11. Park Hyatt Maldives (II)
I have never snorkeled before, therefore doing it for the first time in one of the worlds best reef repositories is something that I look forward to with great excitement. Our plan was to start from the Dusk Jetty and made our way slowly towards the water villas, but seeing how this was my first time, our guide decided that we should stay closer to the jetty. On top of that he told us the water was on the rougher side which is highly unusual at this time of the day.
Words can't describe what I have seen and how amazed I was by what was underneath the water. I wish my camera would react better to seawater, it's a pity I could not take any photos though. Our starting point, the jetty is on the edge of the atoll. Immediately to our right, a few feet away, is the huge drop! As if my senses were not overloaded already, staring into the deep abyss hundreds of meters below really gave me an adrenaline rush. To say that my heart skipped a few beats would be fair.
We ended our excursion 40 minutes later, even though we did not see the resident sea turtle, we were satisfied. Exhausted from having trouble to control the fins we decided to stay dry for the rest of the day. We called off our boat trip and settle down for a proper Maldivian sunset.
Sunset from the Dusk Jetty where we snorkeled hours earlier.
As it started to get dark, we headed over to The Island Grill for dinner.
The signature leaning palm tree of the island.
The Island Grill.
I decided to have wagyu beef while Mrs. had veal chops, and topped it off with drinks and desert. The desert, Kiru Bokiba - Maldivian Rice Cake, Carmelized Coconut, and Rose Ginger Ice Cream, was probably the best part while the main dishes ain't bad either, not great, but went well with our palates. The final bill came out to be around $150, expensive, but not surprising.
On a side note, as mentioned before, there is no way around it, the Maldives is expensive. The hotel itself generates its own electricity, hooked up its Internet (with a peak download speed of 700kps later in the evening), satellite TV, phones, and mobiles via satellite connection. And to be further self-sustaining, they desalinate their own water as well! No wonder they charge so much.
After dinner we retrieve to our favorite spot, you guessed it, the Dusk Jetty and chillaxed. A few staff came up and apologized for the intrusion as they were expecting a late evening arrival. It is this kind of gestures that made this resort stand out from the rest, after all this is a public area and they had every right to be there as well. Instead, they made us feel right at home!
Looking back at the island and the southern sky from the Jetty.
Day 3
During breakfast, our host told us about the upcoming activities of the day: there will be a beachfront cocktail featuring performances from local kids (local? they are all from "overseas" if you know what I mean), followed by an all-you-can-eat barbecue at the beach for dinner. The cocktail is complimentary, while the BBQ will be $108, with number 8 symbolizing good luck and wealth as it was the New Years Eve of Lunar New Year. Following our tradition, a feast on New Years Eve, we were excited and more curious what it had to offer.
After breakfast, I decided to give my camera a good work out. A place like this deserves thousands of pictures, as I tried my best to capture every moment of the paradise we were in.
The dhoni. The boat we were supposed to be in for the fishing trip.
A large school of cuttlefish, or as the locals called it: table fish.
They really do join up and form synchronized patterns, just like what you saw in Pixar's Finding Nemo.
Some where along came a 5-foot long reef shark, circling around, pouncing, and feasting on the fishes.
And abundance of reef scattering all over and around the villas. The water was so clear, created an illusion of how shallow it is. In reality it is probably 5 to 10 meters deep.
What a good life!
One of the 14 water villas. Notice the "dark part" in the picture, all reefs!
As we walked past a villa just vacated, the cleaning staff invited us inside to have a peak. We certainly understood why people paid top dollars for it now. There was only one word to describe it: MAGICAL! Mrs. and I made a pact to come back again, and we will!
The main beach where the festivities will take place later. View from the villa drift.
After our afternoon swim, an idea so simple yet sounded "daunting" hit me, why don't we "circle" the island, as I asked Mrs. @:-)
For the curious ones, the island, Hadahaa, where the entire hotel complex occupies, is a rather small one. The circumference is only about 1.2 km. And yet, it's the size of it and the pristine location where it was tucked away deep in the south, in one of the nation's 1,200 islands, and only 53km from the equator made it less spoiled and so much more special.
As the daylight began to fail, we set out on our "final journey" of the day.
After all, when was the last time you can tell others you've circled around an entire landmass, coming back to the point you started? Not me. 20 minutes later, we did just that, and still found our names in the sand preserved. It was surreal~
When we got to the main beach, the party had started without us, but the ever so friendly staff brought us champagne, cocktail, and some hors d'oeuvres with beef tartar, egg tarts, and some cake bites.
Adorable school kids from adjacent islands.
A private sunset dinner at the beach beacons as we were already thinking about our next visit.
Beach converted into a dining area.
They did a wonderful job transforming the beach into a scene I've only seen previously in the movies. And our host, being ever so attentive, knowing how we loved to keep things quiet to ourselves, reserved a table for us with that in mind.
The dinner consisted of an appetizer buffet, a grill with sirloins, chicken filets, lamb chops, prawns, salmons, and half-lobster tails, a desert stand with literally 20 kinds of sweets from ice creams to Maldivian treats... you named it!
From the right, the main grill, desert stand, and bar (all you can booze for another $28).
After about 8 half-lobster tails and 2 sirloins and a few prawns, I decided I had enough meat, and finished my eating rampage with some ice creams, tarts, crepes, and Maldivian rice cakes. Oh my~ how did I eat so much??
As the night winded down, we took one more glance around the island, realizing this will be our last night here, we decide to walk the beach in the dark. And boy, it was another amazing discovery!
The main pool after dark, where some guests hung out in the dining room instead of attending the BBQ.
As I shone the flashlight on the sand, we saw plenty of hermit crabs, and ghost crabs rushing across the sands, hurrying into their burrows. It was a sight bestowed only to a place like this. Watching those little creatures rushing sideways, we were content. This island is just full of surprises!
to be continued...