Maldives

Last post because it’s our last day in the Maldives. It’s been a wonderful week to say the least. We have not only enjoyed the country, but the Maldivian people as well. They are gentle hearted, warm spirited, and above all gracious in the extreme. Quick to laugh, and always happy to stop and visit with you, we love how welcome they made us feel.

So many times we visit a place, never expecting to return. After all, it’s a big world out there, and still so many places left to see. But in this case, I think the Maldives may be the exception to that rule. Everyone agrees, this place deserves a repeat visit. So until we see you again – Goodbye Maldives!

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, sitting, sky, ocean, outdoor, water and nature

Someone described the Maldives to me as “magical”. I think Grace thinks so.

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, ocean, sunglasses, sky, mountain, outdoor, water and natureI have to admit there does seem to be a level of enchantment to this place.

 

Image may contain: one or more people, sky, ocean, outdoor, water and nature

There’s so much to do, but it’s really hard to get our butts off the beach lounger at times.

 

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, standing, ocean, sky, child, outdoor, water and nature

Eventually though, the water calls…

 

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, outdoor

But you gotta remember the sunscreen. I brought 11 bottles of sunscreen and we used almost all of them.

 

Image may contain: table

Even on vacation, we fell into a routine of sorts. Every day I contemplated going here, and then rapidly changed my mind.

 

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, people standing, sky, pool, cloud, outdoor, nature and water

Mornings alway began in swimsuits.

 

Image may contain: one or more people, sky, ocean, pool, outdoor and natureFollowed by family shenanigans.

 

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, sitting, ocean, outdoor and water

And the hardest question we had to answer was “pool or beach?”

 

Image may contain: 1 person, standing, sky, ocean and outdoor“Hands up” if you love Spring Break in the Maldives!

 

Image may contain: table, food and indoor

Then it’s lunch time. Food is ridiculously expensive here because they have to boat in every morsel of bread and sprig of parsley to the island. The seafood though, is delicious and well worth the money.

 

Image may contain: 3 people, people smiling, people sitting

Afternoon is all about water sports. The girls are both scuba certified so diving was definitely in the cards. The Maldives are world famous for their diving.

 

Image may contain: one or more people, ocean, sky, outdoor, nature and water

Every water sport is imaginable here, and the girls tried them
all. They took to windsurfing much quicker than wake boarding.

 

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, ocean, sky, outdoor, nature and water

After a 10 minute lesson, both Paige and Grace were able to stay upright more or less.

 

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, ocean, outdoor, water and nature

My favorite was the snorkeling. It’s fun because they’ve thought of everything.

 

Image may contain: ocean, sky, outdoor, water and nature

The fish, coral, and sea life abound. And there’s even a shipwreck to explore!

 

Image may contain: 1 person, sitting, ocean, outdoor, water and nature

Cocktail time involves nothing more than a cool drink and a cozy chair.

 

Image may contain: sky, cloud, ocean, outdoor, water and nature

We sit, watch the view and wait for the sun to set.

 

Image may contain: one or more people, people standing, ocean, sky, outdoor, nature and waterSometimes we people watch. There are lots of Asians who vacation here, and for some reason they all wear these adorable matching resort outfits. I tried talking Brian into one, but he wasn’t having any of it.

 

Image may contain: one or more people, ocean, sky, cloud, outdoor, nature and waterOlivia happily found friends. With the ocean as their playground, they didn’t need much to entertain themselves.

 

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, ocean, sky, outdoor, nature and water

Paige ruining my sunset.

 

Image may contain: 3 people, people smiling, people standing and outdoor

Dressing for dinner and more messing around. Poor Brian – four females makes for a chaotic household sometimes.

 

Image may contain: one or more people, people sitting, table and indoor

We loved our villa. Lots of room to spread out…and for Brian to find some quiet time.

 

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling

We also loved this outdoor bathtub…a lot! Four girls, remember?

 

Image may contain: bedroom and indoor

You know you’ve been married a long time when set ups like this make you laugh out loud.

 

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, indoorBut when you’re six, it’s magical.

 

Image may contain: 4 people, people smiling, people sitting, sunglasses, sky and outdoorFor our family, there was a lot to love about this place…

 

Image may contain: outdoor

And my friend was right…there is definitely something magical about the Maldives!