EXCERPT: A stunning Indian Ocean retreat
IN BRIEF: Amazing beaches, ocean views and water sports, fantastic cuisine and outstanding service.
- Food: 8 / 10
- Service: 9 / 10
- Atmosphere: 9 / 10
- Overall: 9 / 10
IN DETAIL:
The Maldives
There is a reason that the Maldives are popular for holidays – they are a wonderful place to visit. The Maldives is the smallest country in South Asia, comprising a chain of 26 atolls situated about 470 miles southwest of India and Sri Lanka. Your mental image of these islands might be as isolated atolls that could be in any ocean in the world, but they are not. They are culturally connected to the wider area, will become apparent to a visitor who engages with hotel staff and looks beyond the buffet.
Extraordinarily, the tourist industry here is relatively new compared to other top end destinations such as the Caribbean or the South of France. An enterprising Maldivian and his Italian business partner opened the first resort in the Maldives only in 1972. Tourism has grown exponentially over the subsequent decades, swiftly overtaking fishing as its principal industry and ushering in a dramatic increase in the life expectancy, literacy rate and standard of living for most of the population of the Maldives.
And the result for those fortunate enough to visit is the most idyllic place to simply unwind and relax. Normally I put culture and history high on my list of reasons to visit a place, but I have been completely converted to the sheer bliss and restorative calm of a week or preferably two marooned on an island with nothing to contemplate but life itself, and a glass of decent champagne with which to do so.
So, if you think the Maldives is not for you then read on and think again….
The seaplane
First, start the holiday by doing something different. Never been on a seaplane before? There’s not exactly many of them around in Europe… It is simply the most elegant and exciting way to reach Adaraan Select Meedhupparu from the airport in Malé, the capital of the Maldives. A 45 minute flight by Twin Otter seaplane takes you over floating islands that you feel you could reach out and stroke, and all the time that vast expanse of the ocean itself is much more visceral and real than ever seems the case at 20,000 feet in a jet.
The beach and the Indian ocean
The views from the seaplane give a foretaste, but even that does not prepare you for the splendour of the five star Adaraan Select Meedhupparu. Gorgeous white sandy beaches, barely marked by human footprints, surrounded by the calm and warm aquamarine and turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean.
Relaxation seeps into one’s bones from the moment of arrival and images of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad spring to mind. There is also something about being barefoot with just shorts and a t-shirt. It relaxes the mind and the soul in all sorts of unexpected ways. And here there is no reason ever to contemplate having to wear anything else.
The ecosystem of the private island is fascinating. On land, lush vegetation and bird song are everywhere and fruit bats wheel through the sky by day and night, suspending themselves effortlessly from palm trees. In the sea, the house reef which surrounds the island harbours a wealth of breathtakingly colourful marine life which provides endless diversion to snorkellers.
Shine a torch at night from the jetty and you will see small sharks and sting rays proceeding through the translucent water. Patience might even bring the occasional green sea turtle, whose ancient forebears have roamed the world’s oceans for over 100 million years.
Water sports, sports facilities and spa
Adaraan Select Meedhupparu also offers an enticing array of options for some activity. As you would hope, diving is at the forefront, and there is a certified diving school on the beach front offering spectacular dives for novices through to master divers. Also there is a range of water sports from padel boarding to jet skiing, sailing and windsurfing.
If, and it really is an “if” you can tear yourself away from the beach, there is an L-shaped infinity pool with a swim-up bar. Beach volleyball, badminton, a gym, table tennis and tennis courts are also available. Now the last thing I am going to do is spend time in the gym, but for those of you for whom it is a thing, panic not, your daily squats and your crunches are safely catered for. More sensibly in my view there is a rather wonderful spa which unusually does not break the bank.
But, in truth, you can find gyms in any hotel from the Canaries to the Caribbean. What’s special here is where you are staying.
Beach villas
The beach villas are simply wonderful. The sound of the ocean. Views of water, sand and palm trees. Beautiful furnishings with private beach terraces and vistas that flow down to the wide blue ocean itself. Each one features air conditioning and a broad ceiling fan which is essential due to the humidity, which is alleviated in the open air by the sea breeze and not inside. In tropical fashion, the beach villas are shaded and sheltered by groves of palm trees and the bathroom has an indoor and an outdoor shower in an enclosure with trailing plants.
Water villas
The water villas at Adaraan Select Meedhupparu are phenomenal, occupy the best site on the island and are wonderfully secluded. They are restricted to adults.
The 20 water villas form an elegant arc and each has smart wooden interiors which are reminiscent of a yacht’s cabin, a jacuzzi and a spacious sun deck which looks over the Indian ocean complete with a glass portal into the water below. The edge of the house reef is close to the water villas and affords great snorkelling directly from the water villas.
The water villas also benefit from a pristine private beach, a private pool and a private restaurant which are shielded from the rest of the island by manicured gardens. The restaurant serves the best food on the island with fish, sharks and sting rays visible from its balcony. An elegant heron can be seen fishing on the shoreline in the early morning and evening.
The service in the water villas is excellent and each one has a dedicated butler. Nirdosh Singh, the unfailingly attentive and impeccably mannered Indian butler and the talented chef, Thilanka Rathnayake, an Anglophile who was schooled at the Prince of Wales College in Colombo, Sri Lanka, exemplify this quality of service. P.G Wodehouse would have been pleased.
Dining and drinking
The main restaurant offers a great range of international cuisine to suit all tastes, including Maldivian ‘Dhivehi’ dishes which are deeply influenced by its ocean setting and its proximity to India and Sri Lanka. Most Maldivian dishes therefore feature fish, including cuttlefish, reef fish, tuna and white fish, and coconut, fruit, rice, vegetables and spices.
The tranquil Sufura Restaurant is adjacent to the main restaurant and serves delicious Indian cuisine.
Thavaa Restaurant offers a romantic ocean view, a largely European à la carte menu and crisp white table cloths. It is romantic and sophisticated, and the restaurant staff are highly attentive yet unobtrusive.
There are also four bars on the island, all of which are on the beach other than the main bar which offers a disco and live entertainment. An agile, cavorting fire eater was particularly memorable. For those worried about exile from the Groucho for a couple of weeks, I can safely report that the cocktail list is comprehensive and the drinks well made. Phew.
For the environmentally conscious, drinking water on the island is provided by a desalination plant which is located in the centre of the island and the team uses a small fleet of electric buggies for transportation.
Outstanding service
Adaraan Select Meedhupparu boasts a team of 450, including chefs, engineers and gardeners, most of whom live on the island and hail from India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. This yields a staff to guest ratio of nearly one to one at maximum capacity.
The team is efficient, hard working, helpful and scrupulously polite. This is no doubt testament in part to the efforts of the charming and omnipresent Resident Manager, Anslam De Silva.
Examples of the team’s dedication are the total absence of litter anywhere on the island, and the fantastic light displays and parties over the Christmas period. This included a sleigh stacked high with presents for the children and a suitably attired Father Christmas with festive helpers. The staff are also wonderful to get to know as people and they afford an opportunity to understand the Maldives as an actual place not just a setting for holidays.
Travel suggestions
The best time to visit the Maldives is between November and April. The climate is warm and tropical, with average highs of 29-31 degrees centigrade all year which rarely descend below 24 degrees centigrade.
Peak season in Maldivian resorts is January to April, which are characterised by little rain and low humidity. Whilst May to December is warm in the Maldives, there is a greater likelihood of rain and storms, which admittedly afford dramatic skys and have their own charm. Attractive offers and prices drawn significant numbers of visitors during these months.
Adaraan Select Meedhupparu, like almost all other resorts in the Maldives, has entirely captive guests which can lead to steep bills for those who indulge. It is definitely worth considering an all inclusive package which typically includes all food and beverages (within reason).
Trailfinders offers attractive and comprehensive packages for Adaraan Select Meedhupparu, including comfortable direct flights from London to Malé, the capital of the Maldives, on Virgin Atlantic, and boat or seaplane transfers from Malé to Adaraan Select Meedhupparu.
Adaraan Select Meedhupparu is part of the Aitken Spence Hotels group, which operates luxury hotels in India, the Maldives, Oman and Sri Lanka.
Andrew travelled independently.
https://www.adaaran.com/selectmeedhupparu/
https://www.aitkenspencehotels.com
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