Mind-blowing Maldives - Truly a Paradise on Earth!
Travelled: September 2018
Every big holiday needs a pre-holiday trip to somewhere. While planning our 10th wedding anniversary trip, we came across some mileage fares on Singapore Airlines (basically you pay lesser miles to redeem a ticket). Great reason to travel ya? Without thinking or any research, we went ahead and just booked our tickets to Male.
Every good holiday needs planning and adequate research to avoid disappointment. There are many people who love to travel without planning (it is their personal choice and I call them free-spirited), but I prefer a good research and planning prior to my travels. This is to avoid last minute disappointments and to save time. Corporate slaves like me don't have the luxury of many leaves per year hence, we need to make the most of what we get.
We spent days and nights searching for the perfect place to stay. Those who know about Maldives would know that there are 1192 islands (26 atolls) which form Maldives. Every resort is located in a single island and once you are there, you are confined to the island space. Very rarely do people hop islands unless they are on a live board. Some islands are 2 hours away from Male via a domestic flight / seaplane. Which means, if you happen to land in Male after 7pm, chances are - you would need to spend the night at Male before taking a seaplane / flight to the next island. Ultimately, you lose a day. Travelling from Singapore, we were scheduled to land at Male at 8:30pm. Below is a picture of Club Med Kani (view from the aeroplane).
After much research, we narrowed down to Oblu Select@Sangeli (North Male Atoll) for our stay. My husband Sai Krishna (this is the 1st time I am mentioning him in my blog) is brilliant at hotel research. Hailing for the travel industry, he has experience to identify hotels as per our needs. Reasons for choosing this resort - a) Just an hour away from Male airport via a speedboat so we don't lose a day waiting for the next plane, b) resort offers full board packages, c) resort offers both; water and beach bungalows, d) they have a good dive and snorkelling site, and e) our good negotiation skills landed us a good rate to enjoy the luxuries of Maldives! There are many resorts in Maldives that offer a full board package (which means, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Tea, Snacks and Alcohol is all included in the package rate). There is no Ala Carte pricing. This is beneficial if you know you would be utilising the resort facilities to the fullest. But if you would like, you may even chose a half board resort (includes breakfast and dinner only). Worth thinking, if you are bound to an island, where would you find lunch other than the resort restaurant?
Male airport is quite average. It offers the basic cafes to the travellers. Majority of the big resorts have an outlet/lounge at the airport. If you are staying with them during your visit, you would check in to the lounge and the resort will take care of you from then on (including your transfers to the island). Maldives is the only country I have come across where the water looks blue even at night (don't ask me how). It amazes me to even think about it.
We arrived via speedboat transfer to Oblu Select@Sangeli by 10:30pm. It was quite late but we were checked in comfortably. We had decided to stay 2 nights at the Beach Bungalow and 2 nights at the Over Water Bungalow. Our Beach Bungalow had a private swimming pool and the accommodation was spacious. I was floored looking at the depth with which the resort had thought about the needs. Instead of the standard 2 towels, they had provided us with 6 anticipating that we would need more given the swimming pool at the bungalow itself. There was an independent shower and bathtub area at the backyard and a separate dressing area. The staff greeted us at the bungalow with a bottle of wine and fruit basket. It was 11:30pm by the time we settled down and we decided to sip the wine at the pool. What else could be a better start than this to a holiday?
We woke up on Day 2 and unbelievably stared out of the bungalow at the sea. Crystal clear blue water gazed back at us. We quickly got ready and headed out to the sea to play in the water. Weather was pleasant and not too hot. Breakfast timings are usually until 10am at The Courtyard Restaurant. We were greeted by the staff who showed us the variety of food served during breakfast. We kept calorie counting aside and decided to enjoy every bit of food on our plates. After the breakfast, we headed to the One Banyan (adults only) side of the island to enjoy the swimming pool and bar. One could just lie and relax there for hours with a cocktail in hand. I enjoyed the calm surroundings and the ease with which I could actually relax.
It was time for lunch and we headed back to The Courtyard for another round of buffet. Food was amazing and delicious. The chefs had prepared the food with utmost love and care and it was obvious with the taste. Oblu hosts 3 different restaurants - The Courtyard, Just Grill and Simply Veg. They have dedicated one restaurant (Simply Veg) for vegetarian food which I felt was quite thoughtful. It is unbelievable how many dishes one can invent in vegetarian cuisines. Just Grill is a restaurant that serves grill food as the name suggests (mostly meat). All 3 restaurants serve alcohol and will almost immediately greet you with prosecco as soon as you enter. The full board package includes all meals at The Courtyard and 1 exclusive meal at each of the Just Grill and Simply Veg restaurants. Both of these restaurants are located at One Banyan island.
Being licensed open water divers, we had to dive in Maldivian waters before ending the holiday. We took a quick refresher course at the swimming pool and headed into the sea to explore the marine life of the crystal clear waters. We spotted a lobster, prawns, angel fish, pipe fish and many more colourful varieties of marine life. It was a tiring dive and yet fulfilling. Diving in Maldives is a must-do for all water enthusiasts. We ended the day by listening to Live Band at the Sangs Bar.
We gifted ourselves a 10th wedding anniversary photoshoot. We decided we would do this shoot in Maldives amongst the crystal clear water and scenic islands. Day 3 was spent exploring the island and shooting for photos. We were also shifting from beach bungalow to overwater bungalow that day. We wanted to experience both the types of accommodation during the stay. Overwater bungalows, as the name suggests, are on water on stilts. Crystal clear blue water is visible from the glass panel on the floor located inside the bungalow. The bungalow had a private pool and there were steps that led to the sea. Complementary snorkelling equipment was provided for us to use during our stay. Which implies, one could just climb down the stairs and snorkel to the heart's content, admire beautiful underwater creatures and live in the moment. We did that one afternoon and enjoyed the marine beauty once again. In fact, we caught sight of a spotted sting ray just below our water bungalow.
Leef photos helped us shoot beautiful images in the island and also rented a boat out to visit a sandbank closely to our island. The sandbank was really small and it was surrounded by deep blue sea. We took some time out to swim in the water and witness a beautiful sight underwater. There was an eel and a variety of colourful fish. The sandbank was indeed once in a lifetime experience. Leef Photos helped us with drone photography and the final image was stunning and a treat to the eye.
We headed to Simply Veg restaurant after the photoshoot to enjoy a sumptuous dinner with drinks. We ended the day with a cruise under the moonlight during supper time. The cruise offered snacks and wine. It was breezy and all the guests landed on the deck to enjoy the breeze with moonlight. The cruise journey lasted an hour and was an apt closure to the day.
Day 4 was our last day at the resort and we wanted to make the most of it. After the usual expedition with food and drinks during the day, we decided to relax at the Elena Spa and chose a couple spa treatment during the afternoon. The masseurs are well trained and they took utmost care of our spa needs. Sunset is one of the crucial parts of a holiday and a tropical holiday is incomplete without sunset pictures. Rock Bar (located at the southern most tip of the island), showcases the sunset during evenings. There is a temporary sunset bar that serves drinks to guests while they watch the golden sky. We spent a couple of hours watching the exotic sunset and the sky turning orange from the usual blue. While admiring the sky, we saw black tip reef shark, parrot fish, octopus and many other colourful fish swimming at the sea bank below. This is another must-do experience in Maldives.
The resort had treated us to a personalised dinner (for our upcoming 10th wedding anniversary) at the One Banyan beach side. Located next to the Just Grill restaurant, the staff had taken extra care to decorate the place for us to enjoy a perfect candle light dinner. We were served with the menu of our choice along with the customary drinks. It couldn't have been any better.
Next day we checked out as it was time to leave the paradise. We were brought to Male for our flight back to Singapore. I sincerely thank the team of Oblu for making it special for us. It is definitely a holiday I would want to repeat and put all my money on. Oblu is a 5 star property which offers an all-inclusive Serenity Plan. It is owned by the Atmosphere group of Hotels. The group also has other resorts in Maldives (all 5 star resorts in North Male Atoll).
Every big holiday needs a pre-holiday trip to somewhere. While planning our 10th wedding anniversary trip, we came across some mileage fares on Singapore Airlines (basically you pay lesser miles to redeem a ticket). Great reason to travel ya? Without thinking or any research, we went ahead and just booked our tickets to Male.
Every good holiday needs planning and adequate research to avoid disappointment. There are many people who love to travel without planning (it is their personal choice and I call them free-spirited), but I prefer a good research and planning prior to my travels. This is to avoid last minute disappointments and to save time. Corporate slaves like me don't have the luxury of many leaves per year hence, we need to make the most of what we get.
We spent days and nights searching for the perfect place to stay. Those who know about Maldives would know that there are 1192 islands (26 atolls) which form Maldives. Every resort is located in a single island and once you are there, you are confined to the island space. Very rarely do people hop islands unless they are on a live board. Some islands are 2 hours away from Male via a domestic flight / seaplane. Which means, if you happen to land in Male after 7pm, chances are - you would need to spend the night at Male before taking a seaplane / flight to the next island. Ultimately, you lose a day. Travelling from Singapore, we were scheduled to land at Male at 8:30pm. Below is a picture of Club Med Kani (view from the aeroplane).
After much research, we narrowed down to Oblu Select@Sangeli (North Male Atoll) for our stay. My husband Sai Krishna (this is the 1st time I am mentioning him in my blog) is brilliant at hotel research. Hailing for the travel industry, he has experience to identify hotels as per our needs. Reasons for choosing this resort - a) Just an hour away from Male airport via a speedboat so we don't lose a day waiting for the next plane, b) resort offers full board packages, c) resort offers both; water and beach bungalows, d) they have a good dive and snorkelling site, and e) our good negotiation skills landed us a good rate to enjoy the luxuries of Maldives! There are many resorts in Maldives that offer a full board package (which means, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Tea, Snacks and Alcohol is all included in the package rate). There is no Ala Carte pricing. This is beneficial if you know you would be utilising the resort facilities to the fullest. But if you would like, you may even chose a half board resort (includes breakfast and dinner only). Worth thinking, if you are bound to an island, where would you find lunch other than the resort restaurant?
Male airport is quite average. It offers the basic cafes to the travellers. Majority of the big resorts have an outlet/lounge at the airport. If you are staying with them during your visit, you would check in to the lounge and the resort will take care of you from then on (including your transfers to the island). Maldives is the only country I have come across where the water looks blue even at night (don't ask me how). It amazes me to even think about it.
We arrived via speedboat transfer to Oblu Select@Sangeli by 10:30pm. It was quite late but we were checked in comfortably. We had decided to stay 2 nights at the Beach Bungalow and 2 nights at the Over Water Bungalow. Our Beach Bungalow had a private swimming pool and the accommodation was spacious. I was floored looking at the depth with which the resort had thought about the needs. Instead of the standard 2 towels, they had provided us with 6 anticipating that we would need more given the swimming pool at the bungalow itself. There was an independent shower and bathtub area at the backyard and a separate dressing area. The staff greeted us at the bungalow with a bottle of wine and fruit basket. It was 11:30pm by the time we settled down and we decided to sip the wine at the pool. What else could be a better start than this to a holiday?
We woke up on Day 2 and unbelievably stared out of the bungalow at the sea. Crystal clear blue water gazed back at us. We quickly got ready and headed out to the sea to play in the water. Weather was pleasant and not too hot. Breakfast timings are usually until 10am at The Courtyard Restaurant. We were greeted by the staff who showed us the variety of food served during breakfast. We kept calorie counting aside and decided to enjoy every bit of food on our plates. After the breakfast, we headed to the One Banyan (adults only) side of the island to enjoy the swimming pool and bar. One could just lie and relax there for hours with a cocktail in hand. I enjoyed the calm surroundings and the ease with which I could actually relax.
It was time for lunch and we headed back to The Courtyard for another round of buffet. Food was amazing and delicious. The chefs had prepared the food with utmost love and care and it was obvious with the taste. Oblu hosts 3 different restaurants - The Courtyard, Just Grill and Simply Veg. They have dedicated one restaurant (Simply Veg) for vegetarian food which I felt was quite thoughtful. It is unbelievable how many dishes one can invent in vegetarian cuisines. Just Grill is a restaurant that serves grill food as the name suggests (mostly meat). All 3 restaurants serve alcohol and will almost immediately greet you with prosecco as soon as you enter. The full board package includes all meals at The Courtyard and 1 exclusive meal at each of the Just Grill and Simply Veg restaurants. Both of these restaurants are located at One Banyan island.
Being licensed open water divers, we had to dive in Maldivian waters before ending the holiday. We took a quick refresher course at the swimming pool and headed into the sea to explore the marine life of the crystal clear waters. We spotted a lobster, prawns, angel fish, pipe fish and many more colourful varieties of marine life. It was a tiring dive and yet fulfilling. Diving in Maldives is a must-do for all water enthusiasts. We ended the day by listening to Live Band at the Sangs Bar.
We gifted ourselves a 10th wedding anniversary photoshoot. We decided we would do this shoot in Maldives amongst the crystal clear water and scenic islands. Day 3 was spent exploring the island and shooting for photos. We were also shifting from beach bungalow to overwater bungalow that day. We wanted to experience both the types of accommodation during the stay. Overwater bungalows, as the name suggests, are on water on stilts. Crystal clear blue water is visible from the glass panel on the floor located inside the bungalow. The bungalow had a private pool and there were steps that led to the sea. Complementary snorkelling equipment was provided for us to use during our stay. Which implies, one could just climb down the stairs and snorkel to the heart's content, admire beautiful underwater creatures and live in the moment. We did that one afternoon and enjoyed the marine beauty once again. In fact, we caught sight of a spotted sting ray just below our water bungalow.
Leef photos helped us shoot beautiful images in the island and also rented a boat out to visit a sandbank closely to our island. The sandbank was really small and it was surrounded by deep blue sea. We took some time out to swim in the water and witness a beautiful sight underwater. There was an eel and a variety of colourful fish. The sandbank was indeed once in a lifetime experience. Leef Photos helped us with drone photography and the final image was stunning and a treat to the eye.
We headed to Simply Veg restaurant after the photoshoot to enjoy a sumptuous dinner with drinks. We ended the day with a cruise under the moonlight during supper time. The cruise offered snacks and wine. It was breezy and all the guests landed on the deck to enjoy the breeze with moonlight. The cruise journey lasted an hour and was an apt closure to the day.
Day 4 was our last day at the resort and we wanted to make the most of it. After the usual expedition with food and drinks during the day, we decided to relax at the Elena Spa and chose a couple spa treatment during the afternoon. The masseurs are well trained and they took utmost care of our spa needs. Sunset is one of the crucial parts of a holiday and a tropical holiday is incomplete without sunset pictures. Rock Bar (located at the southern most tip of the island), showcases the sunset during evenings. There is a temporary sunset bar that serves drinks to guests while they watch the golden sky. We spent a couple of hours watching the exotic sunset and the sky turning orange from the usual blue. While admiring the sky, we saw black tip reef shark, parrot fish, octopus and many other colourful fish swimming at the sea bank below. This is another must-do experience in Maldives.
The resort had treated us to a personalised dinner (for our upcoming 10th wedding anniversary) at the One Banyan beach side. Located next to the Just Grill restaurant, the staff had taken extra care to decorate the place for us to enjoy a perfect candle light dinner. We were served with the menu of our choice along with the customary drinks. It couldn't have been any better.
Next day we checked out as it was time to leave the paradise. We were brought to Male for our flight back to Singapore. I sincerely thank the team of Oblu for making it special for us. It is definitely a holiday I would want to repeat and put all my money on. Oblu is a 5 star property which offers an all-inclusive Serenity Plan. It is owned by the Atmosphere group of Hotels. The group also has other resorts in Maldives (all 5 star resorts in North Male Atoll).
Recommendations:
1) Choice of Resort:
Choose a resort based on distance and travel from Male. It is important to note if domestic flights / seaplane would be required. if you have limited time, choose a resort in the Male vicinity to arrange quick speedboat transfers.
2) Food variety:
Maldivian food is very similar to Sri Lankan food. All resorts serve the local cuisine.
Vegetarian food is available in almost all resorts but it would be good to check upfront if they serve any. Oblu has a restaurant dedicated to vegetarian cuisine.
3) Tours:
Many resorts offer tours included in their package such as:
- Fishing tour
- Maldivian village tour
- Moonlight cruise/boat tour (we did this at Oblu)
Find out the inclusions before you book the resorts.
4) Water Sports:
- Diving is a must do if you have a license. There are specific resorts which house exotic species. Read about them before you book your resort. Based on the water temperature, marine life sustains at certain parts of the water. You may find giant turtles, whale sharks, manta rays in different resorts.
- If you can't dive, go for snorkelling to enjoy an equally vibrant view of the marine life. Though the view would be off shallow water, you would be surprised to find a variety of colourful fish swimming around.
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