As I had shared in previous posts, getting to the Maldives from the United States is no easy task. After 3 flights and 24 hours of travel time in reaching the capital island of Male, it’s highly likely that you will be taking a seaplane to your final destination. That seaplane will only fly between a specific window of time which is typically 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. So, if you land in Male at 4:00 pm, which I did, you will need overnight accommodations to catch your plane the next morning.
I must confess, when I was instructed that this would be my lot I thought “geez, what a hassle”. But the one thing I did know was that the level of hassle implied the level of beauty of “there”, which was the St Regis. I did know that once I got to my final destination that it would blow my mind. What I didn’t foresee was that my transitional accommodations would actually blow my mind as well. A necessary preparation if you will, for getting “there”. The transition was as much fun as the destination.
I was referred to the Sheraton Full Moon Resort by the St Regis. The Sheraton is short boat ride from the Male airport and because of its partnership with the St Regis, I was met team members from both hotels to ensure my safe passage to and from the airports and hotels. Walking out of the baggage claim, there they were…the hotel reps…they walked me out of the airport, across the street and to a boat dock where the Sheraton boat was waiting. I hopped on and we zipped across the bay to the Sheraton Resort which is made up of two private islands. The larger island is the hotel and resort. The smaller island is a new spa facility.
On my way into the Maldives, I stayed in an over the water villa. On my way out of the Maldives, I stayed in an ocean view bungalow. Both where lovely and accommodating but I actually enjoyed the bungalow, it’s garden and privacy the most. I found the resort itself to be very well kept and lively. You can certainly hide out and have quite times but if you would like to interact with other vacationers, this resort has activities that facilitate this. There is even a hint of “night life” at this destination. Meaning, watching the sunset at the St Regis was pretty much the extent of “night life”. At the Sheraton, you could hang out at their lounge and hear live music and dance.
I’ve had several people ask me, which one did I like better? I enjoyed them both for different reasons. The St Regis is luxury personified! It’s beauty is dazzling, the food is amazing, the service is over the top and being built upon a coral reef makes for easy snorkeling. The Sheraton is lovely, well kept, with a variety of activities and lively vibe…at one third the cost of the St Regis. Let’s just say, when I go back into the Maldives, I’ll break up my trip to spend a bit more time at the Sheraton before I head to my final destination.
As I started thinking about the end to end experience of the Maldives and writing about my transitional spot, I was struck with a life lesson. Yes, the most beautiful places will be a “hassle” to get to. Dazzling beauty is typically hidden and needs to be sought out. But once your “there” is identified and the hassle defined…the transition itself just might be understated in its value. The transition just might turn out to be as much fun as your “there”!