Do you want to really get away from it all? The Maldives are the answer.
My other half had a business meeting in Dubai, and fancied relaxing on a paradise beach for a few days. And as this is more fun with two people, I went along too.
Flying Emirates Business Class
As we don’t often get the chance to get away without the children, we really indulged ourselves. Emirates Business Class to Dubai, and onward to the Maldives the next day. The flight was a party by itself! Glass of Veuve Clicquot after boarding, dinner a la carte, beautiful wine and unsurpassable service. Ginormous television and accompanying iPad to control all the functions on it. And this makes you very tired of course, but that’s no problem! Your chair turns into a wonderful bed in no time. Not tired yet? Well, then you can hang out at the bar at the back! Here they also serve the most wonderful wines and a stewardess comes by with snacks regularly. I wouldn’t have minded flying on, but alas, we had a meeting scheduled in Dubai. I’ll look back on this with great longing next time I’m flying economy.
Stopover in Dubai
We stayed at the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa. The hotel is truly wonderful. Attention is paid to every detail. From our Fountain Suite we had a great view of, indeed, the fountains. They are lit up like a fairy tale every night, and there’s a show every half hour from 6 pm. The fountains dance to the rhythm of the music, a real treat. It is the largest and most expensive fountain show on earth, and it shows. The Fountain Suite has a special television channel so you can hear the music while watching the fountain show through the window. It is even more beautiful from the 32nd floor than it is from the ground floor.
After a great evening in Dubai and a wonderful night in Armani Hotel, we flew to the Maldives the next day.
48 hours in the Maldives
Luxury hotels Maldives
.A speedboat brought us from Malé airport to Hotel Anantara Veli , one of the most luxury hotels on the Maldives, in 35 minutes. We could see the hotel from a long way away. A real pretty postcard picture. One main building on the main island, and a string of cabins on stilts over the ocean. We had reserved a room over the water. Wonderfully quiet and with an uninterrupted view over the turquoise water. Steps leading from the terrace lead straight into the warm water.
If you like snorkling or diving, this is heaven. The Maldives offer some of the best diving possibilities in the world.
The hotel consists of three separate parts, each on its own island.
- We were on Veli, the adults-only part.
- Dhigu is perfect for families,
- Naladhu is for the happy few (private villa with own pool and butler).
You can travel from one island to the other by boat, and you can visit the restaurants on the other islands. All restaurants serve fantastic food, but the Japanese show cooking restaurant 73 Degrees was absolutely fabulous. In the morning they served the most beautiful cappuccino ever.
The only drawback: As you can’t go anywhere else anyway, everything is extremely expensive.
But it has to be said: although the Maldives are beautiful, two days was enough for us. It is the perfect location to relax and rest, but that is also the only thing you can do. Hanging out in a hammock is heavenly, but we had enough after a day or so.
Have you been to the Maldives or similar islands? What's your opinion?
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