Today’s post is more like a travel tip for everyone planning a trip to Maldives or to ones that are still not sure if visit them or not. My answer is very short: YES! Maldives are a true paradise for a relaxing vacation. Let me share with you my thought and encourage you to visit them.
I was in Maldives twice, both times on an island resort. The biggest difference was that the first time we were there as a couple, the second one was with a six years old kid.
Our first visit to the Maldives was short, since we combined it with an 11-day tour to Sri Lanka. It was at the end of February, when it is dry season. The weather was super good and perfect for a beach vacation. We flew to Male airport from Colombo (Sri Lanka). It was a short flight, but when you are approaching the atoll islands you can clearly see them from the plane and the view is amazing. From the Male atoll (from the airport) you can then reach your final destination (hotel resort) by small plane or by speed boat transfer.
We were staying at the Adaaran Select Hudhuran Fushi resort, which is relatively close and the speed boat transfer was an option. It was a half an hour drive, for me it was quite exciting, but my wife was not very happy with it. They were going quite fast and especially on the departure transfers, it was windy with waves and the transfer was really bumpy. I think that this kind of transfer is ok if you have a short distance, like 30 minute or similar, but if is longer I would defiantly suggest a flight transfer.
All hotels are well organized, so immediately at the arrival you can locate the counter with the name of your hotel and they give you all the info needed to reach the boat that is waiting for you only few meters away.
By the moment you step outside the airport you are already immersed in a completely different world (from a European point of view), you are surrounded by clear waters, blue sky, and when the boat departed from the port we saw the white beaches and palm trees.
The island that we selected for our stay was relatively small. There was a main building with reception and restaurant. You can choose between small beach bungalows or water villas, which are connected to the island with a long wooden pier. The island is all covered with white sand, so the best way is to walk bear feet. For the guests of the water villas there are small electric buggies and you can order your transfer from the villa to the restaurant or to the beach😊 or of course, you can simply walk.
At the time of booking, we were not sure what to book: the beach bungalows or the over water villas. Reading a few blogs, I realized that each accommodation facility has its own positives and “less positive side”, but there is also a significative difference in price.
For the first time in Maldives we’ve decided for an ovev water villas and it was a great decision. The whole service in the villa was superb, the room was very nice and offered a unique view on the ocean. The rooms were spacious, with large bathrooms, large windows on the sea and a private sundeck. The villas are quite close one to each other but constructed in a way that you have a lot of privacy. I was not able to find any negative side of staying in the villas, but also staying in the bungalows is great (will tell you more in one of my next posts).
We’ve stayed on full board and as guests of the water villas we had our meals in a separate restaurant (not the same one as the guests of the bungalows). The food was exceptional, very tasty and nicely prepared. As expected the prices of food and beverage in the resort are quite high, so I would warmly recommend to book a half-board or full board option, or you can even decide for an all-inclusive (depending on the resort).
The beach was, as expected, white sand with turquoise water. You have sun beds and sun umbrellas all over the island and you can use them when you want.
There was only one thing that I didn’t like much. It was the fact that a large part of the surrounding sea was shallow water with corals and you were not able the swim. But on one side of the island there were three large holes where the water was deep and it was easier to swim and to do snorkeling.
Wow, snorkeling in the Maldives is really unique. You just put your head under the water and you are surrounded by numerous colourful fish and other animals.
We also explored the local fauna and met some very interesting local animals, some of which we didn't even know what they were 🤔
Well, I must admit that I also jumped out of the water when suddenly there was a small shark in front of me. Same happed when I saw a stingray for the first time. Beside snorkeling around the island, we also took a boat trip to a nearby corral riff and that was something that I will never forget. We were so overwhelmed by snorkeling that we couldn’t eat our lunches in peace. As mentioned the food and service was great, but we were so impatient that during lunch we could barely wait to be served and we ate in a hurry to run back to the beach 😊.
As the island is an atoll, the inner part of the coral riff is a lagoon with calm sea, while on the outside of the coral riff you have the deep ocean. “The world out there” is completely different.
I was watching local fisherman that brought fish out into the open sea and for me it was the first time to se so big fish (some tourists were taking photos with the fish).
There is also a sign warning the visitors that the water flow is very strong on that part of the sea. I'd made a quick swim on the other side of the reef, but honestly it was hard to swim, so I quickly went out of the water and preferred the calmer inner part of the atoll.
We had a late night flight back so before boarding we had a short tour of Male and also had a chance to stop at a local market.
The Maldives are the perfect location for a romantic escape, the beach and the sea are unique. You can simply relax on the beach, do some snorkeling or get engaged in some sport activities and tours that are offered in the resort. The Maldives can be great also when traveling with kids, but this is already a different story that I will tell you in one of my next posts.
Thanks for reading,
feel free to leave a comment, I will be glad to reply to.
Best regards, @miljo76
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