I was supposed to join the half of my family in the Maldives over the weekend and an impromptu decision made me travel to Sri Lanka prior to that. After having obtained a hasty return flight from Colombo to Male for INR 18000 (USD 270), I was bound to go. Doing a family trip after ages, I was a bit relieved to be off the backpack and just soak in the luxury. It was quite a sight when the plane had come near the coral islands and you could see the islands like pearls in a necklace surrounded by crystal blue water all around from the sky. When I took the ferry from the airport to go to the Paradise Island Resort where my family was, I was the only person wearing ragged shorts, disheveled and with a backpack amidst selfie taking honeymooners and neat and orderly families. I was the only backpacker in a sea of tourists.
Paradise Island holds up to its namesake. The resort has a whole island (just north east of Male) to itself and it is nothing short of paradise. The hotel offers all kinds of watersports and recreational activities. Perfect for a lazy weekend.
The whole three days were spent waking up late, having long showers and swimming in the clear blue sea. The food was amazing and ranging from Maldivian delicacies to continental, I sure had my stomach full, at all times.
The essence of the trip
We were lucky with the weather, although being monsoon season it rained only toward the evening leaving the day to be enjoyed at the beach. The good thing about islands is that if you walk in any direction you end up at the beach. And that’s what I did, just walked to find out all the beaches. One of the beaches was secluded and that’s where I snorkeled. Scuba diving was super expensive and I decided that I’d do it only after I get my open water PADI certificate.
Weird looking coral
Surprisingly there are tons of fish, of all colors and shapes just near the shore. The water being clear made it easier as well.
Some fish
Every night the resort made sure all the guests had fun by arranging dances, games and events. In one of the dances performed by the local Maldivians, one of the dancers suddenly went wild and high on the music and got an adrenaline rush which wouldn’t subside. Made for a superb performance though. The whole scene got me reminded of the resort in Dirty Dancing.
In one of the boat rides, about a dozen dolphins followed us and swirling and whirling their way about in the water, like gliders in the sky, the dolphins made an impressive cause for the Maldives.
Evening at the beach
The way life should be
All in all, I think I should have enough money to go to the Maldives whenever I feel like it, just to enjoy a lazy weekend. That’s the kind of place the Maldives is.
Best Time to Visit: November through February
Budget: INR 20,000 a day (mid range)
