POST CARD

Beaches and seabed
 
The Maldives is famous for its heavenly beaches as well as for the richness and diversity of its seabed.

TRAVEL

We made a first stop (a few days!) in Abu Dhabi, since there are no direct flights from Europe to the Maldives and its capital, Malé.  
In The Maldives, we stayed at The Four Seasons. We were met by hotel representatives as soon as we emerged from the plane who accompanied us through all the arrival formalities. They then took us, by boat, to the hotel. The boat trip itself (which takes about an hour) is already an experience   which transports you through absolutely beautiful scenery.

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TOURISM

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The "resorts", also known as "island hotels", are located  on different atolls and on one hundred islands, where natural beauty rivals the beautiful man made establishments and facilities. In terms of menu choices, there were few local delicacies, apart from the catch of the day! The property where we stayed offered several restaurants, with varying ambience; the main cuisine was European - notably an Italian gastronomic restaurant – as well as an Indian restaurant and another specializing in Japanese dishes. 

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BLUE

Turquoise lagoon, crystal clear water, multicoloured fish and blue blue skies. The water temperature is around 30 degrees.

MUST SEE

Diving (even though we didn't partake), snorkeling (underwater hiking) and sunbathing at the water's edge!

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LOCAL LIFE

Alcohol consumption is permitted/tolerated in tourist resorts that are located outside Malé. Muslim culture also imposes certain rules, especially for excursions outside the hotel islands. On the shopping side, there is a detox on offer. But apart from buying a swimsuit and a pair of sunglasses, we didn’t find anything more tempting and imagine that this destination will not satisfy fashionistas addicted to shopping.

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NEGATIVE

The death penalty was reinstated in 2014 although there is a moratorium on its use since 2017.

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ANECDOTE

We had a very famous neighbour – Madonna – there with her tribe to celebrate the New Year. They were lovely and very discreet neighbours!