Keeping in the 'overwater villa' theme, let's rewind to a few years ago when I was lucky enough to visit the quintessential honeymoon destination, the Maldives. Made up of 26 atolls that are composed of live coral reefs and sand bars, the Maldives offers those picture perfect moments where the water is strikingly clear and blue, and the sand is chalky white.
Now Cathay and Hong Kong Airlines both fly direct from HK to Male, it's much more convenient for us in the 852. Although, the arrival time is quite late at night which means if you're staying in a resort which can only be accessed by seaplane you must stay the first night in Male (suggest the Traders Hotel, 5*, near airport) or if your resort is only a boat ride away, often you can arrange a late night pick-up at an extra surcharge if it's outside of their regular schedule.
Where I stayed:
Gili Lankanfushi (5*) ~ approx USD$1400 / overwater villa / night (breakfast is extra)
This stunning property was the former Six Senses Gili Island (no secret, this is my favourite beach resort brand) when I was there but has since changed owner. A hotel representative greets you at the airport which is a short walk to the pier, where you are taken to your luxury speedboat transfer. You swap your shoes with a refreshing welcome drink and sit back to enjoy the 20 min transfer to the resort. From here on in it's "No news, no shoes"...
(on a side note, for those who have partners with crackberry's they can't get great reception out here, WINNING!!)
At the front of every door was this lil' guy, to brush the sand off your feet
Don't miss the small white-tip reef sharks, stingrays and colourful fish that swim all around the villas. This caused me quite a fright as I had been swimming without any mask unknowingly amongst all this marine life. Once they brought the snorkelling equipment to the villa and I saw who I was swimming with, I was in for quite a surprise! So long as you are respectful of them and their environment, you shouldn't have any problems. For keen divers, day trips to some of the best dive spots in the world can be arranged through the resorts' Padi Dive centre.
The good:
- these overwater villas are HUGE, with a private outdoor tanning area on both levels, a spacious living room area with a day bed, outdoor shower, a heavenly four-poster bed, and the bathroom floor is made of glass so you can see the marine life below
Believe it or not, this is a picture of the lowest room type!
- they ask you to complete a pre-arrival questionnaire, that is so detailed you can request the pillow type (eg. hard or soft, allergy or 50% duck feathers) and the scent (eg. sandal wood, rose, lavender) and of course whether you're celebrating a special occasion so they can add extra touches to make it even more memorable.
Room for improvement:
- there are no private pool overwater villas; arguably you would want to swim in the ocean anyway, and there is the main pool for guests who prefer to swim in fresh water, but still for some people, a private pool is a deal breaker
My tips (no matter where you stay):
- if it's feasible upgrade to an overwater villa, it's the Maldives, you didn't come all this way for a beach villa!?
- and whilst we're talking about upgrades, choose the half-board option (rather than just breakfast daily) as you are confined to eat at the resort restaurants anyway as there's nothing else on the island. Purchasing a la carte will really add up, as these restaurants are anything but cheap. Full board I didn't think was really necessary as at lunchtime you'll be out and about snorkelling, diving or on day trips so you don't really need a big lunch buffet every day.
- remember, this is a muslim country so any alcohol you have (even sealed duty free bottles; they scan your check-in luggage also) will be confiscated temporarily and can be collected when you clear customs on your journey home
- visit from Oct --> June, the middle of the year is monsoon season and will really put a damper on your trip if you're confined to indoors because of the sideways rain
- often if you are on your honeymoon, send your marriage certificate ahead of time to ensure you get any honeymoon bonus offers (eg. welcome champagne and chocolates, discounts on a romantic destination dinner, discounts on couple's spa treatments)
The view from my spa bed
For the foodies, when in the Maldives stick to seafood, deliciously fresh!
There's no denying the Maldives is a beautiful part of the world, which is why so many of us want to visit it, but there's a lot more to it than villas over turquoise water. The country's capital Male, is a far cry from these luxurious islands, revealing the true poverty and income disparity which is the reality for the Maldivians. With tourism being the largest industry for these islands, natural events like tsunami's or the sea level rising from global warming, and unnatural events like over-fishing and unsustainable development really threaten these islands' very existence and the aquatic life that makes this place such a desirable destination in the first place. So please try and keep this in mind when choosing where to stay, and support a property like Gili Lankanfushi which works within environmentally and socially responsible management every day.
The property's organic garden
The Maldives really is your very own slice of paradise. Take me back!
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