M and I just celebrated our wedding anniversary, and we decided to take a family trip to the Maldives since it's much closer to Dubai than it would be if we were back home. Many friends of ours had travelled there and said it was one of the most memorable and romantic destinations of their lives, so it seemed an appropriate place to reminisce about our wedding and our many years of happiness together from dating to engagement to marriage to parenthood.
After about a four-hour flight, we landed in Malé, the capital of the Maldives. I was struck at the airport by the beautiful form of the Maldivian language, which I later looked up is called Dhivehi. Some of the shapes reminded me of Arabic, especially Arabic vowels, and I learned that it is heavily influenced with some saying over 25% of Dhivehi words coming from Arabic. (If you're interested in learning more about the language and some basic travel phrases, check out the Maldivian language primer on the Vacation to Maldives website.)
Once we passed through immigration, we connected with a representative from our resort, Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort and Spa, who escorted us to a speedboat just outside the airport. We picked the Sheraton resort because it was family friendly and close enough to the airport that we could travel by boat instead of seaplane, as I wasn't sure about taking S in a seaplane at his age. We were the only parents who brought our own life jacket for our kid, but I was so grateful we did. The life jackets provided wouldn't work in an emergency for anyone who couldn't already swim, and they were too big for S.
This was by far one of the most laid-back, relaxing vacations we've ever taken. We were upgraded to a private villa and were grateful for it as S threw a few toddler tantrums in the comfort and privacy of our temporary abode. M persuaded me not to jam-pack our schedule as I usually do and instead just to go with the flow. He was right; it was just what we needed!
Our first night, we enjoyed a Maldivian seafood buffet right on the beach. As we sat at our table adjacent to the gently lapping waves, watching the sun set, listening to live music, eating phenomenal grilled calamari and fresh-caught fish, I couldn't stop grinning. I feel so lucky to be with my family and able to share such special moments with them.
The next day, I got up early to do a meditation class on the beach provided by the resort. Because my New Year's Resolution this year is mindfulness, I've been working on picking up a more solid meditation habit. This was a good chance to practice mindfulness and learn more about the science and history of meditation from the expert who guided the session. After that, we all went to breakfast and then dropped S off at the Kids' Club for a few hours of babysitting while M and I went on a kayaking date. It was such a workout, but the beautiful weather and gorgeous views kept us paddling.
After that, I snuck away for my own massage treatment at the on-resort spa, which was on its own little island connected by a footbridge. (M has never liked massages, so I usually go alone and don't mind a bit.) I had a very soothing and healing massage that worked out some of the tension I always seem to carry around in my neck, shoulders, and back after flying on an airplane.
Afterwards, though, I had to rush from the spa back to our villa to shower, because that afternoon we booked a family photo session. These marketing experts are brilliant - they gave us a complimentary family photo session for 30 minutes where we could receive our favorite photo for free but would have to pay for any additional photos we wanted. M and I both knew from the moment I booked the photo session that there was no way I was going home with only one family photo from our session. I love every single one of the photos we decided to keep (and I know M and S do, too).
The next day was a combination of snorkeling, playing on the beach, and swimming until the evening. We played with Stephen at the kids' club for a little bit, made sure he was well fed, and then put him down to sleep in his inflatable toddler mattress in his Slumberpod (one of the greatest inventions of all time for traveling families if you ask me). Then, we booked a babysitter to simply sit in the room in case of emergency while he slept under the watchful eye of our babycam so we could for a romantic dinner at one of the nicest on-resort restaurants.
The next day we had to say goodbye and left the Maldives on a much rainier day than when we arrived. By the end of our trip, I felt rested and pampered and relaxed but also ready to come home and get back to normal life. The Maldives certainly lived up to its reputation of being very expensive but very special and serene. For us on this special occasion, it was definitely worth it.
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