Visiting Maldives like stepping into a new life (3)

English>>Travel

Editor's Pick

Visiting Maldives like stepping into a new life (3)

By Fu Rong (Shanghai Daily) 08:26, November 20, 2013

Email|Print|Comments

twitter

facebook

Sina Microblog

You can take a sunset cruise around the island, enjoy snacks and wine on the dock, take a boat and snorkel in the Indian Ocean or rent scuba gear for an exciting dive — if you’re lucky, you might see sharks.

The resort is only minutes away from well-known diving sites including the Manta Point and the protected marine area of Rasfari Faru.

I chose to take part in the resort’s conservation initiatives that include turtle and manta ray identification programs, reef cleaning, coral planting and sustainable fishing trips.

The resort company has a full-time marine biologist who travels between its properties in the Maldives to monitor the health of the reefs and implement new marine conservation initiatives should they be required.

Once a week the marine biologist organizes a rewarding activity for guests where they join her in snorkeling on the reef and helping keep it clean and tidy for its marine inhabitants.

A small but important component of the vast Indian Ocean, the barrier or “house” reefs around islands end up filtering out any debris, refuse, old fishing tackle and such. To keep the reefs healthy, it is vital to clean the reefs on a regular basis. That preserves the natural beauty of the Maldives, and the marine life that resides within is protected.Coco Privé Kuda Hithi Not far from the Coco Bodu Hithi, Coco Collection also has another more private and upscale resort, Coco Privé Kuda Hithi.

On this top private island, you may feel you have landed in a tropical version of “The Great Gatsby”: You are the master in a luxurious setting set up to please only you.

Opened last year, Coco Privé is a six-star resort destination. The hotel takes only one party at a time, who have access to the six themed villas that offer sumptuous lodgings and sleep a total of 12 people. It is the ultimate getaway for traveling with family and friends.

The sandy beach and the crystal clear water is all, exclusively, yours — it’s like a traveler’s second home on the Indian Ocean.

Although small, the resort also has a library, restaurant, cocktail bar, a swimming pool with a glass wall that allows you to see the beach while underwater, and a gym with sauna rooms.

It took five years for the Coco Collection to construct this resort on the small island as even the smallest details were given great attention.

All services are tailored for every guest. Before we arrived on the island, the hotel called and asked everyone’s preference on everything, including food, beds, pillows...

When we arrived at the resort, the butler took our shoes and let us enjoy the feel of the soft sand beach, the wooden floors and warm water throughout our stay.

It seemed that everything went back to sensory basics of easy, unfettered enjoyment.

There is only one master villa on the island, called the Palm Residence, which has a spacious bedroom, living room, a living-room-sized bathroom, and, of course, a private terrace.