The Maldives have always been on the top of my bucket list! Google it, and you’ll see why; endless white sand beaches with palm trees, lagoons and a stunning clear turquoise blue sea that you wonder whether that can be real. The word paradise appears to have been invented here.
I asked Andrea van der Meer from “Stories & Suitcases” to write a guest blog for me. She made with her love a fantastic trip to the Maldives last April. You’ll dream away with the pictures and I immediately fell in love with this dream destination. Andrea gives practical tips and shares her personal travelogue here with us.
Arrival in the Maldives
Which island do you choose in the Maldives?
Where do you start if you want to make a trip to such a dream destination? The Maldives consist nearly 1,200 coral islands, grouped in 26 atolls, in the Indian Ocean southwest of India. One island seems even more beautiful than the other! So, where to go?
The most famous and largest atolls (groups of islands) are North Malé Atoll and South Malé Atoll. However, the most beautiful atolls are Ari Atoll, Baa Atoll, Faafu Atoll, Lhaviyani Atoll, Meemu Atoll. We chose Baa Atoll, home of the famous Hanifaru Lagoon where huge numbers of manta rays and whale sharks congregate to eat. But whatever destination you choose, they are all beautiful islands!
With the water airplane to your resort
Tip: the best time to stay in the Maldives is from December until April (dry season). The sea is calm, and the temperatures are between 25-35 degrees.
Where do you stay in the Maldives and how to get there?
Of course, this depends on your budget. Do you want a super luxury holiday? Then book your stay at one of the luxury resorts. For instance: Gili Lankanfushi, One & Only Reethi Rah or Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru. All of them are real jewels, featuring the most fabulous infinity pools and elegant water villas with stunning ocean views and hammocks on stilts in the turquoise sea.
Room rates are from € 2.000, – per night and for a water villa with a pool you may pay even over € 10.000,- per night. It can become a costly holiday, but in the Maldives you also have (more) affordable luxury. For € 5.000,- to € 8.000,- per week you can already stay in a beautiful water villa.
Reethi Beach Resort, Maldives
Reethi Beach Resort, Maldives
We chose for example, the Reethi Beach Resort on the beautiful island of Fonimagoodhoo in Baa Atoll. It’s about a 35 minutes (124km) flight from the main island of Male. This flight, with a seaplane, is a spectacular experience in itself! Funny detail: the pilot steered the little plane in his shorts and barefoot.
From the plane, you have fantastic views of the atolls. I think I took more than 100 pictures in this half hour flight only. We landed at sea and were then brought to the island by boat. This is amazing!
Warm welcome
Once there, I couldn’t believe my eyes, so beautiful! I think that this is the only place on earth where the dazzling pictures of the travel catalogs are not exaggerated. A friendly woman from guest relations greeted us and gave us a fresh towel and a coconut!
Exactly what we needed after a long flight of 14 hours. She escorted us to our accommodation, and her colleague walked behind us, plodding through the sand with our bags in a wheelbarrow. In fact, there are no roads on the island because of their “barefoot policy.” This means that you are allowed to walk barefoot over the whole island, even in the 5-star restaurants! The entire holiday with your feet in the sand, what a feeling of freedom!
The water villa was fantastic; a little house on stilts where you use the stairs to dive into the blue sea. The sound of the waves was relaxing. When we were settled, we went out to explore the island. With a size of 600m by 200m, we made our tour around the island in 20 minutes. After a cocktail at the Sunset Bar, we went for a swim in the sea.
From your water villa directly into the sea
What to do in the Maldives?
Many people associate the Maldives to a lazy beach holiday, but there is more to do than you might think! Because of the clear blue sea, this is one of the best diving and snorkeling destinations in the world! The kilometers that I was swimming around the island were a better workout than the one I do at home!
I have seen the most beautiful corals and fish: the butterfly fish, banner fish, oriental gray mullet, parrot fish as well as turtles, sharks, rays and dolphins! When we saw a group of dolphins swimming off the coast, we quickly grabbed a SUP (Stand Up Paddling) or a canoe, and we paddled towards it. In no time we floated right in the middle of them; this was truly a unique experience.
Rays and sharks
Above that, you can make various excursions like a “Moonlight BBQ” where you dine after seeing a beautiful sunset under the stars or a “Robinson picnic” where you will have lunch on a deserted island. You can also make a tour on a fishing boat, go island hopping or do something more active such as water skiing, surfing or jet skiing. But of course, you can also just enjoy a cocktail on the beach. Like a dream comes true!
Dreams come true
Dreams come true in the Maldives
For me, this trip was absolute like “a dream came true.” Every morning when I woke up, I looked from our water villa at the beautiful sunrise and thought of the endless white beaches, clear blue sea, and the amazing underwater world. I had to pinch myself to realize where I was. I do not think you can get used to the incredible beauty of the island.
Andrea van der Meer from “Stories & Suitcases”
Thanks Andrea for your guest blog and your beautiful pictures! You obviously understand that I now want to go that way 🙂 Andrea has recently launched her blog Stories & Suitcases that you absolutely need to see. I like it a lot!
Would you like to write one time a guest blog for me too? Send me an email, and we may see your itinerary next time here online.