Maldives: Helengeli Resort

I had been bugging OD about going to the Maldives since I found out it was a doable destination from Singapore. I got my wish in February, just before the 3 year anniversary of our first date. Diving in waters of amazing blues was a wonderful way to celebrate and continue our theme of mini-moons.

The Maldives has 1,192 islands,192 of which are inhabited and 80 of which are resort islands. To get to our tiny resort island, we had to take a seaplane after arriving in Male. Compared to the main airport, the seaplane terminal was well airconditioned and pleasantly furnished, including a display of photographs of all the resort islands. Here is the airport photo of our destination, Helengeli Resort; unfortunately, the small strip of sand a bit off from the island has been washed under, but there is still a thin peninsula of sand (see bottom photo).

I had only been on a small plane once or twice before, and never a seaplane, so this part of the trip was more exciting than just getting from point A to to point B. Decked out in yellow and blue, the planes looked fun and stylish as they landed on the water. The planes were even smaller on the inside that they looked from the outside, and the engines were quite loud (earplugs were provided). 

On our short flight to Helengeli Resort, we were able to check out some of the other resorts from on high. I would love one day to stay in a stilt bungalow, like the ones fanned out from the island in the photo below. After about 20 minutes, we landed – on the water of course. We got out on a small platform a ways out from the resort island (to protect the reef). A boat soon came to pick us up and take us the rest of the way.

Helengeli is a down-to-earth diving resort, so unlike some of the places in the Maldives, it is not super fancy -- which was fine by us, as it made the trip more affordable.  The accommodations had real walls, air conditioning, and hot water -- luxurious enough for a tiny tropical island. Our bungalow was situated at the far end of the island and had some vegetation separating us from the water; the ones on the other end seemed to have a better beach view (that's what happens when you book through a discount site). I liked that the island was well-maintained, but some care had been taken to not overdevelop it. The staff was always professional and helpful, and we felt in good hands at the dive center as well.

Besides our scuba diving and snorkeling outings, we were quite happy to relax on the deck and read (though it was such a short trip, we didn't have that much lounging time). The buffet meals were also a major part of each day -- we enjoyed having good and abundant Western food (we always fear being stuck on an island and starving, and there is only so many clif bars one can eat in a day). 

On a tiny tropical island, there is not much to see but the sea and sky -- and that's the whole point.  In the morning, we tried to catch sunrise, and in the evening, we'd take in the sunset. We took a walk out to the dock one night, and we could see more stars than I have seen in a long time (perhaps ever). OD also noticed some luminescence happening in the water (which reminded me of the time a friend and I swam in a bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico).

In the afternoon of our scheduled departure, storm clouds delayed our plane for a couple of hours, so while waiting we got one of the staff to take photos of us around the island. We hardly ever get photos of us together, and since OD takes most of the photos, they are usually just of me (though occasionally I take photos of him taking photos). At least now it won't look like I went to the Maldives by myself!