DID I MENTION that I went to the Maldives? Despite it being plastered all over my Instagram this week, there is a chance you missed my four night stint in paradise, but worry not! I am here with a rather large post to essentially confirm that, yes, what you’ve seen online is true, the Maldives is paradise on earth. I have never been anywhere like it, and I have spent an almighty seven hours scanning this film in the hope the photos will in some way do this place justice,.. but I honestly can’t say that they do. We were there for four nights in total, I am going to give as much of a run down of the island as I possibly can here, because I want you to know that I don’t take the fact I am recommending something so expensive lightly to you all - this is a once in a lifetime trip, and if any of you feel you might want to book this then I hope this will give you all the information you need. But the main thing I must say, that if I ever win the lottery, I would 100% book to come back here and spend my own money on a trip like this.
We were there with Ozen, who have a few resorts in the Maldives. The resorts are always an island, so depending on how good you are at switching off entirely, I wouldn’t recommend more than one week on any island for fear of going stir crazy (that’s just me though, I am eternally restless), but island hopping would be very feasible. We were at Ozen Madhoo, and it’s luxury from the get-go. You check in IN THE WATER!!! They set up a little check in desk, completely with fresh fruit, champagne and strawberries, and you sit with your feet in the sea. And they really do start as they mean to go on with this. From there we went to our villas, and choosing your villas will be the most difficult part of this. We had a Wind villa, the very typical Maldives image of wooden huts on stilts over the sea. We had ones with your own pool (the sea is so warm and calm I wouldn’t say that is essential), and they all have steps down to the sea. Details like little glass windows in the floors so you can look down into the clear sea, a shower with a floor to ceiling window facing the water, really allow the resort to constantly focus on what makes this place so amazing; the nature of the island itself. Which combined with a luxurious experience makes it unlike anywhere else I have been.
The other villas are their earth ones, which we briefly experienced before checking out. These have direct beach access - so your decision on this may be based on how you feel about sand, I say this because my Dad hated sand so I know which he would choose!! These are also available with pools, and their stand out feature was a fully outdoor bathroom. The shower was the most amazing shower I have ever experienced. Maybe one factor that would swing your decision here is if you like a relaxing bath on holiday (and you should make the most of it here, as they run one for you with more bubbles you’ve ever seen, complete with rose petals) - in the water villas you can have a relaxing bath in a air conditioned room, the land villas are all outdoor baths, and a hot bath in 30 degrees doesn’t seem quite as appealing.
So once you’ve picked your villa, the most stressful part of over - which says a lot for the relaxation levels. The resort is all inclusive for food and drink. Make the most of it with the cocktails, they were delicious, and my favourite meals were the beach BBQs and the Sri Lankan restaurant (there are a few different restaurants with different cuisines for you to choose from). There are the actives you can book, you get one spa treatment and one activity excursion included in your stay (all info here) and there are three I recommend you add into you stay.
Firstly, a spa treatment, definitely a massage. They have the aforementioned floor windows right below the head rest on the massage table so you can watch the fish go by while you relax. And the treatment menu on offer is pretty extensive. Also, snorkelling. I have NEVER snorkelled before, and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I could have spent hours and hours swimming in circles, seeing different fish on every rotation - it was just incredible. Similarly amazing to me, and also a first, was seeing dolphins. They offer a sunset dolphin cruise, and believe the sunset alone would be enough to make me go on this again, but seeing dolphins swim along so close to the boat was just something else.
All in all, this was the trip of a lifetime, and I cannot believe I have been able to experience this as part of my work. Thank you so much to Ozen for having us. And while I don’t think these photos do the experience justice, I hope in some ways you get a sense of what an amazing trip this was. I also created a video I love which you can watch here. We were also kitted out by Mulberry and their new sunglasses range (talk about adding insult to injury, paradise AND Mulberry, I am not sure how I coped). I have linked the styles I chose down at the bottom of this post along with all the other pieces I wore.
FAVOURTIE THINGS IN MY SUITCASE:
Realisation Par Dress, Uniqlo Black Linen Shirt, Dear Frances Slides, Levi’s Shorts, Mulberry Round Sunglasses, Peony Bikinis, Solid and Striped Bikini, Bec & Bridge Shorts, Everlane t-Shirts.
