Well we decided to splurge and go to the Maldives over Easter Break - Wednesday to Sunday with a 5 hour flight was quite reasonable. The costs of accommodations in Maldives .... well there's nothing reasonable about that! Since we were taking the kids and therefore not looking for a romantic get-away, and we knew we didn't want to have the added time and expense of a sea plane ride from the Male airport to our resort, we decided to stay at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort.
We landed in Male and literally walked out of the building and across the street to the dock where our launch was waiting for us. We hopped into the boat and sped off in brilliant blue water heading to Full Moon. In about 10 minutes we arrived at our destination for the weekend and we were ready to begin our fun.
Our accommodations were two over-water villas next door to each other. The kids could literally walk out of their bedroom on to the deck, jump in the water, swim next door and climb up onto our deck. Be sure that this was done many, many times! The water off our deck was clear blue, only about 8 feet deep at high tide and brimming with so much amazing sea life. The pilings for the rooms made the perfect place for coral to grow and for to congregate. Each morning the kids had their masks and snorkels on and they went off exploring - they saw all types of colorful fish and even some sharks (black-tipped friendly sharks) and one really sea turtle!
One of our over-water villas
Snorkeling off the deck....
Fish gathering around the pillars
Hundreds of pinfish would be under out deck every morning!
Can't beat my view!
One of the fun activities - jumping off the deck into the ocean!
Even had wildlife on the deck!
Henry's homemade fort - perfect for reading when the sun got too hot!
Daddy's going snorkeling with them too
We took a morning to charter a deep-sea fishing boat in hopes of pulling in some tasty fish for dinner. Instead with toured around the Maldives for 5 hours with only one bite (which Sumner tried to reel in until the big fish broke the line). It ended up being perfect though because we were able to get to see many different resorts on the islands around us.
Most evenings (and a couple afternoons when everyone was too hot) included games of pool in the cabana beside the pool. Fun game to be able to play with all five of us.
Drayton and I took one evening to have a romantic dinner on the edge of the beach. It was a seafood restaurant where you went and picked out your dinner and then they prepared it for you. I had a hard time deciding on a specific fish - and they had an even harder timing catching him - but the result was a yummy dinner. Drayton of course went for the lobster and tried to show a little restrain but not picking the biggest lobster in the tank!
Drayton's lobster being weighed
That's the one I picked out ....
.... it ended up being a pretty scrawny guy but perfect size for me.
On another morning we took a snorkeling trip to a place described as an ultimate fish aquarium. And they weren't lying- it was absolutely beautiful and all five of us loved the experience.
The rest are just some random pictures from our time on the island. We came home tan, relaxed and with some amazing memories!
