This morning we jumped in a 19 seater Maldivian Air Taxi seaplane for our 50 minute ride north to the private island where Roxy Resort and Spa is located (only 700 meters long by 250 meters wide island!). There are two commercial seaplane companies in the Maldives and we were on Maldivian Air Taxi. The companies are Canadian and Swedish owned – many of the pilots are from these countries. What a lifestyle! The pilot either barefoot or in flipflops.
After heading into the clouds from a quick ocean takeoff we found some clear skies and saw absolutely stunning “pearl” islands below us – pearl or onion shaped islands breaking up the deep blue waters with their sandy beaches, greenery and blue green water from the surrounding coral reefs. We quickly dropped from the sky and circled the island. It ran lengthwise with a number of water villas protruding from the white sandy beach. We were with a number of foreigners in the plane and despite the obvious language barriers there was no mistaking the sounds of amazement as we gently dropped onto the water.
We were met by a very welcoming staff including the general manager and after a refreshing drink quickly whisked away to our “aqua villa”. There are 50 villas on this small island of which 30 are spread out over water. We have a nice pool built into our deck and from the edge one walks a few steps down and is immersed in the aquamarine waters.
I’ve been wanting to visit Maldives but the price deters me. What is your best advise?
wow, this place was absolutely beautiful!
definitely one of the must-visit destination.
Sr Pablo – thanks for posting. In regards to your question – the Maldives are not really setup for budget accomodation unfortunately. However there are ways to keep your trip more affordable. The “off season” is a cheaper time to visit during the rainy season of April through approximately October. With that said, the Maldives stretches north to south for many kilometers and different parts of the country sees different rainfall totals. It may not rain every day and certainly not all day. From Asia there are a number of non stop flights (Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka).
Due to convenience there are quite a few resorts located within a fairly close proximity of the capital city Male. With the arrival of commercial seaplane services about 15-20 years ago the more expensive resorts are often located up to an hour sea plane ride from Male International Airport. If you just visit Male, there are a number of guesthouses on the island – but you really want to visit some of the other islands. Resorts often offer packages, maybe more so during the off season. Check Agoda.com for good prices at times.
Hope this helps 🙂