Diffushi; Maldives

The Maldives. Wow.

There was an initial kerfuffle on arrival: I’d thrice asked the hotel for boat transfers between the island the airport is on, and the one where our hotel was. Whether those emails were received and/or ignored will remain a mystery, but what I do know is Ben, Clare and I spent a decent 6 hours lugging our backpacks around Male, sweating our tits off and relying on the kindness of strangers who compensated for the lack of signs/maps/information kiosks and directed us towards the boat we needed. 

We were not happy campers on arrival, and even less so when we discovered the hotel website photos had been taken by an extremely talented photographer, our triple room contained one bed, and the highly anticipated hotel spa was actually at another hotel. We thought we got fair compensation when we negotiated free drinks (we had already paid for full board) for our whole stay plus a free snorkelling trip, but it then transpired that the hotel didn’t have a licence to serve alcohol and the snorkelling trip was included anyway.

Waking up the next morning after an early night, we were all in better moods. We went snorkelling about 3km from the coast of Dhiffushi and all the hyperbolic cliches are about to get rolled out. Going underwater was like entering a different, magical, world. The only sounds I could hear were my breathing and heart beat which gave me far greater focus on what I could see - which was stunning. The flora and fauna of the reef were vibrantly coloured, and the fish weaving around it were equally vivid and beautiful. I spotted several turtles, and got close enough to one to stroke it. It was amazing, and something which should be added to your bucket list.

I spent the next couple of days lazing on the hotels private beach, reading, writing and doing not much else. On our last evening we went to a local spot where stingrays and baby sharks are known to go to in the evening to feed, and paddled with them in the sea.

All in all, I loved the Maldives and I’ve never been anywhere which comes close to rivalling it’s natural beauty, but 3 nights was enough. I’d no longer feel jealous of anyone who told me about their upcoming two-week honeymoon in the Maldives because, unless you’re a ‘beach holiday’ fanatic, there’s nothing to do except... nothing. Maybe that’s part of the appeal for some, but I was getting a bit bored (and burnt) by the end of it. 

That’s my latest adventure brought to a close. Next stop: Malta.

Love Emily x