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Holiday

Velassaru Maldives – A Tropical Paradise

Posted on December 22, 2016

Having never been to the Maldives before, I was completely convinced (thanks to instagram) that it was purely a honeymoon destination, which saw only couples really being able to enjoy its offerings, so hopping onto a plane to check it out with Adonis Marketing, I was slightly dubious about whether or not i’d be a little lonely on a small island. I’m not one for being able to sit still all day long, an hour here or there by the pool definitely, or seashell hunting along the shoreline, for sure, but if you tell me we’re here to ‘switch off’… well I just can’t.

We landed in Male, (which is basically an airport on the sea) and jumped on a waiting yacht to an island only 20 mins from the airport itself. We passed water villa upon water villa on each coast of the island’s resorts, all looking like they just leapt off a postcard. Each atoll in the 1000+ Maldivian archipelago has a variety of luxury resorts (approx 300 in total) and each of them surrounded by bluer than blue waters (no camera truly does it justice) with a mixture of over-the water and beachfront villas.

Landing at Velassaru, we’re welcomed by what felt like the whole crew. Ever-so-friendly staff were waiting to help us to our villas so that we could rest after the trip. As it was only 4 hours though, I decided to remain awake and jump in the pool to freshen up. Straight off the bedroom was my very own piece of paradise. Infinity in style and plunge in depth, the pool was the perfect temperature so I made myself at home. The moody skies juxtaposed with the turquoise tiles reminded me so much of Thailand at first, but there’s something totally unique about it here, a smell in the breeze that just feels clean, calming almost.

We headed straight for their ‘Chill Bar’ to grab some mezze after our refresh, readying us for the much needed spa session to come. After an hour long Swedish escape, to which I don’t mind admitting I totally fell asleep in – which is a massive accomplishment as I’m never that relaxed, even during a massage. We then spent an hour savouring the indefinable pool to sea perspectives from their relaxation deck.

I spoke with Sri my spa therapist and asked her why she chose the Maldives. “There’s a lot of opportunity here for those who are looking to learn from the best and that’s what I always wanted… to keep learning and bettering my ability.”

So I’ll admit… there’s definitely something to this off-switch.

The spa was followed by my first dip in the ocean, which was pleasantly bearable I have to say, I was however a bit put off about the sand… I assumed looking at all the images of these pristine white beaches that the sand would be baby soft, but in fact, it’s ground down corals so there’s a little sharpness underfoot. Either way, the completely glass clear waters made it difficult to leave, what with sturgeons and parrot fish happily basking in the shallows nearby. No sharks or manta rays spotted yet but eagle rays and turtles often make an appearance under the water villas.

Post- post downtime, we headed out onto the sand to experience the typical Maldivian style dinners on the beach. Executive Chef Costa Exprua, joined us to talk about his original flavour for French and Californian cuisines, but having had a hand in each of the menu’s across the variety of restaurants on the resort, Indo-Asian cuisine has become more of his forte since moving to the island. Featuring a stand-alone, open-air Tepanaki suite, it’s really easy to see why these islands make such good instagram fodder.

What I loved most about my first trip to this tropical haven is that I’ve realized I’m 100% content (and haven’t forgotten how) to just be still and as a yogi, get back to my breathing. I did mention about a wake-surf plate for their wake-board only boat but we’ll see when I return… and I will!

Top tips for those looking to visit:
– Wake early for some sunrise yoga looking out across the archipelago
– Enjoy the local fish dishes
– Put your phone down, at least for a little bit – the sea life is everywhere under your feet and the clouds are dancing just as brilliantly above your head.

Life in the Bay for Christmas

Posted on December 29, 2015

I love South Africa. I’m particularly in love with the southern coastline, from Cape Town to Plettenberg, it’s nothing but blue skies, blue seas and beautiful people!

It feels like Christmas every day here, waking up to the most gorgeous bay views and sea air. It’s amazing how tired salty air can make you, but you definitely feel like you’ve had a long, fruitful (if not too eventful) day. The African sun is relentless too, warm yes, but strong, even when it’s overcast. We welcome the odd splashes of rain.

This sleepy bayside town wakes up for 2 weeks a year to a plethora of surfers, VIP’s and people like us, who are just looking for some winter sunshine, all mingling in beautiful café’s with quaint views, and the same long waiting lists.

The days are spent surfing, shopping, eating and napping, whilst the evenings gather everyone around the BBQ’s. The smell I tell you is fantastic. I’m a vegetarian but oh my…

I’ve been so glad for two particular necessities here, one is Neutrogena’s sun cream and the other, is their chap stick… with the winter winds out on the water raging, my normally semi-coiffed hair hasn’t had a look in this holiday, and it’s been great to let go. Apart from getting the odd eyeball whipping from the baby strands around my face, it’s actually been nice to not care.

We had a fantastic day out on the water yesterday, venturing out with the ocean safari team with our sights set on finding some whales, (it’s technically out of season but I was optimistic none the less). What we did see straight away was a large seal feasting on a stingray, happily enjoying his well deserved breakfast with the ever-growing fear of the dreaded ‘Robberg Express’ hanging over him. The Robberg express is not the channel between which all the sharks roam as I later found out; it’s the name of a singularly enormous creature that haunts the bay. (May be why I haven’t gotten into the water to surf yet…)

As he rolled on his back, waved at us and promptly sank beneath the waves, we moved on in search of more aquatic wonders. We headed straight for the coastline where we saw a collective of at least 30 bottlenose dolphins hugging the waves in fear of the Express, and followed their movements in the swells for a good half an hour. Soaking up the sun from the top deck, with these small, beautiful mammals playing next to us was a moment of absolute perfection. Then we spotted (I spotted and alerted the boat rather loudly) a baby hammerhead shark off to the right, swimming with a small family of indo-pacific humpback dolphins! (These are incredibly incredibly rare – hence my exclamation mark).

After what was the perfect way to start the day, we felt it was only right to end it just as memorably. Dinner last night was at a little romantic hotspot called Emily Moon River Lodge… it boasts spectacular views across polo fields and wet lands by day, the ideal place for a sunset aperitif or two!

Anyway, I’m off to enjoy the rest of it now… ☺

Adventure Recommended travel

A Weekend in… Santorini

Posted on June 3, 2015

A lot of people say “you are ALWAYS off on holiday” and I guess that’s kind of true… There’s just so many places in the world that are begging to be visited, and rather than staying for one week or more and totally exhausting that country/city/island, hopping across for just a long weekend is a great way of discovering the best bits, whilst still leaving enough places undiscovered for any future work trips/weddings etc. Dubai is the centre of the world travel wise, and especially for Europe, Asia and Africa, there’s plenty of weekend-long excursions just begging to be booked!

Santorini

What constitutes a long weekend destination? For normal people – I believe it’s max 4 hours away by plane? But I have been known to take the odd 9 hour vacay to Cape Town and Jo’burg… I think the key here is to make sure you’re not crossing too many time zones – that way you won’t lose a day and won’t be too groggy when you get back for work the next morning.

My latest travel adventure was to the sunny white isle of Santorini, Greece. Well, at least it was supposed to be sunny…I have to say, it was a total toss-up between Mykonos and Santorini when we were booking this trip, but a very helpful blog gave us exactly the advice we needed – Santorini has more than you think it does, it isn’t all couples and there are enough bars to keep any singles happy 🙂

Landing in Athens, it was a quick 45 min transfer on Aegean Air to the island, where we were met at the airport by a private chauffeur. A mere 20 mins from the airport is the beautiful capital of Thira – (Fira). We stayed at THE most incredible hotel – The Tsitouras Collection. Seriously – I can see why it’s booked up already for most of the summer – it’s a 5 bedroom ex-mansion on the side of Firostefani (a seriously scenic and beautiful) walking distance from Fira. Each room is dedicated to a different collection of arts. Ours was the room of porcelain. Next door had a Picasso above the bed!

Our hotel!

What started off as slightly wet weather – the odd little drizzle, quickly became a brilliant storm! We had just finished our sunset drinks on the balcony as the sight of two water spouts off the coast sent us back to the room to grab warmer clothing (of which I packed none!). Within 5 mins of heading back in, it hit, and it was brilliant! I’m a big fan of a glass of wine and a game or two of cards whilst a storm lashes outside, but this was so dramatic thanks to the white walls and beautifully clean terraces.

Once the storm faded, we headed out for dinner to a lovely local fish restaurant (the oldest on the island). George, who was the son-in-law of the owner of our hotel is the most fantastic guide. He literally had our trip organised for us, which may seem off-putting to people who like the spontentaity of travel, but trust me, he knows best! Everywhere he sent us, we wouldn’t have found without him, and we would want to head back to again. One of the most awesome places we visited was the black volcanic beaches of Perivolos. There was an awesome bar/restaurant called Sea Side that you must visit if you are Santorini bound… Although during the summer, book ahead as the sun beds book up 4x days in advance!

We rented a car (fiat 500 convertible) while we were there (again on George’s advice) which really was a godsend – never mind the rain intervals, we had to get away from all the (license-less) tourists driving around on ATV’s. It also gave us the opportunity to visit Oia for dinner, where there was a cliff side tavern that was another of George’s expert recommendations.

Breakfast

If you’re visiting Santorini, i’d recommend you stay in Firostefani (Fira), shop local (gorgeous jewellery and leather shoes galore) and eat Greek – I’m craving some Tzatziki! A couple of things I don’t reeeeally recommend are 1) The boat trip around the Volcano – it’s long and unless it’s BOILING outside – it will be cold. Also the hot springs – not hot, but the sulphur is supposed to be good for your hair… 2) Greek red wine – bring your own favourites in through duty free… you are likely to be disappointed in the local varieties 😛 or just enjoy the sunset cocktails instead!