So I finally made it to the Maldives after much traveling and a little adventure in Sri Lanka. My first impression was that the airport on Male is ridiculously busy and not so inviting. I prayed that our resort was nothing like this, and my prayers were answered. After arriving at night from Sri Lanka we stayed the night at the Male Traders Hotel which wasn't bad for what it was. We awoke early the next morning to take a speed boat to some other island where we caught our sea plane to the Hilton Maldives on Iru Fushi.
The sea plane ride was noisy but it allowed us to see many of the other atolls along the way, which made the trip pretty cool. Each resort is on it's own island, for the most part, so you have the greatest of privacy and relaxation once you arrive. The staff greeted us at the dock with drinks and flowers and I felt as if our vacation started as soon as we stepped off the plane. We were assigned one person who would take care of everything while we were on the resort so we didn't have to deal with multiple people for different things, I thought that was a good idea.
We quickly checked in then headed out to explore the island. Strategically it was the low season so there weren't that many other guests at the resort. We had a quick tour of the various facilities from the comfort of our golf cart then headed off to the water villa to relax and unwind for our long journey.
The water villas are little cottages on stilts that sit in the waters off the island. Since the island is almost completely surrounded by a coral wall the water is very calm and still. At night and during the day we sea schools of fish, sting rays, and even some sand sharks through the glass floor of the villa. At the back of the villa is a ladder which allows you to easily climb into and out of the water for a quick swim or snorkel.
I think we were in the pool once during our 8 days at the resort, and this was on the first day when we didn't know any better. But you really have to need to ever use the pool. Some of the villas even have their own infinity pool on the back patio, I didn't spring for one of those though.
After a quick swim and a long nap it was time to hit the restaurant and have some dinner. Here's a tip, walk with lots of strong sunblock.
