Nigeria to The Maldives: A Tourist?s Experience

By Mosimileoluwa Alabi

21 February 2020

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?A Holiday in The Maldives would be perfect for you and Nadu?, said Bella one cool evening. I had just spoken to her about how lost Nadu, my husband was in deciding on what country to pick for our honeymoon. We got married a week before but had to push our honeymoon a bit further due to work deadlines and all. I did not really buy the idea because I wanted a place that was closer to Nigeria.

?Stop having second thoughts, tell Nadu about it and thank me later. I want to spend a night in one of the top hotels in Lagos. See it as your appreciation gift to me? She smirked. ?How do I know I?d enjoy my stay in The Maldives and secondly, how on earth would I know top hotels in Lagos?? I queried her.

?Are you living in the ?70s? Aunty, visit hotels.ng to view top hotels in Lagos and book one for me when you return plus forget about your first question, you?d definitely enjoy your stay? She replied.

Bella is my best friend and most times I trust her judgment. I decided to tell my husband and surprisingly, he agreed to it. I feel it?s because the Maldives is one of the countries that offer tourist visa on arrival for a period of 30 days. Meaning, you do not have to go through the hassle of visiting an embassy and going for interviews.

Click here to read on visa-free countries Nigerians can visit.

We fixed our travel for the first week in March, which is one of the best months to visit the country.

Where is the Maldives?

Before we go in-depth into my experience of the Maldives, I?d love to share basic information that gives you a better understanding of this awesome city. The Maldives is a small island country in South Asia, located next to India and Sri Lanka. It is also known as the Republic of Maldives.

This beautiful country consists of about 1192 coral islands scattered across the Indian Ocean-only 200 islands are inhabited, the others are majorly used for tourism and agriculture. It is a tropical paradise having immaculate beaches, blue-green lagoons and the most amazing beach resorts, making it the perfect honeymoon for me and my husband.

Although Islam is the official religion of The Maldives, tourists are not restricted to practicing it. The capital and largest city of the country is Male.

After my research on the Maldives archipelago, I discovered that there are about 90 resorts in the Maldives. We settled for Anantara Kihavah Villas located in Kihavah Huravalhi Island, not just because it is one of the best resorts for a romantic getaway but it is also about 35 minutes from the Male International Airport, Male by speedboat.

The 2 days spent in the beautiful archipelago were literally the best 2 days of my life.

Getting to the Maldives

Travelling from Nigeria to the Maldives was easier than I imagined. All we needed were valid passports, proof of sufficient funds, and valid health certificates. That sounds super easy yeah? We packed our bags, headed for the airport, paid our flight tickets and boarded our flight from Muritala Mohammed Airport, Lagos and off we went to the beautiful country of Maldives.

We spent about 17 hours in the air (all to go on this beautiful journey to the other side of the world) after which we landed at the Male International Airport. On getting to the airport, the resort we booked to stay sent a representative with a boat to escort us there. The boat ride from the airport to the resort lasted for about 35 minutes.

Things to do in the Maldives

A resort in the Maldives
Anantara Kihavah Villas

Traveling to the Maldives was very pivotal to my peace of mind as it helped me disconnect from the hustle and bustle of Lagos and reconnect with myself by getting completely immersed in the beautiful and exotic island we stayed in.

On our first day, we did not do much as we were totally exhausted from the flight. So, we had dinner and slept. The next morning, I felt rejuvenated and was surprised to wake up to the beautiful soothing sound of water below the villa-we chose the overwater villa. The staff was friendly. I realized that the bathroom in the overwater villa is next to the private swimming pool which means from your bathtub, you could swim out into the pool!!

Dolphin Watching

One of the best things to do on your holiday in the Maldives is to watch wildlife and I love Dolphins so why not? This was the first thing we did in the morning of the second day. We saw spinner dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. The dolphins seemed to like us and stayed around for a while.

Bike Around

The resort Islands in the Maldives may be small but are not too small for driving a bike. The piers and sand paths offer the best biking experience. Riding a bike on these piers gave me a feeling of riding to heaven. 

Go Snorkeling

Snorkelling while on a holiday in the Maldives is something you shouldn?t miss. I missed it though as there are certain places in the country that are perfect for Snorkeling. I was not in that part of the archipelago. However, if you plan to have a holiday in the Maldives, Baros Maldives and ?Bandos Maldives have the best snorkelling reefs.

Underwater Dining at Anantara Kihavah

Things to do on your holiday in the Maldives
Underwater Restaurant in Anantara Kihavah Villas

On the 3rd day, I had the memorable experience of dining underwater with Nadu. Anantara Kihavah Villas has the first underwater wine cellar and offers the best romantic experience for couples. I fell in love over again when I saw big fishes swim past as I was enjoying my delicious meal and sipping wine. Trust me; It is a beautiful sight to behold.

Cinemas under the Sky

Holiday in the Maldives-hotelsng
Movies under the sky in the Maldives

I really do not enjoy going to see movies in a cinema but the idea of having it under the sky, while listening to the gentle sounds of waves lapping the beach was something I had to experience. It was undoubtedly surreal. Sinking into oversized bean bags while enjoying popcorns and beverages, I watched Crazy Rich Asians for the one-millionth time.

Sunset Cocktails

In the evening, we had cocktails at the rooftop of the restaurant. We watched the sunset in the most amazing setting. Trust me; this is a perfect way to end the day.

I really wished we could stay for longer but our flight back to Lagos was scheduled for the next day. Ohh and yes, I booked Bella a room in Golden Tulip hotels as my experience in the Maldives was incredible and I absolutely had the time of my life.

Since a holiday in the Maldives is uncomplicated and relaxed-the complete definition of a stress-free life, I plan to go back to the country, on solo travel though.

Read more: Luxury Hotels To Visit in Lagos

Note: This article is not the writer's personal experience

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