had familiarised ourselves with The Nautilus staff, with each one that we met touching our hearts by how genuinely accommodating they were. It is the staff that makes The Nautilus stay above and beyond anything else. There is no prejudice, no judgement and no face without a smile - everyone we encountered embraced us with open arms and maybe that is the other definition of luxury, that a place such as this could make you feel at home. 

A bit later into the evening we were invited by Solasta's Spa Manager Soso, for a one to one Reiki and crystal sound healing session with their Reiki healer, Swan. Although this is not on the Solasta menu, it is told to guests in private should the therapist find you might benefit from it. In other cases, these sessions are requested by its guests. For those sceptics or for those that are not invested in Reiki or sound healing, we would still recommend giving this a try.  Think of it as an hour of complete calm, a type of calm you probably haven’t had in a while. Perhaps because we underwent this session late in the evening and because it was held in total darkness, there was a deep sense of release in both body and mind. The release felt so powerful it almost felt healing. The session became more pronounced when at the end we got to speak to Swan, who comes from a family of Balinese healers. She provided us with positive affirmations after we spoke of our fears and anxieties. Her unwavering attention and spiritual magnetism was beautiful to be in the presence of. It is the truth when we say that each therapist at Solasta is highly skilled in their areas of treatment and that they are not here to perform a quick-fix but rather a highly personalised and indulgent treatment that takes its time, allows you to slow down your pace and be in tune with yourself.  

Holding onto this last evening meant cherishing every moment. Our wonderful butler was at our beck and call throughout our stay. We could rely on her for anything and she was always responsive and exceptionally wonderful. She of course coordinated our departure without a reminder whatsoever that this was our last day. Who wants to be reminded that their holiday is about to end? The Nautilus doesn't follow any kind of conventional check-in and check-out schedule, it seemed to us that the goal was to keep those relaxed feelings intact even after its guests leave the resort.  

From the start of your experience right up to the last moment, The Nautilus wants for you to take these feelings  back home so that you will always remember that to have a completely unscripted holiday combined with stellar service is to come to a place such as this. Forget the worries, the formalities, the conventional and the day to day. Simply take our word for it - if you're tempted to go on holiday in the Maldives with a desire for complete flexibility, where time is your friend and your decisions are yours to make with an exceptional team at the ready to realize them, then come here. You won't need other options to choose from because if that is what you seek in a holiday, well it's all rolled into one here at The Nautilus. An unscripted holiday is what it's all about - from your attire (pack lightly if you so wish) to your dinner at 1am (ok that may be a bit late) - but that's what we mean, it's like being at home doing what you want at your own pace except you get to do that on holiday in a glamourous destination - The Nautilus. 

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