For me the Maldives are a definite bucket list destination; a stunning tropical haven with over 1,000 coral islands, stunning beaches, blue lagoons and amazing reefs. When you visit the Maldives, I firmly believe that you need to do it in style; terms like ‘beach bungalow’ and ‘over water villa’ featured heavily in my investigations! Diamonds Athuruga is a resort that delivers both of these and a whole lot more besides…
Location
The resort is just a 20-minute, very scenic, flight from Malé International Airport. And it’s really not hard to get to the Maldives; British Airways operates direct flights from London Gatwick to Malé during winter months which takes just 10 hours. Once you reach the resort you find a tropical paradise, surrounded by untouched nature in the South Ari Atoll of the Maldives.
Style & Character
The resort is spellbindingly beautiful; white sands, turquoise waters and lush tropical gardens. Inside the interior décor is elegant Italian with contemporary Italian lighting and beautiful parquet floors; it oozes chic, but a calm, welcoming chic that makes you never want to leave.
Service & Facilities
The resort likes to make your life as easy as possible, they expect you to resume a laid back, happy daze that won’t lift during your entire stay! There’s the Serena Spa and wellness centre where you will be pampered and leave refreshed and revitalised, a huge range of water sports, a well-equipped diving centre to give you an inspiring glimpse of underwater life on the unique and enchanting coral reef or complimentary use of snorkelling equipment if you’d prefer, and a daily entertainment programme – the weekly astronomy night being my favourite. The welcoming ethos is echoed in their all-inclusive policy; this includes food and drinks, but also a minibar that is replenished daily, an iPod loaded with music, access to canoes and windsurfs and a guided snorkelling tour of that amazing reef; all-inclusive with style I like to call it!
You can book experiences through the resort; so, if romance is the sole agenda, opt for a Romantic Experience where you take a sunset boat trip together and dine beneath the stars – bliss! Or during the winter months, the exclusive Manta Safari offers the chance to learn all about and even swim alongside the stunning manta rays that make these waters their home.
Rooms
Take your pick from 44 Beach Bungalows, 3 Junior Suites, 21 Water Villas and 2 Two Bedroom Water Villas. All are totally stunning with every facility that you could hope for so it’s really personal taste which you choose. I was too seduced by the idea of direct access to the ocean to look any further than the Water Villas!
Food & Drink
The food is another huge plus for Diamonds Athuruga, there are five restaurants offering everything from live cooking Japanese to Maldivian, an a la carte fusion of European and Asian, and of course fresh seafood dishes. There are also 3 bars; a cocktail at the Thari Over Water Bar comes highly recommended!
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