A couple who’ve worked in the Maldives and Bali share how living in paradise differs from visiting it

From the Maldives to Bali to the Cayman Islands, Marc LeBlanc and Laura Robinson have lived and worked in places that most people dream of visiting.

They work in the hospitality industry — a journey that LeBlanc, who is Canadian, began at 16 years old when he accepted a job as a dishwasher at a hotel. He worked his way up to bellman, then to the reservations desk, before pursuing a degree in hotel management.

Robinson, who is British, studied marine biology and worked as a diving instructor before transitioning to hotel leadership. 

The couple met while working in the Cayman Islands and have since lived and worked on several islands in Asia, including the small eastern Indonesian island of Sumba.

Now they reside in Shinta Mani Wild, a luxury resort tucked away in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains, where LeBlanc serves as the hotel’s general manager, and Robinson oversees operations and sustainability.

The couple frequently speak with hotel guests, many of whom “are super curious to know about our story,” said LeBlanc.

For starters, working in places like the Maldives — which is known for its “one island, one resort” concept — is different from visiting it, he told CNBC Travel.

“You’re locked on that island, surrounded by water,” LeBlanc said. “You’re not really going anywhere … you’re kind of stuck there for long periods of time.”

For employees, resort life centers on a staff village, where workers sleep, eat and do laundry — a situation LeBlanc likened to a summer camp.

“It becomes a little community of its own,” Robinson said. “You still have the same challenges that having a large group of people living together can present. There are differences in personalities and opinions.”

Managing those differences is important, she said, especially in places like the Maldives, which has a multicultural workforce. That has been easier at Shinta Mani Wild, because “except a few of us, everyone is Cambodian,” she said.

Many people think that working in hospitality is about ensuring guests are having a good time. But “you’ve got 100 [employees] that you’ve got to make sure are happy” too, she said.

Robinson said she and LeBlanc celebrate staff birthdays and other events at the hotel. “Mark sometimes gets his decks out and DJs for them, which they adore,” she said. 

While island life spells sun and fun for most travelers, saltwater creates maintenance issues for those working behind the scenes, Robinson said.

In the Cambodian forest, the environmental challenges are different. “Here you’ve got the humidity and the forest trying to reclaim itself,” she said.

Shinta Mani Wild has 15 guest tents, but the resort sits on land that “is the size of Central Park,” and it requires a “very high level of attention to detail, in terms of product and service, but also the conservation work that we do,” LeBlanc said.

He said staff patrol the property, including a large farm on the land, while also maintaining the trails that run through it.

“It’s new for us,” he said. “We’re learning.”

Life in some of the world’s most coveted travel destinations has its perks, but LeBlanc and Robinson also contend with living far from their families.

When they lived in the Maldives, their parents visited them yearly, and they returned home every other year to see siblings, said Robinson.

Now the couple travel home every year, she said. “My brother and sister started having kids … and our parents are getting older.”

The couple do not have children, so schooling — a big consideration for many expatriates — isn’t an issue. They recently adopted two dogs from the Cardamom Mountains forest, they said.

LeBlanc and Robinson discussed another challenge: living and working in remote locations as a couple.

“Initially you don’t know how it’s going to go,” said LeBlanc. But “we work quite well together.”

“We’re still doing it,” Robinson said with a laugh, adding that separate offices are key.

As the general manager of Shinta Mani, LeBlanc oversees matters related to human resources, finance, security and engineering at the hotel, while Robinson handles more “front of house” matters, she said.  

“[Laura is] highly organized, highly efficient, and I’m more on the creative side,” LeBlanc said. 

Robinson said LeBlanc comes up with bold ideas and is skilled at executing them. The couple spend time, even on personal holidays, brainstorming ideas — often finding inspiration from their travels, she said.

“There’s no shortage of places looking for managing couples,” LeBlanc said. “There are recruitment firms that specialize in hiring couples, not only for hotels, but also for private islands, for ultra-high net worth individuals. The job opportunities are out there.”

In remote destinations, having a companion can ease loneliness too, said LeBlanc.

“It makes sense, we have each other,” he said.