Inestimably clear turquoise waters, pristine enough to see God’s finest creations swirl through rocky beds and valuable marine deposits. The Maldives will leave you pleasantly humbled. And the hospitable warmth of the Maldivians? Par excellence. Apart from sharing common ancestors with us Indians, their Hindi-speaking skills will bowl you over. Might even defeat you in a Bollywood quiz too, who knows? Thereby, the emergence of Maldives as a hot-favourite vacation destination for Indians is no news. Especially for proposals, honeymoons and nuptials. There’s something in the air, rose-scented and well, clean. God bless their AQI.
I had the good fortune of spending four days at Club Med Kani, a premium, all-inclusive and family-friendly resort rich in marine life and exceptional water sports. Now mind you, I’m somewhat of a novice when it comes to adventurous ‘activities.’ Okay, let’s not paint with broad brush strokes here–let me just say, I don’t do sports. Or water. Or water sports, hah cha-ching! So there I stood, mildly intimidated by the two-kilometre stretch of private beach calling out to me, as soon as I stepped foot on the island after a 25-minute speedboat ride from the Malé airport.
First stop: food. An endless aisle of Asian, European and native offerings at the buffet at The Vehli or the lagoon-front deck and open al fresco setting of the Kandu Restaurant. Both are worth a try but the buffet takes the cake for me. While the seafood there is an obvious catch (I just had to), Indian food comes to a close second given the mind-boggling array of vegetarian dishes to entertain the average Indian’s palate. I felt represented. Kani Kravings–the beachside food truck is also a nice little addition to curb those in-betweener cravings whilst frolicking on the sand.
When in Maldives, you better be seen with a drink in hand–alcoholic, or non-alcoholic, they’ve got you sorted. I still have dreams about the secret tequila fusion drink I was rewarded with, after a sweaty bout of dancing with unknown faces at the Iru bar. There’s also The Sunset and The Manta Exclusive Collection Beach Bar that’s reserved for guests of the exclusive collection space.
As for the layout, it was a pretty simple set-up with multiple beach-front villas stretched out parallelly and the overwater suites adorning the other tail of the island. I was residing in one of the overwater suites, greeted by the stunning view of the Indian Ocean. It’s unbelievably serene, cosy up with either a book or a cup of tea–the bed of soft waves will easily put any silver button ASMR sensation to shame. And the sun shines more confidently there, albeit a notch lesser than the stars that glisten audaciously at night. Magnified and surreal.
For those chasing the thrill in the Maldives, their list of excursions and water sports are enticing for even the most discerning of the lot. From scuba diving to surfing, sailing, snorkelling and kayaking, the experts there make sure you’re well-equipped to tackle the waters sans any discomfort. So yes, do that test they ask you to. Check out activities like trapeze, padel tennis and yoga if they fit your bill. There’s also a pool indoors with a section for the kiddies and trust me, these endless stretches of blue just never cease to amaze.
The trip, which was a meticulously planned media summit, culminated in a deep reverence for natural wildlife and more importantly, healthy and clean living. Something we conveniently toss to the side when enveloped in the corporate meandering of everyday back home. Something to think about, don’t you think? Well till then, I’ll go back to my camera roll begging for more storage all thanks to the visual masterpiece that was, Club Med Kani, in the Maldives.
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