The Magical Maldives….

Travel Dates: 16 Feb 2019 – 2 Mar 2019

You could ask almost anyone and I’m certain they’ll tell you the Maldives is way up there on their travel wish list but for some reason people think it is out of reach or a pipe dream. It is certainly not the cheapest destination in the world but there are so many resorts, styles of accommodation and choice of inclusions there really can be something to suit most budgets.

Known around the world for its clear azure waters, brilliant white sand beaches, stunning underwater life and ultra-luxurious overwater bungalows, the Maldives lives up to its reputation as a truly unforgettable destination. Made up of over 1100 islands in the Indian Ocean it truly is a tropical paradise that everyone should experience at least once in their lives.

We had always agreed that we would holiday in the Maldives for our 20th wedding anniversary and I have never been one to be all talk and no action when it comes to travel aspirations so I worked hard to make that dream a reality.

Mr O is an avid & very experienced scuba diver so we really wanted to be able to include as many dives for him as possible and although I hung up my scuba suit years ago I was more than looking forward to doing some snorkelling while there.

I had known about Liveaboards for some time but never seriously considered one for a few reasons. The first being, although we had always tried to include at least a day or 2 of diving for Mr O every time we travel it has never been the main reason we visit a destination and the other reason was because I am no longer a diver so didn’t expect that it would be a suitable trip for me.

A liveaboard is a purposely-built scuba diving boat that offer diving trips all over the world. The average duration is 7 nights but you can find both shorter and longer trips. There are really basic boats and super luxe boats so again, something to suit most budgets and depending on the size, they usually host between 12 and 30 divers in a range of double, twin & quad share cabins. They generally offer 2 – 4 dives per day and because it is constantly moving location the dive sites differ which is important to divers. In most of the cases the diving, as well as all accommodation, meals and non alcoholic drinks, are included in the price so they are great value too.

Knowing this experience would suit the diver in my life the most I set about doing some research and quickly learned that although most people who do a liveaboard are avid divers they do also cater for and discount their prices for non divers so I bit the bullet and booked us in.

The boat we chose was called the Ari Queen, a middle of the road (say 3.5* equivalent) clean & comfortable vessel that had everything we could need or want. The main reason for choosing this boat was due to the departure date and routing but the price was also a factor and we were not disappointed.

After arriving into Male we were transferred to our home for a week where we met our fellow passengers and got settled in. That first glimpse of turquoise water from our cabin window gave me goosebumps, it was exactly how you imagine it to be, stunning!

For 7 days we cruised around the north and south Male atoll and each day was wonderful. The divers got up early for a pre breakfast dive, they returned to eat and lay in the sun & chat before heading back out for another dive, returning to eat and rest once more and doing it all again before dinner and some nights even after dinner! While they were all diving I made the most of the quiet boat and sun-baked on the back deck, read a book each day & snorkelled the reefs with one of the staff onboard who became my own personal guide, I have never been so relaxed in my life! And because diving and being in the sun all day is exhausting we were tucked up in bed by 10 most nights….bliss!

I may no longer be a diver but when you’re on a liveaboard with 23 avid divers you can’t help but get excited to hear the stories & see their footage after each dive. The sea life is incredible, so colourful & abundant and they got up close and personal with turtles, different sharks & the 3 rays, manta, eagle and sting. Unfortunately on this trip they missed seeing the ever elusive whale shark so we just might have to go back one of these days to try again!

My favourite time on the whole trip was one afternoon while everyone was off diving I could see an island in the distance. We passed islands and resorts everyday but this looked much smaller and completely deserted so I asked one of the crew what was there and when he told me there was nothing there I asked him zip me over in the tender and I had the whole place to myself for an hour, absolute bliss!!

What started as 24 strangers ranging in age from 25 to 74 on a boat, ended a week later as firm friends. 4 Aussies (2 of whom live in Japan!), 9 Spaniards, 2 Americans, 3 Brits, 2 Chileans, 2 Israelis & a Dutchman named Bruce! Liveaboards are not party boats, everyone is too tired after so much diving so instead, in the down time (when you’re not eating!!) you chill & chat and hear about others travels. This was our first Liveaboard and like our new friends who have all done 2,3,4 or even 5 in the past it won’t be our last.

Although we were sad to leave the Ari Queen we were very excited about the next part of the trip, 4 nights at a beautiful resort in an overwater bungalow, bucket list tick!!

We chose a resort called Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa, again for a few reasons. The main being we did not want to waste a day getting to the island and with so many resorts a long way away from Male you need to either take a long boat ride or an expensive sea plane to get there. Centara Ras Fushi is only a short fast boat ride from the same marina our liveaboard ended at so that appealed to us. Next was we wanted an adults only resort and our budget was not unlimited and the Gold all inclusive premium package at Centara was excellent value in the scheme of things (Approx. $1500 per room/meals/drinks per night for 2 adults) Like at all resorts they did also have different rooms and packages that could have saved us quiet a bit of money but we agreed that if we are doing this we’re going to do it right, who knows if or when we will ever get the chance again!

Arriving at the resort and being shown to our bungalow was a pinch me moment and as soon as we were settled in we went about exploring the island and resort.

We experienced 4 days of absolute bliss, swimming, lounging, eating and drinking. He did a couple more dives and I spent time at the day spa being pampered. We were spoiled for choice! The Gold all inclusive deal allowed us to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at any of the 4 incredible restaurants at the resort and included unlimited beverages including beer, wine, spirits, cocktails, soft drinks, tea, coffee, water & juice. Margheritas for breakfast…yes please!!

I will honestly remember this trip for the rest of my life and can not recommend the Maldives as a holiday destination highly enough. I really do hope I get the opportunity to visit this tropical paradise at least once more in my lifetime.