THE MALDIVES:

This is where my mind goes when I fantasize about getting away; words cannot describe the beauty of the Maldives.  Not only of the island but the people as well.  Imagine growing up on a island where the village is the island - instead of taking the bus to school, a public boat comes to take the kids.  Water is a part of your daily life from the moment you are born from playing in the sand as a toddler to using a wooden board to surf as a teenager, the water is your life.

The Maldives was elusive to me for many years.  The reason why I say this is because I would have business in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and would always want to go for a week-end to Male, its' capital.  But it isn't as easy as going to Los Angeles and doing a jaunt to San Francisco.

Malé Airport, the main airport for the Maldives, is its' own island, Hulhulé Island, located on the North Malé Atoll.  Malé (pronounced 'mar-lay') the city, its capital, is adjacent to the airport on a different island.

Malé was formally called Mahal, which means "most important island" and "where the king resides" in Sanskrit. It was the King's Island from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where the palace was located for over 2000 years of its' history. 


The modern Malé looks like a concrete city, which is only 2km by 1km!  It's the capital city of the Maldives and the center of its' administrative functions.  Then the country spreads out to all these little atolls, or groups of islands (imagine an atoll being a state, like Illinois, each having a capital, Springfield, Malé is the equivalent to the US's Wasthington DC).  Only 74,000 people inhabit the Maldives!  The only way to get anywhere is by slow or speed boat or by water plane/taxi.

The Maldives is known for its surf and incredible sea life and it attracts all kinds of tourists, from the well-heeled traveler to the long blonde haired/blue eyed wavers.

You can't just arrive at Malé Airport and have no plans.  If you did, Malé's relatively few hotels are constantly packed with airline crew and tourists.  The city itself is packed with buildings, narrow streets and, of course, smog.


Finally when I did decide to go there, for the first time, I decided to stay at the Four Seasons in Kuda Huraa, which is a quite far from the airport (about one hour away by speed boat at a cost USD$150.00 per person one way).  Some resorts, like the Four Seasons Landaa Givaavaru are much farther away, requiring a sea plane from the airport.

I was the first one out of customs, but I had to wait for everyone who was staying at the hotel to come out.  They were all honeymooners, mostly Australian and Japanese couples, except for me.  I was also the only American.  Getting to the Maldives requires either a transfer in the Middle East or SE Asia, and including the time for transfers, thirty plus hours on an airplane.  Most Americans, understandably, prefer spending less time on an airplane and more time in the sun, and travel to closer (and less expensive) resorts in Mexico and Caribbean. 

Getting on the sea boat, all passengers had to put on life preservers for the one hour ride to the hotel.  It was pitch dark and really couldn't see anything for the exception of the bright lights of Malé from a distance.  (On the way back, by the way, our boat came to a screeching halt throwing us all forward - we almost hit a fishing barge with no lights).


The hotel itself was beautiful and my room was my own little bungalow with a private pool and private beach.  Everything was available from the big plasma TV to a bed so plush you didn't want to get out.  The good thing was there wasn't a thing to do if you didn't want to.  And if you did, there were plenty of activities the hotel could provide for you.


There was a little island about fifteen minutes away from the hotel which was the spa (pictured above left).  I decided to get a  full day package which included two people doing the massage, four hands, in synch.  It was incredible.  During the massage, you would look down into the water and see the fish and other colourful sea life.

For secutiry (in case of fire or a tsunami), the hotel has provided life vest, whistles, and flashlights in each room as well as a "gathering place" everyone would go to and meet in the unlikely event something were to occur.


The staff was very very nice and individuals were happy to talk about their country and their lives in the Maldives.  Whilst sitting out reading a book, I heard a "clunk" - a coconut fell from the palm tree!  This never happened to me and it was exciting.  I took it and tried to open it with a knife from the room.  It was a struggle and a gentleman from the hotel was walking right by the beach in front of me and saw me and my project.  He told me to hold on a minute and went and got a huge coconut knife and opened it for me, let me drink the water and cut pieces of its' "meat" as the white pieces are called.


One young man told me as a kid he would find a piece of a bark fallen from a palm tree and use it to surf.  Also, instead of getting on a bus to go to school, he would take a boat every morning.  Just so fun how life is different for people all over the world.

Pros:  Very exclusive, very posh, very (fill in the blank)
Cons: Very far, transfer to Male for the day was USD$100.00 one way and had to be reserved in advance, and very, very expensive.



My Dreams. My Passions. My Life.
             Lifestyle Creator and Mens Designer George Zaharoff

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