Lady in the Maldives
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
A few years ago I was at William Stout Architectural Books in San Francisco when I came across a book about hotels in exotic locales. Flipping through the glossy paradise-filled pages, I came across one that particularly struck me. It had a photo of white sand beaches, crystal clear water, gorgeous tropical fish, and amazing over-water bungalows. I was sold. Now where exactly was this?
The Maldives. Admittedly, at that point in my life I had never heard of the Maldives, and I certainly couldn't put them on a map. But from that day, I wanted to visit those beaches, swim with those fishes, and lounge in those bungalows. Last week I finally made it happen.
My boyfriend and I flew from London to Bengaluru, then from Bengaluru to Male. We spent an hour or so in the W Retreat & Spa's private lounge at the sea plane terminal, then boarded our Twin Otter for the short flight to Fesdu Island.
I was a bit nervous about flying in a sea plane after my near-death (or so I told myself) experience in a bush plane in Namibia a couple months ago, but the sea plane proved to be much bigger and far less capable of inciting fear in its passengers.
We flew over Maldivian atolls, their beautiful coral reefs bathing just below the surface, and arrived at Fesdu Island, home of the W Maldives. It was gorgeous. Before we even landed, we started discussing the idea of staying an extra day. If it hadn't involved changing four flights and several hotel reservations, we would have done it as soon as the pontoons touched the water.
After a warm welcome by the W staff, we were taken for a tour around the island. We learned all about the dive center, the spa, the restaurants, the bars, and the beaches, then were taken to our over-water bungalow to begin relaxing and enjoying our little piece of paradise.
And paradise it was. We enjoyed chocolate fondue and champagne as a welcome gift, then went outside onto our deck to check out the water. I was amazed to find that we had our very own reef just below our bungalow, and from 15 feet above the water I could see hundreds of tropical fish so clearly that I almost considered not getting in the water at all.
Almost. Jettisoning the "don't swim for at least an hour after you eat" rule, my boyfriend and I pulled on our swim suits and dragged our champagne-and-chocolate-filled bellies into the water. I couldn't believe how many fish there were right outside our room! We saw purple and yellow fish, tiny zebra-striped fish, parrot fish that busied themselves scraping the coral with their teeth, and a whole bunch of puffer fish. When we finally got out of the water, we watched the sky turn bright pinkish-orange as the sun started to sink towards the horizon.
Dinner that night was at FISH, the cleverly named over-water seafood restaurant on the island. We sat on tatami mats right over the sea and dined on grilled scallops, tuna tartare, lobster bisque, and fresh sushi. It was perfect.
A bit farther down the reef we encountered a giant sea turtle looking for food amidst the coral. We watched for awhile as it poked its head around, stopping occasionally to bat away a fish that was cleaning its shell. After awhile, the turtle swam up to the surface to breathe, popping its giraffe-patterned head out of the water to take in some fresh air.
Back along the reef, we came across my favorite fish, a big one with horizontal zebra stripes across its body and an electric yellow rim with black polka dots outlining its fins and head. We saw enormous yellow fish with teeth the size of my pinkie fingers, tiny clown fish swimming amongst the bright pink and purple sea anemones, and thousands of other sea creatures that call Fesdu's reef their home. It was amazing.
After our swim we went back to our room to relax for awhile, then had a very late lunch on the island before taking out a glass-bottomed canoe. The water was so perfectly smooth that it blended with the sky rendered the horizon invisible.
Dinner was at FIRE, the BBQ restaurant on the beach. The meal was leisurely and delicious, and we finished it off with a cocktail and a game of checkers at the bar. I soundly defeated my boyfriend, but I'm too humble to brag about it.
The Maldives. Admittedly, at that point in my life I had never heard of the Maldives, and I certainly couldn't put them on a map. But from that day, I wanted to visit those beaches, swim with those fishes, and lounge in those bungalows. Last week I finally made it happen.
My boyfriend and I flew from London to Bengaluru, then from Bengaluru to Male. We spent an hour or so in the W Retreat & Spa's private lounge at the sea plane terminal, then boarded our Twin Otter for the short flight to Fesdu Island.
I was a bit nervous about flying in a sea plane after my near-death (or so I told myself) experience in a bush plane in Namibia a couple months ago, but the sea plane proved to be much bigger and far less capable of inciting fear in its passengers.
We flew over Maldivian atolls, their beautiful coral reefs bathing just below the surface, and arrived at Fesdu Island, home of the W Maldives. It was gorgeous. Before we even landed, we started discussing the idea of staying an extra day. If it hadn't involved changing four flights and several hotel reservations, we would have done it as soon as the pontoons touched the water.
After a warm welcome by the W staff, we were taken for a tour around the island. We learned all about the dive center, the spa, the restaurants, the bars, and the beaches, then were taken to our over-water bungalow to begin relaxing and enjoying our little piece of paradise.
And paradise it was. We enjoyed chocolate fondue and champagne as a welcome gift, then went outside onto our deck to check out the water. I was amazed to find that we had our very own reef just below our bungalow, and from 15 feet above the water I could see hundreds of tropical fish so clearly that I almost considered not getting in the water at all.
Almost. Jettisoning the "don't swim for at least an hour after you eat" rule, my boyfriend and I pulled on our swim suits and dragged our champagne-and-chocolate-filled bellies into the water. I couldn't believe how many fish there were right outside our room! We saw purple and yellow fish, tiny zebra-striped fish, parrot fish that busied themselves scraping the coral with their teeth, and a whole bunch of puffer fish. When we finally got out of the water, we watched the sky turn bright pinkish-orange as the sun started to sink towards the horizon.
Dinner that night was at FISH, the cleverly named over-water seafood restaurant on the island. We sat on tatami mats right over the sea and dined on grilled scallops, tuna tartare, lobster bisque, and fresh sushi. It was perfect.
The next morning we woke up to a gorgeous day in paradise. We went to the island for a huge breakfast that included hard-to-come-by mangosteens as well as other tropical fruits, sashimi, and special creations from the chef.
Once again we were full and once again we were willing to swim right after eating. We headed back to our room for a quick dip with the fishes before I went to AWAY, the W's spa, for a massage. Back in my hedge fund days I treated myself to a weekly massage to ease the chronic back pain I developed from sitting at a desk for 12 hours a day. Since then I haven't indulged, but the over-water spa rooms and the idea of relaxing to the sound of the waves and the fishes beckoned, I couldn't resist signing up for a Shiatsu. It was worth it.
After the massage I met my boyfriend, who had just spotted a 2-foot long reef shark swimming just below the deck of the spa. We watched it swim above the coral until it disappeared, then headed to the beach to snorkel around the island.
As soon as we got in the water, I was stunned to see so many fish. Never in all of my travels have I seen so much marine life in one place. And so colorful, too! The clear water was thick with tessellated schools of fish. Huge blue ones swam deep down and kept their distance while groups of bright orange fish darted back and forth behind schools of translucent rainbow-colored fish. Skinny needle fish were joined by their trumpet fish cousins as they swam close to the surface. It was a perfect symphony of color and texture. I was the bassoon.
Once again we were full and once again we were willing to swim right after eating. We headed back to our room for a quick dip with the fishes before I went to AWAY, the W's spa, for a massage. Back in my hedge fund days I treated myself to a weekly massage to ease the chronic back pain I developed from sitting at a desk for 12 hours a day. Since then I haven't indulged, but the over-water spa rooms and the idea of relaxing to the sound of the waves and the fishes beckoned, I couldn't resist signing up for a Shiatsu. It was worth it.
After the massage I met my boyfriend, who had just spotted a 2-foot long reef shark swimming just below the deck of the spa. We watched it swim above the coral until it disappeared, then headed to the beach to snorkel around the island.
As soon as we got in the water, I was stunned to see so many fish. Never in all of my travels have I seen so much marine life in one place. And so colorful, too! The clear water was thick with tessellated schools of fish. Huge blue ones swam deep down and kept their distance while groups of bright orange fish darted back and forth behind schools of translucent rainbow-colored fish. Skinny needle fish were joined by their trumpet fish cousins as they swam close to the surface. It was a perfect symphony of color and texture. I was the bassoon.
A bit farther down the reef we encountered a giant sea turtle looking for food amidst the coral. We watched for awhile as it poked its head around, stopping occasionally to bat away a fish that was cleaning its shell. After awhile, the turtle swam up to the surface to breathe, popping its giraffe-patterned head out of the water to take in some fresh air.
Back along the reef, we came across my favorite fish, a big one with horizontal zebra stripes across its body and an electric yellow rim with black polka dots outlining its fins and head. We saw enormous yellow fish with teeth the size of my pinkie fingers, tiny clown fish swimming amongst the bright pink and purple sea anemones, and thousands of other sea creatures that call Fesdu's reef their home. It was amazing.
After our swim we went back to our room to relax for awhile, then had a very late lunch on the island before taking out a glass-bottomed canoe. The water was so perfectly smooth that it blended with the sky rendered the horizon invisible.
Dinner was at FIRE, the BBQ restaurant on the beach. The meal was leisurely and delicious, and we finished it off with a cocktail and a game of checkers at the bar. I soundly defeated my boyfriend, but I'm too humble to brag about it.
The next morning we woke up and had another amazing breakfast. More fresh tropical fruit. Fabulous dim sum. Great Eggs Benedict. Yes, I stuffed myself. As usual.
After breakfast we decided to spend the day with the fishes. We started out by the bungalows, then headed out to the reef by the spa. We spotted some of the fish, clams, anemones, and coral we had seen the day before, and two more sea turtles graced us with their presence.
Before sunset we made our way to SIP, the bar adjacent to FISH. Sipping tropical cocktails as the sun melted into the water and the flying fish buzzed through the air, we wished we could stay in the Maldives forever.
For our last dinner we dined on grouper in Thai curry sauce and sipped great California wine (how come they can get great California wine in the Maldives but not in London?). As we ate, we watched a 3-foot reef shark glide gracefully back and forth above the coral beneath us.
The next morning was our last at the W. As such, I drowned my sorrows in fresh fruit, shrimp dim sum, and mango yogurt. Mmmm.
We waved good-bye to the staff as our sea plane departed from Fesdu and spent the ride back to Male marveling at how completely awe-inspiring the islands were. Our Twin Otter dropped us off in Male for our flight to Bengaluru, where we were to begin the next leg of our journey: Southern India.
To be continued...
After breakfast we decided to spend the day with the fishes. We started out by the bungalows, then headed out to the reef by the spa. We spotted some of the fish, clams, anemones, and coral we had seen the day before, and two more sea turtles graced us with their presence.
Before sunset we made our way to SIP, the bar adjacent to FISH. Sipping tropical cocktails as the sun melted into the water and the flying fish buzzed through the air, we wished we could stay in the Maldives forever.
For our last dinner we dined on grouper in Thai curry sauce and sipped great California wine (how come they can get great California wine in the Maldives but not in London?). As we ate, we watched a 3-foot reef shark glide gracefully back and forth above the coral beneath us.
The next morning was our last at the W. As such, I drowned my sorrows in fresh fruit, shrimp dim sum, and mango yogurt. Mmmm.
We waved good-bye to the staff as our sea plane departed from Fesdu and spent the ride back to Male marveling at how completely awe-inspiring the islands were. Our Twin Otter dropped us off in Male for our flight to Bengaluru, where we were to begin the next leg of our journey: Southern India.
To be continued...
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