THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE ON EARTH
Ever since I began travelling on a regular basis in 2001, I had long dreamed of finding the most beautiful place on earth. The type of place that most people long for and of which you daydream about unwinding under a palm tree with a cocktail.
For many (including myself) that place became the Maldives. Having spent six months in Tahiti and spending countless hours at Bora Bora, I thought I had found the most beautiful place on earth.
When I visited the Yasawa Islands in Fiji I topped Bora Bora with a place better known as the “Blue Lagoon” (where they filmed the movie by the same name). Despite being so fortunate to have discovered these incredible island paradises, I still felt that there was “one better”.
Like most, I had drooled over photos of the Maldives and wondered if anywhere could actually look that stunning. We’ve all been there. Seen a postcard of a place, only to find that it doesn’t quite live up to expectations when you get there.
Well, that is not the case in the Maldives. From the moment we flew over the countless atolls as we approached Male, I knew that I was in paradise. The weather on day one as I arrived at the resort was a little ordinary but this allowed me to focus on getting my bearings without being overwhelmed with the surrounding beauty.
The following morning when I drew back the curtains of my overwater bungalow, I honestly thought that I had died and gone to heaven. If, as Belinda Carlisle says “Heaven is a place on earth”, then she must have been referring to the Maldives.
Below the balcony and surrounding the bungalow was the most incredible turquoise coloured water I had ever seen. As I gazed over the railing, a small reef tip shark swam by, shortly followed by a small manta ray. I slapped myself to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming. This place was breathtaking.
It was an added bonus that it was also my birthday. Yes, I planned to be there for my birthday but I wasn’t expecting it to be this special.
Everywhere I turned on the remote island of Kani was filled with picture-perfect “postcard like” scenes. Pristine white sand, endless palm trees and that stunning water.
I must have looked like a Japanese tourist constantly pirouetting to snap a new picture of the endless breathtaking views. Beach shots, hammocks, palm trees. Anything that looked good (which was everything) was captured in pictures. Thankfully I was armed with my phone and every piece of camera equipment I had ever owned.
They say that money can’t buy you happiness, but it can take you to paradise in the form of the Maldives. Imagine the most pristine white sandy beaches being lapped by that magical turquoise water, an abundance of marine life and those idyllic over-water bungalows. That is everywhere you look in the Maldives and I can vouch from personal experience now that it is even more beautiful in real life.
Sure it’s not as cheap as Bali or the Caribbean, but something this special is worth every single cent to experience. If beach destinations, romantically idilic settings where you can absolutely get away and unwind is your choice of destination, then there is no better place in the world than the Maldives.
Having travelled to over 400 destinations around the globe I can assure you that you will be hard pressed to find anywhere as beautiful and relaxing as this paradise in the Indian Ocean.
While there are many resorts in the Maldives which are all amazing, I can personally recommend Club Med Kani. It’s an all-inclusive resort so you won’t have to spend a cent once you arrive, unless you want to experience one of the premium excursions that they offer.
To check out Club Med Kani CLICK HERE
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