This was my bucket-list travel destination and we feel so lucky we got to visit here! We get so many questions about what the island was like and how long the travel is to reach this country. Once you get there though, it is a dream! We absolutely loved Maldives! The seaplane journey to our private island was CAPTIVATING. It is paradise without a doubt. Would we go back? I hope to, but the travel day took over 32 hours.

THE JOURNEY

We started in Austin of course. We flew from Austin to Boston, then Boston to Dubai. In Dubai we enjoyed the Emirates business lounge for 8 hours-free food, alcohol and a shower! This is a must if you’re in the Dubai airport! You can even pay to access the lounge if you don’t have access from your boarding pass. Then from Dubai to Male (capital of Maldives). And THEN a private sea plane from Male to our hotel, Vakkaru. Luckily out hotel had a private hangar and lounge that we waited in for our seaplane to arrive. The luggage I use to travel is the Away suit case, it can fit so much into a tiny carry on! I always bring my big Long Champ bag too because it can fit so much. I’ve linked it here for you! Once we got on the seaplane, that took about 45 minutes until we reached Vakkaru. The Maldives are made up of thousands of tiny islands and you either have to take a sea plane or speedboat (if your island is close enough to the capital Male) to reach your hotel.

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed at on Vakkaru. Each island is entirely owned by one hotel. That means you are only visiting the island that your hotel is on and there’s nothing else on your island but your hotel. We highly recommend Vakkaru resort and spa because it was newly built and the service was superb, we even had a private butler. The resort had 5 different restaurants, a tennis court, spa, house reef to snorkel on, pool, bikes and a kids club. More on that in a bit! Other places to stay that I’ve heard were nice is the St Regis Maldives (Marriott property so you could use points for this and get your 5th night free if you book four nights), Four seasons Maldives, Hyatt Regency Maldives (could also use points for this and free night certificate if you have one), Conrad Maldives (Hilton property, could use points). We chose Vakkaru because we wanted an authentic Maldivian experience and it was highly rated. Our room was an over water villa with sunrise views. It had a gorgeous patio with stairs leading into the sea.

FOOD

The food was delicious! Our favorite meal was definitely breakfast. You pick your table right on the sand and then head into the buffet room. Each morning a massive breakfast buffet was served accompanied by every type of tropical fruit you can think of. There were endless pastries, made to order eggs, and fresh juices. Every morning I ordered a decaf cappuccino and watermelon juice. Dinners were fun too because on themed nights the restaurant decorated- one night they even had a fishing boat filled of sushi platters. The fresh fish was endless! At each meal there was also some sort of Maldivian dish.

ACTIVITIES

Snorkeling- We snorkeled with turtles on the turtle discovery excursion. The dive team goes above and beyond at Vakkaru. They really customize the tour to you, whatever you want, they make happen. They are all so knowledgable and take you to local hidden spots. I loved that the Maldives have endless snorkel spots. Because there are so many snorkel spots, there will not be another dive boat near you. We also snorkeled straight off our overwater bungalow and saw tons of colorful fish. If you don’t want to splurge for an excursion this was the way to do it! I always bring myself a little float from home which I highly recommend! If you’re scared of fish like me, you’ll be so happy you have it! I just buy a cheap one because they fold up small and after I’m done with it I donate it to a kid at the resort. The dive shop made sure to give us loaner snorkels, fins, and masks to borrow during our stay. We brought our own because you never know just who last used that borrowed snorkel. I like and recommend this one because it gives you a clear view of the reef. If you go to Maldives during whale shark or manta ray season, the dive masters can take you to see them too.

Spa- Their spa was really nice. The treatment room itself had windows on the floor so you could see the ocean below you. For me, the facilities were pretty basic but expected for a spa on an overwater hut. The bathroom was pretty simple, and the steam room was out of order due to covid restrictions. The outdoor relaxation pool was to die for though! The spa hut is located at the very furthest point from the island, so views out into the sea are incredible. On a sunny day, every shade of turquoise exists in the water.

Wine tasting- Apparently this is the biggest wine cellar in the ocean? We did a private wine tasting session in this beautiful wine cellar. Can you believe this exists in the middle of the ocean? They pride themselves of owning some unique and rare wines that I can’t remember due to all the Tattinger champagne we drank.

Cocktail Class- We met the most awesome bar tender at the pool who insisted we take a cocktail class with. So naturally, we did! It was so fun shaking up tropical drinks poolside.

Other activities around the island were bikes, tennis and the pool. We loved riding our bikes to meals and activities. Our room had bikes waiting for us out front, but there was always the option to call our butler for a quick golfcart ride anywhere we wanted. We played tennis a few mornings but opted for sunrise yoga most of the time. Lounging by the pool and beach was our top favorite thing to do on this trip! You can tell, we’re professionals. Before we knew it, it was time to board the seaplane for our journey home.