'Two weeks in Paradise'

On arrival into Male airport we were met by a Rep whom advised us what time our seaplane transfer would be, checked our luggage in which we did not see again until we got to our Island and then he directed us to a minibus which took us to the seaplane terminal. We were very lucky that we only had about a 30 minute wait for our flight. At the seaplane terminal Adaaran have their own air conditioned lounge to wait in. Here we completed our information for the hotel which saved us having to do that on arrival.

The seaplane transfer took 40 minutes and was amazing, what a great start to the holiday and an experience in itself. The planes are pretty small and can get a little hot .The views from the plane were spectacular you could see other islands along the way and we were lucky enough to have clear blue skies.

On arrival to Meedhupparu our first impressions on the Island were ‘Wow’. It was total paradise, the water was so blue and so clear and the sand was pure white. We were greeted by our Thomson Rep Gerard and taken to the main bar for a cool drink, cold towel and a quick chat. We were then allocated our room and taken their straightaway.

The rooms were much better than I expected as the brochures definitely did not do them justice. All bungalows are around the island on the beach with sea views and are very spacious with large balconies. We couldn't’t have asked for a better room in a better location, room 268 was perfect just steps away from the turquoise waters with idyllic views. The rooms were very comfortable, nicely decorated with a flat screen tv, minibar and an indoor and outdoor shower in the bathroom. They were well air conditioned with a fan too. To our surprise one evening our room boy decorated our bed in the shape of a heart with fresh flowers and petals and shaped the towels into swans. We thanked him the next day and asked him how long this took and he said ½ hr. Just shows how much effort is put in by the staff!

The Island is beautiful and only takes approx 15 minutes to walk around. It is spotlessly clean ,the staff are always on top of everything raking leaves from the beach daily, pruning trees and keeping everything in tip toe condition.

I was booked on all inclusive which entitles you to 3 meals a day in the main restaurant and snacks are available at certain times outside of the restaurant hours. The food was superb and the choices each day were endless. Nothing was ever too much trouble for the staff. Chef Guru was fantastic he went out of his way to speak to guests for their feedback and offered to cook anything you fancied, which I took him up on his offer several times. If for example you had been on a fishing trip then they would cook the fish that you had caught for you.

There are several excursions that you can go on from the island which included snorkelling trips, fishing trips, Lovers Paradise, desert Island BBQs. We did not feel the need to do any of these as we had everything we wanted on Meedhupparu, The snorkelling on the reef was one of the best that I have ever done! Amazing! We saw turtles, stingrays, eaglerays, Moray Eels and an array of beautiful tropical fish. I would recommend that you buy your snorkelling equipment prior to travel and take it with you then you can just go out and snorkel as and when you wish.

The staff have definitely thought of everything, each evening at 9.30pm they do fish feeding on the North Pier which is a must to go and see.

One evening we paid extra to have the ‘romantic Lobster dinner on the beach’. This was a truly special experience which I can highly recommend. The staff set a table up on the beach with torch candles and we were lucky enough to be the only table at the time. It was a 5 course meal and the lobster was cooked to perfection.

On the island there is the Coconut Spa, hairdressers, Ayurveda centre plenty of places to choose from for relaxation and a bit of pampering. I thought that the prices were pretty reasonable as well and they always seemed to have some different promotions on each day.

The weather whilst I was there was fantastic. Considering it was their highest month of rainfall within the 2 weeks there was only 1 day that it rained all day. Apart from that we had the occasional shower and then the sun came straight out. So I would not deter anyone from travelling this time of year..

I would not hesitate for one moment to return to this Island or recommend it to any clients. This was one of the best holidays and most relaxing I have ever had, it was a very casual atmosphere. The staff were truly amazing and nothing was ever too much trouble for them There is also the Andaaran Prestige Water villas which you can stay in. Subject to availability you can upgrade to the villas for an extra fee once you are there which is dependant upon the time of the year. So if you wanted a little special treat then this is always an option.

If you would like any further information with regards to the destination or Island please don’t hesitate to contact me.