I’M TEMPTED to keep where we are a secret. It’s like your very own private Boracay without the crowds.
Powdery white sand, aquamarine waters so clear you can see marine life swimming under, unspoilt nature, and fresh cooling sea breezes.
Huts right on the beach, a few meters from the water.
Best of all, I love the stillness. It’s quiet, you can hear your thoughts, watch them as they drift away and you return to the moment, being in the now. Just being, just breathing.
We come here to recharge, connect with nature and the water, and contemplate where we are, where we were, where we want to be.
Aa says it’s like coming home.
Chiara loves that we have privacy. At certain times we can have a slice of the beach all to ourselves.
The only times we see other guests is at mealtimes.
And the food is great. Byren and Divya can have chef made ice cream to their heart’s content. I love the pastries.
Tuesday lunchtime we have a picnic on another island. Wednesday nights is dinner at the beach, under the stars. Candlelight illuminating our tables.
I keep telling myself maybe we won’t return next year. But I couldn’t resist.
This is idyllic.
No TVs in the room. Wi-Fi is only at the bar and the restaurant. A chance to bond undisturbed by distracting technology.
The surroundings and the huts kept clean twice a day. All the staff are friendly, there is always a good morning and a good afternoon and a good evening.
You feel welcome. Everyone is warm.
I really am tempted to keep this place a secret.
But yesterday, after our fish ceremony where we got awarded our very own hand painted fish with our names written on them, (you get this on your 4th visit to the island), the manager encouraged us to spread the word about its beauty. So they continue to preserve the place as nature intended it to be.
Kai, they said, will receive his very own fish after his 3rd visit. Kai means ocean. And king of kings...
Did I mention that at dinner there are sharks and sting rays that swim around the restaurant? At breakfast, at the lagoon at the center, a large turtle swims, amidst many other fish. Million fish, Aedon calls the tiny ones.
This place is Rihiveli the Dream. Maldives.
What I’ll keep secret is how we get here.