Mesmerised by the magnificent Maldives: Dreaming away a week at Velassaru
http://jattravel.blogspot.com/2013/10/mesmerised-by-magnificent-maldives.html
The ocean lolls around me. It is a glorious sunset.
I slip further into the infinity pool, balancing a glass of champagne. Suddenly, George Clooney appears in a loosely-tied robe. He tops up my glass and charges my spirits.
Yes, we’re in fantasy land but, then, this is the Maldives.
Specifically, this is the tiny Maldivian island of Velassaru, set in the South Male Atoll, a 25 minute speedboat ride from the capital, Male. It is a beautifully sculpted speck in the middle of the Indian Ocean: sugary sands, few people, clacking palm trees, clear waters.
When our speedboat delivers us to our water villa - a spacious thatched cottage set on stilts - we drop our cases, discard our flip-flops and walk straight out to the beach. We don’t put on shoes until it’s time to go home ten days later. After all, even the island’s six restaurants are on sand.
Velassaru is a five-star resort with a relaxed approach. And with 129 rooms - from the swish water suite set over water with a private plunge pool and personal butler, to the beach villas right on the sand - it never feels too crowded.
But after that first beach trip, we confront the question of what to do next?
There are plenty of options:
water sports, a PADI-certified deep-sea diving school, snorkelling,
tennis, a yoga pavilion, marine discovery centre, big game fishing,
snorkelling, kneeboarding, a fitness centre with trainer. All tempting
in their way but we decide to spend the remainder of the holiday
perfectly horizontal.
Our time drifts past in a lazy haze, either floating in the sea or flopping on a lounger. Entertainment comes from watching our fellow holiday-makers squeeze themselves into scuba suits and we observe countless wedding ceremonies on the beach. A busy day is comprised of deciding whether to take one fruit skewer or two from the nice man who delivers them from lounger to lounger.
But Velassaru is not boring. Even for diving refuseniks like us, the sea provides endless fascination.
Tropical fish are our constant companions, following us from our bedroom door, along the water walkway, to the shore. We spend hours gazing at their infinite colours, from silvery dart-like specemins to electric purple beauties. Then there are the baby basking sharks which come right up to the water’s edge.
Velassaru also has lush natural
gardens. You can wander around the whole island in under half an hour -
so a few laps are needed to prepare for dinner.
The Mediterranean seafood restaurant is our favourite, but we are also taken by the Japanese eatery on stilts in the lagoon, where the chef attracts a rapt audience every night.
If romance isn’t on your agenda - don’t worry. Families with small children and large groups makes for a good mix. As a single American woman says loudly to her friend on our sunset boat cruise: ‘Thank gawd there’s not too many smooching couples.’
But if you are feeling the love, Velassaru is the place for some gentle re-kindling.
The luxurious spa has eight overwater treatment rooms - all with the option of simultaneous treatments, so you can be privately pummelled and calmed together, with the seascape stretching out before you. And if you are really stoking the flames, then a private five-course satay barbecue dinner, set on the ocean’s edge might do the trick.
We spend our last night on surprisingly comfortable chairs carved into the sand, at a sand table lit by candles. We even have the chef to ourselves.
And after eating the Nasi Goreng Fried Rice - under millions of Maldivian stars - I nearly fall for him too. It is the most perfect end to the most ridiculously perfect holiday.
I slip further into the infinity pool, balancing a glass of champagne. Suddenly, George Clooney appears in a loosely-tied robe. He tops up my glass and charges my spirits.
Yes, we’re in fantasy land but, then, this is the Maldives.
Let the Maldives entertain you: a sunset cruise on the beautiful waters
Specifically, this is the tiny Maldivian island of Velassaru, set in the South Male Atoll, a 25 minute speedboat ride from the capital, Male. It is a beautifully sculpted speck in the middle of the Indian Ocean: sugary sands, few people, clacking palm trees, clear waters.
When our speedboat delivers us to our water villa - a spacious thatched cottage set on stilts - we drop our cases, discard our flip-flops and walk straight out to the beach. We don’t put on shoes until it’s time to go home ten days later. After all, even the island’s six restaurants are on sand.
Velassaru is a five-star resort with a relaxed approach. And with 129 rooms - from the swish water suite set over water with a private plunge pool and personal butler, to the beach villas right on the sand - it never feels too crowded.
But after that first beach trip, we confront the question of what to do next?
Bar with a view: There is time to lavish on a cocktail by the sea at Velassaru
Our time drifts past in a lazy haze, either floating in the sea or flopping on a lounger. Entertainment comes from watching our fellow holiday-makers squeeze themselves into scuba suits and we observe countless wedding ceremonies on the beach. A busy day is comprised of deciding whether to take one fruit skewer or two from the nice man who delivers them from lounger to lounger.
But Velassaru is not boring. Even for diving refuseniks like us, the sea provides endless fascination.
Tropical fish are our constant companions, following us from our bedroom door, along the water walkway, to the shore. We spend hours gazing at their infinite colours, from silvery dart-like specemins to electric purple beauties. Then there are the baby basking sharks which come right up to the water’s edge.
Speedboat to paradise: An aerial view of Velassaru
The Mediterranean seafood restaurant is our favourite, but we are also taken by the Japanese eatery on stilts in the lagoon, where the chef attracts a rapt audience every night.
If romance isn’t on your agenda - don’t worry. Families with small children and large groups makes for a good mix. As a single American woman says loudly to her friend on our sunset boat cruise: ‘Thank gawd there’s not too many smooching couples.’
But if you are feeling the love, Velassaru is the place for some gentle re-kindling.
Maldivian comfort: A bedroom in a deluxe bungalow at the luxury resort
The luxurious spa has eight overwater treatment rooms - all with the option of simultaneous treatments, so you can be privately pummelled and calmed together, with the seascape stretching out before you. And if you are really stoking the flames, then a private five-course satay barbecue dinner, set on the ocean’s edge might do the trick.
We spend our last night on surprisingly comfortable chairs carved into the sand, at a sand table lit by candles. We even have the chef to ourselves.
And after eating the Nasi Goreng Fried Rice - under millions of Maldivian stars - I nearly fall for him too. It is the most perfect end to the most ridiculously perfect holiday.
