Did that really just happen?
Did I just spend the week in The Maldives with the most amazing bunch of people?!
I mean, I remember being in Lidl and getting the notification to say I was going, but I'm here now in bed at home. It's dark outside and raining, and it feels warm and cosy in here. I've just woken up to see my son off to school.... everything is just as normal as it can be...
So was it just a dream?! 🤔
Noooooo! It really happened! I was transported from this life to that, and what a wonderful time I just had!
So where did I leave off?
The flight! Well as far as flights go it was great. The passengers could be described as ‘excited’ I guess, but wouldn't you be? Yes, most of them wanted more than a few drinks... but so would I if I was just going on the holiday of a lifetime! It's not cheap to go there, so either you are well off, or you've made your dream happen but hard work and strict saving... whichever it is, you know that you are going to the place that most people can only dream of, and you are going to make the most of it! So have that rose wine, and that G&T Madam, if I wasn't working I would join you!
And then we were there... descending over paradise!
It was just what you have seen in pictures... hundreds of small islands surrounded by the most turquoise of water. From above you could make out the strings of water bungalows, curving out from the hotels like octopus tentacles... some islands had huge resorts, others seemed to have nothing on them at all…in all of my years I have never seen anything like it, and I wonder if now the view of Caribbean beaches as I land there will lose some of the magic that they once held for me?
The airport was a touch of normality, until we cleared customs and walked outside... to our boat! How bizarre it was to see sea so close to planes. I can't remember if I saw any cars, I guess there must have been, as Male is a bustling city, but like most of the other tourists, we were going on a boat to our island!
And we were off!
Full steam ahead we raced across the ocean! Male was along side us for a while, a city like many others from what I could see, with high rises and all the amenities that a population needs. Apparently, so I was told, sixty percent of the population are not from there. They come from all over to work in its tourist industry, to look after people like us... and from what I could see, the ones that I met all seemed quite happy to be there!
Twenty minutes later we arrived, somewhat windswept, at our destination 🙌
I am afraid that here I will have to go somewhat vague. For security reasons I'm not allowed to disclose where we stay. So I'll leave you some photos and you will get the idea!
I have to admit that I spent the next three days with a smile on my face and a drink in my hand!
What I found in The Maldives was exactly what you have seen, and more. Yes, the beaches are as white as the photos, and the water so turquoise it surely must be dyed?! The staff are abundant and happy, the greenery lush and wildlife just as it should be. I saw stingrays casually swim under a bridge, and waved at Nemo while snorkelling.
The food was amazing, the company even better, and my once biased view that I would be bored here well and truly erased.
I think, correct me if I'm wrong, that holidays like this are down to getting out of it what you want. If you want quiet, away from a hectic life, then surely a water bungalow where you can just sit and watch the crystal clear ocean is about as perfect as you could get?
If you value food and drink, then this All Inclusive lifestyle is a step up from the European buffets and cheap spirits that may have put you off before!
There is an island for every one. Ours was one of the big ones, where you cycle around or take a golf buggy to one of the 13 restaurants or many beaches. They had entertainment at night, and music playing during the day. For me that was my idea of perfect.
I don't ever recall feeling so sad to leave a hotel, I have always loved to get home, but when the staff came to say goodbye as our boat set off, I think we all had a tear in our eye.
The Maldives you have truly stolen my heart. If I should never get back, I will always feel blessed to have been.
Now, about that January bid... MLE? 🤔
