Maldives: Living the dream at Olhuveli

Finally made it to Maldives- been dreaming about it for such a long time. Truly felt as if I am in paradise- crystal clear waters in different shades of blue, powdery soft sand, lots of sunshine and beautiful fishes at every corner! I chose to stay at the beautiful Olhuveli Beach and Spa Resort. It’s a 45 min speed boat ride away from Male; the ferry terminal is right in front of the airport. Sharing some of my favourite pictures from one of the best vacations ever!

How to get there: We took Scoot Airlines which takes about 4.5 hours to reach. It does not fly everyday though. Our resort provided a speed boat transfer from the airport. Make sure you carry USD for visa fee (on arrival) and tipping the hotel staff. Local currency is needed only if you want to shop/eat in Male but you can pretty much use USD there as well.

Which resort to choose: Depends on your budget- make sure you do a thorough research because you are practically stuck. Every resort is on its own island and that’s all you have for your stay- island hopping doesn’t make sense unless you have more than a week at hand. We stayed in an overwater villa because thats what makes a trip to Maldives truly spectacular.

I didn’t realize this prior to booking Olhuveli, but they have an amazing house reef and it was the most enjoyable part of the trip for me. We saw beautiful fishes, sting rays (all types- black, albinos, spotted), baby sharks right at our villa. This would definitely be a consideration for my next booking. We loved snorkeling so much, even rain did not deter us from doing it on our last day. We, thankfully, got back just in time before the sea got too rough. My husband somehow helped me get to the shore! (swimming against the current is so tough man).

Next question is whether you should take all inclusive package, half board or B&B. I went for B&B because we drink only occasionally and sometimes have only 2 meals while travelling. All inclusive is better when you are travelling in a bigger group/family and def more value for money with alcohol. The food at Olhuveli was quite good- we especially enjoyed the food at Plankton grill and Laguna restaurant. The breakfast buffet at Four Spices and dinner buffer at Sunset restaurant were nice as well with plethora of options.

What to do: Well, when in Maldives chilling is the main agenda right? So relax, unwind, enjoy sun, sand, sea and the lovely breeze. I personally loved snorkelling at the house reef (post breakfast activity everyday, horrible tan lines but totally worth it) and the sunset dolphin cruise was super amazing as well.