The Residence Maldives

With every dream “far off destination”, it takes some logistical planning and travel experience to get to. However, with The Residence Maldives, all you’ll need is to find an airline that gets you to Male, the capital of The Republic of Maldives. Once you step out, the resort takes care of the rest. You don’t touch your luggage again until you get to your villa.The staff atThe Residence Maldives would have, by then, already booked you a transfer flight to the brand new Kooddoo Airport (opened on the 10th of September 2012).  The 50-minute flight takes you quite-lowly over most of the atolls … which means your view will be spectacular.

It was during this journey that I began to realise just what made this place so special. The atolls, and their islands within them, were very clearly mapped out. The reefs that set each atoll apart looked as if they have been roughly “drawn” by a child attempting to put a circle around several oddly-shaped spots. The water was so impossibly blue and clear that I could make out the balconies in the ocean that created several depths. It went from turquoise to pastel to teal and then navy. Nature at it’s finest. Even from way up. So beautiful from the top. I wondered what secrets the ocean held. It had been hinted that I might see wild dolphins. My heart was racing at this point.

When we arrived at the brand new Kooddoo airport, we were whisked off within minutes in The Residence Maldives mini-van to the pier. Kooddoo is located on the same atoll as the resort, and with it’s opening, cuts travel time down by about an hour. 

A welcome relief for those travelling from outside of Asia, where flight times play a huge role when making plans. Another ten minutes by speed-boat and the property was within sight.

Having been officially launched in early-September, the establishment showed little signs of being a newbie in an area where tourism has been flourishing since the early ’70’s. The property runs 950m from one end to the other, and 120m at it’s widest. And here is where the pristine waters play a huge role. With such a gift from nature, it would be a crime not to showcase it’s beauty. Being located in one of the largest and deepest atolls in the WORLD, the hotel is in a part of the Maldives that is largely unchartered and supremely pristine.

Most of the 94 villas have been built over the water, with several lined along the powder-white beach. Thatched roofs, natural materials and lush fabrics compliment the beauty of the island while creature comforts don’t make you feel too much like you’ve been marooned on a deserted sand-bank. 

The focal-point of the property, and one that I feel is unique at best, is The Falhumaa. So named after a mythical flower. That in-turn was named after a mermaid. Who won the heart of a passing spice-trader. Who’s ship had sunk in the world’s deepest atoll, the Falhumaafushi. Or so the legend goes.

Whether you believe in legends or not, The Falhumaa is a special place that feels like magic as you dine under the stars. Built at the end of the jetty, on the furthest Eastern-tip of the atoll, you literally sit just meters away from the edge, and the only accompanying sounds are that of the waves from the Indian Ocean crashing against the colourful coral reefs. The best nights would be when the moon is favourably aligned and from which the only light is provided to cast it’s rays on the ocean, and you. 

It’s a pity that The Falhumaa is only open for dinner as the view during the day would make for some spectacular holiday shots.

The spa, and it’s villas, is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. It helps that it sits above soothing crystal-clear waters of the lagoon, with views of the rainbow coral reef. The weather is ALWAYS perfect. The skies ALWAYS blue. And the people ALWAYS happy.

If you’re an adventure-enthusiast and can’t just sit by your private pool with a good book, The Residence Maldives has a slew of activities for you to keep busy. Besides the usual Banana Boat rides and jet-skiing, it also has its very own PADI 5-star Dive Centre, where divers of all levels can enjoy the beauty of the underwater world.

Having never been one to have a tank strapped on to me, I decided that this trip would be perfect to try scuba-diving for the first time. The difference with this PADI school is that your first lesson is had in the safety of the lagoon, and not the chlorine-filled pool. It gives you the chance to experience some marine life, even if it’s just 2 meters deep. I felt like I had to tick something off my bucket-list after going through a two-hour session with Mike, my Austrian-born instructor who has more than NINE THOUSAND dives under his belt. I was green with envy. I decided that my next island-trip would be dedicated to getting certified for open-water diving.

However, if you’re not one who likes depend on an external breathing apparatus, snorkeling might be your thing. I was taken out on a dhoni, a traditional Maldivian fishing boat, and we travelled for about 30 minutes before stopping over a reef. Life-vest, snorkel and flippers on … and in I went.

Now I know what makes the Maldives so special. What makes people keep coming back for more. It was a whole new world to me, this underwater universe. I was witnessing a life I’d never knew before. Turtles, reef sharks, fish of all shapes, sizes and colour, corals that looked like coffee-tables (I later found out that they’re called tabletop corals), more fish, more turtles, more sharks! I didn’t want to leave. But after an hour, I had to. The sun was shining down hard and I was beginning to get some lovely, oddly-shaped tan-lines on my back. Reluctantly, I went back to the Dhoni and mentally began preparing myself for my next water adventure …. this time, in the hope of sighting something that would make my heart smile. 

The morning of the dolphin cruise got my tummy in all kinds of knots. I’d seen wild dolphins before in New Zealand but each experience is obviously different … and I missed them terribly. I heard that there was a 99.9% chance of some successful spotting so I remained very positive.

We headed out on a dhoni and travelled for about 30 minutes to the channel between a locally inhabited island and Kooddoo. I found out that dolphins have a routine of coming inland in the mornings and heading back out to the open seas just before sundown.

The past experiences of the boatmen revealed that dolphins would typically be in the area. However, we would have no indication of their exact location or any guarantee that we would see them.

With 12 eyes, some aided with binoculars and some naked, squinting and searching for signs of the beautiful mammals, it was beginning to look very bleak for any dolphin spotting this evening. Every time I thought I saw something, it turned out to just be waves crashing into each other or the tips of rocks peaking out from beneath the ocean’s surface. 

We began to turn around and head back to the resort. My heart was shattered. I leaned my disappointed body against a post and hung my head low … and began to pray. I refused I believe that I was part of the 0.01%.

It was at this EXACT moment, by some blessing from the universe, that one of the boatmen shrieked something unfamiliar. But the excitement in his voice was immediately understood. The dolphins found us!! They heard me! First, I saw one … then another two … then they disappeared and the first one just kept darting beneath the bow. From left to right and back again. It was so playful!

All the boatmen began to shout and clap their hands. I had read somewhere that the more noise you make, the more the dolphins will stay, and so we all joined in. And it worked!! Soon enough, the fins of about 15 of these gorgeous “fairies of the sea” were in sight! And boy, were they in the mood to play! I couldn’t believe the speed that they had. In a distance, one of them decided to do a mid-air pirouette! Tears started welling in my eyes … I was just SO happy that my maiden trip to the Maldives was finally complete.

THANK YOU!!!

Attitude of gratitude to The Residence Maldives for my inaugural trip.

Thinking of Going?

Get yourself to Male and you’re pretty much good to go. The Ibrahim Nasir International Airport serves most major airlines.

Book your stay HERE!!!!

WHEN?

The best weather is between November and April. The high season falls between December and March.

The monsoon runs from May to October, peaking around June.

I guess it is worth paying higher prices and sticking to the dry season as there is nothing to do on a rainy day except drink, work out or scuba dive. Which doesn’t sound like too bad a holiday either.