Dear Steemit friends:
For those of you who have lived in Beijing or Northern China for full year, you will know that the seasons, Autumn and Spring are very short. The summer is consistently above 30 degrees Celsius with little to no fluctuation in temperature. Around November, the temperature suddenly changes and quick goes from a summer climate to a winter one.
Temperatures drop from above 30, to near zero in the space of a month. For many, this signals the start of a long and harsh winter with short days, long nights, and near freezing temperatures. During these months, the government offers state sponsored central heating to help keep it's people warm, but for the most part, venturing outside means a battle against the harsh climate of Chinese winters.
Not all of China has this kind of extreme climate change. In-fact, the southern provinces enjoy mild temperature changes all year round. Places such as Shenzhen and Hong Kong have lukewarm winters, and warm tropical summers.
As a person who grew up in Shenzhen, my body is well adjusted to warm tropical climates. After many years living in the north of China, I have yet to build up a resistance to freezing temperatures and as a way of "coping", I make sure to have a winter escape lined up to help pass the time.
Last year, my winter escape was Hong Kong and Hainan. This year, my winter escape is to the Maldives. It being a few kilometers from the equator surely means gorgeous weather, and compound that with the relatively untouched private island life, it was everything I hoped for a fantasy getaway.
Things didn't quite work out the way I expected, but let's see what the Maldives is like!
The Maldives are essentially a group of about 1200 islands spread over 26 Atolls in the Indian ocean, most visitors will choose a specific island when they visit and if time permits, hop around the various islands within their respective atoll.
The island of choice for this visit is called Gadhdhoo. A private island, part of the Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll in the south of Maldives.
The journey involves several legs and from Beijing takes more than half a day in total. The first stop is the capital of Maldives, Male.
From there, we fly domestic, to Kaadeddhoo airport in the south. This is the closest island with an airport to Gadhdhoo.
The domestic flight was short, bumpy and very crammed. There was only one plane on this service and it was the dual propeller kind you frequently see in islands. I thought there would be the ultra exclusive private water airplane to shuttle me there but I guess that will have to wait for the future!
The next leg of the trip is the hour long speed boat ride. As you can see, the island resort has their own boat to shuttle their customers to and from the resort.
The boat ride is fun but the novelty wore off quickly, the constant hits and bumps caused several of the girls on the boat to start feeling sick, myself included. Thankfully we arrived before anyone needed to vomit and we were warmly welcomed with a coconut drink and a neat row of "butlers" waiting to greet us as we docked on the island.
Ayada Maldives.
When you think of Maldives, you will probably see floating houses out in the ocean. And that's because these Ocean Villas are their signature offerings. The villas extend into the lagoons and on the shallow emerald blue ocean waters. There are 122 villas in total, and approximately 1/3rd of them are ocean villas.
My heart was pounding when I saw them because I couldn't believe I was going to stay in one! I've had the pleasure of staying in plenty of villas before, but not ones built on top of stilts floating on the water!
The island is teeming with tropical wildlife, whether it's little lizards, tropical fish, or crabs. All you have to do is look around and you'll catch some little creatures running around.
The Ayada Sunset Ocean Villa Suites
Welcome to my room! This is actually one of fifteen Ocean Villa Sunset Suites. Like the other traditional roof-thatched villas, they each have a private pool deck with pool, but my villa has a view of the sunset, as well as an extra large living room with a floor window.
The interior design is a mixture of the Maldivian island style and Turkish. The Turkish part comes from the fact that the resort was founded by Turkish people.
The Kitchen Area
First Bathroom
Bedroom
The bed faces the pool deck and ocean. It's such a beautiful view with such light blue water. What a way to wake up!
The Master Bathroom
This is the second and main bathroom. It has another shower, a toilet, as a huge bathtub with yet another view of the ocean.
The Pool Deck and Private Pool
This is where I spent most of my time. The private deck and pool. It's a very large area with it's own sofas, hammocks and infinity pool. I'm not a particularly competent swimmer so I prefer to be lazy and sit on my floatables on the private pool. You can go into the ocean water if you want, there are even stairs leading you down, but the strong winds make the waters very difficult to manage for anyone who isn't a competent swimmer (me).
Loungers and hammocks line the edge of the pool deck and are a great alternative to the sun couches by the pool. Of course great views galore, and on that particular day, plenty of sun!
The highlight of the pool deck is without a doubt the private infinity pool. From some angles, it looks as though the water is running off the edges into the ocean. That's why they call it the infinity pool. It's actually very easy to fall off the side whilst sitting on the floaties.
In the distance you can see some of the other islands part of the atoll. There are a total of five in view from my villa. Each of them either belong to other island resorts, or are privately owned.
Check out the video tour!
So, what do you think of Maldives and the Ayada resort so far? It has been quite a while since I visited a private island, the last time was probably Pink Sands in the Bahamas. Since then, I've been craving for a slice of paradise once more, Maldives being the answer. In upcoming posts, i'll be showing you some more ways you can have fun on the island, including the various restaurants as well as some of the activities on offer.
Don't forget to upvote the post if you liked it, follow for more travel blogs, and leave a comment to let me know what you think!
有一个地方，蓝天白云，椰林树影，水清沙幼，是印度洋上由1000多个珊瑚岛组成的世外桃源，这个地方就是马尔代夫。马尔代夫位于南亚，是印度洋上的一个岛国，也是世界上最大的珊瑚岛国，在它1000多个岛屿中只有202个岛屿是有人居住的，所以也是亚洲最小的国家。马尔代夫又像个聚宝盆，在这里深藏着丰富的海洋资源，有各种热带鱼类和海龟，玳瑁，珊瑚还有漂亮的贝壳类海产品。
很多人可能对马尔代夫这个名字既熟悉又陌生，岛上赫赫有名的纯净海水和温柔细沙，经常会出现在各种杂志画报和人们的视野之中。我第一次听说马尔代夫，还是从香港的卡通人物——可爱的小猪麦兜嘴里听到的，麦兜所形容的马尔代夫，到处是七彩缤纷的珊瑚，还有令你目不暇接，游走在你身边的热带鱼群，让你忘情享受那充满着赤道活力的原始海洋。天堂般的宁静氛围让你远离繁嚣，放情去体验热情如火的风土人情，感受一个脱俗出尘的梦幻之旅。
那时候很好奇，现实中的马尔代夫真的像麦兜说的一样吗? 我在心里划着问号。每每到冬季，人们的自然生理反应，就好像得了天生的抗拒寒冷综合症，总想往温暖的地方跑。去年的这个季节，我带大家游走了充满原生态美感的海南和摩登都市香港，今年很开心我有机会跳上飞机，开始了对马尔代夫这个绚丽迷人群岛的追梦之旅。一直以来，人们都喜欢把这1000多个珊瑚岛组成的马尔代夫称为“上帝遗留在人间的项链”，这一个个零零落落的小岛就好像一颗颗闪亮夺目的珍珠项链，它们的美不知夺走了多少人的心。
别看马尔代夫如今是令人们日思夜梦的度假天堂，其实这里最早的记载可以追溯到公元前三世纪，那时候已经有人长期居住在这里了，包括阿拉伯，印度和东南亚的船只，也都会停靠在马尔代夫歇脚，所以从很早以前，这里就是人们休养生息的最佳栖息之地。因为马尔代夫多是小而精致的珊瑚岛，所以来这里游玩的方式都是一岛一酒店的模式，在提前选好岛屿和酒店之后，我激动的踏上了珍珠海岛之旅。阿雅达度假村位于马尔代夫南部的Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll环礁南部边缘的原始珊瑚礁内，距离首都马累有431公里，需要乘坐60分钟的内陆飞机和50分钟的快艇上岛，虽然路程比较周折，但是丝毫不会影响到我的心情。
当飞机缓缓掠过一颗颗晶莹剔透的珍珠海岛，阳光照射下的海上仙境，有的透出湛蓝的光芒，有的形状像颗爱心，不时还有快艇划过平静的海面，留下一条白色的浪花，好像在海面上自由作画，这样的场景看的我心潮澎湃。很快就到了Kaadedhdhoo中转岛，电频车带我来到了海边，准备乘坐阿雅达的快艇。当天的海面浪潮汹涌，坐在快艇上一跳一跳的刺激好玩。到了岛上，已经临近黄昏，管家们站在码头打着当地的民族鼓，唱着歌欢迎我们的到来，热闹极了。服务生热情的把欢迎饮料小椰子递到我手上，木制的草屋大堂点着蜡烛，浪漫又温馨。
管家开着电频车带我来到了海中的长廊，这一排排海中央搭建的木质草屋就是我的房间了，途中经过了海边岩石上休息的小螃蟹和沙滩上的红色蜥蜴，好像都在欢迎我的到来呢。远处碧海蓝天，谁会拒绝住在海中央的小屋子里倾听海浪的交响乐呢？怀着无比兴奋的心情推开房间的门，漂亮的日式木质吊顶和宽敞的客厅出现在眼前，最有趣的应该是客厅中央的透明玻璃，可以清楚的看见泻湖里的热带鱼悠闲自在的游来游去，和各种各样的海洋生物住楼上楼下，真是一种奇妙的体验呢。酒店在茶几上摆放了满满一盘水果和香槟，欢迎我的到来，贴心极了。
房间的设施很齐全，有2间淋浴和洗手间，并且配有小型的简易厨房，最大的亮点应该是落地窗外面朝大海的阳台，一池蔚蓝的方形无边泳池，远处的海水分成两层，深蓝和浅蓝的渐变，像一颗硕大的蓝宝石，海水的蓝和天空的蓝交织在一起，已经分不清楚，哪里是天，哪里是海了。今天的马尔代夫酒店旅程就要告于段落，之后还有更多有趣的游记，带你们探索印度洋上的珍奇岛屿。