Meedhuffusi, Maldives

Our second trip to the Maldives was to mark a special half-century occasion! And what better way to do it than asking nine of Craig’s nearest and dearest to join us for the celebrations.

We chose the Island of Meedhuffushi, otherwise known as Sun Aqua Vilu Reef which is located in the Southern Atoll. Not only is it surrounded by an exceptional reef, but it also offered a 3-bedroomed suite to house the kids and honorary kids! 

1 – Similarity of island resorts

Whilst we’re certainly not experts on Indian Ocean tourism, this trip was our second visit to the Maldives and we’d spent countless hours beforehand browsing a multitude of resorts. We concluded that whilst price can vary greatly between islands, the only thing that sets them apart is the level of quality you can expect to receive. Ultimately, islands offering the highest standard of quality command the highest price tags. So whether you lash out a few grand or a few tens of grands, you’re likely to have a place to snorkel, a villa to reside in, a hut to dine in, palm trees aplenty, an abundance of sand and a perfect climate!

All the photos below were taken at Sun Aqua Vilu Reef during our stay, but would you have really known that if we hadn’t pointed it out?!

2 – Nature

What is amazing to see in the Maldives is the preservation of island wildlife and their habitats. Each island is proud of all of its residents, be it two-legged, eight-legged or none at all! So whether they’re scaly, feathery or slimy it’s an unspoken rule that you leave them alone.

Like most local islands, Sun Aqua Vilu Reef is home to many wildlife species. We saw snakes, crabs, blackbirds, herons and fish all in their natural habitats and it added to the experience. Whether it’s the sound of the tropical morning birdsong, the shimmering sight of them in the sea or the burrows crabs leave in the sand – there’s nothing quite like appreciating nature in nature!

3 – Migrant workers

A nice reality of this trip was the diverse make-up of the island’s staff who were all extremely pleasant and helpful. That said, we were left with a tinge of sadness to think that they spend their entire life existing to create paradise for others. It would have been settling to know that they also enjoy a decent quality of life. Cast miles away from their loved ones and residing in the inner cordoned off part of the island can’t be easy. The island personnel appeared to be ‘on-call’ 24 hours a day. We noticed the catering team were in the restaurant for breakfast opening at 7:30am and worked right through to last serving at 10pm.

Mindful that we have no influence over the island’s staffing practices, at least being aware of them offers the chance to be especially respectful to the team and diligently generous with our parting tip.

Seaplane and arrival 

Given its distance from Malé, seaplane is the only form of transport to the island. Travelling on a seaplane was a first for all of us, as our first trip involved a speedboat. As such, we were fairly apprehensive when climbing aboard. I was shocked to discover how high seaplanes fly. It was more like an internal chartered flight than the ‘water-skimming’ experience I thought it would be. 

It wasn’t just the altitude that caught me by surprise, the sheer noise of the engines was far louder than I’d expected too. The 45 minute flight wasn’t enjoyable, though the Captain’s informal approach to flying an aircraft put me at ease. He had a laid-back attitude, laughed a lot with the flight crew and flew the plane in bare feet! Oh my, what a bizarre experience!

Once the ordeal of the seaplane hop was over, we were greeted by boat on a nearby holding island then finally whisked to our final destination. What an incredibly amazing feeling it was when we finally stepped foot on Sun Aqua Vilu Reef – we were exhilarated and exhausted at the same time. The island team handed out fresh coconut juice (still in the shell of course) and cold towels as we congregated in the welcome bar. 

The healing Maldivian sunshine and sounds of a tropical setting triggered comforting memories of our first trip. And with that, my shoulders relaxed, my mind emptied and I kicked off my shoes with much delight. Hello Maldives – it blumin’ great to see you again! (Overall rating 89/100)

Resort: Sun Aqua Vilu Reef

Sun Aqua Vilu Reef is one of a number of islands owned by Sun Siyam Resorts. The island had many features including 103 villas, 4 restaurants, a communal pool, gym, spa, watersports centre and much more. Overall, I’d say the island quality was to a high standard. (Overall rating 95/100)

Accommodation

We stayed in a Sun Aqua Pool Villa on the sunset side of the island. The villa was circular-shaped and had a Superking bed positioned right in the centre. It was airy, modern and relatively compact. 

The outside bathroom made the villa extra special. It was a nice treat to step out into the warm air to bathe and shower – the best possible way start or end the day.

We also had a private outdoor pool which was lit-up by night. Although we didn’t use the pool by day, we certainly made up for it by night – coupled with a glass of fizz, light music and a chocolate minstrel or two!

The kids stayed in the Presidential Suite, or Grand Reef Villa as it’s been renamed. This two-bedroomed wooden water villa is located at the furthest point of the island. It sleeps six people and provides the ultimate level of luxury. Our cursory nose-poke around their palatial ‘log-cabin’ was incredible. As far as accommodation ratings go, this villa will take some beating. (Overall rating 93/100)

Island Restaurants

The main circular restaurant was divided into thirds, offering an outdoors eating area, an indoors eating area and a delightful buffet section. 

Food was freshly prepared for each sitting. There was a variety of hot dishes, salad bars and chef-manned cooking stations, the restaurant catered for every guest and every taste.

We stayed on an all-inclusive board basis and were impressed by the volume and choices of food and drink available. We certainly didn’t come away short-changed or hungry! (Overall rating 93/100)

Dolphin Trip

We decided to take advantage of the island’s dolphin excursion. The late afternoon trip was great fun although the choppy water and high speeds might not be for everyone. We sailed for about 45 minutes before reaching the ‘dolphin zone’, then spent a good half an hour chanting, whistling and photographing them. What peaceful creatures dolphins are – it was uplifting to see them riding the waves like diligent surfers in their natural habitat. We watched the sun set and returned to the island just in time for dinner. (Overall rating 92/100)

Watersports

There are plenty of ways to wet your fins and submerge in the island’s waters. Snorkelling was a given and we spent hours floating across the reef edge taking in the sights of the many incredible creatures that live there. The reef turtle was super-friendly and we loved watching it gnawing away at the coral – not exactly the food you’d expect a water giant to eat!

The island’s watersports centre has equipment for kayaking, paddleboarding and jet-skiing if you’re up for it. We didn’t take part in the jet-skiing but really enjoyed our kayaking and paddleboarding workouts. (Overall rating 93/100)

Other island activities

The leisure and entertainment options on offer caters for everyone. Each evening in the main bar you can enjoy sounds of a live band, boogie at the disco, bellow-out at the karaoke or get competitive at the crab racing event. We dabbled in all of the above and it was a fun way to spend the evenings.

We also used the on-site facilities such as gymnasium and afternoon nibbles on the viewing deck. A particular highlight of the day was watching the Sun Aqua team feeding the rays by the jetty.

On our last evening we were invited to a canapés and drinks soirée where guests get the chance to mingle with the Sun Aqua team. To the sounds of live music, we spent an hour or so in this really idyllic setting, soaking up the atmosphere before the final sunset of our trip came down on us. It was the most pleasant way to see out what had been a spectacular holiday. (Overall rating 93/100)

Missing baggage and rush to catch the seaplane

Having experienced a severely delayed Emirates flight on our last holiday, and an Air France flight on the holiday before that, we jetted off to the Maldives with an open mind and little expectation that everything would go according to plan. After all, when you’re at the mercy of various aviation personnel spanning multiple destinations across thousands of miles – it’s best to go with the acceptance that anything can happen!

We’d been prepping ourselves for the inconvenience a delayed flight would have on us. Given that seaplanes can’t take-off from Malè after 4pm and our flight was due to land at 2pm – we didn’t have a huge window to allow for error. Thankfully, luck was on our side this trip and despite a small delay – we still managed to make all of our connections. That said…

When we arrived at Malè we discovered that our luggage hadn’t arrived with us. It took 24 hours to be reunited with our cases, though Emirates provided an ‘amenities over night bag’ as a goodwill gesture! It’s a good job we jetted off with an open mind!

Celebrations

It would be wrong to wrap-up this blog without at least referencing two major events that happened during our stay. Not only was the trip a half-century marker for my other half, but it also encompassed a very special wedding proposal – my daughter’s! And what a privilege it was to be part of their celebrations.

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Date of visit: 15 January 2020 to 22 January 2020