In February 2021, Lindsey asked me to put together some Maldives recommendations for her special birthday trip later that year. They wanted to be all-inclusive with options for dining and staying in a beach villa and I was confident with my choice for their ten-night stay.
Due to travel uncertainty, they delayed the trip a year and I managed to move everything to enable them to travel over Lindsey's birthday this year...
The Maldives has been on my bucket list for many years, so we decided it ticked the boxes for my big birthday in 2021.
We had originally asked Amanda to look into it pre-pandemic and planned to travel in October 2021 but with the continuing uncertainty with Covid, we moved the holiday to a year later.
Knowing our tastes and preferences, she felt that Varu by Atmosphere would be perfect - and as always, she was spot on.
Amanda was fantastic, dealing with the holiday itself but also assisting in booking our excursions, restaurants and plane seats, along with patiently answering several other questions.
We travelled with the superb Qatar Airways from Heathrow to Doha for a three-hour stop over before flying on to Male and a 45-minute transfer by speedboat to Varu.
On arrival, we received a traditional Maldivian greeting from several of the resort staff and were introduced to our personal concierge, who was truly amazing throughout our stay.
All I can say about our beach villa is wow! We were completely blown away. The room was just perfect, with a luxurious bed facing out to the crystal blue clear ocean and what seemed like our own private beach with sun loungers. A private outside bathroom was a first experience along with every amenity you could wish for.
The room was cleaned to perfection daily with a nightly turndown service and the mini bar was restocked with water, soft drinks, beers, wine and snacks.
The resort walkways are sand so you could stroll around the island in flip-flops or bare feet in about 40 minutes.
Our first experience was the brilliant gala night with traditional music and dancing alongside Maldivian food and specialities.
Part of the Varu plan we had chosen included two wonderful spa treatments, where looking down from the treatment couch is a glass floor overlooking the beautiful turquoise ocean.
The à la carte restaurants were fabulous It was so relaxing to be able to make a reservation without a specific booking time and the table is yours for as long as required.
The food in all the restaurants was first class, freshly cooked with a great range of choices. The buffet restaurant catered for everyone, with a wide selection of Asian, Indian and European cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Two excursions were also included, so we chose a fun sunset fishing cruise and another cruise that included snorkelling but unfortunately, the sea was quite rough with a strong current that day, so we didn't spend long in the water.
Snorkelling around the resort is included in the package with the boat going out twice a day.
The staff and resort made me feel so special on my birthday itself. We had booked the restaurant on the beach and the table was in a secluded area and dressed in beautiful flowers and candles. The service and food were incredible and when we returned to our room, the bed had been beautifully decorated along with the outside bath.
This holiday really was a dream come true - so relaxing, romantic, idyllic and memorable. It’s difficult to put into words how special we were made to feel from start to finish. The staff throughout were unbelievable and nothing was too much trouble.
Thank you for everything, Amanda. You are the best.
Lindsey and Nigel xx
