Путешествие на райский остров Journey to paradise island

My trip to the Maldives was not planned in advance, so when buying a last-minute tour, the choice of hotels was small. I confess that at first I was somewhat confused by the size of the island: only 200m X 40m, but after studying the reviews on this hotel and its description, and comparing it with information about other hotels, I came to the conclusion that this is exactly what I need. And I was not mistaken.
Upon arrival in Male, the weather was great, so the half-hour transfer to the hotel by seaplane turned out to be not at all tedious, but an exciting journey: the view through the porthole was in no way inferior to those photos that tour operators post on their websites... The seaplane splashed down in the ocean , we were dropped off on a small wooden raft, a dhoni (local boat) immediately approached and already on it we proceeded directly to the hotel, it took 15-20 minutes. We were greeted at the hotel pier by friendly staff with a welcome cocktail and chilled towels. We were given a tour of the island, showed what and where is located. Then we filled out cards with information about ourselves, and we were settled in rooms. The hotel employee escorted to the room and carried the luggage, and after receiving the tip left.
The location of the rooms is as follows: 2-storey houses with 4 rooms (2 on the first floor and two on the second). There are 56 rooms in total. The room is spacious, no frills, but all the furniture is in excellent condition. In the room: a large bed, 2 bedside tables along the edges of it with lamps, air conditioning, a telephone, a table and two chairs, a dressing table with a large mirror, a minibar. The bathroom has a large full-length mirror, a sink on a marble table, all plumbing is in good condition, there were no problems with water, the water pressure is good. The rooms on the 2nd floor have a balcony with two simple chairs and a table, as well as a clothesline for drying clothes. The rooms are cleaned twice a day, towels are changed every day, soap and shampoos too, but the bed was not replaced during the 5 days of my stay there, they were just covered neatly. Cleaning takes place during breakfast and dinner, so the chance of encountering staff is minimal. At the same time, you can always contact the reception with any request, and the room-boy will fulfill it as soon as possible. By the way, at the reception you can use the left-luggage office. The hotel staff does not understand Russian at all, so at least a minimum knowledge of English is required! There were a lot of Russian tourists on this island, but mostly Italians.

The nature of the Maldives is truly fabulous: white sand, crystal clear ocean water and a large number of palm trees and flowering greenery. Storks calmly walking around the island, colorful coral fish and huge turtles. All this makes you completely forget that there is some other world. There is no need to rush anywhere, shoes are practically not needed on the island, and a huge suitcase with various outfits, perhaps, will not come in handy either. Rest in the Maldives is a holiday in its true sense: silence, peace, unity with nature. You need to come to the decision to relax in the Maldives on your own, because staying on the island without parties, many hours of shopping and stormy animation may seem boring to someone.
Against the backdrop of high humidity, the Maldivian sun imperceptibly does its job: already on the first day I was decently burned, but for the first time in my life this did not stop me from going to the beach, because the pleasure of being in the crystal clear ocean covered all costs : ) At nightfall, small sharks, rays and other marine life come to the shore. The beach is small, equipped with wooden sun loungers with soft mattresses and parasols made of palm leaves. There is a place to play volleyball. In general, the island is clean, but after low tide, various small debris remains along the coast, and they are not in a hurry to clean it up.
The restaurant is located directly above the water, it stands on stilts, there are holes in the floor through which you can feed small sharks and other fish. The food, in my opinion, could be better. Not enough fruit, papaya was given every day, plus 1-2 more types of fruit. In general, the choice of dishes could be wider for 4 *. Although you can choose: hot dishes, meat, fish, chicken, a variety of side dishes (I liked couscous the most), various vegetable salads, pastries, delicious desserts, there were few snacks: one type of sausage and one type of cheese. For breakfast, I liked porridge, omelettes are cooked right in front of you with toppings of your choice, natural yogurt. In principle, you can choose for someone who is on a diet, and someone who loves to eat. But there was one not very pleasant moment: in order to save money, what was not eaten at lunch was served for dinner in the same form, or in a “modified” one. Drinks are free only at breakfast. The service in the restaurant is very peculiar: the waiter is very welcoming and friendly, enters into a casual conversation, but at the same time we can forget some of the cutlery or napkins. Each room has its own table.
The infrastructure of the island is very modest: a souvenir shop, a small gym, table tennis, a small spa, internet and Wi-Fi at the reception. You don’t pay in cash anywhere, everything is recorded on the account of the room, and on the evening before departure you pay this bill. Cash is only required for tips.

I can say that the cost of living in this hotel, in my opinion, corresponds to the quality of the services provided. And I would love to stay there. Everything is somehow laconic, simple and unobtrusive, moreover, no discomfort and negative emotions, no problems, there was absolutely everything that was needed. And minor shortcomings were not able to compete with those vivid impressions that fill the soul and thoughts of this tiny paradise island...