The Maldives with children?!
Our summer time is 'low season' in the Maldives and weather can be a bit unpredictable; however, we had wall to wall sunshine for the whole week and only two short downpours, one of which was at night. When it did rain the kids thought swimming in the warmth and rain was hilarious.
The Villa
We stayed in a 2-bedroom pool villa of which there are only 8 on this island but they also have overwater pool villas for families too. There were various room categories and we saw most of them. All were well maintained and lovely. Ours had a mezzanine area with huge bed and bathroom and a separate bedroom for the children on the ground floor. It had a fabulous and huge outdoor bath tub and big rainfall shower. The mini bar was refilled with water, beer, chocolate and wine daily, a lovely treat! Our own pool was a cute size and many evenings we enjoyed hilarity in it with our blow up unicorn!
The beach
Beautiful white soft sand, not so great maybe for small children as not wet enough for good sandcastles! Endless blue horizons and every shade of blue imaginable. The beaches in the Maldives never appear crowded and you can wander happily and hardly see a soul, lovely comfy sunbeds and did I mention the fish? It is truly like swimming in your own aquarium! We swam with Nemo, Dory, all shapes, sizes and colours of fish, black tipped reef sharks, turtles, crabs, lobsters and every type of ray you can think of. Every moment was a wow moment! If you do decide to try the Maldives, then an island that has its own house reef is a huge bonus.
All-Inclusive
The quality and what is included varies from island to island but on Centara pretty much everything was included! Daily spa treatments for the adults which were easily booked and brilliantly executed in the serene spa; an evening fishing trip where we all caught fish; a varied and fun boat trip visiting another reef for snorkelling; a whale shark boat trip (sadly we didn't get to see one but they did the day before and the day after us!) discover scuba sessions for the kids in the pool and all our meals and drinks. “Your usual sparkling rose madam?" at lunch every day!
Restaurants
There are three main restaurants available and one at an extra cost. The buffet restaurant was plentiful, fun, varied and if you booked ahead you could also have Teppanyaki - a great experience if you've never tried it. The Italian restaurant was on a jetty overlooking the water and was lit spectacularly allowing you to see the fish below as you ate. The staff were friendly, attentive and fun and decorated the tables beautifully for us on my husband’s birthday. The Thai restaurant was relaxed and food plentiful and well presented.
Best bits
So, what were the best bits? - the sheer wonder on the kids’ faces during the amazing seaplane transfer? - the traditional Maldivian welcome greeting of all the staff on arrival? - the squeals of delight at the rainbow of colours swimming all around the children in the real-life aquarium? - the feelings of having real 'quality and fun time' as a family? - the sheer freedom that the children had to wander around the tiny island and be independent?
No! The best moment ever for me was the total awe and speechlessness on their faces as they swam quietly with a large lone turtle in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Truly a very special moment in time.
So, if you're wondering if the Maldives is a suitable place to take kids, please don't wonder. It was the most magical, fun and special holiday ever! Go enjoy!