Jacada Photo Journal: The Maldives

When it comes to honeymoon destinations, the Maldives is consistently popular – and for good reason. With all the trappings of a desert island paradise, with the benefit of super luxury resorts in which to stay, it’s difficult to think of a more picturesque beach destination. I went to the Maldives to explore; these are some of my highlights.

We started our trip to the Maldives with two nights on Cocoa Island. This is a tiny island with just one restaurant, bar and pool, and over-water villas in the shape of dhoni sail boats.

You can walk around the island in 20 minutes, and there’s a long sandy cay, which seems to stretch on forever. It is such a special spot. Due to its size, the resort feels very intimate and private. There’s a dive school, and we kayaked around the whole island.

After our two nights were up, we jumped in a seaplane which took us to Maalifushi.

We went on a dolphin watching tour and saw hundreds and hundreds of them playing in the wake around the boat. We lay out on the stern and watched the dolphins just underneath us darting in front of the boat, and then sat up on the top deck on the day beds and drank champagne – it’s as terrible as it sounds.

We then caught a speedboat to Six Senses Laamu and saw lots more dolphins on the way. This island has a barefoot luxury, Robinson Crusoe feel. It’s a little bigger with a selection of restaurants and bars and lots of different happy hours, so it attracts a younger, more social crowd. It also has a good kids club, so it’s as suitable for families as it is for honeymooners.

There are bikes to help you travel all over the resort, and paddleboarding and kayaking available too. There is fantastic diving here for those who are a bit more experienced (there are strong currents), but also great manta ray spotting for those who just want to snorkel. We saw yet more dolphins pass by as we were eating our lunch.

The trip was truly incredible and I’m excited to get you out there, too. It’s also the perfect addition to a journey through India or Sri Lanka. If you’d like to find out more about the Maldives, please get in touch.

All images by Kate Edwards, Jacada Travel Asia Expert.