Underwater paradise: A scuba divers savours a school of Butterfly fish in the waters off the MaldivesBreaking through the clouds after a long overnight flight from London is the best possible introduction to the honeymoon republic of the Maldives.
On board the atmosphere shifts suddenly from sleepless and irritated to excitable as the plane cruises low over hundreds of tiny coral islands ringed with luminous turquoise waters, before touching down at Male's international airport, a man-made marvel that dwarves the natural islands around it.
It's something of a metaphor for this ultimate luxury destination: getting people on to remote, palm-fringed islands in total seclusion has become big business.
Travel to the Maldives has truly boomed in the past decade to the point that its resorts now set the standard for long-haul luxury beach holidays and are regular winners of international travel awards.
Outside on the lagoon at the airport, red Maldivian Air Taxi Twin Otter seaplanes line up like black cabs outside Paddington Station, ready to spirit new arrivals away to their resorts. Flown by their famous barefoot pilots and seating a maximum of 20 people, these 'air taxis' are the closest most of us will ever get to travelling in a private jet - you sometimes find yourself as the only passenger on board.
The ride is thrilling (provided you're not a nervous flyer, of course), not least the splash-landing in the lagoon of an island paradise that will be your home for the next week.
Jumping out of the plane, you're then delivered by traditional dhoni fishing boat to the island's dock where crisp linen-uniformed staff line up to welcome you bearing cold compresses for your brow and a welcome cocktail for your thirst. Welcome to the Maldives, where things are really rather lovely.
The luxury you experience in the Maldives is incomparableMade up of more than a thousand equatorial humps of sand poking their heads above the Indian Ocean, the Maldives are as strange and delicate as they are heavenly.
Famously at risk from rising sea levels (the islands' highest point is just 8ft above sea level), the Maldives have turned their geographic uniqueness into their main selling point and fashioned themselves into an unparalleled luxury destination by limiting development of each tiny coral island to just one resort and nothing else.
The local population, devoutly Muslim and teetotal, live entirely separately on so-called 'inhabited' islands, far from frolicking honeymooners.
The level of luxury in the Maldives is simply mind-boggling, with more and more international hotel chains opening up increasingly extravagant resorts, each with bigger rooms, more spacious private pools and more bespoke services than the last.
So while a holiday on a budget is just about possible (and a good option for divers), this is a great place to splash out on that once-in-a-lifetime experience, which explains the Maldives' popularity with newlyweds.
With about 100 resorts, all of which are entirely self-contained and run like little kingdoms, there's a huge amount of choice, although the main attractions - white sands, bath-temperature sea water and year-round heat - are the same.
At the top end of the market, the sky is the limit. Expect fleets of staff who somehow remain largely invisible during your stay, yet who all mysteriously appear to know your name if you do run into them during a stealth towel-changing or mini-bar refilling mission.
The really posh places even offer an 'island host', a personal butler whose job is catering solely to your needs.
Days in the Maldives are filled by an exhausting schedule of meals, poolside yoga, massage, sunbathing, snorkelling and swimming.
Fancy a dip? The infinity pool at the Four Seasons resort at Landa GiraavaruIn many ways a holiday here is anti-travel - there are no sights to see, no museums to visit and contact with the locals is so fleeting that the closest you'll come to real cultural interaction is comparing the behaviour of Russian, Chinese and Arab millionaires at the breakfast buffet.
This lack of cultural content is often the attraction; you can't feel guilty about not exploring the sights when there aren't any, so have another margarita by the pool instead.
For some, this confinement to a small island can get a bit much after a while, so day trips are a popular remedy - it's possible to visit a local island and chat to the villagers, or spend a day in Male, the world's most crowded capital city, a multi-coloured high-rise island that couldn't be further away in style from the coral islands that surround it.
Most holidaymakers, however, are happy whiling away the hours by the pool or on the beach, though, in a frantic race against time to get as brown and relaxed as possible before the return flight.
This is also one of the best places in the world to dive and snorkel - the crystalclear waters can give you vertigo when you look down into them from a boat, and the variety of marine life is incredible, with huge manta rays, whale sharks, green turtles and schools of dazzlingly kaleidoscopic fish populating the reefs.
The One & Only Reethi Rah resort is certainly one of Tom's top fiveWhat's even better is that none of the creatures you'll meet in the depths are dangerous - 'even our sharks are vegetarians,' observed my waiter with a grin one morning at breakfast on seeing my diving mask and fins.
After 30 years rule under the iron fist of President Maumoon Gayoom, democracy finally came to the Maldives in 2008, when a young democrat, Mohamed Nasheed, led the Maldivian Democratic Party into office.
Nasheed, a passionate environmentalist, has pledged to make the Maldives the world's first carbon-neutral country by 2020 and is determined to widen the Maldives' appeal by opening the country to independent travellers, meaning that for the first time visitors won't have to be limited to staying in resorts.
A public transport network connecting the country's 26 different atolls is also planned, no small feat given the large geographic spread and the economic backwardness of the islands.
The travel revolution that transformed the Maldives in the Nineties may be entering its next stage, but for now this pristine corner of the world remains a place to spoil yourself rotten.
Tom Masters' Top Five
SONEVA GILI: This fantasy eco-resort island boasts Swiss Family Robinson-style wooden villas, all built over the water and having direct access to the lagoon.
Everything except the bedroom is open to the elements, and you'll find no plastic or metal here - everything is made from natural fibres. A firm favourite with back-to-nature billionaires. www.sixsenses.com/soneva-gili
ONE & ONLY REETHI RAH:
Still the top dog of the Maldives resorts, Reethi Rah is all about grand style and attracts a glitzy, jet-set crowd for whom money is no object. On one of the biggest islands in the country, the resort is huge, with numerous different beaches and vast hacienda-style villas with private pools and plenty of privacy.
www.oneandonlyresorts.com
BANYAN TREE MADIVARU: The smaller of the two luxury Banyan Tree resorts in the Maldives, Madivaru is on the cutting edge of luxury, and features just six exquisite, tented villas, each a cluster of beautifully appointed canopies surrounding a private swimming pool.
The rooms boast handcrafted wooden furniture and each living area totals more than 2,700 sq ft. www.banyantree.com
DHONI ISLAND: It's hard to beat this place for exclusivity - you can only rent Dhoni Island in its entirety. This beautiful retreat accommodates a maximum of 12 guests (and employs a staff of 60 to ensure that their every need is met).
Accommodation is in villas, each of which comes with its own fully kitted out dhoni (traditional boat), on which you can also sleep. www.dhoni-island.com
FOUR SEASONS LANDAA GIRAAVARU: As you would expect, the Four Seasons flagship Maldivian resort, is nothing short of fabulous, with indecently enormous villas that combine local village influences with a minimalist concrete aesthetic.
Scattered about this large, thickly forested island, the villas come with huge private lap pools, outdoor lounge areas, direct beach access and a garden, giving you total seclusion. www.fourseasons.com/maldiveslg
source: dailymail
No comments:
Post a Comment