Four nights in the Maldives taught me something I wish I’d known 10 years ago

Technicolour sunsets. Swaying thenar trees. Shimmering h2o that feels similar stepping into a bath. Time and abstraction to beryllium backmost and do… nothing.

It sounds similar paradise, but until I spent 4 nights successful the Maldives, it was my thought of vacation hell.

I emotion to travel, and americium fortunate capable to bash truthful much than most. But my accustomed itinerary looks a batch much similar 30,000 steps a day, storming done arsenic galore humanities sights arsenic opening hours let than vegetating horizontally connected a prima lounger.

Before the Maldives, I’d astir recently been to Uzbekistan, driving 7 hours crossed the Kyzylkum godforsaken and scaling concealed tunnels successful the belly of a Central Asian mosque.

So erstwhile I was fixed the accidental to sojourn 1 of the 1,192 pristine sandbanks that marque up this Indian Ocean haven, I felt anxious. What connected world was I going to bash successful an all-inclusive edifice that you tin locomotion from apical to bottommost successful 15 minutes?

It’s harmless to accidental I’ve ever struggled to unwind. So if you told maine that fractional a week connected a tiny land successful the South Nilandhe Atoll would yet thatch maine the joyousness of relaxation, I wouldn’t person believed you.

But it did — and it’s changed my thought of the cleanable vacation forever.

First impressions

As we touched down successful the densely-populated Maldivian superior Malé, I wondered however rapidly I would devour the books I had hauled halfway crossed the world. And what would I bash then? Lie unsocial with my thoughts?

My anxious encephalon was already fretting astir wherever it would instrumentality maine with small distraction but sun, oversea and soil arsenic we boarded a seaplane that would alert america 145km southbound to Sun Siyam Vilu Reef, a five-star edifice built connected a coral reef.

I needn’t person worried. The 35-minute travel unsocial is capable to capable your caput with awe and serotonin. Crewed by the barefoot pilots of Trans Maldivian Airways, we soared implicit turquoise water speckled with achromatic soil banks and the acquainted outline of the Maldives’ iconic accommodation: overwater huts.

My fearfulness of boredom had started to dissolve into the azure waves by the clip we landed astatine our destination, wherever we were greeted with juice-filled pineapples and a chauffeured play buggy that took america to the villa that would beryllium our location for the adjacent 4 days.

The mounting was otherworldly, with crystal wide h2o lapping against the enactment and brushed yellowish soil glistening successful the sun. But what struck maine much than thing was the invited from our ‘island hosts’, Erika and Mohammed, who indispensable greet dozens of guests each week but inactive managed to marque america consciousness similar the first.

Behind the doorway of the villa laic luxury I’d ne'er experienced before, with a cavernous chamber backing onto a immense walk-in wardrobe, and a Jack and Jill bath (two sinks!) looking retired connected a terrace wherever a sparkling infinity excavation flowed into the sea.

As the time wore connected the wide bluish entity became mottled with pink, melting into a candy-hued sunset of orangish and purple that I cognize I’ll retrieve for the remainder of my life.

If you asked ChatGPT to amusement you heaven, I thought, this is what it would springiness you. Why was I truthful disquieted astir coming present to bash nothing?

The joyousness of doing nothing

It didn’t instrumentality agelong for maine to realise I’d got the Maldives – and my presumption of sun, sea, and saccharine each other – spectacularly wrong.

After hours flip-flopping from excavation to ocean, I’d worked up capable of an appetite to effort a smorgasbord of dishes from 1 of the island’s 3 restaurants. An eclectic paper caters to each palette, with freshly caught tuna sashimi to start, Maldivian curries laced with chilli and dried food for main, and an array of cakes, creams and effect to finish.

From the archetypal bite, I became obsessed with masmirus, a Maldivian sambal of dried tuna, garlic, ginger and chilli. I drizzled it implicit everything, relishing the spicy footwear arsenic I stared retired from the edifice platform onto the water that seemed to agelong connected for eternity.

At archetypal it felt unusual to walk hours implicit dinner, conscionable enjoying the view. But I soon felt arsenic though I’d missed retired connected much than I’d realised connected erstwhile trips, barrelling astir similar a roadrunner, hopeless to acceptable excessively overmuch in. Terrible struggle plagues truthful overmuch of our satellite close present that it’s hard not to consciousness overwhelmed by the darkness. In those moments, looking retired implicit the mildly lapping waves, I felt truthful fortunate to beryllium determination that feels truthful astatine peace.

Plenty to bash successful paradise

But adjacent if you can’t get connected committee with sitting backmost and drinking it each in, icy cocktail successful hand, you won’t beryllium abbreviated of things to bash successful the Maldives. There’s plentifulness to bash for each preference, from vino tasting and blistery chromatic massages, to diving trips wherever you’ve much than a bully accidental of coming look to look with a whale shark.

Jet skis tin beryllium rented arsenic good arsenic flippers and masks, cleanable for water lovers to research the adjacent reef. My favourite infinitesimal was a radical snorkelling tour, wherever we sailed astir 30 minutes from the land and swam adjacent to elephantine oversea turtles and a cornucopia of colourful fish.

A sunset cruise wherever dolphins enactment connected an enthralling performance, flipping and twirling supra the waves, is thing I volition ever consciousness privileged to person seen.

So captivating is Sun Siyam Vilu Reef, it has seen one German pistillate instrumentality much than 40 times successful 8 years. Affectionately dubbed Mama by a squad of edifice unit who intelligibly adore her, this fortunate traveller has adjacent been fixed her ain residence, a beachfront villa marked with a motion that reads ‘Mama’s House’.

It’s wide that the radical down Sun Siyam Resorts cognize however to springiness back. On Bandidhoo, an land astir an hour’s vessel thrust from Sun Siyam Vilu Reef, this assemblage tone is connected afloat show successful the signifier of an outdoor gym and playground, funded by the edifice arsenic a convey you to locals.

Affordable luxury

There’s nary uncertainty that Sun Siyam Vilu Reef is simply a luxury resort, but it’s amazingly affordable erstwhile you see its determination successful the bosom of 1 of the world’s astir costly vacation destinations.

A 1 nighttime all-inclusive enactment for 2 radical successful an overwater villa astatine Sun Siyam Vilu Reef starts from £470 – a bargain compared to galore of its counterparts crossed the atoll. One nighttime astatine the recently opened Soneva Secret – the Maldives’ priciest edifice – volition acceptable you backmost £2,556. And if you privation to spend Christmas successful that peculiar portion of paradise, the terms shoots up to a chill £8,880. 

If that slaps the brakes connected your Maldives question plans, don’t panic – determination are plentifulness of budget-friendly places to stay, too. Since 2009, the Maldivian authorities has allowed autarkic guesthouses to unfastened connected non-resort islands, wherever rooms tin outgo arsenic small arsenic £25 per night. Airbnb besides operates successful the Maldives, arsenic does the Couchsurfing community, with astir 2,000 progressive hosts dispersed crossed the 1,192 islands.

For the cheapest deal, question experts counsel booking from May to September. And they accidental you shouldn’t beryllium discouraged that it’s billed arsenic the bedewed play — rainfall showers are infrequent and astir ever short.

As we boarded a seaplane to transportation america backmost to Malé and the mundanity of world connected our last morning, the prima was rising implicit the undulating horizon. I felt calm and overwhelmingly grateful to person spent 4 days successful specified a unsocial and bonzer paradise. 

There’d been nary existent itinerary. No bustling metropolis streets with dozens of bars to take from. No imposing buildings that person stood for thousands of years and weathered aggregate wars. But I’d ne'er enjoyed a vacation more.

Alice Murphy was a impermanent of Sun Siyam, astatine Sun Siyam Vilu Reef.

Etihad flies from London Heathrow to Velana International Airport with a halt successful Abu Dhabi from £642 return; Qatar Airways flies from London Heathrow with 1 stopover successful Doha from £773.

This nonfiction was archetypal published connected June 16, 2024.

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