Robbie and I finally went on our honeymoon! We got married last October so this was more like a one year anniversa-moon but it was well worth the wait.
Our destination was the Maldives, a place that has long resided at the top of my bucket list. Beach holidays are my favorite and this promised to be the ultimate island getaway. We booked through Trailfinders and secured a week’s stay in a jacuzzi beach hut on Kuredu Island Resort in Lhaviyani Atoll. The all-inclusive gold package included three meals a day at an assigned buffet, unlimited alcohol, 1 hour sea kayak rental, and a sunset cruise. All we needed, really.
The journey to this island nation in the middle of the Indian Ocean was long and tedious: 7 hours to Dubai, a four-hour layover, four more hours to Male, then a five-hour wait for the sea plane to take us to our resort, and another 45 minutes in said sea plane (kudos to our hospitality guru, Ali, who arranged a free bottle of bubbly for our troubles). But once our feet were on pristine white sand, everything went very smoothly. The staff was brilliant and very friendly. As it was our honeymoon we were given free champagne and matching t-shirts. That was a lovely touch. The best part was that we could open the door to our villa and step right out onto the sand. It was like having our own (mostly) private beach.
We came for rest and relaxation and found it at Kuredu. Although the resort is the second largest in the Maldives, the island itself is only about 2km circumference so it didn’t feel busy at all. In fact, the only time we saw more than a few people at a time was during meals at the buffet. We spent our days reading, sunbathing, drinking, and snorkeling in the island’s house reef where we saw giant sea turtles, reef sharks and all sorts of tropical fish of varying sizes. Alas, the giant manta rays wouldn’t turn up until about a week after we left.
On the second to last night, we went on a sunset cruise around the atoll. I don’t think I’d ever seen such a beautiful and vibrant sky. It had rained for a bit one day, as it tends to do in the tropics, but otherwise we really lucked out with the weather as it was just at the tail end of the wet season. Temperatures hovered around 90 F with max humidity. Thank heavens for the sea and a cold shower.
Robbie and I had a wonderful, romantic week in the most magical location. It really did feel like a peaceful and secluded paradise. We also had a few days in Dubai on our way home where we did some shopping at the mall, took some photos of the Burj and saw our friends Liam and Lucie and their little nugget James.
I can’t wait for our next holiday, but this one will definitely be one to remember!
“I am longing to be with you, and by the sea, where we can talk together freely and build our castles in the air.” – Bram Stoker
