Honeymoon Part 2 - The Maldives

In November 2021, we were very lucky to spend 7 nights at Atmosphere Kanifushi in the Maldives as the second part of our honeymoon. It certainly didn’t disappoint, and our only regret is that we didn’t book to stay for longer! We took the 35 minute seaplane from Malé which was such an amazing experience! For anyone who has a fear of flying, I would probably recommend somewhere reachable by speedboat instead as the seaplanes are very tiny so not great for claustrophobia and although we were lucky with weather I can imagine they may sometimes be a bit bumpy. Although I was surprised how smooth the landings were! But if you’re all good with flying, then definitely go on a sea plane as the views are fantastic. The welcome we received upon our arrival at Kanifushi was just so incredible. You step off the seaplane onto the jetty and there’s so many staff ready to welcome you to the island and then you walk down the jetty to reception with 2 guys walking ahead of you playing bongo drums. They make such a fuss! And it made me a tad emotional if I’m honest. It certainly set the bar for what we could expect for the rest of our stay. We had a quick glass of fizz in reception before being shown to our villa. En route, we were given a quick tour of the island and all the facilities and restaurants. We stayed in a Beach Villa with Private Pool which are located on the very northern tip of the island which is very secluded. It’s very private up there which is great but just bear in mind that you are around a 25 min walk from the main buffet restaurant. You can also get a bicycle for the duration of your stay which we did and so it was a 10 minute cycle which we didn’t mind. Alternatively, there are small shuttle buggy's which run up and down every 15 mins or so and they give you an app which you can track them on so you know when to come out of your villa to jump on! The villa itself was absolutely beautiful! They are huge at 192m2 and come with a 30m2 outdoor private pool at the front which then leads onto the beach. The outdoor bathroom was also stunning! With a freestanding whirlpool bathtub right in the centre, and a huge waterfall shower. There were full size Elemis toiletries too so I wouldn’t bother taking shampoo or shower gel next time as they were lush! These rooms also come with some extra perks, including 2 x 1 litre bottles of spirits of your choice from their Kanifushi Plan menu and also the option to have a la carte breakfast each day at the Sunset Bar which is only 5 mins walk from the villa. Also with this room category we had our own concierge, Sandy, who took care of all our restaurant and excursion reservations and was just there for us throughout our stay if we needed anything. We had her Whatsapp number so we could just ping her a quick message and she’d reply super quickly! She was amazing. All of the staff were super friendly. I know this is easy to say, but seriously even when you were walking or cycling past staff who were sweeping the island or cleaning rooms, every single person said ‘’Hello’’ or ‘’Good morning’’. It was so lovely. Another thing I noticed in regards to staff was that a few times after we’d finished evening meals, the chef would come round and ask what the food had been like. This happened about 4/5 times and was a nice touch. Talking of food…WOW! The food and drinks here are incredible. First of all, the drinks menu is huge and has everything you’d want from wines, beers, cocktails, smoothies and even liqueur coffees! On our first evening we ate at the buffet and I had fresh tuna steak which was cooked on a griddle pan in front of me, with some vegetables and potatoes and it was so tasty! All of the a la carte restaurants were also beautiful and we wish we had more time to eat at them again. We decided to also go to the Teppanyaki, which isn’t included on the all inclusive plan, but it was brilliant. I love going to a Teppanyaki as they put on a great show and the food was delicious! On the Wednesday evening, there was the ‘Indian Ocean Festival’ dinner at the buffet which was fab! All the buffet was brought outdoors and you received a welcome drink and there was live music on. The atmosphere was amazing. As it was our honeymoon we were also treated to a special honeymoon dinner on the beach at the Sunset restaurant which was so lovely. And during our afternoon turndown, they made us a special ‘’Happy Honeymoon’’ arrangement on the bed and ran us a beautiful rose petal bath. Such a lovely touch! Each night after dinner we headed to The Liquid bar which had some great DJ’s on and great music was a great atmosphere to end the day. We even got up a few times for a boogie! Also included as part of the all inclusive plan are the twice a day snorkelling trips. We only went on 1 in the end but wish we had time to go on more. We did also go on the sunset cruise where we were lucky enough to see dolphins swimming alongside the boat which was such an incredible experience! And also the sunset fishing cruise where we saw some sharks! Both were included in the stay and I’d highly recommend doing them. The day after our arrival, Sandy messaged us an itinerary she had put together for us to ensure we got the chance to eat at all the restaurants and do the cruises. This is totally changeable of course but it means you get to experience everything and she made all the reservations for us. I thought this was a brilliant service. Whether you’re looking to just chill out for the whole stay, or fill your time with lots of activities, the Maldives and Kanifushi in particular can definitely fulfil your needs! I’ve not even mentioned the tennis courts, pool table, table tennis and gym that are available that we barely had time for! We cannot wait to return one day, it’s certainly only a matter of time! For anymore information on the Maldives or Atmosphere Kanifushi, if you’re planning on a special visit, please do get in touch as I’d love to help!