Imagine laying in your aqua villa and watching the sunset with glasses of Prosecco in your hands. Maldives makes the best destination, if you are looking at being closer to nature. It is one of the closest destinations to India. Now that travel restrictions have lifted and India has created a travel bubble with the Maldives, I can’t wait to explore Maldives again and feel like I can breathe in freshness again.
Maldives is the most pristine land with the fanciest hotels there are out there. The best part about most properties is that they practice sustainability, have really low carbon footprints, sometimes even negative footprints on the environment.
Just this February, I went to Kandima Maldives and had the time of my life. At Kandima, everyday was super relaxed. I woke up and dipped into the blue Indian ocean, went snorkelling amidst sting rays, and saw the most beautiful dolphins. When I was at Kandima, I always felt like I was closer to nature. The property itself was set amidst beautiful palm trees and greenery. It was a paradise island with a small garden which produced fresh vegetables and some fruits. I tried their island grown Maldivian chillies, which were some of the spiciest chillies I have ever had. Fresh, it was and the experience was thrilling. Coming from a densely populated city like Mumbai, never before had I been to a garden and plucked chillies out, let alone found island grown chillies on an island in Maldives.
At Kandima, I had the luxury of cycling in and around the property. Overall, being the fitness freak that I am, I loved to cycle around the palm trees and visit the gym occasionally. The gym was set amidst greenery and the yoga center was at the very bay of the ocean. While I was doing yoga, I could hear the soothing waves of the Arabian sea crash by. The experience was truly calming and I felt like I could stay in Maldives forever.
From my aquavilla, my luxurious abode, I could view occasional seaplanes landing in the sea and could hear the waves crash. The aquavilla was built on the edge of the ocean and it had the best kind of views there are out there. It was my sunny place, a place where I could be myself and live a relaxed life.
Imagine being on a pristine island and having everything you need out there. All kinds of luxuries to charm you and make you feel like you are on top of the world. My Kandima Maldives experience was nothing short of that. It was luxury combined with sustainability. Kandima has an interesting concept for growing corals in the ocean. Travellers can choose to adopt a coral and scuba divers who work at the hotel will place the reef for them in the Indian Ocean. The reef will then grow over time and colourful corals will show within a few months. There were many couples at the property who decided to grow a coral in the Indian Ocean as a symbol of the growth of their love over time. It was great to see an environmental initiative which people were interested in and felt like they were a part of.
At Kandima, I felt like I was a part of something larger. They had multiple initiatives to keep giving back to nature. This made me feel involved with everything that was going around. I felt like I had a responsibility to give back to the local community.
Many hotels in Maldives do not put as much thought into their environmental initiatives, but Kandima had thought them out well and this impressed me. Being a nature lover and an environment conservation enthusiast, I knew that I had chosen the right destination. It was a mix of luxury with well thought environment consciousness. Most millennials today look for destinations which give back to the environment.
As I lay there watching the waves crash by from my aquavilla, I decided to dip into the jacuzzi one night at 3 PM. As I stepped outside, I saw a sky which was filled with stars. I knew that this was the calm yet fun feeling which I was seeking in my life. Somehow, I felt complete on this paradise island which brought me closer to nature.
In the growing world of climate change, sustainable tourism is not just a trend, but a necessity. It is important for tourists to make the right choice for the environment which will have a long term impact on the destination. As a place, Maldives needs to be preserved because of rising sea levels. We are not just tourists, but we have a responsibility. With Kandima Maldives, I made the choice of choosing a responsible property which gives back to the environment. You should too.