There are only so many people that get the opportunity to travel to such parts of the world, to experience such indescribable, picturesque beauty and who are granted the opportunity, if only for a moment, to completely escape and switch off from the uncalled stresses and problems of every day life.
Myself, Jordan and my mum were lucky enough to jet off to the Maldives at the beginning of December, swapping the bitter London frost for the tropical sunshine.
We flew in to Male, the capital of the Maldives, and from there, caught a thirty minute seaplane above the Indian ocean to the private island of Dhuni Kolhu, a tropical paradise tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the main island. The flight, which seated around ten people was without a doubt the most scenic and beautiful flight Jordan and I had ever experienced and as we approached the Island we would be residing on for a week, Coco Palm, I was mesmerised by the lush and tropical island below, fringed by white sandy beaches surrounded by a crystal clear emerald lagoon. Nothing short of stunning.
As we arrived on the island, we were greeted by a row of extremely friendly and smily looking staff all dressed in white and standing and waving in unison. It felt quite surreal and dream-like yet so exciting. As we took our first step on to the warm, white Maldivian sand, we knew we were in for one of the most luxurious weeks of our lives.
The majority of our stay was spent in the most beautiful sunset beach villa, luxed out with our own private beach. This was where we spent hours on end simply sunbathing, relaxing, reading and swimming in the beautiful Indian ocean. There was absolutely nothing more we wanted. Each day was around twenty nine / thirty degrees and we were surprised by the breeze which made lying in the sun for hours on end not just bearable but overwhelmingly pleasant. The Maldives is also without a doubt, one of the top spots to go diving, due to its transparent waters and abundance of beautiful, multicoloured tropical fish. The snorkels are free to rent on the island so we made sure to take them out a few times. Highly recommended! The colours of the fish are out of this world.
The island also comprises of around twelve lagoon (water) villas where we stayed one of the nights. Each one has their own amazing plunge pool and inside the villas are a deluxe spa bath and shower overlooking the ocean along with a complete 'outdoor' atmosphere and total privacy. Waking up on one of these is truly surreal and if you're lucky enough to get one of the sunset water villas, watching the sunset is one of those once in life time moments, that takes your breath and allows you to think of nothing else but the true beauty nature has to offer.
Most evenings were spent walking five minutes up the beach to the sunset bar, where we’d sip on tropical sundowners and watch the breathtaking colours of the sunsets. The skies would illuminate pink and orange and the beach would turn a rose pink colour, tinting everything in sight with such beauty. Wow.
Food is always a big part of holidays and Coco Palm , certainly did not disappoint on this front. The choice and option of food was overwhelmingly fantastic. Catering to vegetarians, vegans, gluten intolerance, you name it, the choice was there. The winner for me was the fact that everything is cooked fresh in front of you, from warm pancakes at breakfast smothered in nutella and chopped fruit, to fresh fish and sushi at dinner time.
I’m not sure a week was entirely long enough to stay in such paradise. We left, wanting more, craving more, unsure we were entirely ready to leave such a picturesque and relaxing hub of beauty. However, if there was one thing we were sure of, it's that we would definitely be returning. Be it in one year or three, there would be no holding us back from re living the breathtaking sights that these Indian ocean atolls have to offer. The end of our stay at Coco Palm was sad to say the least and we were given a very friendly send off by the all the staff who waved us off (in unison once again!) on to our seaplane.
As we flew in to the air, overlooking the blues, the greens and the most stunning lagoons and reefs we had ever seen, a rush of excitement began to overcome the sadness. Our next adventure was on it’s way. Mauritius here we come!
