Paradise Island, Maldives

After exploring Sri Lanka for a couple of weeks we were delighted not to be heading home, but onto our mini-break in the Maldives. We caught a direct flight to Male and then hopped on our resorts’ speed boat to take us to Paradise - literally the name of our island resort on Lankanfinolhu in North Male Atoll!

The Maldives are made up of 1,192 coral islands, grouped into 26 atolls. Atolls are mostly made up of live coral reefs and sand bars that rise up from the Indian Ocean.

Maldives are the lowest country in the world - more than 80% of the land is coral islands reaching less than 1 metre above sea level. As a result of global warming, the rising sea levels mean that by 2100 most of the country may have disappeared underwater.

We were staying in a beach front villa in Paradise Island Resort & Spa, however there are, of course, the famous (and pricey!) stilt lodges.

The purpose of our 4 days on the island was to relax and recharge…something we definitely accomplished. Here’s a taster of what we got up to…

Exploring

The island is only 1km long and 230 metres wide so it’s easy to discover the whole place! It’s surrounded by beach with an arrivals jetty…

…and the water villas. With their separate dining areas.

You can do a number of different water sports, or just admire the marine life from the piers. Lots of fish and small sharks.

There was also a wedding one afternoon on the beach.

Spa Time

I had two gorgeous massages whilst here - one was an invigorating “slimming Ayurvedic” massage (felt a little bit like being scrubbed down with sand and then being tenderised meat!) and then also an indulgent Maldivian massage.

Sundowners

There was ‘Happy Hour’ on the island, so every evening just before sunset we would make sure we were settled onto a seafront table sipping some cocktails or wine whilst admiring the stunning clear views of the lagoon and the setting sun over the bright blue sea.

They also set up private dining for couples on the beach at sunset.

Beach Time

The beaches look just like a postcard. White sands and glowing turquoise lagoon seas. The view was just stunning and I spent many hours just sitting on a sun lounger gazing out at the gorgeous picture-perfect view.

But it wouldn’t be a holiday with me without some comic photography shots…

Food

We opted for half-board which meant we feasted at breakfast and dinner from the huge buffet selection available. Unsurprisingly, fish featured heavily which I was delighted with.