Indian Ocean Escapade. Day 3: Maafushi

Indian Ocean Escapade. Day 3: Maafushi - Meeru Island Resort

- March 03, 2024

The Maldives is a tropical nation in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Sri Lanka and India. It’s made up of 1,000+ coral islands grouped into 26 natural atolls. Renowned for its pristine white-sand beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and abundant marine life, the Maldives is a dream destination not only for snorkeling, diving, and water-like activities; it's also a place for relaxation and indulgence. There are abundant luxury resorts offering stunning overwater villas and world-class services.

It took me quite a while to choose an attractive resort that was within my budget for a 3-day, 2-night stay. The main criteria I chose were resorts that had overwater villas and didn't take too long to get to by boat. There were also resorts that offered attractive and affordable packages, but they were quite far from Maafushi Island and required a seaplane ride. I should have tried it, but the cost of the trip was too high. The cost of the trip was significantly higher than that of a round-trip ticket to the Maldives.

Finally, we decided to book an overwater villa at Meeru Maldives Resort Island, a bungalow with a private jetty and an open jacuzzi for two. Boats from Maafushi Island were also available, but we booked a private speedboat from the Male` marina jetty because we wanted to arrive as early as possible at Meeru Island. The room booking included breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets. A butler served us at every meal throughout our stay.

It was around 10am. As soon as we arrived at the resort jetty, the Meeru Island Resort staff was waiting on the platform to greet us. The sound of traditional kompangs greeted us as soon as we entered the lobby, adding to the excitement. A buggy took us to the villa after we completed the registration process. However, it only took less than an hour to walk around the island, which we did on the second day.

Bunyi ala2 dangdut pun iye jugak

Room tour

Lunchtime will start in a few hours. Without delay after checking into the room, we immediately put on our swimsuits and jumped into the sea. We saw two baby sharks swimming around our villa. The baby sharks ran away when we tried to approach them. There was also other marine life, such as stingrays, pufferfish, and others.

An array of overwater villas

After some time swimming and exploring the nearby area, we got ready to head to Farihalvu restaurant. One of the restaurant waiters asked our room number and took us to the table that had been reserved for each guest according to the room. In fact, a special waiter was assigned to each table. We were treated like royalty! It was worth every penny spent here :P We also tried the various activities provided around the main area where the lobby and Farihalvu are located.

Full-board international buffet are served

I had sent an email to the resort management to confirm whether we were allowed to bring and use a small boat. They allowed it but all the unwanted things and incidents are under our own responsibility. We had bought an Intex inflatable boat with a rope for safety purposes :P.

That evening we tried the inflatable boat around the villa. For safety purposes, I had tied the boat to the pier post using a 30-meter nylon rope. Nu'man and my wife started first. Suddenly, it rained heavily. Seeing their antics made me smile even though I was worried about their safety. Thank God, nothing untoward happened. The three of us laughed, remembering that moment.