On this episode I'm in the Maldives which should be on everyone's bucket list,
including mine! This is my first time here, so come along with me and let me share what it's like
to visit paradise! Hi I'm Mike and this is Mike's Road Trip. "Get off the road..." "All right."
The Maldives is a unique place in that other than the capital city of Male
there are no large islands where people vacation like Hawaii or Tahiti where vacationers would
have many hotel restaurant and activity options rather the Maldives is made up of more than 1
000 small islands covering 35 000 square miles only about 200 of the islands are inhabited
or have hotels each hotel encompasses an entire island so it's really important to
do your research when selecting the right resort some properties are so small that you might get
bored if you stay too long this actually happened to someone we met who stayed two weeks at the same
resort and she said it was about a week too long we selected Kandima Resort which is located on
one of the largest islands and has an endless array of activities but more on that in a bit
after arriving at the Male airport look for someone holding a sign with your resort name the
representative will help you navigate the airport and get you on either a ferry or a seaplane to
your final destination for us Kandima is quite a distance from Male so we needed to take a seaplane
which was organized and scheduled by the resort from the airport terminal we were whisked away
into a shuttle to take us to the other side of the airport where the seaplane terminals are located
we boarded our man to air flight which took about 45 minutes to reach the resort
and i have to say this was one of the most scenic flights I've ever been on
the color of the water the atolls and island resorts were simply stunning from above.
When we landed at Kandima we disembarked onto a
floating dock from there a boat picked us up and took us to the resort jetty
after walking a couple hundred yards we entered the lobby of the resort which is bright and
colorful and where the floor surface tells you you're at a beach resort our luggage had been
offloaded from the aircraft and was waiting for us in our accommodations after we checked in we
boarded a cart that would take us to one end of the island where the aqua villas are located.
Let me tell you staying in one of these villas over the water is an experience
i will never forget the accommodations mirror that of the surroundings bringing
the various shades of blue into the interior there is plenty of space to rest and relax
these units feature a private sun deck with a swirl pool lagoon access sun loungers
and a bathroom providing perfect views of Kandima's extensive lagoon
they even have a Nespresso machine and with this view really gets the day off to a perfect start.
The island that Kandima encompasses is about 2 miles long or 3.2 k if you don't feel like walking
everywhere you can board the shuttle at various stops or you can rent a bike which is what we
ended up doing having bikes gave us the freedom and flexibility to navigate the island without
having to waste a lot of time waiting for the shuttle Kandima is so large it's like a mini city.
We spent five days there and only began to scratch the surface with all the activities they offer
between activities and eating we barely had time for relaxing
let alone see or experience everything the resort has to offer this is one of the reasons that
Kandima is perfect for longer vacations you could easily spend two weeks there and not get bored
some of the things we did during our stay included the c-bob now the c-bob is something i had never
tried before and let me tell you it was an absolute blast if you're not familiar a sea
bob is a high end underwater scooter seemingly something straight out of a James Bond movie
this device is halfway in between a jet ski and an underwater scooter, it allows you to dive
into the water and zip past coral reefs where you can see lots of colorful fish
another day we went on a jet skiing tour to the other side of the island now these are not your
ordinary jet skis but rather high-end personal watercraft that cut through the water with ease
no matter what water sport you're into the folks at Aquaholics can hook you up from sailing and
other wind sports to water skiing or wake-boarding kayaking and more if you need a break from the
sun they have an incredible spa with views of the water and relaxing sounds of the waves after your
treatment they have this lovely lounge area to relax and enjoy some tea before your next activity
another fun indoor activity that we did is an art class from a local Maldivian
named Zima who teaches you to paint a scene representative of the sea we picked what we
thought was the easiest scene to paint and worked on it together so i had to show Miha how to do it
Zima is a great instructor and very patient with her students our finished painting was of
this manta ray swimming through the colorful waters it turned out okay don't you think
of course you can't visit the Maldives without going diving or snorkeling so we went on a
sea turtle excursion unfortunately we didn't see any turtles on this trip
but snorkeling over a vibrant coral reef was plenty of consolation.
Something else we really enjoyed about Kandima was that it never felt crowded
there was always some place you could go to find solace or your piece of paradise.
Food and drink is also a big part of the overall experience at Kandima
they have a number of outstanding dining options to choose from
there are two buffets providing breakfast lunch and dinner which are really well
appointed and there are also several all cart restaurants taking diners on a culinary journey
For those not ready to call it a night the evening comes with
live entertainment some of the restaurants as well as late into the night at the breeze bar.
If you feel you've over indulged there are
definitely plenty of ways to burn off some calories.
Kandima is a resort that has struck a great balance
they offer affordable luxury to couples looking for a romantic getaway while also
being family friendly this is a stylish island resort setting with extraordinary restaurants
plenty of on-site activities coupled with genuine hospitality making for lasting memories
if you have any questions about visiting the Maldives and staying at the kandima resort
leave a comment below I'm happy to help. So, until next time, we'll see on the road...
MikesRoadTrip.com