Chill out in the Maldives!

We were unfortunate enough to be in the middle of the plane in row 1 on our outbound journey. While everyone else was admiring the fantastic views before landing we were straining our necks to try and get a glimpse of where was to be our home for the next two weeks.

On arrival we waited for our speedboat transfer. It wasn't quite what I had imagined – a little noisy to say the least! But it was worth it. From the moment we stepped out onto the jetty we knew we would enjoy our stay.

Beautiful white sand awaited us and as we walked over the jetty we could already see fish in the sea. We opted for an individual beach villa and with a wooden interior and open bathroom; it was stunning. My husband is a bit of a TV addict so with no television in sight it took him a little while to adjust but for me it was great! The open bathroom at first was also a little strange but we soon missed it when we were back home.

We spent the first few days just enjoying the peace and quiet and great views. We played the odd game of table tennis before dinner and went for walks around the island but other than that it was just a complete wind down from being away from home and work.

While sitting on the beach we had seen a few people go past in canoes and decided we would have a go. We thought it would be really nice to row around the island and would give us a different perspective. We got around half way but when we turned against the current it became really hard work. It was quite funny really as everyone going past looked like they were having a great time and we thought we would give it a go. We were glad we had done it but we didn’t go back out again!

The next day I could hardly move – my arms were really aching. We had come across the spa while exploring the island and decided we would book a massage to ease the pain! Neither of us had had a proper massage before so we didn’t know what to expect. They were so good we went back for another two during the holiday!

We also went snorkelling a few times as you can snorkel in a couple of feet water and see the most amazing things. We saw quite a few reef sharks just a metre or two from which to begin with was a little unnerving but you soon got used to. They never seemed to be around when we had our camera though and it became our mission to get a close up picture of one – we did succeed in the end!

The island offered a couple of boat trips too so we decided to try them out. One was a sunset cruise (a boat takes you out a few hundred metres, the sun sets while you are drinking a cocktail, then you come back!). What they don’t tell you is that there is a great chance of seeing dolphins and we saw quite a few which was quite awesome.

We also enjoyed a night fishing trips which is not something we would usually be interested in. We were given a fishing line with a hook on the end and told to dangle it over the edge, we did actually catch a few fish each – most of them we couldn’t identify but my husband caught a barracuda which was quite exciting!

With regards to food, there were alternative restaurants but the main buffet restaurant was excellent and the choice was quite varied so we didn’t feel the need to try the others.

For us it just the perfect destination where we came home feeling really chilled out. We enjoyed great food, great weather (most of the time!) and great hospitality and will definitely be going back!