MALDIVES - FIFTY SHADES OF BLUE

Weddings are like amusement parks. A roller-coaster of sorts and just as much fun. So when we decided to get married, we did it all. Months of planning, months of shopping, debating on the menu, deliberating on the venue and fussing between Europe and Maldives for our honeymoon. This roller-coaster ride was badass. We were excited and exhausted. Even more so when, on our D-day, where we spent at least 4 hours standing, 8 hours smiling (and standing) and 2 hours staring at people enjoy their food while we starved and salivated (while standing). At that point, we thanked our lucky stars and common sense for choosing the right honeymoon destination. We chose Maldives. Maldives was our answer to the all that wedding drama, a cure for tired, post wedding feet. Trust us, there's no better place to be stuck at than Maldives. Because after all wedding madness, we could not imagine exploring Europe by foot (that’s how the city is best enjoyed). All we could think of was “Europe? My foot!”. No, literally, our feet! All we wanted to do was put our feet up and relax.

The first thing that struck us about Maldives was the blueness of the place. Deep indigo. Pale turquoise. Soft cyan. Electric azure. This island is what we called 'Fifty Shades Of Blue'. But this island was more than just a colour. It had a vibe. A happy, Friday vibe. The kind that embraced us in its warmth, right from the time we stepped foot onto its sandy shore. And as we sunk our tired feet into the warm Maldivian sand, we felt it. There was a spring in our step, song on our lips and sand in our toes. Just what we wanted.

BEACH. SLEEP. REPEAT.

Post the wedding frenzy, all we wanted to do was unwind. And we did just that. We spent hours by the pool, in the pool. A few more were spent flip-flopping along the beach, soaking our feet in the blue lagoon or simply watching the sun set. There were times we fell asleep on a hammock, under the sun, sometimes with a half-read book or a half-drunk wine. Spas were an inevitable part of the holiday as was shopping at the gift store. We lived by the currents, planned by the tide and followed the sun. Beach. Sleep. Repeat. That was the agenda. The joy of doing nothing was liberating.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

A faraway feeling, perhaps? We stayed at Kurumba Resorts and that was one incredible experience. We checked into our Deluxe Pool Villa and it was just what we had in mind. With cosy wooden interiors, breezy rooms and our very own in-house pool, we knew where we’d be sipping our 2 am champagne. And with the Villa a few feet away from the sea, we also knew where we’d be taking our 4 am stroll. But if you thought our excitement would keep us awake, you're wrong. The sound of the sea did a fabulous job of lulling us to sleep. (The following two images are from the Kuruma website. We lost our hard drive, we could only save a few. The rest of the images are clicked by us.)

WAKING UP TO CHAMPAGNE

We slept in the lap of luxury and woke up to an extravagant breakfast spread at their open air café. And no, we didn’t chug cups of coffee like we usually do. Our languid mornings began with a flute of sparkling bubbly. Yes, champagne. Yes, that's a first (for breakfast at least). Amidst a hearty spread of croissants, cheese, jams and fruits, we were spoilt for choice. It’s almost as if we were stuck between the deviled eggs and the deep blue sea. But we weren’t complaining. With waves at our feet, wind in our hair, sun on our face and champagne in our hands, we were lost in a world of our own.

LOOK MA! IT’S FREE WILLY.

We like adventure. But not the kind that begin at 4 am. We’re the sundowners. So one evening, we embarked on our kind of an adventure. The Sunset and Dolphin Discovery Cruise. We jetted off into the sunset and watched dolphins frolicking around the boat, dancing in tandem, reminding us of the good ol’ days of Free Willy. A truly breath-taking sight was watching the sun set lazily over the Indian Ocean, as the blues turned into a fiery orange.

EAT. DRINK. AND BE MARRIED.

There are two things that keep us together (apart from our insane amount of strange love for each other). One, we love food. Two, we’re always hungry. And when two hungry souls marry each other, it’s always a food fest. And Kurumba worked fantastically for us, since it had 8 amazing restaurants and 3 bars to choose from. While we were not downing beers at the bar, we gorged on some really delicious food at Isola and Al Qasr. The Crab Ravioli at Isola still gets us salivating.

The next time you crave for a holiday where you can put your feet up and relax, head to Maldives. Whether you’re an adventurer or not, this little island has something for everyone. Whether it’s collecting shells, collecting memories or simply collecting experiences, Maldives won’t disappoint you. When we boarded that plane to get back home, we didn’t just take back a tan. We took a bag full of memories. And no, there was no extra charge.