The marvels of my home has always eluded me, despite the countless encounters I’ve had with confident destination promoters and ambassadors, who chant its virtues all over the globe. There was also a time when I had a rather misguided perspective that, if we kept ourselves away from these precious islands, we could protect them from the ravages of tourism. The very essence of the Maldives – its pureness, rareness and frailness. But now, it seems, I’ve too joined the ambassadorial chorus, having found the perfect islands to feed my appetite for low-impact travel. Don’t worry, it gets better!
Even an overcast sky couldn’t conceal the beauty of the vast, endless ocean from the views at the seaplane terminal at Velana International Airport. Seaplanes in different colors lined up along the quays like Matchbox cars with wings. Click click—for Instagram and Snapchat, another 15 minutes and we boarded our adorable airborne taxi. My mind reeled the moment we reached the cruising altitude: How many exact shades of blue can there be? How is it possible that these far-flung atolls, round specks topped with green and ringed with golden sands and ridges of reefs, could be in a single country? Our visitors will definitely have these, or possibly more questions floating around in their heads, a mere twenty minutes and our plane descended in the ocean somewhere in South Ari Atoll. Our seaplane taxied ahead for a few hundred meters towards a private pier and we arrived with a splash. I emerged to a salty, warm and gentle breeze and an even warmer welcome from the Marketing Coordinator Marie and her team at Diamonds Thudufushi, who transported me the brief five minute trip to the resort by a dhoni, a slow wooden boat.
My 007 moment – arriving by seaplane to the dreamy island of Diamonds Thudufushi.
Trying to visualize The Last Supper by the beach.
My eyes adjusted to the light as I was led down a wooden walkway, over the water to my accommodation for the night. As I opened the door of my beach bungalow, the cerulean waters of the Indian Ocean beckoned to me. I found something even more inviting – a veranda featuring armchairs, a table and sun loungers just on the beach outside my bungalow. There was also a large ceramic urn and label with water to wash your feet of sand before entering back into bungalow after walking on the beach.
Diamonds Thudufushi is an all-inclusive resort, and the room rates are inclusive of meals and beverages at on-site restaurants and bars.
I stepped outside, the water views just kept on going, way out over the Indian Ocean into uncertainty
Breakfast was too good with croissants, danishes, pancakes with salted caramel and banana.
First on the agenda for the day was an extraordinary culinary interview with one of JRE’s guest-chef Daniel Lehmann.
Next was an inspiring journey with the resorts Executive Chef Giacomo Gaspari about how he combines Mediterranean cuisine with oriental techniques and food science, resulting in refined dishes with influences ranging from Italy to Asia, via the Maldives, that do not lose sight of the value of simplicity. His creations are made of healthy and nourishing ingredients, which take their own inspiration from the ayurvedic philosophy’s precepts.
Chef Giacomo Gaspari is Mediterranean origin, but a Maldivian heart.
I decided to skip lunch and explore the island and the guest quarters — 31 Beach Bungalows, 16 Beach Junior Suites, 14 Water Villas, 7 Jacuzzi Water Villas and 2 Two-Bedroom Water Villas spread over 27 acres of lush vegetation fringed with beautiful beaches. To help guests fulfill their Maldivian dreams, the resort lets their guests choose, be it a Beach Bungalow by the shores of the island, amid lush tropical gardens, or a more epitome of Maldives-style accommodation at a Water Villa, suspended over the dazzling coral gardens. Two similar experiences with different charms: the bright Beach Bungalows, are more linear and practical in design, and are best suited for guests who prefer to stay by the ocean and be connected to nature; The “all white” Water Villas, are much more refined and suitable for guests searching for privacy. There is no TV or bulky furniture to clutter these two room categories, and instead of staying in their villas, guests are always out and about, firing up conversations with others, enjoying drinks by the beach, swimming or playing beach volleyball — all in all, treating themselves to a unique, beach holiday experience. The Beach Junior Suites are perched on the edge of the perfect white sands with endless blue of the ocean and deep canopy of stars at night, it also feature a separate lounge area, a cushioned daybed, outdoor showers and a sundeck with lounge chairs. However, the crowning glory at Diamonds Thudufushi are the 7 Jacuzzi Water Villas, gloriously spacious over-water villas with large sundecks with direct access to the lagoon and a private hydromassage jacuzzi tub. All rooms are equipped with a fully-stocked mini bar and a Nespresso machine, with every comfort, and tastefully furnished with inimitable Italian décor.
The Jacuzzi Water Villas feature a large private terrace with direct access to the sea and a private hydromassage jacuzzi tub.
I returned to my Beach Bungalow and stepped out into the warm afternoon with the intention of enjoying an espresso and stretching out on the daybed, but soon had my eyes glued to the ever-changing vista before me. I literally spent two hours gazing at the vast expanse of the ocean, and completely forgot about the rest of the world. I puffed a dozen cigarettes and had them discarded into an empty cigarette pack, I just couldn’t dispose them even in the ashtray that was provided to me at the veranda or toss it to the beach, as it is the single greatest source of ocean pollution. A little something I learnt from my visit to the Ulu Temburong National Park, Brunei and decided to carry it with me back to Malé. A moment later my phone beeped, it was an incoming text message, but to value the simple philosophy of “no new no shoes”, I didn’t bother reading it and decided to go and checkout the in-room facilities and bathroom.
There was a lovely bookshelf by the glass sliding doors that open to the veranda and the beach.
The bathroom had well stocked fresh towels, beach towels along with bathrobes.
Consistent with the modern / minimalist style, the bathroom was quite spacious and had two separate areas: one for the the toilet, bidet and a central area with twin sinks, and the other for outdoor open ceiling rain showers to bathe under the stars with stylishly rustic privacy walls made from rough coral stones and cement. There was also complementary shampoo, shower gel, body lotion, soap and cotton buds that gets replenished everyday.
I took off to the arrival jetty to watch the perfect day end with the most astonishing display from mother nature at sunset.
Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for, this was the highlight of the evening and my trip, an exquisite five-course gala dinner titled “Dining with the stars”, a culinary extravaganza by Planhotel Hospitality Group and Jeunes Restaurateuresn (JRE). Ever since 2015, each year from January through April, member chefs of the JRE travel to Planhotel group’s three resorts, Diamonds Athuruga and Diamonds Thudufushi in Maldives and Diamonds Star of the East in Zanzibar to demonstrate the use of local produce and a combination of creativity and skill to spoil their gourmands with a plethora of their own creations.
We were served a tantalizing dinner at the magnificent setting of Aqua Over Water Restaurant.
We kicked-off with the appetizer of Tuna poke with pomelo, gin and coriander crunch, and topped off with JRE’s chocolate creation.
My first gastronomy experience on the island almost on an empty stomach as a consequence for skipping lunch turned out to be an absolute pleasure and a memorable one. All the guests gave a loud applause of appreciation after been pampered with JRE’s “designer” dishes that truly defined a unique sensory experience. I sat right next to General Manager Thomas Weber who enlightened me during the course of the dinner about the resort’s commitment with various initiatives on sustainable tourism, aimed at preserving the beauty of the Maldives and its unique ecosystem, many of which involve the guests in order to increase in them the awareness of the fragility of the Maldivian ecosystem. Click here to read my review of the gala dinner on the Island Chief’s 24th volume (July 2018).
The Coral Conservation Project’s objective is to make the Maldives even more attractive and to help the future of coral reefs.
Sleeping soundly, and the sun waking me early, I watched the glistening strip of light from the rising sun imprinted on the rippling ocean with a shaded orange and swiftly advance to the shoreline, where it came to rest, illuminating a half dozen crabs who scurried to bury themselves in the sand to avoid detection. Only the gentle break of the waves beyond the house reef made a sound.
I weaved through the native palm trees to Maakana Restaurant for the buffet breakfast.
On my return from breakfast, I dove into the gentle waters of the lagoon hoping for a little snorkel adventure before I depart the island in the afternoon. I wade in and float, spotting one little reef tip shark and lots of corals. A lady with a grand bandanna drifts past, back and forth, quite resembles the young Queen Elizabeth, wearing sunglasses the size of dinner plates and heavy application of plum lipstick.
It’s always hard coming to the end of a trip, especially from a stay at a Maldives resort, and if you haven’t been to the Maldives yet, then it’s time you did yourself a favor and booked the next flight to paradise.
4 Comments
Maldives is bewitching. It’s like a beautiful maiden with a curse. Once you lay your eyes on it you can only have 2 choices from then onwards. Either you don’t leave the place or you would always come back to it.
True! I can imagine how lucky the islanders from the far-flung atolls are, they are much more happier and healthier than us, people living in Malé.
Lovely read Ijaz 🙂 There really is no place like home!
Totally! There is no place like home.