Dudhsagar - My very first encounter with the leeches!!!

Mid Sept 2016!! 

The very first time I heard of this place is during Chennai Express movie release, being an avid Bollywood enthusiast. The picturisation at this spot induced a desire in me to watch and experience this wonderful creation of nature! Also, Dudhsagar trekking was in Mr Husband's Go-To list ever since he had seen the pics of his close friend's drive to this milky waterfall. Having had a history of booking and cancelling the trek to this place a couple of times, he didn't want to miss it this time around!

I sensed a chance to visit this fall, but the narration of the plan sounded like a horror movie! I was filled with questions like how to trek in the rain amidst jungle? how harmful are the leeches? will there be any wild animals? will I be able to complete 8kms one-way? how slippery can it get? where do we stay? how about the bathrooms and the (obvious 😊) food? So with lot of skepticism, I decided to go ahead be it whatsoever! My Mr doubted my decision as he asked 10 times if am cent percent sure, but I was all excited to experience this new adventure! Frankly, my Mr was horrified to take me along and warned me of the most adverse scenarios. Yet the fearless me did not care😀 !

The trek was quite well organised by Gulliver Adventures And Travels. The plan was to,

• Reach Whistling Thrush Homestay at Castle Rock by Saturday morning in a mini bus. 
• Get ready and head to the starting point of the trek in a gypsy. 
• Trek 8 kms one-way amidst the jungle and reach the view point to witness the waterfall. 
• Have packed lunch provided and get back to the accommodation. 
• Bonfire in the evening and halt. 
• Sunday morning start back to Bengaluru having lunch in some Khanawali at Hubli.

All set with the backpack for the Weekend adventure! We were asked to join at the nearest pickup point on a Friday Evening. The night journey started in a not so comfy mini bus. The organizer Abhay was kind enough to leave us the front row seats with the drive view! It had already started drizzling by the time we left Bengaluru. The driver took a break for his dinner and to fuel up at Tumkur road highway petrol bunk, where we got to exchange few words with the other fellow mates. There were only 3 ladies including me out of 20 in the group. The mini seaters were not so comfortable for healthy people like me😀. Yet it was fun with the comforting shoulder beside. I was asked to shut up and get some sleep so that I prepare myself for the big trek.

Whistling Thrush Homestay!

Watta morning it was, with the cool breeze touching my face, the huge trees and the greenery all around!!! The road looked as if it is given a shower and welcoming us. However, I wanted to forcefully sleep to avoid my morning emergencies until we reach homestay. Finally after a lot of confusion about the route, we reached the homestay. The very first thing I was introduced to, was the leech there so that I shout if any of them sticks to me and people would help to get rid of it😀. The Whistling Thrush Homestay was surrounded by lush greenery. It had only 4 rooms with each accommodating 4 people. The rooms were decent with the beds, a mirror, a table and chairs, a bathroom with good water supply. However hot water was supplied to the rooms in buckets as there were no water heaters. There was a stream right behind the back doors of the rooms and there was a huge ground covered with grass in front of the rooms. Coming to the roomies, we ladies were put in a room. One lady had come with her son (mostly just passed out of his schooling) who stayed with us. Me and my Mr had got just one backpack and thus he used to shuttle between the rooms. 

Homestay food hut!

Everyone freshened up and were all assembled in the breakfast area within an hour. Idly-chutney and upma was OK. Few leeches started climbing onto our shoes as we ate breakfast. The gentlemen were prepared with the tobacco powder. I was told that leeches hate the tobacco smell and was asked to put some on my shoes. Also on my socks so that the leeches don't intrude. Quite frankly, I was the most scared one in the group, before starting the trek. 

The water bottles we carried were almost empty after breakfast and there was no bottled water available😟!! My Mr asked me to fill the drinking water kept in the homestay jugs and I had no choice but to fill. A co-trekker there suggested me to fill hot water which convinced me a little. By the time we started in the jeeps, I was deeply horrified with the thoughts of leeches and getting sick by drinking the water I had filled😟 😟.

Trek starting point -
Green fields and misty weather!

There were only 2 jeeps and it's capacity was an adjusting one. However, I comfortably sat on my Mr's lap. Beside was an uncle who had given me the tobacco powder at the breakfast area. He started interrogating my husband about the trekking places visited and their grades. The bumpy drive for about 10-15 mins took us to the starting point of our trek. Since it was drizzling, the muddy road was slippery. We were asked to walk on the tiny streamlets where the probability of the leeches getting to our legs would be less. I decided not to get behind and that I would trek with the guide without getting lost in the jungle.

Misty jungle!

Bamboo bridge!

There was a bamboo bridge to cross during the first stretch of our trek. There were few houses and acres of lush green fields on the way which then led us to the narrow pathways into the misty jungle. The weather was awesome with the cool breeze and slight showers, but most of my concentration was on my legs to see if the leeches had made their way!!! The fear of leeches actually kept me in pace with the other people. My Mr was impressed with my pace, yet annoyed with me cribbing about the leeches. I could not keep myself calm seeing any sized leech on me. Having got to know that the leech senses heat and the first person walking in the path is much safer than the rest following his footprints, I decided to get ahead 😉. There were leeches falling from the low hanging branches of the trees as well. 

Jungle stream crossing!

The trek became a little scary as the forest got thicker & thicker. The steep pathways were slippery. Heavy rains had created small streams which we had to cross by holding each others hands making a chain so that nobody is drowned. The mud caked pathways got our foot immersed in it. At some point, I had to give up checking on the leeches. 

Stream which we could not cross😟

Then came the bolt from the blue! Due to heavy rains the bridge halfway through the view point was flooded. The water current was so much that we could not even think of crossing it. The guide reluctantly declared that we cannot go any further as the bridge seemed like broken😞. We waited for about 30 mins to see if there's any hope of the water levels subsiding, but there was no luck. Everyone was very disappointed for having to discontinue the trek😞😞 .

I got used to the environment by the time we started walking back to the starting point of our trek. The rain had stopped, so we got a chance to click few pics on our way back. We got some kind villagers offering us the much needed tea. The hot tea was a treat in the chill cold weather. We got back to the homestay in the same gypsy at around 3:30 PM.


Guess wot! the steaming hot lunch was ready by the time we arrived. The hungry us hogged the delicious veg meal with papad, pickle, fluffy puris, palya, rice, sambar and the happy tummy was satisfied😋. We had to freshen up and crash for a nice nap. I had 2 leech bites with the utmost care while my Mr was bleeding with 6 leech bites😨 .

After a nice nap, we woke up by 6 in the evening wanting some tea-coffee and snacks. By the time it was dark, bonfire party was on! People danced crazy!!! We enjoyed watching them as we waited near the kitchen for the chicken meal. The food here felt homely and it was always served hot. There were 3 wonderful ladies preparing dinner for us and the men served. The chicken curry, chapatis, rice, sambar, rasam were too good and tasty😋 ! After some chatting with the fellow mates and discussing the next day's plan, we came back to the rooms.

The falls!

The jungle path to the falls.

The next morning breakfast had the very popular Avalakki (Poha) with the grated coconut on top😋 !!! After the breakfast, we headed towards a small waterfall nearby that was suggested by the homestay guys. The mini bus took us to the spot in about 5 mins and we had to walk 4 kms till the falls. As the leech scare started again, we almost ran upto the waterfall so that leeches do not get any time to get onto us. WOW!!! The view, the water splashes and the rocks were mesmerizing amidst the jungle!!! It felt like we are in "The Jungle Book" location😀! It was pure nature with the chilled weather. I call it the scariest walk of my life😨 , but it was all worth it the moment we saw the waterfall! We spent good 30 mins sitting on the rocks with our legs dipped in the cold water. It is a must go place if you ever get to Castle Rock😊 . This was like a wonderful consolation prize as we failed to witness the actual Dudhsagar falls.

As the waterfall was close to the homestay, we thought of walking back on the wet roads along the huge trees. So, me and my Mr left the place a little earlier than the others, but we had asked the driver to stop when he finds us on his way back. The walk here turned out to be memorable for both of us and we relish it whenever we recall the nicest walky-talkies of our lives😊 .

The memorable walk!

It was time to pack our bags from the homestay and take group photos. We thanked the homestay guys for their warmth and the homely food and waved goodbye to them. We were hungry by the time our journey started towards Bengaluru at around 12 PM. The apples we got from home and the fried groundnut near a railway crossing saved us. Antakshari competition till the lunch time was the time pass! The driver missed our Khanawali at Hubli with his own confusion about the route😞. We did stopover at a small shop to buy some more snacks and water bottles. At around 4 PM, we got one eat-out on the highway which was OK for the sake of it. As we continued our journey crossing a place by name Bankapura close to Haveri, my dear husband recalled Bahaddur Gandu (a Kannada movie) as the story of the movie happens to be in that place! After another stopover for refreshments and my Mr's story telling, we reached Namma Bengaluru late in the night😊.

The troupe!

Dudhsagar..so near yet so far!!!

Thekkady & Vagamon!

It's May'16! 
It's my Birthday month!! 
It's our First Wedding Anniversary!!!

Me and my husband had many reasons to celebrate this time! After our honeymoon, this was our first vacation where it was just the two of us. Long drive was the plan!!! Thinking of the very first long drive in our new Hyundai Verna made me super excited! My husband had a 2-week long break before joining another company and thus we planned a week long vacation to a hill station considering the heat in May. I was more than happy to take a break from the busy days at work. This was our time to cherish the year long togetherness😊!

Long drive!!!

God's Own Country, KE-RA-LA was my first thought! But my traveller husband had visited this state for about 3-4 times already before marriage. He didn't want to revisit the well-known spots, so he searched for an offbeat location from his treasured collection of age-old paper cuttings. Vagamon was the place that caught his eyes and asked me to look up for more information. The lush green meadows with a combination of pine forests at Vagamon looked like a good match for our expectation of a lazy vacation. Gavi is another hill station nearby which is known for it's scenic beauty untouched by the mighty hands of modernity. The nearest town Thekkady in the Idukki district is popular for it's rainforests, wildlife, spice plantations and the Ayurvedic spa. Hill stations and wildlife sanctuary across the Periyar lake sounded perfect!

There you go planning! Route map!

• Bangalore --> Krishnagiri --> Dharmapuri --> Salem --> Karur --> Dindigul --> Theni --> Kumily (Thekkady) 
• There is a nice 6-lane national highway until Dindigul, followed by a good 2-lane road to Thekkady. The road gets curvy only in the last 15 kms of the journey.
• Thekkady is around 510 kms away from Bangalore which will take about 8-9 hrs journey along with a couple of hrs for breakfast+lunch+tea/coffee. So you need an entire day to drive till Thekkady and halt for a night before you head to Vagamon the next morning.  
• Vagamon and Gavi are close to 40-45 kms away from Thekkady which takes about 1 and a half to 2 hrs drive on the hilly roads. 

The Monday Morning!!!
Luggages ✅
Shades😎 ✅
Water bottles ✅
Fruits and Snacks ✅
Car pillows ✅
Camera ✅


Let's go!!! Woohoo! How often do you get a beautiful Monday morning without having to think about work 😎. The 6 lane NH, the views and the early morning breeze touching my face gently felt so good. I was hungry by 8 AM and as planned, we stopped at the famed Saravana Bhavan near Krishnagiri. The hot Pongal with raitha 😋 and Idly-vada-sambar was a good start for the day! The drive continued with the music, the leg pulling conversations, the Sun and our search for the tender coconut which we hardly find in Tamil Nadu highways. Luckily, we found the small size tender coconuts to quench our thirst, just before we reach Dindigul for lunch. I wanted to eat light so that I keep myself awake and talk to my driver husband till we reached our destination. The Restaurant at the highway junction with a bypass to Theni (I don't remember the name) was decent enough for the meal. And the cold butter milk saved us from the heat.

The 6 lane fun ended as we took the bypass road to Theni but the road was good nonetheless. After a couple of hours journey, we entered Kerala at around 4.30 in the evening. We witnessed a small waterfall besides the curvy road where we clicked the first Selfie of our trip😊. Checking for the Elephant Route Resort directions, we were a little suspicious on the narrow path we were asked to take from the main road, until it lead to the resort. We booked this accommodation through Goibibo app for a better deal, so do check!

Elephant Route Resort.

We were received at the resort in a very traditional way with the flowers, garland, decorated pooja thali and the much needed welcome drink of course! The suite accommodation had a large area with the open glass view to the green fields which was awesome! The clean white and red combination bed covers had this cute kissing ducks made out of white towels♡. The balcony with a table and chairs tempted us to order some evening snacks to the room itself. We were hungry and tired after the day long journey. By the time we freshened up, our snacks order was at the doorbell. We sat in the balcony listening to the elephant trumpets and ate the decorative snacks with refreshing coffee.

A bit of relaxation and then we walked towards the nearby elephant feeding area that also had Kathakkali as the cultural event for the evening. The elephants were noisy, the young ones were too cute. Even the big sized ragi balls looked so tiny for those mighty mammals. After watching them getting fed, it was time for us to feed ourselves with some tasty food. So we went back to the resort restaurant, although with a bit of skepticism about the coconut oil used for cooking in Kerala. The food was OK with the north Indian style roti, curry and fish finger. Returning to our room balcony, it was time for us for a quick memory test! Revisiting some of our past moments was fun! Trust me, husband's have poor memory, so be sure to feel more superior!!😀

Elephant camp!

My love for the cute baby elephants continued the next morning as I saw the mahouts giving them a nice shower. After the morning walk in the green fields, we returned back to the resort for breakfast which had both continental and Indian varieties. We settled the resort bills and thanked the resort staff for a pleasant stay before starting to Vagamon, the hill station.

Tea plantations on the way to Vagamon.

The journey on the hilly roads amidst the beautiful tea plantations had excellent views! We did stopover in couple of places to click some pictures, which is a must! The journey was good but some stretch of the road was under repair. We were concerned about a specific steep U turn we had to take to reach our destination. Luckily, we did not miss the turn. Ugh!!! Adrak Summer Sand Hill Resort boards were found which lead us to the resort without much confusion. Each resort we had booked left us so excited at the very first look of it. After all, the resorts were booked by me😉! While we checked-in, I glanced few book shelves in the waiting area near the reception. More than the rooms here, we liked the place around and the food got better comparatively. The resort was artistically beautiful with a pond, a small bridge across the pond, ducks, swings and the pine forest view from the back door of Nalukettu-3 (our room). The traditional Kerala style entrance to the rooms added to the looks! 

Typical Kerala style entrance.

Nalukettu-3, our room!

Pine forest.

Misty evening!

Once we settled in, I was all ready for the photo shoot 😍! My Mr was already hanging around with the camera for the nature clicks. But then, it was time to capture his beautiful wife😜. The weather was getting cloudy as we clicked pictures in every nook and corner of the resort. There you go! It started raining cats and dogs by lunch time. We ran up to the resort restaurant, where we were assisted to a window side table with the pond view. Like I said, the food got better with the hot Schezwan Fried rice, hot side dish, lemonade😋. Due to heavy rains and misty evening, we couldn't get out of the resort😞. Yet, we managed to take a walk in the dense Pine forest behind the resort. It was too scary for me in the misty weather and it felt like there's a ghost hiding in every distant tree 😱. I din't want to go any further after certain point and pulled my reluctant husband back to the resort. It was getting dark as well. The tourists here had littered the place which felt bad😟. We ate snacks, drank hot coffee and sat sometime watching the rain just outside the reception area. Even with the poor visibility, I could see that our white car was fully covered by mist. The boredom sitting in the room made us make few calls to our friends. There was no Airtel network at all and my lucky Docomo network worked here at the hill station pleasingly for once! 

Vagamon Meadows - Mottakunnu.

Lake view!

The next morning, it was time for some more scenic views of Vagamon. The Vagamon Meadows, locally called Mottakunnu (I think it roughly translates to Bald Hills in Malayalam), is a well known shooting spot. There's a minimal entry fee of about 30 bucks per person. One will surely feel close to nature with the lush green meadows all around in a windy climate. Ideal place for lovers to sit & have a romantic talk, kids to jump around, foodies to munch on some snacks, for hours together! If you further drive down the hill, there's a beautiful eye-catching lake amidst the tea plantations, where you can do some pedal boating. The wooden bridge across the lake connecting the tea plantations makes it a nice little place for photography 😍. 

Orchidarium.

Vagamon Orchidarium filled with varieties of orchids, roses and other plantations is a nice location to spend an hour or two in the evening. The small hillocks, pond and the wooden benches in the lawn will surely get you relaxed. One can buy varieties of plants and nature products like honey, spices, tea powders etc. There's a small cafeteria for refreshments and it has lovely views especially on a misty evening!

Suicide point meadows!

Suicide point is another location to your list of sight seeing here. The point where you start walking towards the Suicide point is very similar to the meadows. Though we spent some time here before we started back to Thekkady, we could not walk all the way to the view point. One might argue that you find meadows literally in all the hill stations. But the lack of crowd here gives the much needed privacy for couples 😉, solitude for wanderers and a perfect shot for photographers!

BLUE EYES !!!

After two nights of wonderful stay at the foggy hill station, we got back to Thekkady for our anniversary celebration! Driving back through the same hilly roads surrounded by tea plantations, we reached the Forest Canopy Resort. This was the luxurious of all the resorts we stayed in so far and is exorbitant in its pricing. The reception area itself was so beautiful with its modern architecture. The hospitality here impressed me a lot, with each and every staff doing a "Namaste"🙏 every time they see their customers, which is a very warm gesture. The resort was placed on a hilly area which had narrow pathways and steep turns, with some beautiful cottages built by the side of those narrow roads. There are shuttle services and our cars are not allowed to be driven in these pathways. "The Blue Eyes-Jacuzzi Villa" is the accommodation we stayed in which had a private Jacuzzi and steam bath 😊. It had the best in class interiors and was unique in every way. The balcony was the best part here with a mind-blowing view of the dense forest surrounding us. The stay was worth it for all the facilities and the luxury it provided. It had a large gym area, swimming pool, basket ball ring and a badminton court. Indoor sports room had Table Tennis, Carom, Ludo, Chess, Foosball etc. Before the dinner, we relaxed in the pool for sometime. Having booked such wonderful resort, we both felt that we should skip our planned visit to Gavi. And we did 😊.

Hill top Blooming Cherry!

Meen Pollichettu!

I've got to say, Meen Pollichettu at the Blooming Cherry restaurant was one of the most delicious dishes I've ever tasted in my life 😋. We surely cannot forget it's taste for the rest of our lives. It was a (I believe) King fish slice covered with the thick red paste of spices, wrapped in the banana leaf and roasted. My mouth was watering as I saw the dish getting closer and closer to me as the waiter walked towards us. You can see that I couldn't even wait till my hubby reached out to his cellphone to click its pic. Trust me, everything we ate here was yummy! The restaurant is placed at the hill top, so we get nice views of the greenery, the pool and the outdoor play area. The staff were so courteous that they made yummy appams specially for us for the breakfast. Overall the food made me think of staying at this place for a couple of days more😉.

After an over night stay at Blue Eyes, it was our Anniversary morning! It felt so special, one year had flown so fast. We just wanted to relax for the day and enjoy each others company, without wanting to cover all the sight seeing places out there. My husband was in no mood to drive, yet the Periyar Tiger Reserve was a must visit for having come so far. So we asked the resort staff to make the booking for the famous boat ride in the Periyar lake for the noon slot, followed by a spa appointment in the evening. The day started with so many memories of the past year, like how we were decked up, the rituals, the celebrations, the moment we tied the knot, the wedding delicacies, the photo shoot, the gifts etc. Everything we recalled made us smile with joy, after all, it was a year well spent! We had a small private garden in our accommodation where we sat sipping some nice coffee, taking calls from family and friends. And then it was the Jacuzzi time!!! We had a duplex sort of an accommodation where the ground floor had a private Jacuzzi plus the steam bath. For the first time ever, we experienced the Jacuzzi & its promise to get you relaxed! It felt like a massage, extremely relaxing, at times ticklish and fun! We spent a good hour and a half in the Jacuzzi before heading for the lunch.

Boating!

Scenic Periyar Lake!

Post lunch, the resort staff gave us the photocopies of the booking made for the boating. Tickets can be booked online as well as at the counter directly! There are 4 slots in a day with each cruise lasting 1 and a half to 2 hours. There are limited seats, so the chances of making direct bookings at the counter is less, especially during peak seasons. I suggest you don't miss this beautiful ride, go for an online booking in advance. The seats are on a first-come-first-served basis. Parking and camera charges are extra.

Wild Buffaloes.

Birds on the skeletal remains!

The entrance to the Periyar Tiger Reserve was crowded and yet we made our way to the parking lot inch by inch. It rained as we walked towards the boating area. The smell of mud felt pleasant as we stood under the huge trees, watching the boats come closer to us, finishing their earlier ride. While we waited for the ride, my husband told me the story behind how this Periyar lake was formed, when the Mullaperiyar dam was constructed amidst the dense forest decades ago! The big boats had a good covering for shade. Rains vanished as we started to sail with the life jackets on. The skeletal remains of the trees that protrude from the water add up to the scenic beauty. The ride was awesome and we got to see wild boars, spotted deers, elephants, wild buffaloes, monkeys and birds. No Tigers 😞, though it was close to evening. There are jungle camps to actually experience the wild life. My nature-lover husband clicked as many snaps as he wanted while I enjoyed the ride thoroughly, considering it was so calm amidst a beautiful dense forest.

Later in the evening, we bought some home made chocolates, banana chips and Ayurvedic massage oil as a takeaway from this place! After snacking and relaxing for a while at the resort, there was a phone call from the spa reminding us about our appointment for the evening. The Ayurvedic full body massage was disappointing😞 for its hype I had heard of in Kerala, but the steam bath was good for consolation. I think the masseuse was a newbie to the job, the inexperienced hands could not do any better. While I waited near the pool area, my husband came back with an even more disappointed expression and we laughed as we shared our experiences humorously😀.

Anniversary pastry!

Dinner time!!! It was a Black Forest pastry for our anniversary! 😋 Blooming Cherry staff surrounded us for the celebration. As we cut the cake, they wished us and clicked a few pictures for us. Yet we badly missed our family, so dialed them immediately, sharing the happenings around us😊. After that, the yummy tummy food came, which we leisurely had for a couple of hours, relishing each and every dish we ordered, the mocktail, the rotis, the curry, the fish, the biryani etc.

It was Saturday morning and time for a long drive back to Namma Bengaluru! We appreciated the Blooming Cherry restaurant staff and the chef for the amazing food they served. And also the hospitality of each and every staff at the resort. I had my own complaints towards the spa, which the staff was very sorry about. Upon settling the bills, we started our drive back home and reached Bengaluru by late evening to face the weekend traffic 😄.

The memorable first long drive!!!


Additionally,

Periyar Boating

• Entry Timing : 0600 hrs – 1800 hrs
• Boating Time : 0730, 0930, 1115, 1345 and 1530 hrs 
• Periyar Tiger Reserve entry fee : Rs. 35 (Indians) & Rs. 300 (foreigners)
• Boating fee    : Around Rs. 225.00 per person.
• Cameras : Rs. 25 (still) & Rs. 200 (video)
• Vehicle entry : Rs. 50
• Online booking link : http://www.periyarfoundation.online/
• Carry ID Proof for verification at the Entrance Check Post.
• Report at the Entrance at least an hour prior to the Boating time. 

Elephant Route Resort, Thekkady : http://www.elephantroute.com/
Adrak Summer Sand Hill Resort, Vagamon : http://www.summersand.in/

Forest Canopy, Thekkady : http://www.forestcanopy.in/

Maldives, you beauty!!!

I was not a traveller before marriage but yes, my travel experiences started with my honeymoon planning! After our honeymoon in Switzerland and in about a year and half into the marriage I started pestering my husband for another international vacation which he agreed to after much of deliberation using his typical excuses like work, savings, EMIs etc! Since the last year had loads of hill stations, forest safaris, temples etc., I wanted a leisurely beach vacation to chill out this time.

Beach

There started the search for all the nearby international beach locations. After a lot of amateur research, we narrowed down to Maldives, Bali, Mauritius and Seychelles. The "one island one resort" policy at Maldives sounded interesting enough to spend the 4 nights and 5 days we were looking for. The moment you type Maldives and hit the search button in google, it throws so many scenic photos of the luxurious villas just above the crystal clear blue waters along the white sandy beaches, the very look of which is irresistible. Right there I made up my mind to spend at least a couple of days in one of those exotic villas. Quite frankly, all resorts have competitive prices, yet the much talked about resort was Paradise Island Resort and like good listeners we said this is the one it is going to be! Keeping the budget in mind, we chose to spend 2 nights at the Superior beach bungalow with the Beach view and 2 nights at the water villa with the Lagoon view. 

The Air India flight which happens to be the only direct flight from Bangalore to Maldives, took us to the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport at Male in less than 2 hours. The landing at the tiny island airport gave an awesome window side view of the tiny islands of Maldives. And phew!!! I was getting the panoramic view that I had seen in the images, in reality.

As soon as you land at the Airport, you can feel the tropical weather. After a hassle free visa on arrival, we headed towards the resort help desk. Yes! There are help desk for all the resorts in Maldives and they transfer you to the resort through speed boats and/or Sea planes. Be sure to check whether the Sea plane transfer is included in your holiday package. We had a closed milky white AC speed boat and in about 15-20 mins we arrived at the resort. The ramp entry at the Lankanfinolhu island was heavenly with colourful fishes on either side. This is where I realised that fishes are the most colourful species on earth!

Exotic ramp entrance at Paradise Island Resort.

Superior Beach Bungalow

After the first few snaps at the entrance, the cold welcome drink felt refreshing (I had two of them 😋)! Check-in was smooth while my husband was checking out the bikini babes around😜. We were escorted in a buggy to our Superior Beach Bungalow which was almost at one end of the island. The Buggy ride was fun, felt nice in the narrow path to the rooms along the length of the island. Accommodation was super good with open top shower, beach view back door, fully furnished luxurious room with a complimentary wine bottle placed in an ice bucket and a basket full of fruits! :)

The view from the room was wonderful with the sunbathing benches along the length of the island. It was evening by the time we settled in, after freshening up we ate some snacks at the room and surveyed the resort. Resort was well maintained with pest control sprayed twice in the evening.

The view from our room.

Trees planted in parallel manner at the shore. 

There are unique activities organised at the resort on a daily basis. Like the cocktail party with a dance floor, shark feeding, crab race, DJ night with dinner buffet at the shore etc. They also have fitness activities in the morning like Yoga as well as well-maintained best in class Gym, Basket ball court, Tennis court, Kids play area etc. There's a swimming pool, water sports booking area, a Scuba diving help desk and about 5 restaurants at different ends of the island. I felt the Spa area was the best with small ponds interspersed between coconut trees and flower plantations along the path and devoid of any noise from the other sections of the resort.

We were so hungry by dinner time and it was drizzling while we went again in a buggy to the buffet restaurant. The food had variety in it, but we felt Indian cuisines were not to our tastebuds. Desserts were mouth watering, chinese cuisine, biryani, salads and chicken were good. Fish was disappointing with no fish fry in the menu. As it was our first day, we tried almost all varieties in the multi-cuisine buffet. Overall the food was decent. 

After the dinner, we took a walk on the ramp and sat there for sometime watching the fishes, tiny crabs making holes on the sand and listening to the waves slashing the rock boundaries. We made this a routine throughout our stay at the resort. 

Ramp at the entrance lit up during night.

Next morning breakfast buffet was good with Dosa and curry along with continental varieties of bread, butter, jam, omelette, muesli, juices and boiled veggies. Right after breakfast, we were all geared up for the water activities with sun screen on. The very first was Knee Boarding, where a person on the board gets pulled by the Jet ski using a rope with the handle, balancing oneself afloat. My husband tried to take off not once not twice but about 10 times but in vain. I decided to give it a try just to do justice to the amount we had paid, but to no luck again. Finally I managed to do sleep boarding with the same set up and enjoyed it for 10 mins! Though we used the sun block, skin tanning is something we couldn't help being in the water under the sun.

Knee boarding!

Later in the day, it was time for the experience I had dreamt of all my life!! Yes, Scuba diving it was!!! An hour of diving instructions followed by a round trip for about 45 mins to witness the underwater world. I had very high expectations after watching ZNMD (for those who do not know, it's a Bollywood movie 😊) and my husband's scuba diving pictures at Lakshadweep. But what we had was a thick rope tied to the rocks throughout the path of the dive which we were asked to take help of and follow. There would be 1 instructor for a group of 3-4 people and we were 6 overall. If you opt to go scuba diving at this place then I suggest you lead the group, otherwise the unsettled sand underwater with the movement of others ahead of you may not give you a clear view. Unfortunately I was the last one in the queue😞 . At the end of the dive I panicked when the water entered my glasses restricting my view, but thankfully my instructor helped me out. Experience wise I really enjoyed watching the colourful fishes and felt the silence under the deep ocean waters. Since most of the corals were dead, the underwater view was not fully up to my expectations. My worst nightmare of the sharks eating me up did not come true thankfully! :)

Parasailing

Our next activity was the most memorable Parasailing! As we arrived at this activity area, we found two more couples waiting to sail with us. We sailed in a speed boat to a distance in the deep blue ocean waters and like how!! With the Maldivian music beats, twists and turns of the speed boat and the waves slashing, it was an exciting windy experience before we parasail. As the very first couple were tied to the seat belts and slowly released up high for about 150 meters, the very look of it was too scary for me being a first timer. Despite my fear of heights, I decided to go up with my husband, with a scary face. But with an understanding that I would give them some hand signal if I feel uneasy. But my husband did make me feel at ease, I turned 180 degrees around with a straight face and not looking down 😝. We both were laughing and shouting out of excitement from the mesmerizing views of the islands, villas, lagoons for about 15-20 mins!!! As an icing on the cake, my husband held my hand and kissed me in the air up so high..aww such wonderful feeling it was 😍!! As we were pulled down, we swung a little and dipped our legs in the water beneath before landing up on the speed boat. We both were thrilled by the experience and will remain very special all our life. But the tropical heat will leave you dizzy for a while, better to plan this activity in the evening or early morning. 

There were many more water activities like Canoeing, Tube rides, Wind surfing, Jet ski, Jet blade, Snorkeling etc, which i'm sure would be fun, but we chose to spend the rest of our vacation lazing in the WATER VILLA!!! 

Water Villa

We moved into the exotic Water Villa accommodation on the third day! The villa was worth its exorbitant pricing for its balcony beauty, interiors and just the way it is 😊! There's everything you need for a comfortable stay. If you ever happen to visit Maldives, I would suggest you spend at least a couple of days in the water villa. Because after all, it's an experience in itself. 

Balcony view

The water villa had a nice wooden open balcony with a bath tub/jacuzzi, sunbathing chairs, a double bed and a coffee table. We were mostly in the bath tub when the sun was dim, to beat the tropical heat. At times, it used to drizzle making it even more romantic with the soft background music we played. The balcony had stairs leading down to the shallow ocean waters, where one could go snorkeling. One needs to take care here, otherwise the sharp dead corals beneath could hurt your feet. We used to sit on the stairs and watch the colorful fishes popping up from the waters. And also the sunset, the ships, the sea planes!

Outdoor dining!

The water villa buffet restaurant is beautiful! The outdoor area of the restaurant gives us the Lagoon view and the huge villas at a distance. The dim lights with the evening breeze make it an awesome place for dining. We had booked the accommodation along with the half board meal, thus our breakfast and dinner was at this multi-cuisine buffet area, where again, the highlight was the mouth watering desserts 😋!!! There are about 5 restaurants in the entire island with each one having its own authenticity and offering stupendous views. Do not miss the desserts at this place!!!

Shopping time!!! Beach wears, especially the printed bikinis are colourful😜 and awesome despite being pricey.  But we did explore the gift shops to take away something as a memory of this beautiful vacation. We din't have many options, usual beach stuff like sea shells and conchs along with printed coffee mugs, key chains, photo frames and wall plates. We bought some key chains and a yellow & blue porcelain fish as a show piece. 

Photo shoot!!! Throughout our stay in the water villa, we clicked as many pictures as possible in every location possible! On the ramps, at the sea shore, the outdoor dining area, the balcony, throughout the length and breadth of the island 😜!!! I love posing and he likes clicking! We figured out there was a studio at the island where there are customised packages for photo shoots for honeymoon couples and families. Since we had our own camera, we were not very keen on getting a photo shoot done. 

The Spa evening!!! It was time to relax and pamper ourselves. As recommended at the spa booking help desk, we chose the popular Loabi Loabi couple massage for about 50 mins followed by 30 mins of herbal bath. The staff were courteous, change rooms were clean and the massage area with an open top felt good. The ambience was great and the massage was refreshing! Location wise it was calm, slightly segregated from the crowded places of the resort. My husband got his first ever spa done by a girl 😉 and I could see he was happy. The Swedish and Maldivian traditional massage seem equally good but they are without the herbal bath. Since you have a bath tub in the water villa and the herbal aroma oil is provided as complimentary while you check-in, you can use it in your own private villa if you don't wish to spend that extra penny for the herbal bath.  

The next morning, it was time to leave this heavenly place and say bye bye to Maldives. Per wake up call instructions, we had one last morning breakfast at the Lankanfinolhu island and settled the bills. By that time, the speed boat was ready with our luggages to transfer us back to the airport.

Resort ramp looking tiny as we leave to the Airport.

A perfect fairy tale vacation !!! 

Required information for the travel -

>> Maldives has "one island one resort only concept".

>> Tourist Visa is available on arrival at Male airport. 

>> In Maldives, USD and Maldivian Rufiyaa currencies are accepted.

>> I feel November is the favorable time to visit Maldives though they have travelers throughout the year. Despite very little change in Maldives Tropical weather, there are two distinct seasons - Dry season which is from November to April and Wet season is from April to October. 

It is always better to check on the current year climatic condition before planning your vacation. 

>> There's full board and half board meal plans. Full board includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. Half board includes breakfast and dinner.

>> Budget planning can vary based on the accommodation type, number of days, meal plan, etc. A couple can plan a budget vacation in a Lakh or two, but it depends on the peak seasonal prices on the accommodation as well as the flight charges. Like I said earlier, all resorts are competitive in their pricing. 
Some of the popular resorts are Paradise Beach Resort, Sun Island Resort, Fun Island Resort which doesn't have water villa, Adaaran club, Bandos Island resort, Holiday Island Resort & Spa etc.. Depending on the island distance from the airport there are sea plane transfers.

>> Travel insurance doesn't cost much but it was not recommended by our travel planner.

>> Approximate price list for few water activities and spa based on our visit -

Scuba diving - $ 200 per pax

Snorkeling - $ 43 per pax (1 hr)

Parasailing - $ 222 per couple
Windsurfing - $ 92 per pax (90 mins)
Wake boarding, Water boarding, Knee boarding - $ 77 per pax (25 mins) 
Jet Blade - $ 174 per pax (40 mins)

Laobi Laobi Massage - $ 250 per couple