travel

So far on my travels to this beautiful blue archipelago, the island’s have been one beautiful breathe of fresh air and nothing but relaxation awaiting you. They all persuade you with a wide array of sandy, tropical and underwater sanctuaries to explore and all have a similar variety of cuisine on offer, with copious luxury-laden opportunities for you to fully enjoy your weekend away. Kuramathi is however, without doubt, the island you could quite happily move to more permanently. Kuramathi went through major refurbishment in 2009, where more than a third of the rooms were completely redone and environmentally friendly methods implemented across the island.

It is the Maldives but on a much larger scale, boasting 1.8km from tip to tip, it’s the largest one I’ve visited so far. It houses 4 different water villa complexes and it’s actually fairly easy to get a little lost in the midst of all their footpaths. I was a bit affronted by the golf buggies tearing up and down the island as their main mode of transport, because I wanted nothing more than to remain barefoot and enjoy the jungle trails as I had done on the past few islands. Here however, they are more of a necessary evil, especially welcomed when the giant fruit bats start flying about in the canopy and you can’t quite see what’s making all the noise!

One of the nicest traits the island has is the full community vibe in the middle of it, where staff are kept almost hidden in other areas, here there’s frequent football and cricket matches held in the middle of the island for their 1000+ employees. Amidst such a big community, it’s a welcome sight to see the sustainable hydroponic garden producing all the deliciously fresh produce and plant life across the island.

If you’re looking for a longer trip then this is the perfect place for you to enjoy getting lost in. Not only is there plenty to do above the water during the day, the evening’s are well covered with restaurants like Reef – the local seafood restaurant, with a substantial wine cellar, that boasts nothing but 100% fresh catch where nothing goes to waste – all set to the sound of absolutely no music, so that you are settled solely by the waves all around you in their open dining hotspot.

Looking for a way to explore the reef’s but finding the water a little chilly? We’ll there’s two options for you here… Kuramathi offers a unique diving experience like no other – in a submarine! Expect to be fairly surface-side most of the time, so it’s ok for those who are a little claustrophobic like me. If you’d rather get a tan in the process too, take out the monokini– a see through canoe – for the afternoon. It’s a great way of being able to drift across the reefs and spot all the fish below without getting wet. But if you are a diver… this island has a full Hyperbaric Chamber available to you too – especially if you’ve been out on one of their early morning boats to Hammerhead Shark Point – only 8 minutes by boat from Kuramathi and these gorgeous creatures can be seen all year round!

If you’re an early bird like me, there’s a sunrise yoga session that’s sure to stretch you out, after all, it’s hard doing almost nothing ☺ If that’s not for you however, the spa certainly will be! Treat yourself to the signature massage (which I’ve checked – differs from island to island) and enjoy the post-relaxation thrum of the jungle around you.

Because it’s such a vast island, the eco-sanctuary and marine station have a much bigger job of keeping it all growing. We spoke with their resident biologist who’s having a tough time with the thorny crown fish in the area, attacking what’s left of their mostly bleached reefs. It’s not a total loss though as if it’s even 10% of the Maldives at their best, it’s still 100% better than most other places in the world!