For those seeking a remote and sensational romantic destination, there are few places in the world that can rival the Maldives. This fascinating archipelago is by far one of the most beautiful places on earth, with its islands dotted with luxury resorts, lined by pristine white beaches and lapped by azure tropical waters.
Maldives had always been on my bucket list. Earlier this year, my husband and I had the chance to visit a wonderful resort ‘Kanuhura by Sun Resorts’.
To begin our trip, we boarded the Indigo airlines flight from Bangalore to Velana International Airport. After collecting our luggage at Malé International Airport, we were greeted by one of the representatives of Kanuhura and taken to their private airport lounge. They have a beautiful lounge where you can have a drink or something to eat and relax while they arrange for your seaplane transfer with Trans Maldivian Airways.
Kanuhura is located in the Lhaviyani Atoll, just 40 minutes by sea plane from Malé. The journey to Kanuhura is a beautiful experience by itself. The seaplane flies quite low over the Indian Ocean, offering amazing views of island rings sparkling atop turquoise coloured lagoons and brilliant sapphire blue ocean.
Upon arrival, we received a very warm welcome from the Kanuhura team and introduced to our personal host. After a brief introduction and a refreshing welcome drink, she picked us up on the buggy and took us around the island introducing us to Kanuhura and all its facilities.
Kanuhura is home to 80 villas. You can choose from Beach Villas , Beach Pool Villas, Water Villas or Water Pool Villas.
We stayed in one of the only two Water Pool Villas in the resort. Our host got us to our villa which was located at the edge of the timber walkway.
Our host gave us a tour of the villa. It had a beautiful bedroom and a spacious living room. They opened to a private sundeck, which had an amazing view of the Indian Ocean. The sundeck also had a cute infinity pool and an over water hammock.
What we liked the most about our villa was the semi outdoor bathroom. It is walled all around and the open air bathtub was a blessing. It also had an overwater hammock.
The moment I stepped on the sundeck, all I could see was layers of blue beyond it. Clear blue water around our villa. A dark, deeper blue beyond that. It was a layered effect of shallow and deep water of turquoise and dark blue. I was in heaven. This was everything I dreamed of from an overwater villa in the Maldives.
In addition to welcome chocolates, there was a bottle of bubbly in our living area - not a bad way to kick start our holiday!
We spent a good amount of time in our villa . Sitting on the lounge chairs, taking a dip in the private pool, taking a lot of photos, climbing down the ladder into the clear blue water, watching the different kinds of fish swim around the villa. I even took a nap on our hammock suspended over the Indian Ocean. It was all quiet and certainly relaxing. It was exactly what I hoped to do in the Maldives.
We woke up early every morning to witness the beautiful sunrise.
Kanuhura has eight restaurants and bars for you to choose from. A Mano is the main buffet restaurant, that serves Continental and Asian dishes. It was also where our breakfast was served. The breakfast spread is huge and there are loads of healthy options to choose from.
Another great thing about Kanuhura is that all the rooms come with complimentary villa bicycles which we used to get around and explore the island.
The unparalleled beauty of Kanuhura is simply mesmerising. The island is 1 km long and 200 meters wide. The long and wide white beach at Kanuhura is a stunning place for lazing around or taking a walk.
Kanuhura offers various water and land activities for its guests. On one of the evenings during our stay, we went on a private sunset cruise on a traditional Maldivian Dhoni with Boduberu performers.
Boduberu is unique to the Maldives. This traditional performance consists of a harmonious blend of drumming, singing and dancing.
We were very lucky to spot a pod of spinner dolphins. They followed our boat for almost half an hour jumping and spinning out of the water.
We witnessed a beautiful sunset over the Indian Ocean, while sipping on champagne.
I was happy to have lived my dream of staying in an overwater villa, even if it was only for a few days.
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