Honeymoon and crystal clear waters are the first two things that came to my mind when hearing about the Maldives. Back than we did not opt for the Maldives as our honeymoon destination because I thought it was kind of cheesy and also I was afraid that I will be bored on a tiny island. Boy was I wrong! After having seen many tropical islands like Bali, Phuket, Mauritius or Cuba I can tell that the Maldives was the most prettiest place I have ever seen. My idea about this place has completely changed and once again I learned first hand that you should always try everything by yourself before forming an opinion or judging.
So let me tell you a bit more about my trip and why I fell so in love with the Maldives.
As you may know the Maldives consist of 1000+ independent islands and most islands are host to one single resort. Our tiny island was called Fushifaru which is located in the North Male Atoll, to be more specific at Lhaviyani Atoll. To give you an idea, it is about 145km North of the capital city Male. To get there you will most probably first arrive at Male International Airport and then you will need to take a sea plane transfer, which will take about 40 minutes.
The incredible journey starts once you arrive at the terminal. A representative from Fushifaru Maldives will welcome you and you will be escorted to the check in counter of Trans Maldivian Airways, where you can check in for your sea plane flight. Then you take a 10 minute shuttle ride to the sea plane Terminal, where you can relax and wait for your flight. The hotel rep is with you all the time and makes sure you catch your plane. The views from the plane are INCREDIBLE! I am so happy to have chosen a resort that requires a sea plane transfer because there is no other place I can think of where I would have had this opportunity. Also the Indian Ocean can be quite rough and I do not fancy a 40 minute bumpy boat ride. The sea plane did not feel any different from a normal plane, no extra turbulence or inconvenience. It is just very loud so I recommend ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones.
After 40 minutes of stunning views over the different Atolls and resorts we touched down at Fushifaru Maldives. The hotel staff was already waiting to welcome us with drums and horn shell music and as we slowly walked towards the reception it hit me: We have arrived in paradise!
Check-in went smooth and quick and we where promptly escorted to our Beach Villa Sunset. The hotel consist of 49 villas in total, of which 5 are Water Villas. Other room types are Beach Villa Sunrise and Beach Villa Sunset, both with a private pool option. All beach villas are directly located at the beach and it takes you less then 20 steps to be in the ocean. Our room was very modern and spacious. The absolute highlight was the outdoor bathroom and bathtub. So relaxing! We also enjoyed our morning coffee on our private terrace with view on the ocean. Since the hotel is very new (Opened in October 2017) everything is brand new and modern.
After having changed we headed straight to the bar and pool area. The hotel has a stunning infinity pool and from 5:30pm there is Happy Hour at the bar. Perfect to watch the sunset and have some drinks. My favourite was the Fushifaru Mojito. Since I always prefer swimming in the sea we usually spent our afternoons around the pool area. We also enjoyed to hang around the bar after dinner. There are plenty options like pool billiard, kicker table and card games. There was also a movie night when we where there and on some nights there is live music.
My biggest fear before visiting was, what if the food is bad. Since you are stuck on a tiny island there is no other option and I really wished for good food. And luckily my wish came true. The hotel offers different meal plans: B&B, Half Board, Full Board or All Inclusive. We where on a FB plan which included Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner as well as some drinks during the meals. I strongly recommend to book at least Half Board because you will eat there anyways and it is definitely the smarter choice. If you drink a lot of alcohol I recommend booking All Inclusive, which has also additional perks such as free non motorised watersports and others. All meals are served at Korakali, the main restaurant of the hotel. I especially enjoyed Lunch and Dinner because the menu was always changing and it never got boring. Chef Kada was very attentive and always asked for feedback from customers and instantly brought suggestions to life. I also want to speak out a special thanks to Christine and Jalal who always where super friendly and made sure we are happy. There is also another A La Carte restaurant serving seafood which can be booked for extra charge (1 dinner included in All Inclusive). The breakfast was good but options where always the same so after a couple of days it was a bit boring.
So what else is there to do besides enjoying the ocean and good food?
If you are a hyperactive person like me you might struggle being on a small island with not much to do. That's what I thought always of the Maldives, I believe I would be bored. But turns out days went by super fast. Here are some other activities that can keep you busy at Fushifaru.
One afternoon we booked a picnic on the hotels very own private sandbank. We where transported by speedboat to the nearby island, which is just a small stretch of sand surrounded by turquoise waters. Our picnic was set up and the crew left to leave us two there. It was a true one in a lifetime experience and definitely the highlight of our trip. This is a must do when staying at Fushifaru!
When on vacation it's always a good idea to spoil yourself a bit. So I booked a 1-hour Balinese massage at the hotel spa. Everything was perfect and I felt super relaxed afterwards. I especially noticed that the spa personnel is very well trained and always paid very much attention to hygiene, which is not always the case in spas.
Other than that there are plenty of water sport options, a beach volley court and also a gym with a stunning ocean view. I usually don't work out when travelling but this gym really made me think about it. Never happened though :)
So overall I can really recommend Fushifaru Maldives. It is a perfect place if you are looking for pure relaxation and the perfect setting. To check out rates click here.
Hopefully I will be back in the future!
