Honeymoon ... that very one word exudes elements of love, romance, affection and all the other sweet nothings you could possibly think off. Usually a once in a lifetime experience where newlyweds truly celebrate their union as man and wife ... away from the bustles of wedding planning and preparation, away from meddlesome relatives, away from stress at work and colleagues ... very simply ... away from the rest of the world.
So two days after our wedding, we took a cab to the KL International Airport and checked-in at the MAS counter for our flight to Male, Maldives. Neither one of us have been to the Maldives before, so you can say we were both pretty excited. We had some time for dinner and we binged at McDonalds. We previously dieted before the wedding but that has obviously gone out of the window now. :)
It was a full flight indeed with most of the passengers bound for Colombo after the transit at Male. Thankfully it was on schedule and we were beaming as the plane soared through the sky, flying us to our li'll piece of heaven on earth.
3 hours and 40 minutes later, we touched down and was taken aback by the condition of the Maldivian airport. For one, it's really tiny and it was also in rather poor condition. Since the camera we brought along ran out of power, SY was sourcing high and low for an electrical point to briefly charge the batteries while I waited for our luggages to arrive. She finally found one and were soon happily snapping away, not wanting to miss any part of our dream honeymoon.
After checking out of the airport, we were immediately greeted very warmly indeed by our agent (Atoll Paradise) and hotel resorts' (Baros) reps. Previous online reviews sang marvellous praises especially about the service rendered and we weren't dissapointed one tiny bit. They took care of our belongings and ushered us to the speedboat. Boat services run on a 24 hours cycle here. Cold towels were waiting at hand and throughout the 20 minute boatride to the island resort, we sipped on fresh juices under the watch of millions of twinkling stars as we were chatted and briefed with the wonders of the Maldivian islands.
Arriving at our destination, Baros Resort, front desk staffs literally greeted us at the jetty and walked us to the very zen-like reception. Soft lightings and the ocean breeze provided the perfect amorous ambience to start off our getaway. Whislt we were being registered, more cold towels were handed out as we were served a choice of iced ginger tea and a cocktail of mango juice with sparkling white wine. Tucked at one corner of the reception is the SLH plaque signifying that this 20 year old resort is a proud member of the ever distinguished Small Luxury Hotel group. Almost the entire place was refurbished some 3 to 4 years ago, so it looks spanking new ... much to our delight of course.
Tae, our petite Japanese concierge escorted us to our water villa and it took us a good 10 minutes to get there. It was worth the walk though as our villa, suspended by stilts above crystal clear waters looked every inch its beauty as pictured on the internet. Tae took us through a tour of our room, explaining where all the amenities are. Our four poster king sized bed occupied the center of the room majestically and it faces the open aired balcony, blessing us with a most picturisque view of the blue blue sea. There's also a plasma attached with a dvd player and also an Ipod ready port. I plugged in mine and we were soon adoringly serenaded by our favourite melodies. A bento box of cold sandwiches and a bottle of champagne on ice stood waiting and pralines served in a tiny coconut shell added a nice touch to the entire setting. All toiletries are from Acca Kappa and it is obvious, a lot of tropical influence were intended. An aromatherapy candle was placed most invitingly beside the jaccuzy bathtub for two. :)
At the balcony, two sunbathing chairs, a breakfast table and a daybed were placed for couples to either bask under the sun or simply to lazily enjoy moments of star gazing at night. Note that the villas were designed taking into account privacy as top priority. We couldn't see our neighbours and vice versa. So you do the math. :p
The bed and its plush pillows were so so so comfortable that we both slept through the night like babies. I guess we were also a bit tired out from all that travelling. The next morning, we hungrily made our way to the Lime Restaurant for our buffet breakfast and the intercontinental spread was divine. From an asortment of muffins to freshly baked croissants, asian noodles to miso soups, crunchy cereals to no less that 10 kinds of juices, salty pork bacons to juicy chicken sausages, waffles with maple syrup, crispy salads to fluffy breads ... you name it, they have it. Oh and not forgetting a chef-in-waiting to prepare your favourite kind of eggs and another to slice up a wide variety of fresh tropical fruits.
After breakfast, we went back to our villa and spent a few good hours catching up on our dvds. Very relaxing compared to the previous days running up to the wedding where everything was just so rushed and hectic. There's also a dvd library at the resort and rental is at no charge. We explored the rest of the resort and found the marine dive center, the gym, a games room, IT center, boutique the other two restaurants etc. Strolling round the entire island will take one approx. 15 minutes or so and we simply couldn't resist ooh-ing and ahh-ing over and over again at the panaromic view of the sapphire ocean. Even spotted a baby black tipped shark snooping inquisitively near the dive center. Way cool ...
I guess that's all for now, so stay tuned for more k ... :)
