PARADISE: CONSTANCE HALAVELI MALDIVES

The Maldives is known for its whiter-than-white sand beaches, luxurious resorts, and its “underwater garden” for snorkelers and divers. Despite being the smallest and most dispersed Asian country, the Maldives attracts over a million people per year to its beaches – named as some of the best on the planet.

The Maldives is also the lowest nation in the world, with an average elevation of 1.5 m above sea level. Sadly, this means the whole country is almost certainly going to be underwater in the future with our rising sea levels. Or it could just be taken out by a large wave. Either way, we decided to visit this gem before it’s too late!

Deciding which hotel to stay in was a bit challenging as there are hundreds of nice resorts in the Maldives. We chose Constance Halaveli Maldives for several reasons, including privacy, great reviews & food.

SEAPLANES & SHOELESS PILOTS

From Maldives Airport, you are going to take a seaplane to go to Halaveli Island. Getting around the numerous tiny islands of the Maldives almost always requires the use of a seaplane.

We were immediately greeted by a Constance representative at the speedboat dock. We were escorted to their lounge, where we received something to drink and nibble. After filling out some papers with our preferences. We waited in the lounge for our seaplane to arrive.

The lounge was nice and spacious with lots of natural daylight. From here, you will already feel the warm welcome by the staff and a nice lounge to relax while waiting for your seaplane to board.

Constance Halaveli Maldives will arrange your seaplane flight, you just have to provide your international flight details, and they will manage. Please note that you only have 20 kilos free (hand-carry and check-in luggage combined). They will weigh everything, almost including ourselves.

We were not aware of this, we thought the same rules apply as in normal planes check-in + hand carry. Taking a seaplane is like a sightseeing tour, giving you a birds-eye view of the islands, reefs, and lagoons as you fly by. The dock had numerous side branches where seaplanes were parked. Just like an airport, but in the water. Once we walked up to our plane we were greeted by our pilot, who was wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and no shoes.

We climbed aboard with the pilot, and from the cockpit, he turned around to give us a quick safety briefing. Not much was said, other than informing us our safety cards are best used to fan ourselves in the heat. After a short 20-minute flight and nose-diving straight into the water on landing, we made it to our private little island: Halaveli. The seaplane ride itself is the same as for every Maldivian resort: cramped and noisy but absolutely breathtaking!!

THE CONSTANCE HALAVELI RESORT

Constance Halaveli is a jewel-colored island shaped like a traditional Maldivian boat, set against the glittering waters of North Ari Atoll, tucked away in its own private hideaway. The turquoise lagoon and fine white sand contrast with the exuberant green foliage. Constance Halaveli is a place to relax and regenerate in a pristine environment of overwhelming peacefulness. Constance is built out along a “jetty” – a walkway extending from the mainland. Constance Halaveli happens to have the longest jetty in all of the Maldives.

All of the 86 exclusive villas are cleverly dotted along the stretch of white sand, on stilts above the water, and scattered amongst the palm trees and tropical gardens which also feature their own private plunge pool located on the beach or over the water. They are furnished using luxurious materials including hardwood and marble.

And the beach in this resort truly felt like paradise: the sand was like icing sugar aligned beautifully against the mesmerizing turquoise water and crystal clear skies including all the bright sunshine. Upon arrival, we have quickly introduced to the “no shoes, no news” policy: a concept that meant not only that we would be wearing no shoes for the week, but also reflected that the island was a place to relax, unplug, and leave the rest of the world behind.

And we did just that! We put our phones away and left our shoes behind, enjoying every moment and being for once, somewhat mindful. And our island of Halaveli truly felt like paradise.

THE BEACH OR OVER WATER

Much of the Maldivian resorts are not your traditional hotel or resort. Here the only option for accommodation is to stay in a private villa, with your choice of one on the beach or over the water. We opted for a water villa.

Water Villa – each villa comes with a high raftered ceiling, with its own private plunge pool and a furnished terrace. Staying in an over-water villa felt almost like we were on a boat, out in the ocean with the sound of the waves under us each night.

The villa had an infinity pool looking out into the endless ocean with its own staircase right into the water. We could hop right off into the water anytime we wanted and when you look down in the toilet and bathroom, you can see the aqua blue and crystal clear water with some fish and other water animals.

The purpose of this trip, was pure relaxation aside from the water activities there was nothing much to do because obviously, we are on the island, and you need a boat or a seaplane to move around.

We stayed 3 nights and 4 days in this beautiful resort and got very lucky with the weather as well (Our trip was in November) You will never get bored in this resort, either you troll down on white sandy beaches and swim in turquoise water teeming with colorful marine life or just stay in your villa itself, I sometimes refused to get out of this room.

Dining in Constance Halaveli is another experience – we indulged in fine food and sumptuous flavors at Jahaz, Jing, and Meeru restaurants. The three restaurants and the spa ensure that both body and mind are well cared for. The food was incredible and all-inclusive (Unless you take the half-board package then only a choice of breakfast and dinner is included). Every night there was a huge themed buffet that had an enormous selection of food.

With chefs stood at different stations, cooking succulent seafood to order, you could help yourself to as much as you wanted. The beautifully crafted desserts and a great selection of cheese followed. The tables were set up on the beach, with candles to set the mood. The whole thing made for a gorgeous dining experience.

ACTIVITIES

Since the Maldives are composed of coral islands, the reef is outstanding and the lush underwater world brings people from all over the globe for diving and snorkeling.

With the clarity of the water, it is easy to appreciate colorful schools of fish, reef sharks, and stingrays. What lurks even deeper is more amazing, and the Maldives is popular for those hoping to see manta rays, turtles, and even the world’s largest fish: the whale shark. The area is of the best in the Maldives for scuba diving. Vibrant coral reefs, whale sharks, and sunken shipwrecks are amongst the top attractions.

You can even book one of the many off-shore activities which the resort offers such as snorkeling excursions, fishing trips (traditional Maldivian style or big game fishing), romantic getaway sunset cruise, dolphin watching, local village, and private boat hire. Note that all snorkeling equipment is complimentary for all guests. Additional activities include Jet-ski, water-skiing, monoskiing, wakeboarding, knee-boarding, fun tubes, and fun beds. However, there are tons of complimentary non-motorized activities that are also available for the guests.

ANIMALS OF THE MALDIVES

Out on your own quiet little island, with the natural world all around you, you are bound to see some animals. One of the most common fish we saw was the reef sharks. They like the shallow waters of the shore, where they can easily find crustaceans and tiny fish to eat.

They are seldom a threat to humans unless there is other food around. Which would have been nice to know the first time after I went s in the ocean and returned in a panic after seeing a shark fin in the water right in front of me?

More abundant than reef sharks are crabs. “Ghost” crabs, named this way due to their near-transparent white coloring, are scattered along the shores of the beach. Though nocturnal, you can see a few of the tiny ones running around in the day, periodically taking a dip in the ocean.

More entertaining to observe were the hermit crabs – crabs which make a home out of an abandoned snail shell. They are easily startled by humans but move so slowly under the weight of their shell that I can’t imagine them ever escaping from a predator in time.

The best part is that when a group of hermit crabs finds a new empty shell, they line up in order of biggest to smallest. The biggest hermit crab upgrades to this newly found empty shell, and then consecutively each crab moves into the shell of the previous crab. Eventually, they all end up with a new, roomier home. Rather clever!

COLORFUL SUNSETS

We don’t know if we have ever been to a place with more consistently beautiful, vibrant, and colorful sunsets. Every night seemed to outdo the last. We quickly got into the routine of going out for a cocktail before dinner just to watch the nightly sunset.

Which wasn’t a hard task? We sat on bean bag chairs on the beach, sans shoes, and deliciously created cocktails by the island’s talented bartender.

OTHER INFORMATION

There are numerous amazing resort options in the Maldives. We chose Constance Halaveli, with a link here for more information. We chose the resort for a number of reasons, including the privacy, great reviews, the fact that it’s centered over its own coral reef (for great snorkeling and fish watching), and for its overall package.

If the Maldives is close to you, or if you’re willing to take the trip out there, we more than recommend a visit. This was by far the best beach destination we have been to and a perfect location for a honeymoon or even a couple’s trip away. We already can’t wait to go back!