Maldives – For an avid beach lover, I have been to beaches all over the world, but none quite compares to the waters of the Maldives. Located just southwest of Sri Lanka and India, within the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives comprises of 26 natural atolls, which are ring-shaped coral reefs that encircle a lagoon. Imagine the beautiful sea creatures you will get to see in the crystal clear waters of a lagoon!
To travel to the Maldives, which is barely 5 hours away from Singapore, we combed through numerous resorts and islands, before deciding on the Furaveri Island Resort and Spa based on its positive reviews and affordability. Most, if not all island resorts in the Maldives, provide a shuttle service from Malé International Airport to the resort, be it sea in a boat or air via a seaplane. To get to Furaveri, we had the opportunity of experiencing both.
Bearing in mind that the Maldives has a tropical monsoon climate, where the wet season runs from June to November, do try to travel to the Maldives between December and April, so you may avoid travelling in a tiny seaplane during a thunderstorm, and landing on a floating platform in choppy waters, while waiting for the boat to take you to the resort – like us! The entire domestic journey took less than an hour, though it felt like eternity.
Once you alight from the boat, do watch out for the lovely ba sharks as you walk along the boardwalk towards the resort. We were told that the daily feeding starts at 6.30pm, and as vicious as they might look when fighting for their feed, the concierge promised us that the sharks were harmless. If you watched closely enough, you might even see the manta rays!
One of the many things we looked forward to in the Maldives was staying in the Water Villa.
It was everything we had dreamed of – waking up to the sight of the beautiful ocean with a stairway leading to paradise, I mean, the lagoon, directly underneath.
Be careful as you make your way down, though, as the last few steps of the stairway are moss-ridden and slippery, and may cause you to slide your way into the water. The water in the lagoon is usually just waist-deep, but the monsoon season and choppy waters could make for some waves up to your shoulders.
It is still safe to snorkel – just go on and borrow the snorkeling equipment from the reception desk for free during your entire stay! If you are afraid of underwater creatures like octopus, squid and fishes so big they resemble sharks, you can also just watch from the deck – the water is so clear, you can almost see everything swimming anyway!
The only downer from staying in the Water Villa was probably the distance to the restaurant where we had our daily meals. Good thing the resort provides a buggy service, which we would often call for. Also, as it was really windy at night, especially during the rainy days, walking on the slippery wooden boardwalk towards the villa after dinner became rather dangerous too.
Although we were in the Maldives during the monsoon season, and there were thunderstorms almost every day of our stay, we still made full use of the intermittent pockets of sunshine shone from above.
On rainy days, we started with yoga rituals, specifically sun salutations, on our wet deck as we prayed for sunshine later in the day.
When it did not work, we continued with a hot bath in our bathtub, overlooking the stormy waters.
Sometimes we were trapped the rain in the restaurant-bar, so we made do with their signature cocktail and played endless games of pool and table tennis. If you looked pitiful enough, you might even score a free bowl of ice cream!
Other times, we basically mastered the art of doing nothing at all – dolce far niente (Italian for “the sweetness of doing nothing”, made famous Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘Eat, Pray, Love’), as we alternated between napping while the rain splattered and reading to the cacophony of thunderstorm and raging waves.
There is also an indoor fitness centre you could go to, if you had brought your training gear. Or you could go for spa, if you made a booking a day in advance. We did neither, as we continued watching out for bouts of sunshine, where you could enjoy your swim in the pool, idle and read in the wicker cocoon hanging from coconut trees, doze off to the calming sound of waves on the beanbags lain on the white, sandy beach or simply enjoy the beauty of the azure lagoon in front of you.
If you are in a group of four, you can opt for a sunset cruise at the reception too, provided the weather is suitable for it. Â 
Despite the tumultuous weather during our trip to the Maldives, we have learnt a few rather important lessons in life: keep calm and take it in your stride in the face of thunderstorms; watch out for signs from the sky for any impending storm; and no matter how relentless it seems, the rain will stop for your dance of sunshine and freedom.
Till then, I will keep dreaming of my return to this island of Paradise.
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