Tuesday, December 9, 2014

My Veligandu Sojourn, continues...

by on 7:20 AM
So, my love affair with Veligandu Island continues for my third day here. Some light rain showers in the afternoon have indeed enhanced the romance quotient of the island, and it has looked more beautiful throughout the day with an overcast sky and a light breeze caressing the flora found in abundance on the island. And the night has been splendid like the two previous nights.
I am back in my room now after a most romantic candle light dinner and just going back through the events of the day, thanking my tour operators Crown Tours Maldives, for suggesting me Veligandu Island in the first place and subsequently arranging my stay here. Little I had known in the morning that my third day at the Island was going to turn out to be a romantic one in its own sense. But that is how the day has kept unfolding before me and, by now, has cemented its place in one secure corner of my mind as one of the never-forgettable days of my life.
It had all started with a short time spent at the Duniye Spa located on east coast of the island itself. My package had a 15-minute free spa voucher that could be redeemed any time within the first three days of my arrival. The spa treatment was a rejuvenating one and it amply set my mood for the rest of the day. The ambience inside spa rooms built over water is simple yet soothing, and the whole atmosphere there seems to breathe a new life into you; enhanced by the ever-smiling Balinese masseurs, whose deft hands gradually pamper you into a world of calmness.
As soon as I stepped into my room after getting a refreshing spa treatment, I got a call from Mr. Fathuhulla, the general manager of the Island. He suggested a beach dinner to me, which I readily accepted. I had already registered myself for the Sunset Punch Dolphin-spotting Cruise, and while agreeing for beach dinner, I knew in my heart that it was actually going to be a different evening for me.

A date with dolphins
My evening started with romancing with dolphins in the deep blue waters. The 1.5-hour cruise started exactly at 17.45 hours. We all were perched on upper deck of a motorized boat, and soon were on our way to spot dolphins in their natural habitat and to have an unobstructed view of the Sun setting in the horizon. Rifaath, the dolphin-expert of the resort, had told me that they spotted dolphins more often than not, and I knew this cruise was not going to be like one of those jungle safaris where you didn't watch the big cats at all and returned after spotting their pugmarks only. And we indeed spotted dolphins today! And not just spotted them, we kind of played with them. My god, they were there in abundance – leaping in unison, answering to our clapping and racing along the boat. And, those reddish yellow hues of the evening sky creating a magnificent backdrop to this all!! Nothing could be more exhilarating, nothing could be more romantic than this.

And the beach dinner
The candle light dinner on the beach has been a perfect finish to a day filled with heart-warming activities. A table set in middle of the long stretch of sand, a bunch of florescent bulbs tucked on the coastline, water-level increasing gradually as the evening darkened, a view of the dimly-lit water villas in the distance, a specially cooked seafood platter with smooth American white wine, a personalized attention, and a perfect solitude to heighten your senses - what more could one ask for! It has been truly a different experience, never to be missed while one is at Veligandu.

I do not want to come back from Veligandu. But I have to go. Tomorrow, I have a seaplane ride back to Male, from where I will be flying back to India the next day. So, I take your leave now. I have to pack my bags! Sigh!!

posted by
AJAY K GARG

Thursday, December 4, 2014

by on 12:49 PM




Совсем скоро состоится открытие нового отеля на Мальдивах Amilla Fushi!

Отель приготовил много интересного для своих гостей! Так например впервые на Мальдивах гостям  отеля будет доступна для использования органическая косметика Aesop!
Косметический бренд Aesop был основан компанией Dennis Paphitis в 1987 году, в Австралии. Природные богатства Австралии позволяют производить косметические средства не просто на основе натуральных составляющих, косметика Aesop состоит исключительно из природных компонентов. Косметика Aesop отлично подходит для чувствительно кожи, так как не содержит химических добавок и консервантов, которые могут вызвать аллергическую реакцию. 







My Veligandu Sojourn

by on 8:18 AM
It is my second day at Veligandu island in Maldives, and I am already falling in love with this tiny piece of land. A narrow and not-so-long strip of pristine white sand dotted with beach villas and water villas on its circumference, the whole island has got an air of tranquility about it. Rightly so, as the clear greenish blue waters around this land mass are also so very peaceful that their occasional roaring comes to your ears as a lullaby being sung the Mother Nature. No wonder I find so many European travellers having a great time here. Europeans, I have always found, love to stay at places where they can not only have a peaceful environment and privacy, but also can get some sun and a rush of adrenaline whenever they wish to do so. Well, I am also similar to Europeans as far as their preferences are concerned, and so I am loving it out here.
The moment I stepped on the island, what immediately attracted me was a sense of serenity about it. It did not come to me as a tourist place at all. A long strip of open sand at the southern end of it and a broad beach extending northward. A not so overly crowded place as I must have imagined. Despite it being a narrow island, it has enough space to roam about idly. It felt as if I am going to stay for the next few days at a place that has been eagerly awaiting me. A home, yes, yet far removed from the daily chores and activities of home! For, its rustic charm and a calm and undisturbed atmosphere, Veligandu presents itself as a tropical Maldivian island in its truest sense where there is enough sun and sand to soak in, and where one can unburden oneself and feel rejuvenated by the time it is time to go back (if, at all, one wishes to go back). 
I arrived at Veligandu Island Resort yesterday before noon after a 20-minute seaplane ride from Hulhule terminal and then a scintillating 5-minute motorboat ride from somewhere in the middle of the sea. But wait! Did I say 'before noon'? Or was it 'after noon'? It was before noon by my watch, but it was after noon at Veligandu. Okay, let me clear the mystery. The resort at Veligandu keeps itself one hour ahead of Malé time. Why? Just to save on daylight time. Good!! It means an early start for your day and longer day hours to spend lying idle on the long stretches of sand.
Well, not just the daylight, the resort people seem committed to save everything around them - the corals, the waters, the environment! For, they have got a water treatment plant, a sewage treatment facility and a greenhouse on the island itself. So, don't be surprised when you find two long glass bottles lying on the top of the kitchenette bureau when your butler ushers you into the cosy atmosphere of your mildly but beautifully decorated abode. Water in these bottles is a product of the local water treatment plant and is called the Veligandu Water. But before you step into that cosy villa of yours for the next few days, have you made sure that you have set your watches right to keep pace with the environment-loving people at Veligandu Island Resort?

posted by
AJAY K GARG
www.terrahopper.com

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