MALDIVES DIARY - by Midori Miss Surfest 2007 - Allira

DAY 1
Today we arrived. It was about 11pm and pushing 30oc when my boyfriend, Todd and I arrived by boat to the part of the island we were staying on (Dhonveli Beach and Spa Resort). The first thing that amazed us was the water! When we pulled into the dock, I looked over the side and I could see the bottom, in the dark!! That’s how clear the water is! It’s amazing!
The next thing that amazed me was the people and staff at Dhonveli Beach and Spa! As soon as we got off the boat our luggage was taken for us while we, and the rest of the people on the boat, were treated to a nice cool face cloth and a beverage! It was pure luxury from the minute we got here!

DAY 2
Today we went to take a look around the island. It looks exactly like a postcard with pure blue water and white sand! We also had a swim right off the back of our balcony! How luxurious! We checked out the restaurant and bar and the staff are fantastic. The wonderful barman made us some exquisite cocktails. Tonight, I had the famous Pina Colada!

DAY 3
Today we went to put our names down for some of the tours they have on offer. We put our names down for the sunset and night fishing tour, the dolphin watch tour, the Male day trip and the half-day island hopping. The dolphin watch was this afternoon, and it was great! We seen heaps of dolphins and they also came up real close and swam along with the boat. They were so playful and gave a great show!
We also hired snorkelling gear today for the week so we can snorkel anytime we want to. We just went off our balcony and away we swam! This was our first time snorkelling and it was absolutely amazing! We swam in waters that are full of gorgeous coral, vibrant fish and even reef sharks and stingrays!
At dinner tonight, we met some people from England and Switzerland! There are people from all over the world here!

DAY 4
Today we were going on the half-day island hopping this afternoon but it was called off due to unsafe weather conditions forecasted for the afternoon so we went down to another part of the resort called Pasta Point! This is where the surfers usually stay when they come here. We felt quite at home over there, as there were a number of Aussies! We had a chat and since neither Todd nor I surf, we watched some of the surfers catch some awesome waves! A definite must see!
We also snorkelled again today but a bit further away from our over water suite! We also took a waterproof camera this time, to capture some of the beautiful sights under the water! After snorkelling, we had a little sunbake but it got really hot so we decided to go to the bar for the afternoon and have some cool beverages and a chat with the bar staff! They are so friendly, we have already learnt some of their names and learnt some facts about the Maldives! We both tried some cocktails; amongst them were the Singapore Sling and some special creations from the barman.

DAY 5
Today we snorkelled again! We just love it! But today I got a bit of a shock when I swam directly over a big manta ray!! I could see the outline of him under the sand and when I stopped to have a closer look, I realised what it was! I managed to get some great photos though!! They are quite fascinating actually.
We were also going night fishing tonight but we had a big storm so for safety reasons, it was called off. That’s ok because we had some great entertainment at dinner with some great musicians playing usual and unusual instruments! They were very clever! We had some drinks and a little dance until the bar closed! We and had a great night!

DAY 6
Today we went to Male (the capital of the Maldives) for a day tour. We learnt about some of the history of Male and the Maldives and saw some very important and historic monuments of Male. Some of these were the President’s house, the oldest tree in Male (which is 560 years old) and mosque’s made out of coral!! We also went to fish and fruit markets and we had some time at the end of the tour to do some shopping!
Tonight for dinner, we decided to treat ourselves and dine with the Al a Carte menu. We got a special table set up for us on the water’s edge with candles and a scrumptious bottle of champagne!! The meal was great! It was magnificent and very picturesque!!

DAY 7
Today we snorkelled for a little bit for the last time as we had to hand in our gear in the afternoon before leaving tomorrow. Today was very hot. Even though every day has been quite hot, it was the hottest day we have had since being here. We basically swam all day today, just floating around our over water suite, with a pile of sunscreen on, of course!!

DAY 8
Today was our last day so we walked around to parts of the resort we hadn’t seen yet and took as many photos as we could so we could remember the great island! We also had a swim around the beach and some last cocktails at the bar! We packed our bags and left them at the door for the resort staff to collect for the boat. The boat back to Male doesn’t leave until 11:30pm so we are going to say goodbye to the magnificent restaurant and bar staff at dinner and thank them for their great service!
We feel sad going but we also know that we are leaving with brilliant, superb memories, and knowing the fact that our first holiday overseas was at one of the most beautiful places on earth. One thing is for sure; we will definitely be going back!!