Getting to paradise was no easy feat.
We were picked up at our hotel at 8:00AM. This got us to Columbo Airport just before 10AM where we checked in and had a few hours to kill before our flight to the Maldives. There were a couple of food options in the airport, most of them being American fast food so we opted for a delicious meal of Pizza Hut before we boarded.
Flight time to Male was just about 5 hours and when we landed we jumped on a shuttle to take us from the main airport terminal to the seaplane terminal. We had just over an hour to kill so were taken to the Six Senses lounge to wait while our seaplane arrived. Trans Maldivian Airways is the world's leading seaplane provider, having grown significantly over the last few years due to tourism and more resorts popping up. Six Sense had their own seaplane which was painted to resemble a turtle. They just implemented their own private seaplane in November of 2023, which was a nice surprise!
Seaplanes are a crazy experience, you take off and land on water, but it felt much smoother than I anticipated.
The seaplane ride was an hour from Male to Laamu Atoll. There were resorts that were closer, but there were reasons why we chose Six Senses. One of the main reason being of their work they do on conservation, and education throughout the area, to help protect and preserve it. They have entirely gotten rid of single-use and disposable plastic and have eliminated plastic straws from all hotels. They have also worked to protect the seagrass around their area and worked with resorts in the Maldives to do the same. It's the only resort on the Laamu Atoll and the only dive resort in the area, so dive sites aren't over populated or congested. And they had great reviews, and activities that both of us wanted to do.
What is an atoll? An Atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef, island or series of islets that forms as an old volcano erodes. This is mostly what the Maldives are made up of. There are 1,192 islands in the Maldives, with approximately 180 of them being inhabited.
After landing in the seaplane, and then hopping in a boat for a quick ride to the island, we made it. We were met by Tanny on the boat, our GEM (guest experience manager), who would be assisting us all week to schedule activities and excursions or make any necessary reservations for dinner. We were given a tour of the island and then taken to our villa to drop off our luggage and relax.
The villa was incredible. To be surrounded on all sides by the ocean, and be able to walk off your back deck in the morning, is an incredible experience. There was an open air shower, which led to a set of stairs with a small balcony on top of the villa. The sliding door in the back of the villa opened up to a deck with multiple couches and lounge chairs and a ladder right into the water. The back deck is where Jon and I spent most of our time, watching the stars at night and the sunsets in the morning.
And of course there was a glass floor in the bathroom.
Off to dinner at Chill Bar and then bed for us. We already scheduled a guided snorkel tour for the next morning and surf lessons and a scuba dive for the following afternoon!
