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| Snorkeling in crystal clear waters. |
The Maldives, famed for its crystalline waters and long tongues of white sand, lies peacefully at the center of the Indian Ocean.
There is so much to love about this intriguing country, and so much more to learn beyond the travel brochures. The archipelago peppers the seas south-west of Sri Lanka offering a blissful holiday destination if distance, solitude and luxury are your calling.
Resorts are purpose-built on otherwise deserted islands and wherever you are in this nation of beaches, the sea is ever-present – essential to this country's past and present, and a reminder of the fragility of its future.
A is for Atolls. The Maldives is really just a collection of thin coral spines serendipitous poking from the warm waters of the Indian Ocean forming this precarious island nation. There are about 1200 islands in the Maldives, but just 250 are inhabited.
B is for Before you go. Little serious preparation is needed before a trip to the Maldives, but do prepare for the worst and ensure your travel insurance covers the region including the cost of evacuation in the event of an emergency. The Maldives is a long way from home, in fact, a long way from anywhere (see also J and T).
C is for Children. The Maldives is an excellent place to take kids. The sea is warm and off many islands swimming is safe in reef-protected lagoons. Many of the resorts offer a wide range of activities for juniors including snorkeling, sailing and kayaking as well as pools and land-based activities. Relaxing as a family is easy.
D is for Diving. This part of the Indian Ocean is a famed international diving spot partly due to exceedingly clear warm waters and diverse marine life. All resorts offer dive facilities, while specialist operators also run trips. Manta rays, and whale sharks are easily spotted, while even a snorkel trip can result in getting close up and personal with spectacular marine life. The Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 hammered the coral reefs in this part of the world, resulting on widespread coral bleaching. Reports of recovery vary from those who claim the reefs have fully recovered to those who believe the impact on marine life endures.
E is for Equatorial. The Maldives' location on the equator means there is no bad time to visit. Temperatures deviate little from the high 20s to low 30s and the islands seldom go long periods without sunshine. That said, the months from May to November are in the monsoon season meaning the sunshine can be punctuated by sharp torrential rainstorms. The rains are beautiful in themselves and offer an excuse to retreat to your beach-side accommodation and listen to the rain on the roof.
F is for Foreign ownership. Should your island holiday spur ambitions of owning a small piece of island paradise, a quick rethink may be needed. Foreign ownership was completely prohibited until last year when the government passed a law allowing foreigners the chance to buy land if they invest a cool US$1 billion ($1.4b) or more and 70 per cent of the land used is reclaimed from the ocean.
G is for Global warming. With 80 per cent of the country's land less than 1 meter above sea level (the highest point is 2.4m above sea level), the nation has been forced to consider a future without any actual country. Ways to mitigate sea level rise range from seawalls and reclamation through to the possibility of relocation of the whole population to another nation. Talk to the locals and responses to the threat posed by sea level rise range from denial "it won't happen in my lifetime" to concern, "all countries need to work to prevent global warming". The country's first democratically elected president even suggested in 2009 using tourism levies to purchase land in either Sri Lanka, India or Australia to relocate the whole population when the seas claimed the land.
H is for Holidaymakers. More than 1.2 million tourists visited the Maldives last year .Though tourism was non-existent in the country until the 1970s and only boomed in the 1990s, it is now the country's biggest industry. Visitors from China make up the largest tourist group followed by Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and India.
I is for Islam. The state religion is Islam and the vast majority of the population is Muslim. However, unlike other Muslim nations, it is easy to miss the influence of religion while holidaying if you transfer straight to a resort island, where the pleasure-seeking culture of international resorts is culturally dominant.
J is for Jetlag. The Maldives is seven hours behind New Zealand which will mean you spend your first few days waking early and wanting to hit the Indian cotton sheets by early evening. But the beauty of island time is there are no rules and dozing beach side to beat the jet lag is totally legit (just don't forget the sunscreen).
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| An aerial view of Club Med. |
K is for Kani Club Med. French resort-veterans Club Med are among many international resort operators to have staked a claim in the Maldives. The company operates an extremely well-run resort on the island of Kani where the laid-back charm of the Maldives is at its best. Guests loll around under palm trees on white sand beaches, or participate in more vigorous activities including sailing, surfing and diving, punctuated by cocktails and meals of beautifully prepared fresh food. The Club Med charm is on full display on this beautiful island from sun-up to sun-down when the real partying begins.
L is for Luxury. There is no shortage of luxury available in resorts across the country. Among them are the Finolhu Villas, a stunningly beautiful five-star resort, designed by New York firm Yuji Yamazaki Architecture. The 52 villas, restaurant, gym and luxury spa on the island were completed last year and are entirely solar powered. Each villa has its own pool and is furnished with a calming and elegant Japanese-inspired interior – luxury that's hard to beat, and no kids under 12 allowed!
M is for Male. Strangely, the nation's capital is one of the most-densely populated cities in the world. The city is home to more than 150,000 people all packed into just over 5.8 square kilometers. Flights to the Maldives land at Male International Airport, a reasonably basic but adequate airport. From here jet boats and water taxis ferry holidaymakers to the islands at startling speeds.
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| Island time: Yachts at Club Med Kani in the Maldives. |
N is for Nuisances. Though the distance from New Zealand means a big trip to the Maldives, the islands are blessedly free of many other nuisances. Absent are the hassles of other beach destinations such as hawkers and aggressive currency traders and there are no dangerous animals though some marine life such as stingrays need to be respected. Lonely Planet advises healthcare in the country is good by regional standards and most resorts have an in-house doctor.
O is for On the way. The long-haul flight means a stopover on the way. Singapore Air flies from Auckland and Christchurch direct to Singapore and then on to Male. With your luggage checked all the way through, it is easy to take advantage of the layover. Changi Airport's three terminals offer excellent top-brand shopping and good food, or passengers with a longer layover can take advantage of the airport's city tours. The airport also has excellent transit hotels and a day bedroom can be booked for up to six hours sleep for less than US$100 – well worth it if you want to arrive at your destination refreshed.
P is for Population. The population of the Maldives is just 380,000 – around the same population of the Wellington or Canterbury regions. About half of the population live in the capital, Male.
Q is for Quality time. The Maldives are a popular honeymoon destination, but couples at every stage of their relationships can be found taking in the romance of the location. Even a British couple who made the trek to the island nation, while we were there, in a bid to repair their marriage, admitted they were happy to be navigating rocky marital ground so far from home.
R is for Rufiyaa. The Maldivian rufiyaa is the currency of the country, but chances are that if you are booking a resort holiday, US dollars will be the preferred currency.
S is for Sustainable. Putting aside the carbon footprint of your flight to the Maldives, the sustainability-minded will find much to love in the islands. Sophisticated solar and water-use schemes operate, partly through necessity, on many of the islands in a part of the globe blessed with hours and hours of free sunshine.
T is for Ten thousand, five hundred kilometers. The Maldives is more than 10,500 kilometers from New Zealand. This makes it a hike across the globe if choosing it as a holiday destination, but the outstanding beauty of the archipelago make the long journey worthwhile.
U is for Unplug. The Maldives are a long way from New Zealand and feel like it. Though there is good 3G coverage on many of the islands – the pure distance from home makes it easy to turn off your phone and forget the worries of the real world and just relax on island time.
V is for Visas. A 30-day free visa is issued on arrival for all nationalities, provided you possess a passport with at least six-months validity and have a ticket to continue a journey out of the Maldives. You also need either funds to cover your stay or confirmation of a reservation at a resort or hotel.
W is for Wellness. A holiday in the Maldives is a chance to focus on wellbeing. Most resorts offer massage and wellness treatments, while fitness is easy to achieve with time on your hands. A mixture of regular swims, yoga, zumba and gym workouts are possible in the bigger resorts and whether you want to up the adrenaline or blob out with a book, it's easy to set the right pace for your holiday.
X is for X marks the spot. This is the spot you can claim for yourself in this dreamy island nation. There is no shortage of beach and restricted numbers at each resort (based on maximum occupancies) mean it is easy to find a spot all to yourself, whether you want a quiet piece of beach to read a book, a spot at the bar for a cool mint majito you can find some real uninterrupted bliss in this quiet nation encircled by the seas.
Y is for Yoga. Whether you are a yoga expert or trying new things on holiday, there is something truly magical about yoga on the beach while gazing over the Indian Ocean. Many of the Maldivian resorts offer yoga classes with instructors from around the world.
Z is for Zumba. Club Med Kani is among the resorts offering daily fitness classes. While the thought of a poolside Zumba class in front of strangers can be a little daunting, there is nothing like a bunch of bikini-clad French women of all shapes cutting Latin moves to liberate the mind and get the hips moving to a Zumba beat. Holidaying is all about trying new things after all.
