The Maldives – Be Jealous. Be Very, Very Jealous.

July 2, 2012

Generally, when I write a post, I have some noble purpose in mind, like inspiring others to travel or sharing other (mostly food) cultures with people who haven’t yet had the opportunity to experience them first hand. But this post is very different. I have one goal in mind. To make you jealous. Very jealous.

The Maldives (pronounced Maaaaaaaahl Deeeeves, when you’re feeling especially snooty) are a chain of coral islands south west of India, populated largely by luxury resorts only accessible by sea plane.

The Maldives are not on the typical backpacker route. This is the kind of place you go to celebrate your Nike endorsement or winning a show called something like American Talent So You Think Your Voice Can Be An Idol or whatever. (I haven’t watched TV in a while). But my mom tells me that I am special all of the time, so I figured that I deserved to go there, too. I flew from Kerala, India to the capital, Male, where, after enjoying a cool, fruity beverage in my resort’s private lounge, I boarded a small seaplane. The view from the seaplane was spectacular – nothing but tiny islands in bright blue water so clear that you could see all the way to the bottom.

After about 20 minutes, we made a smooth water landing and I was ferried to the tiny island that the resort inhabited. I was instructed to take my shoes off, and I didn’t put them back on for the next five days. Even the resort’s reception area was right on the sand! My room was a beautiful bungalow that jutted out over the sparkling water, with a private balcony and steps into the sea.

The resort was surrounding by a gorgeous coral reef, making for spectacular snorkeling right off of my bungalow. There were sea turtles and dolphins and cuttlefish and small sharks and rays and more brightly colored fish than I ever knew existed.

The resort even offered an excursion to swim with whale sharks – I swam with three of them – one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

There were two restaurants, both offering spectacular food and wine. One of the restaurants was built over the water and had a floor that opened up in the middle so you could watch the sea life swim underneath while you dined. Every day was perfect. I sunbathed and snorkeled all day, and then drank a cocktail while watching the sunset over the water, follower by a delicious lobster dinner over a bottle of wine.

When it came time to leave, I actually shed a few tears. I cried in part because I was sad to be leaving, but mostly because I felt overwhelmed by how lucky I was to have had the chance to visit such a special place.