[procrj]

"hark, now hear the sailors cry,
smell the sea, and feel the sky
let your soul & spirit fly"
- Van Morrison

While the sky owns the color blue, it’s the sea that filters it and gives it and makes it a mesmerizing turquoise. Turquoise - Well that is the closest word that I can use to describe this whole experience but what I will do is try and break it down into shades of understandable colors that I relate to



Bright blue & a grey tail
I spend a sleepless night in 2 airports dreaming about the warm embrace of gentle waters and sun kissed breeze






I step out of Male airport and watch the slow advance of grey pillows bearing the tears of the sky. The beach bum in my head, who was soaking in the sun till now, drags his flippers and walks back (think Fido Dido like character)




A Splash of green and a dab of blue
After a rainy and bumpy boat ride we get to our room and viola, the mistress smiles and welcomes the beach bum with a gentle smile

http://youtu.be/o8yPnNx7viQ

Slate grey skies & Thunderheads
This T-Log is all about running away. It’s not about running towards the embrace of the harsh mistress of the sea or about climbing the curvy road to mountain mists. It about running away from the concrete cells of indulgence (i.e home). It’s about switching off from everyday networks and letting your mind drift away. It’s about restless motion of the clouds, wind, waves, trees, birds, fish, crabs and your mind

http://youtu.be/5YoeTsihSP0

I realized that Timeless does not mean unchanged over time. For me it means having more time to do less and less. Like watching clouds paint the blue canvas of the sky and sea. All it takes is one dark cloud that threatens rain and the complete landscape changes. The wind begins to howl and the waves begin to crash onto the beach. Stinging drops of rain bite into your skin and you are left to wonder about the merciless beating that you are about to get.

http://youtu.be/WV8wVeoDkTA

[procrj]

Strong breeze & a lazy blue sea
Timelessness is about patience. Standing still and waiting for that blue & yellow fish to come near you. Trying to float in once place to get a better view of the slippery eel. It’s about hoping to spot that elusive turtle or the huge black reef shark! But sometimes all you get is little baby sharks swimming around in circles

http://youtu.be/lWLX0moaIXE

http://youtu.be/7YMxtOI1lgw

Blue green waters and silver linings
The art of cloud watching is the key to a happy holiday. The more I sit still and watch sunlight dance with the sea & sand, the happier I get. There is no art to this; it’s all science – the science of switching off your laptop & mobile!

http://youtu.be/cNvoqwn_l2o

http://youtu.be/bLhQ0694qAU

Summer glory & the Dhoni!
And sometimes the sea & wind conspire to hide away their restless nature and all you experience is this sense of serenity in all its glory. It’s like slowly sinking into this special place where everything is beautiful and all your worries fade away

http://youtu.be/8RFR7AldVSA

http://youtu.be/kiS4RUhX7nU

[procrj]

A Special Green
While the sun, sea and the sand enchant your senses, you still cannot ignore the other shades of green that surround you. Old trees, shrubs, flowering plants and Orchids try to capture your attention. All you need to do is walk away from the sands and enjoy the gentle rustling of leaves.











Turquoise Adieu
The sands of time have slipped by and one day you wake up & realize that you need to bid adieu. All that remains are fleeting glimpses of days bound together with the gentle thread of last impressions. Like castles of sand, the tides of time will gently unravel the strings and you will have no option but to come back and recapture the magic





Thanks for reading!

[procrj]

The more relevant details:

Resort name: Bandos Island Resort and Spa - Maldives

Pros
- Only 20 min speed boat ride from Male airport which means that you don't have to leave at ungodly hours to ensure that you catch your flight (Saying this because a lot of islands like Sun island etc are pretty far from the Airport and you need to take another sea plane to reach the resort, which adds to journey time)
- One of the larger island resorts with around 300+ rooms but still manages to give everyone a lot of privacy as every room has a stretch of pristine beach in front of it
- A lot less expensive than the other places + have deals with many agents hence you end up paying less for more (in my case it was +1 night free +free upgrade to half board + kid stays and eats free)
- Beautiful property and spotless maintenance
- Kid friendly and has a play area with swing n slides + some indoor games like a TT table & Xbox with Kinect
- House coral reef is pretty good and there is enough variety of fish and sharks for the snorkeling enthusiast
- Very good & tasty food spread. Vegetarians also have enough choices, which not true for a lot of resorts (again based on tripadvisor reviews)
- Courteous staff who are not very prone to ask for tips. You can tip those who help and they sure do look after you (saying this as a lot of reviews on tripadvisor go on about tipping and how important it is)
- Also has a very good fitness center though I never used it

Cons
- Alcohol and water is very expensive
- Life jackets are limited and hence its important to pick them up as soon as you land
- Diving & snorkeling equipment is extremely expensive. Better to pick up your own snorkeling gear

My 2 Cents
- If you plan to visit Maldives, then do it in the "off season" between May-Nov as all resorts provide packages and deals
- Its called the off season because of the monsoons which start in May and typically last June-July. Aug-Sep-Oct is a tricky period as you will have periods of rains mixed with sunshine
- Nov is the transition period to what they call "Summer" but there were days in Aug where it was blistering hot and all you wanted to do was laze around in the water

- If you are single and want to experience Maldives on a budget, I would suggest that you look at staying at local islands
- Local islands are places where natives of Maldives stay and they have B&B or small inns which are a lot less expensive
- I researched Maafushi and was seriously considering staying at Stingray beach Inn where the cost per day was as low as USD 135 per night for 3 persons on full board basis
- Only problem with local islands is that you get no alcohol and you cannot walk around in beachwear
- Plus the local islands tend to have a particular area of the island cordoned off as visitors beach where you can wear beachwear
- There are also other islands like Rasdhoo etc which have similar B&B but they are further away from the Airport

Points to note while planning for Maldives
- Ensure that transfer to & from the Airport is included in the package. Most important as in some cases the transfer cost charged by the resort can be as high as USD 750 for a return flight per person
- Ensure that your flight lands after 9 am or before 4 PM as most island/resort transfers close down by 4 pm and you will then need to spend a night @ Male in a hotel (not what you want as Male is supposed to be super crowded and dirty. Like Shivajinagar in Bangalore)
- Resorts provide only 500 ml of water per person per day. If you need more, you need to pay and a 1.5 ltr bottle of water costs USD 4.2 including all taxes (USD 3.5 + 8% GST + 10% Service Charge)
- Hence while packing make sure that you carry bottles of water especially if you traveling with Kids
- Snorkeling gear rental is expensive (USD 14 + 8% GST + 10% Service Charge per day). So make sure you visit decathlon and pick up gear and pack the same
- Based on a lot of reviews, feedback from people who traveled to multiple resorts and my own experience, Half Board is less expensive than Full board. - - Typically cost is USD 25 per head per meal where as most resorts have a cafe where you can grab a pizza/burger/fajita for about USD 12

If you need more info, please do PM and will be happy to help!

Mods: If you think that it will help to have a different thread for this, please do move this and the above posts. Added these here as I want to maintain a single thread for all my seaside journeys