Maldives - The flower of the Indies!!!

I never imagined Maldives much, until before 2003, when my boss returned from his family holidays and showed me the pictures of Maldives. I asked him where he stayed and he said “forget about it…its very expensive”. And that day, a dream was formed; that I must go to Maldives and only stay are Hilton Maldives. And it was not long before I was on my way, flying to Maldives to have an experience of my lifetime!!! Without a doubt, it is not without reason that the Maldives Islands has been described as ‘(the) flower of the Indies’ by Marco Polo and ‘one of the wonders of the world’ by Ibn Batuta. Heaven on the earth!!! People like us, spend year’s worth of savings to travel and experience Maldives. Imagine the locals of Maldives, who live there permanently but are reliant on small monetary-appreciations from us visitors. Are we lucky or they are? In heaven, needs are detached and on earth, there are plenty of needs.

If we can imagine a tropical island with swaying palm trees and pure white beaches surrounded by crystalline lagoons of   varying shades of blue – that is Maldives Islands for us! They say that a large percentage of tourists who come to the Maldives Islands are repeat visitors – people who came once and fell so in love with the place that they simple had to come again. The beauty of Maldives is indeed addictive. Once we sample the stimulating mixture of secluded serenity, thrilling water sports activities, soothing spas, relaxing beaches all wrapped in the luxurious comfort of modern amenities – we are bound to want the experience again. There are many things; I uniquely experienced in Maldives.

• Deep sea fishing , in the middle of the night, organizing by Hilton hotels. What you catch, that you eat next day, cooked to your taste, by one of the 11 restaurants, located at the same Hilton resort.
• Deep sea Dolphin-watching , at the backdrop of sunset.
• The underwater restaurant, set five metres below the surface with 180-degrees of panoramic views of the vibrant coral gardens surrounding it, with playful species of underwater creatures.
• The cottage/suite where I lived, home to many royalties, celebrities and the world’s top sport stars - all glass-floors in the living room provide spectacular views of the marine life below, whilst a round bed rotates 270 degrees to follow the breathtaking sunsets. 
• 45 minutes journey from the Maldives international airport to the Hilton islands via a scenic seaplane flight.
• Water sports: Fun Tube, speedboat driving, Catamaran sailing…. and much more…..

The Maldives lays between latitudes 4 degree 17 North and longitudes 73 degree 50 east – a position where there is an abundance of sun all throughout the year, every year. The total area of 90,000 square kilometres over which the islands of Maldives are spread, consists of sparkling sun-kissed beaches, palm-fringed islands, crystalline lagoons studded with multi-coloured corals and warm, azure seas with exotic marine life – a mesmerizing mixture that remains the same throughout the year, continue to captivate visitors from far and wide.

It took almost three months for me to compare various accommodation types, travel options, airlines combination to workout THE ITENERARY for my Maldives holidays. Finally; I was settled with a $250/night tariff for 5 nights. I thought it was quite high at this level, but there were cottages available for $1000/night within the same Hilton resort. It was in October, when I completed all my reservations and was eagerly waiting to travel during January, the following year. Two weeks before my Maldives holiday started – my phone rang from an unknown number. Person from the other end spoke: “Sir, my name is ….. I am calling from Hilton Resorts at Maldives. Sir, we would like to check with you, if you’d be interested in a free upgrade to one of the premium cottage suites, at the same beach resort, which is normally priced at $1000/night but for you, it will be absolutely no extra charges. And sir, for your information, this suite was previous occupied by some VERY VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE, including one of the ex-president of UNITED STATES ”!  I did still not believe to what I was listening. I went on asking : but why did you choose me?  Why are you offering this to me? Are you telling me, there will not be any extra charges what-so-ever? The man from the other end had all the answers to convince me that I was just purely lucky because it was off-season and rooms have been unoccupied for some time. I tried my luck again to test the authenticity of his offer. I asked: Can I extend my stay to another 5 days and can I stay at the same suite, you are offering me now, for all 10 days? The man reassured me before keeping the phone down “Of course sir, you can stay for all 10 days at the same cottage suite, at a total cost of $2500, in stead of $10,000, which is our normal price”. “And Sir, I shall send you the revised booking details in next 30 minutes”. And indeed it took under 30 minutes only to reach me…. I couldn’t stop smiling….WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAT?