This Pampering Mother-Daughter Trip to the Maldives Sets a High Bar for Family Bonding

CAN I HAVE A passionfruit mojito, please?” became the constant refrain from my 16-year-old after her first virgin mojito at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort. Can’t blame her really; when you’ve caught a blazing, orange sunset among azure waters with a sparkling drink in hand, it is a moment you want to capture again and again.

Last November, I took my daughter Ariel on a mother-daughter trip to the Maldives—her first time to the archipelago. In hindsight, I might have set the bar a tad too high for future vacations. From the moment The St. Regis team met us at Velana International Airport in Malé, it was pampering in spades.

The hotel’s lounge in the new Noovilu Seaplane Terminal ticked all the boxes on the youngster’s list: comfortable sofas, fast WiFi, and a menu of delectable delights (pastries, sandwiches, and local snacks like tapioca pie and kulhi boakiba—spicy smoked tuna pie). The mother was relieved at the good start. As they say: happy teen, vacation win.

After a 45-minute seaplane ride we arrived to the welcome of cold, jasmine-scented towels and fresh coconuts, before we were whisked off to our one-bedroom Beach Pool Villa. Ariel was thrilled to find a huge king bed, a standing bathtub and separate sinks where we wouldn’t have to jostle for toiletries space. Bonus points for a butler—every villa has a personal butler, who takes care of everything: booking restaurants, organising activities, even drawing rose petal–strewn bubble baths.

The schedule of our four days at the resort was mostly dictated by hunger pangs and levels of laziness. The St. Regis signature champagne-sabering ceremony was my teen’s formal induction into the world of luxury sunsets, now defined by the provision of the aforementioned passionfruit mojito.

Breakfast was our favourite meal of the day: a buffet spread of Western and Asian dishes, as well as traditional Maldivian options such as mas huni, a fresh tuna, coconut and chili salad. Pizzas, tacos and ice-cream headlined beachfront lunches, and Ariel declared the burrata-and-truffle-asparagus salad, butter chicken, and chocolate lava cake at all-day diner Alba the best she has ever eaten.

We swam, cycled, played table hockey, watched Netflix movies, and napped to our hearts’ content. On a sunset fishing trip, we shrieked in excitement whenever one of us snared a catch. Our four red snappers were baked and pan-fried for lunch the next day. We got to know a Chinese-American family and the youngest child took to Ariel so much that she’d run to hug her when we saw them at mealtimes. By the end of the trip, we mothers and our older teens had exchanged contacts. Such is the serendipity of friendships while travelling, and the bond of meeting over your kids.

On an unusually rainy day, we indulged in a spa treatment. Lulled by the cool weather, pattering drops on the rooftop, and the fragrance of lavender essential oil, we were both out like a light in a few massage strokes. We took our time in the lounge afterwards, savouring those famous sea views while sipping rosehip and hibiscus tea.

There was no pressure to do everything together. There were moments when I left her to her crocheting and social media scrolls, while I walked along the beach, enjoying the soft sand between my toes.

We were loath to leave on the final day. There had been much laughter, little tension, and some thoughtful conversations. Best of all, she said she wouldn’t mind hanging out with mama like this again. Now that is what I call a win on all fronts.

marriott.com/en-us/hotels/mlexr-the-st-regis-maldives-vommuli-resort/overview/

Lede and hero images by Grace Ma and courtesy of St. Regis Maldives Vommuli.

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