We left Sri Lanka on 4th February and took a short 1 hour 10 minute flight across to Male, the capital of the Maldives. As our flight arrived late afternoon, it was too late to get across to Bathala as the seaplanes don't fly after a certain time so we had booked a hotel for the night with a view to flying early next day. We were contacted by Bathala to advise we were booked for the 8 am seaplane and needed to be back at the airport for 7.15 am next day. It was 20 minutes by seaplane and we were dropped off on a pontoon resembling a large raft, from where we were picked up by boat for a 20 minute ride to the island. It was still early morning and we expected to be hanging about until afternoon check in.
However we were given a welcome drink and the manager came across and said "Welcome back Mr and Mrs Brown". Neither of us corrected him (we'd never been here before) and thought no more of it until the receptionist advised that we'd been upgraded to an over-water bungalow rather than the beach bungalow that we booked. It was rather stunning.
The island was the best one we'd been to, mainly because it was very small and the staff quickly got to know you and it was very laid back. The clientele was probably 80% Italian with the remainder mostly German and British guests. The food was a bit limited for vegetarians but the quality was excellent. One evening was Sunset Cocktails and dining on the beach. The highlight of the island for Paul was the house reef literally just off the beach with an abundance of fish.
One of the guests had a birthday early in the week and a cake was brought out after dinner and the waiters gathered round and sang Happy Birthday. Sue said to Paul not to mention her upcoming birthday but the staff clearly go through passports and spot birthdays because the next night Sue got the same treatment (and wanted to slide under the table with embarrassment). And back at the bungalow the bed had been decorated.
We were woken at 2 am one night by the sound of crashing waves and the bungalow shuddering at each impact. Paul noticed the waves coming over our deck and decided he should bring his snorkeling gear in, just in case it got washed away, but as he opened the door, a wave crashed in and flooded the floor necessitating middle of the night mopping.
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That looks such a lovely place, and good birthday celebrations too! xx
Haha sounds like you are having a great time in the Maldives. Hope you had a great birthday Sue x x x
Looks like you are having a wonderful trip. Hope you are enjoying yourselves!!!!
Wow! Everywhere looks absolutely beautiful. I hope you enjoyed your birthday Sue, despite the embarrassing moments. Love and hugs to both of you. xx
What an idyllic and beautiful location to spend a birthday. The island looks picture perfect! Lovely to see you having a wonderful time xxx