The Islands at the End of the World

You’ve heard all the accolades, the oohs and the aahs. How these fantastically beautiful islands are the haunt of the rich and the famous from celebs to royals. All the clichés – heaven on earth, paradise, nirvana, bliss.
Well, it’s all true. I think I may have just visited one of the most beautiful places on earth.

This was my first ever visit to the Maldives and although I'd googled stuff, read a bit, and heard from friends who'd been lucky enough to go there, I didn't quite realise just how gorgeous these islands are - a necklace of coral islands (1,192 to be exact) dotted about the Laccadive Sea off the foot of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean.
Most of them are uninhabited and most are only a metre above the water at high tide. They stretch just 800km from north to south and add up to a mere 300 square km in all. Think 26 coral atolls in a double chain that extends down to the equator. There are no mountains or rivers – just white sandy beaches and greenery. When you fly over them in the little sea plane that takes you from Male (the capital) to your island, it’s like being in the middle of the most gorgeous travel poster of all time.

I think I may have just visited one of the most beautiful places on earth.

I stayed at the Constance resorts: family-owned, outstandingly friendly and with superb service. Constance Moofushi for two nights and then at Constance Halaveli for a further two. I think I could have stayed there forever. (Nah, not really.).

The water villas, standing on sturdy stone pillars amidst a lapping ocean that defies every attempt to find another synonym for turquoise, cerulean, indigo, cobalt, sky, azure, sapphire, leads straight down wooden steps into that bluest of all oceans. Manta rays glide lazily by, black-tipped sharks mooch about (don’t worry they are people-friendly), shoals of technicolour fish of all shapes and sizes dart and linger about all the villas and connecting boardwalks – it’s like staying in a giant aquarium. And the water, even at high tide, is only a metre or so deep, so you can paddle, swim, float and drift to your heart’s content.

At night the resorts are lit by flickering lanterns and turn into a fairytale world of shimmer and glow. It’s like Hobbit land on water.
If you’re a land creature, however, and prefer your feet on white sand and terra firma, then choose a beach villa instead.
Even though both resorts are full (they are the ultimate honeymooner’s mecca), you can always find a private space, nook or cranny where the rest of the world is just lapping water, white sand, and perfect tranquillity.

Constance Mafooshi has an amazing all-in Crystal package, where everything – from your bar frig, all meals, snacks, pinã coladas and every other tropical and fun cocktail, to water sports and boat rides - is included. Even premium brands and a dazzling wine list of over 200 varieties.
One day, off a pristine reef reached by a small catamaran, I snorkelled with fish and marine life of every shape, size and colour. As I drifted by, a hawkshead turtle feeding on the coral, below, looked up at me. I could swear he winked.
It’s a long journey, and the resorts are not cheap, but save up. This trip is worth every penny.

Go to https://www.flickr.com/photos/flowcomm/sets/72157647007027131/ to see my daughter Tara's Maldives photos - there are some stunning ones.

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