After a truly wonderful welcome to Kandolhu Resort, it was time for me to explore the island properly and see what else was on offer.
The layout of Kandolhu reminded me a little bit of my stay last year at Reethi Beach Resort.
The combination of sandy pathways winding around the perimeter of the island with dense and lush jungle-esque greenery surrounding just about everything makes for a pretty damn beautiful backdrop for a Maldivian island getaway.
The island is pretty close to being a perfect circle, and as a result, everything is laid out in a circular way! Island villas, restaurants and all island amenities are dotted around the perimeter, whilst the staff village sits in the centre.
There are five different types of villas at Kandolhu, ranging from the most affordable ‘jacuzzi beach villas’ – which start at around $520 USD/night – right through to the most luxurious ‘ocean pool villas’ – which go for around $929 USD/night during the low and shoulder seasons.
Each of the villas ended up being a lot more different than I had expected, and each had it’s own charms. For example, I actually preferred the pool in this smaller villa than the one in my larger villa!
Apparently I wasn’t the only one who took a fancy to it!
Now I gotta be honest, as much as I love a good land villa, when I’m in the Maldives, being over the water is what I am really keen for!
I briefly checked out one of the ‘ocean villas’, but I knew that the next day I would be moved to one of the top tier ‘ocean pool villas’ – so I didn’t want to spoil it too much!
The next morning I awoke to find that the overcast weather had passed! The clouds had thinned, the sky was as blue as can be and the sun was shining bright and proud.
It was finally the perfect time for me to get snap happy and photograph more of the island!
I mean honestly, check out the sand in the next photograph – it is the absolute definition of pristine!
The early parts of the day were lazed away with a massage at the spa, cocktails on the beach and the perfect amount of island exploring.
A Maldivian island is the kinda place that is beautiful in any weather, but it is at its absolute finest on a sunny day – all that light makes the colour of the water really come to life!
All too soon it was time to move to some new lodgings – one of the absolutely incredible Ocean Pool Villas.
Located on the sunset side of the island, these villas may be small, but they sure do pack a punch in terms of amazing-ness!
Each of these 7 villas offer all the standard amenities you’d expect from a 5* resort, but in addition, also boast a few features that make a stay in one of these structures something to never forget.
Firstly, lets talk about the pool!
With turquoise tiles that match the colour of the ocean about as perfectly as possible, these infinity-esque plunge pools are truly magical.
Next, lets talk about the direct access to the ocean below!
Each of these overwater villas has a small wooden ladder that connects the outdoor decking to the ocean underneath.
After stepping onto the sandy seabed below, you literally only have to look a metre in any direction to see the beginnings of the house reef – and all of the wildlife that call this reef home!
It wasn’t uncommon for us to look out at the ocean from our pool and spot little sea turtles bobbing up to the surface to draw breath – how amazing is that?
You can literally go from the privacy of your bedroom to snorkelling in the sea in less than 15 steps!
Next, we gotta talk about the undeniable star attraction of these villas…
…the bathroom!
Is this not just the most well placed bathtub in history?
With floor to ceiling glass doors that slide right open, this is a fantasy bathroom come to life…
…and the perfect place to settle into a lukewarm bubble bath and gaze at the endless ocean stretching out in front of you.
I have seen these bathrooms pop up on many listicles that float around on social media, like ‘the 20 best bathtubs in the world’ etc.
Lets be real here, it isn’t exactly hard to see why.
Lastly, these villas are extra enticing because the sunset views they afford you are pretty remarkable.
Orange sunsets are lovely, but it is the kinda pinky-purple ones that are seriously special.
All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Kandolhu and move onwards to our next destination in the Maldives. Though I was sad to leave, I left with a tonne of wonderful memories and a whole lot of photographs (several thousand to be specific) to help me remember the glorious experience.
Kandolhu, I’ll see you again one day! <3
THE LOWDOWN
Getting to Male: Flights arrive to Male from most major airport hubs – with most frequent flights arriving from Singapore and Colombo
Kandolhu Resort & Spa: An ocean pool villa will set you back around $929 USD/night on bed and breakfast basis – click here to learn more
Threads: My navy maxi dress and swimwear are all by Aussie label Tigerlily Swimwear
Camera: Images captured with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 in conjunction with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2/8 lens
Remember: If you are going to the Maldives, you gotta stay over the water at least once!