Excerpts from my Extraordinary Maldives Honeymoon

12th January 2020

Dear Diary, 

We finally decided on our honeymoon destination today! After days of scouring the internet and going through many many lists, the hubby and I realised that our first choice is definitely the best choice; the Maldives. The beautiful pictures of the Maldives with recommendations were plastered across different articles, and there wasn’t a single honeymoon destination list on the internet that didn’t have the Maldives on it, filled with rave reviews by happy couples who chose it for their honeymoon getaway. I wanted to make sure our honeymoon itinerary was filled with things that we both would enjoy, so I kept reading and going through hordes of pictures and videos for months and finally got this great idea. I am more of a spa and relaxation kinda girl, while hubby loves adventure and excursions. Our ideal honeymoon has to be a mix of both! 

We’ve decided to split our stay in the Maldives between a luxury resort, a liveaboard and a local island boutique hotel so we can both do the things that we love :)  

15th July 2021

Dear Diary, 

We made it to the Maldives today! The months of planning didn’t go to waste. The layover on our way here was a little tiring,  but the seaplane ride to our resort, oh my goodness! I have never seen so many shades of blue in my entire life!  Hubby had a great time snapping pictures too. 

Credits: wheretopeanut

16th July 2021

Dear Diary, 

This resort is incredible! We chose a 5-star hotel, with all the works for our stay but I wasn’t expecting quite this much We picked a water villa, with a private pool and butler service, and an itinerary filled with couples’ massages, dinners on a private sand-bank for just the two of us, snorkelling for me and diving for the hubby, a sunset dolphin cruise and as many massages and spa therapies as I can fit in! It is amazingly perfect and just what we needed after hectic months of planning a wedding. 

The best thing about our resort stay is the seclusion and privacy. It really makes the love grow fonder when you’re surrounded by such natural beauty paired with total isolation. I came to know that the Maldives has this one-island-one resort concept which is great in so many ways. Privacy, safety and so much more. The fact that we are so far away from everyone yet have everything we need at our disposal is the best. It really gave us time to be ourselves and take our romance to the next level ;) 

I love the fact that the resort went above and beyond to make our stay perfect. We are staying here for another  four days before moving to the next part of our honeymoon. 

19th July 2021 

Dear Diary, 

We just arrived at our liveaboard yesterday,operated near  a local island called Maafushi which has nice options of boutique hotels. We took the day yesterday snorkelling around the boat, sunbathing on the deck, and sipping delicious cocktails. In the evening, we went on a smaller boat to Maafushi Island where we joined the friendly locals  making barbeque from freshly-caught fish. It was my first time trying Maldivian cuisine, which, if I may add, was quite nice to try, and hubby seems to have gotten addicted to all the fresh seafood haha. He’s already lamenting about not being able to find quality ingredients like this when we go back home. 

What really blew me away, though, are the locals.  They are so kind and helpful, and so hospitable that we felt right at home. And you would think, being surrounded by people, especially strangers, would be a no-no during a honeymoon, but they are so respectful of our privacy yet always making sure we have all that we need. I can’t wait for the rest of our trip lazing on the liveaboard and spending more time on this island. 

20th July 2021

Dear Diary, 

Today was such a perfect day <3 While out on the island, we were offered the opportunity to do a perfect wedding photography session through local professionals operating from the island. They got me a beautiful Maldivian dress, called a libaas and a traditional Maldivian sarong for my husband. The libaas was red and had intricate golden lace and trimmings of sorts and it was beautiful. I was even more amazed at finding out that all of the delicate work was done by hand! 

Our pictures were so perfect, and the best memento of a perfect honeymoon. 

22nd July 2021 

Dear Diary, 

Today is the day we leave the Maldives :( Needless to say, when the time to get back to reality of the hustle and bustle of our city life knocked on our doors, we weren’t ready to say goodbye. I was a bit emotional to say goodbye to the Maldives and all the friendly faces: the staff from the resort, especially our butler, the friendly family who operated the boutique hotel and the staff from the liveaboard. This has been the kind of trip which makes you want to move to your vacation destination. The love, kindness and hospitality we received in the Maldives made our honeymoon so memorable.. 

There is something in the air in the Maldives, in the friendly faces, the love and care they give to their guests, that makes it the perfect choice for lovers or even family or friends. I think it’s about time we start planning our second honeymoon, and I already know exactly where we are going to go ;)

*Fictionalised retelling of real traveller experiences