Travel Diary - Maldives!

December 11, 2014

Strolling by the blue-green waters with your sweetheart, sipping on a drink and dipping your feet in the cool, choppy waves that tickle your feet. Sounds like a dream buoyed by a lofty price tag doesn't it? But what if it wasn't. What if you were told that you can have all of this picture-book paradise and wonder of all wonders, see it to a budget as well?

Maldives, one of the loveliest holiday destinations known for its milling tourists year round is this perfect honeymoon escapade. Economic in its cause, many affordable guesthouses and airways like Air India are now queuing up to offer competitive packages for those besotted couples looking for an escape. So pack in your brightest scarves and swimming trunks, because you needn't cut corners on this voyage.

The capital city Male is the central hub of all the surrounding islands that you can explore by taking ferry boats. Maldives being thronged by tourists offers a number of cozy guesthouses at affordable prices besides the luxurious trimmings of costlier hotels and suites. If you want a more personalized touch, you could hunt for a Bread & Breakfast place online on websites like airbnb.com and find the perfect little house or cottage that you have envisioned your stay in. Don't be stalled, you might just have dizzyingly many options to choose from.

The morning sun-rise is one of the most distinct beauties of this exquisite archipelago. Standing on the wooden decks, you can enjoy a 5 am sunrise even on the monsoon-laden months of August-September. Calm, peaceful waters that stretch beyond sight also make for the best morning views as many cabins and resorts offer an isolated sea-view with all the privacy one could ask for. Carry your best cameras as you'll want to remember every inch of it.

Although drinking outside is forbidden, the hotel bars are quite elaborately decked. Many resorts even pamper you with a complimentary drink along with a luxurious breakfast spread. While chilling in the golden sands might be the idea of a perfect vacation for some, for those of you adventure-hoppers comes a pleasant respite in the form of Maldives. The reefs are perfect for diving and the waters are ambient for snorkelling. You can pre-book these excursions or book it while at the island, but the scuba-diving is one that you just cannot give a miss. The safari boat is also another hop-on experience, you can first hand explore many of the islands in the Maldives cluster. Swimming with manta rays and whale sharks are an absolute pleasure found exclusively only in Maldives.

Artfully lain coffee houses and cafes also litter the bay area which makes for great relaxing spots. Although gratifying wider palates offering many international cuisines, Maldives houses its own culinary specialties. Fish and rice makes the heart of Maldivian cuisine so don't forget to try their scented curries and tuna. In the evenings, snacks are aplenty sided best with some exotic drinks like Sai (Maldivian tea) and Raa (fermented palm tree toddy) both of which are indigenous to this island nation.

Although the dress code comes as a bit of a pinch, most tourists don't feel it at all. Jeans and tshirt are all that you'd want to wear in the adventure around the islands. And once you get on an adventure boat, it's quite alright to just slip into your bikini tops and shorts. Besides, it isn't for nothing that people call Maldives touched by the gods. With all these marvellous sights and sounds and more pampering than one could ask for, you can't help but be thoroughly blissed out!