Ultimate bliss in the Maldives

This post is somewhat of a flashback – I visited Maldives back in the summer of 2013. So whereas the pictures still remain in pixel perfect sharpness, I had to dig up some of the dusty details from the corner recesses of my head.

Some things I remember with perfect clarity though. Like the richness of the blue water stretching for miles. Like the feel of the granules when I slid my feet into the white sand beach. Like my first time deep sea diving, and the astounding silence that surrounded as I swam deeper and deeper. Like the multitudes of sea life that bustled around me, in every color of the spectrum perceivable to the human eye. Like the thrill across my spine when I noticed the silhouette of a shark slinking across the dark inky waters of the open sea.

These memories I can recall in technicolor, and are always there to remind me to make time to explore more, travel more, make more memories.

We stayed at the Adaaran Club Rannalhi, a tropical resort on top of a reef located at charming South Male Atol in Maldives. This island is about 22 miles from the Male International airport and is of course accessible only by ferry. It’s smaller than some of its sister islands, but is as charming and quaint with its bright corals, exotic sea life and a breathtaking lagoon with the bluest waters.

This island resort pretty much has everything you can expect from an island retreat – adventurous water sports and activities, plenty of sand and beach to laze around, amazing food and drinks, beautiful water and beach bungalows, live music.

The first day, we reached around mid afternoon and pretty much spent the rest of the day lazing at the beach, soaking up some vitamin D. I simply cannot gush enough about the beauty of this place. With views looking straight out onto the ocean in every direction, balconies, sun loungers and the sea within seconds, this place has all the ingredients for an unforgettable tropical holiday.

For day 2, we rented some snorkeling gear after breakfast; It’s safe to say I spent the entire day in the water, until my fingers were all wrinkly and prune like. The island has day time activities where they take you on a boat to the middle of the ocean, and then its go time! Snap on the goggles and get ready for a visual treat with some super exotic marine life. Absolutely magical!

If you thought the daytime pictures look stunning, then the sunset is going to leave you, as it left me, absolutely spellbound. The island has a lounge area (with excellent coffee!) which has a strip going into the water, and its filled with chairs and loungers to sit back and enjoy the breezy sunset.

We spotted this majestic guy while taking a stroll at night. He was the least perturbed by our presence and preferred to pensively look out into the ocean.

Day 3 rolled along (way too fast, in my opinion :D), and I had been anticipating this activity ever since we planned this trip – DEEP SEA DIVING. Most islands in the Maldives have open deep sea diving – you basically slip into the wetsuit, strap on some insanely heavy gear and jump feet first into the water. There are even “orientation” dives for folks who want to give it a try in shallow waters before heading to the deep sea.

Its not mandatory to know how to swim in order to do this here, although knowing you can swim definitely reduces the paranoia and helps to enjoy the experience better.

This was my first time deep sea diving, and it was a divine experience. South Male Atoll is an awesome place to dive, the ocean floors are covered with soft corals and schools of red bass fishes swim across. Sightings of grey sharks, white-tip sharks and eagle rays are frequent as well.

Flew back to reality the next day with tanned skin, sand in hair, and sparkles in my eyes.

Here is to more travels across sandy beaches, beautiful shores and one-of-a-kind experiences.

As always, thanks for reading!