I’m literally just landed home from the Maldives and I have to say it was genuinely the most incredible place I’ve ever been. Paradise is the only word for it.
As you saw from mylast blog we visited two different islands and resorts in the 6 days we spent there. 3 days at Finolhu and 3 days at Amilla Fushi.
Finolhu was amazing, it was fun, cool and young, and Amilla was equally amazing but it was more calm, relaxed and private. Together I think they were the perfect combination – we got to have our fun in Finolhu and then were ready to unwind and chill out by the time we got to Amilla.
Where we stayed:
As soon as we arrived on Amilla Fushi I knew we were going to love it. I had heard so many good things about it before travelling, and the photos I had screenshotted online were just stunning. Instagram heaven haha!
In our over-water villa at Amilla we had a pool, which was so exciting. We are like two big kids, and sun worshippers the two of us. So we were both very excited to just laze by the pool, relax and take it all in. The rooms were so spacious, like literally the most spacious and well decorated rooms I’ve ever stayed in. I could have lived there for a month, if not longer.
We were assigned a Katheeb on arrival, Regina – who was basically our host start to finish she made sure we had everything we needed, told us about different excursions (I need to do the turtle one next time) and was always at the other end of the phone if we ever needed a lift anywhere.
Although at this resort each villa has their own bikes (labelled with your villa number so you don’t have to worry about them going missing) so we were happy to cycle everywhere and get to know the island that way.
Where we ate:
For breakfast each morning we ate at Fresh, where you can help yourself to the buffet as well as ordering something from the menu.
We had lunch at the Bazaar bar, Joe’s Pizza and Bodyism Café. The Bazaar bar is casual bar dining, with everything from salmon and veg to burgers and chips. Joe’s pizza is delicious – lots of choice and probably the best value if you don’t have an all inclusive package. Bodyism is a healthy café located right beside the spa and gym – a good option if you just want a light lunch.
We had dinner at Feeling Koi on our first night – they were serving the Baa Atoll Festival menu which was so delicious. This is a set menu (set meals and set price) that allows you to get a good, varied taste of nearly everything on the menu. I finally got to eat some sushi so I was delighted with that. We also went upstairs in the restaurant where there is a 1OAK bar – they do fab cocktails and it’s a lovely spot for watching sunset.
The second night we ate at Barola Grill – the beach front restaurant. We got steak and duck and enjoyed our dinner while watching the sunset.
On the last night we decided we both wanted something yum – so we went for burgers and chips in Barola Grill.
What we did:
I decided to go to the Wellness Treehouse on the resort to do a light bit of exercise (or so I thought). I don’t do a lot of Yoga so I actually found it quite tough although the view definitely made that a bit easier.
– Snorkelling on the beach
Amilla is known for it’s amazing snorkelling and from the second we arrived on the island we could see lots of people out exploring the waters. Like in Finolhu, renting snorkelling equipment is free which is amazing. On our last day we decided to go behind the spa to the beach (one of the best spots we had been told) to try out some snorkelling. We thought it would be a great idea to put my phone into it’s waterproof case and get some photos of the fishes and turtles – however 5 minutes in we realised my phone had fallen out of his pocket and we spent the next 15 searching for it on the sea floor. Luckily we found it but I said I’d take it as a sign to get out of the water after that haha!
– Massage at the Javvu Spa
The Javvu Spa is a must if you are visiting Amilla Fushi – it’s just incredible. It’s so beautiful and relaxing and we both found the treatments brilliant.
– Celebrated Maldivian Independence day over some drinks and Maldivian canapes on the beach.
We were very lucky to be there for Maldivian Independence Day this year – it was so cool. They had Maldivian music, food and drinks and everyone was just so excited and happy.
– Lots of relaxing, swimming and laying in the sun.
Isn’t that what the Maldives is about after all?
If we had more time I definitely would have done another excursion. They have one out to see sea turtles and Manta rays and I would have love to have seen those. Next time we will just have to come for longer!
My opinion of the Maldives in general:
Absolute heaven, total bliss. I can see now why it has become such a popular destination in the last while, and I can see why people travel from far and wide to go there. It’s just out of this world.
It’s so safe, relaxing, remote, private and romantic. Despite it being rainy season we were blessed with beautiful weather every day (bar our first day when there was a storm but it was actually really funny and exciting at the time).
I can totally understand why people would want to go there on their honeymoon – it’s the most romantic place I’ve ever been.
Cost-wise it definitely is not cheap. My advice would be to shop around – check out different websites, booking agents and the hotel websites themselves (we booked directly on the hotel website). I would recommend getting at least a half board, if not full board package while you are there, as meals can be pricey. They also have drink packages I believe however we didn’t get one of those. Flights we found didn’t vary too much in price – I had been watching them for weeks and they stayed in and around the same (but that could be beacause we travelled during their rainy season – see more info about that in my last blog). I used skyscanner to keep an eye and compare flight prices and then booked directly with Emirates on their website. The seaplanes between Male (where the airport is) and your island resort are an additional charge – you can get boats as well so just to factor in that cost as well before booking. There is no schedule online for the seaplanes – they usually don’t know exact times until the day before but as long as you let your hotel know they will able to organise this for you.
Now I’m home again, back with my little dog Cooper and ready to get stuck back in to workJ
Let’s hope the jetlag goes quick haha!
I hope you found this blog helpful and don’t be afraid to drop me a message if you have any more questions,
Louise x
