When Joe suggested we go to the Maldives, it seemed completely unreal. You see all these instababes posting incredible pictures of crystal clear blue water and you think, it’s just a filter, it can’t be real and this place is just too far anyways. But it actually is real (and it is far, but totally worth the trip!) Our week in The Maldives was absolutely incredible.

Joe found an incredible deal online and that’s how we decided to go to the Maldives.

Kandima had just recently opened, a brand new hotel, the only resort on its island. We first wondered what we were going to do for a whole week on a private island, but at the end of the week, we realized it wasn’t enough. We went snorkeling, diving, kayaking, we walked from one end to the other of the island and we just took in the beauty of Nature. The food was delicious (best Naan ever!), the staff was friendly, polite and willing to do anything to make our stay better, and the facilities were gorgeous. Our room was incredible – the best room we’ve every stayed in. We had a private pool with a view on the beach and an outdoor bathroom!

There’s something soothing about being in the middle of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by calm, crystal-clear water, with barely anyone around you. You feel disconnected. And it allows you to reconnect with each other. We always refer back to our trip to the Maldives as the moment where we felt the most in love and in sync. From times to time, I’ll ask Joe “Do you love me as much as you loved me in the Maldives?” (yes, cheesy AF). But that’s our trip in a nutshell. We spent a week, relaxing, swimming, diving and mingling with other people on the island, but feeling closer than ever to each other.

The diving in the Maldives was the most incredible we’ve ever done (in our very short diver experience, but still) Our instructor Anna was the best! She is so knowledgeable and attentive. The diving equipment was brand new and the boat was sparkling clean and comfortable. And best of all, we saw tons of fishes, sting rays, eagle rays, sharks and a turtle to top it off!

Our trip to the Maldives was also an eye opener on how fragile our planet is, and how we are slowly destroying it. The Maldives are formed by a group of atolls, which are ring-shaped coral reef made up of thousands of islands. In the middle of the Indian Ocean. Far from everything. The closest piece of land is Sri Lanka, which is 600 km away.

But still, everyday, plastic washes up to the shore of Kandima. Tons of it. The staff on the island cleans it and visitors probably never see the trash that washes up on the sand. But if you take a walk to the tip of the island, and, during low tide, when you walk across to the inhabited neighbouring island, you see piles of trash that has floated across the ocean.

So for the entire week, we would pick up trash along the shore every time we took a walk on the beach. And we realized how urgent it was for us to make significant changes in our daily lives.

This trip definitely made us more eco conscious and we’ve made some changes in our daily habits because of it.

Overall, this trip was absolutely incredible! We hope we get to go back one day and explore other islands. But most of all, we’re hoping we’ll always be as happy as we were while in the Maldives 🙂