Nigel & Sam's Magical Maldives Anniversary
This year Nigel and I are celebrating 30 years of marriage. We both feel like we deserve a medal for this achievement, but surely a dream holiday to the Maldives is the next best thing!
Now that I think about it, I can’t believe that I’ve travelled all around the world during my long career as a professional travel agent, yet I’d never quite gotten around to visiting the Maldives. Like everyone else on the planet, Nigel and I have long dreamt about enjoying a week or two in one of those luxurious Maldivian resorts, staying in our very own beach bungalow that sits on stilts above that breathtaking turquoise ocean water, with all that tropical marine life swimming around beneath us.
Located in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, just above the equator, the Republic of Maldives is an archipelagic state comprised of precisely 1,192 stunning little islands. Visitors from around the world are often pleasantly surprised when they discover that their hotel is the only one on the island. Because of that, resorts of all different star ratings usually offer tranquil surroundings and private beaches as standard. While that’s wonderful from a foreign visitor’s perspective, it does make it very time consuming to narrow down the options and select that all-important, perfect place to stay. Fortunately, having done many Maldives bookings for our clients over the years I’ve built up plenty of knowledge about accommodation, transfer arrangements and the wide range of extra-special perks that are out there.
We flew out from Heathrow to Male – the smallest capital city on the planet. I’m so glad we treated ourselves to two of Virgin’s absolutely outstanding business class seats. Visiting the Virgin Club Lounge was an amazing experience. We were offered all sorts of lovely refreshments. You simply scan a barcode and glasses of top-notch champagne are brought to your table. It was the perfect start to a flawless long-haul flying experience.
On board the plane we got to enjoy Virgin’s exclusive business class inflight bar. Passengers are invited to pull up a seat and enjoy spectacular meals, stunning cocktails and, of course, even more champagne. By the time we had finished enjoying all the amazing onboard facilities we were very grateful for the flatbed service!
When tourists arrive in Male they usually expect to be taking a speed boat or sea plane to a resort on a nearby island. However, as our hotel is located in one of the southernmost atolls, we had to take a one-hour domestic flight on a standard commercial jet. Upon our arrival the front of house team welcomed us with a customary short musical performance and glasses of freshly squeezed fruit juice. The suite we got was everything you’d expect for a dream holiday in the Maldives – a beach bungalow on stilts above the ocean with exotic sea creatures swimming under us. It had an enormous king-sized bed, a huge bathtub, a private pool, and an outdoor shower. What more could you ask for?
From start to finish we were in ultra relaxation mode. It’s hard not to be when you are holidaying in one of the most beautiful tropical destinations in the world. Being right next to the ocean provided us with a nonstop stream of entertainment options. We got to spend our days snorkelling amongst the reefs and doing an array of other exciting water sports. Occasionally we did take a prolonged break on the perfect white sand beaches that even rival those in the Caribbean. The hotel also provided us with bicycles, which we used a few times for leisurely rides around the island’s breathtaking coastline.
Most of our dining experiences took place either on the beach or the sun loungers that were neatly dotted around an area of open ocean. As you can imagine, the seafood platters were to die for. The fish, lobsters, oysters and all other ‘ingredients of the ocean’ couldn’t possibly have been any fresher or more delicious. We got to enjoy this faultless food every evening while watching the fire juggling, singing, dancing, acrobatics and other performances organised by the hotel.
I could have happily stayed in that first hotel forever and a day. However, in the interest of having some variety and getting to know this incredible island nation better I booked a stay at another resort, on a different island, for the latter part of the holiday. Varu by Atmosphere turned out to be an equally superb resort. With it being in a prime location, it is basically impossible to find better weather or a more impressive night sky anywhere in the world. It too was a near perfect all-inclusive beach hut resort.
Unlike a lot of others, during your stay at the Varu (which means ‘strength, resilience and life in abundance’) most of your water sport activities are included in the price. Of all the activities, diving with turtles was perhaps the most thrilling. We also did a bit of fishing, which I’m pleased to say went a lot better than I expected – and actually caught a few! The service, facilities and food were all second to none. But I have to say that what’s stuck in my mind the most has been the resort’s star gazing cruises that were absolutely out of this world.
At the end of our fabulous anniversary holiday Nigel and I were fully in agreement that the Maldives was by far the best choice we could have made. If any of you reading this want to celebrate an upcoming special occasion in luxury and sunshine, then you need look no further than the Maldives. Come in and ask for me, so I can personally put together the most relaxing, magnificent holiday you’ve ever had!
