Travelling With Kids: Feeding Stingrays In Maldives

When my husband told me that WE had WON a trip to the Maldives, I thought he was joking! But he wasn’t.

Everything you heard about the Maldives is TRUE.  It has the bluest skies, clearest seas, softest sand, biggest coral, and most gorgeous marine life!  Just a little piece of HEAVEN on Earth!!

The Maldives is a brilliant country that consists of over one thousand islands!  You heard me, right.  This nation of islands has over 200 resorts on 89 of its habitable islands.  The main mode of transport is by cruiser.  Once you are on one of the island resorts, time stands still.  Literally.

During our four days on the island resort, Vivanta by Taj, time became irrelevant. We ate when we felt hungry, slept when we were tired, swam when we felt hot and lounged when we got tired of being in the sea or pool.  Clocks and watches disappeared from sight and like they say, out of sight, out of mind.  Life was idyllic, peaceful and good! 

A hotspot for honeymooners and celebrities, Maldives is ideal for those who crave for peace, quiet, and privacy. I met local celebrity comedienne, Irene Ang yesterday at the Trend Micro event and she told me she just came back from Maldives too! Check out her lovely tan and how fresh she looks!

Is Maldives family-friendly?

Absolutely!!  How can you go wrong with the sun, sea, and sand with the children?  While Vivanta by Taj did not have a kids club like some of the other resorts, the staff was very hospitable, understanding and helpful when it came to catering for the children.

For example, one morning my 2 kids were fighting over who should have the single yummy chocolate donut in the breakfast basket. Even before, we (the parents) could step in to stop the bickering, Amol, one of the waiters walked over with an extra chocolate donut.  Conflict resolved.

Later that evening, we wanted to dine al fresco at Open The Grill Restaurant.  As we scanned the menu, we noticed that there wasn’t anything on the menu for the kids. We were about to get up and returned to our rooms to order room service when again, by his own initiative, the waiter serving us immediately offered to put together some spaghetti bolognaise for the kids. He even served them in separate pasta bowls so there’ll be no messy division on my part. How thoughtful!

And one evening, we returned ‘home’ – that’s what the kids were beginning to call our hotel room – to find a manually printed scroll addressed to my 5-year-old girl.  It was a storybook that the housekeeping had thoughtfully printed out ‘just for her’.

With such hospitality, who needs a kids club?

What is there to do on an island?

Our little slice of paradise was so tiny that we could walk the circumference of it in 20 minutes. But contrary to what you may think, there is actually a fair bit to do on the island – swimming, snorkeling, scuba-diving (there are professionals who can guide you or give you lessons), boat paddling, lounging on the beach or by the infinity pool, feeding the stingrays, chasing storks, playing hide and seek on the island etc. And depending on the weather conditions, you can even charter a plane for a tour of the islands or a boat to go island hopping.

We were hoping to go on a submarine ride, but the ocean conditions did not agree with our plans. So, we took a day-tour to Male, the capital city of Maldives instead. Click on the link to read about it. Below is a pictorial of our idyllic time in Maldives.

1.Hang out by the beach and enjoy the warm sea shores of Maldives.

2. Explore the ocean life

My kids love snorkeling under the clear water of Maldives to see the ocean life!

If you are not comfortable diving underwater to see the corals, you can see them and the marine life as well in these glass-bottom paddle boats (rental: US$30/h). Because the kids were younger (at the time of this post), we opted for a safer option. Kids love it as the water is SO clear!

3. Enjoy the facilities of a private resort

Hang out by the infinity pool.

Learning the fine art of playing carrom in the games room where you can find books to read, games to play, computers to check your mail and coffee and tea is available 24-hour a day.

4. Feed Stingrays

At 5pm sharp every day, a school of stingrays will swim to shore to be fed by the visitors. Initially, we were a bit worried. The memory of how the famous Australian animal hunter Steve Irwin was killed (by a stingray) was still fresh. However, the hotel staff taught us how to feed it, and soon, this afternoon visit became the most anticipated event every day.

It was amazing how close we could get up close to these graceful sea creatures. Very quickly, my kids overcame their fear.

A black eel that slithered out of its hole to join the commotion of the stingray feeding frenzy. We even spotted a few baby sharks!

5. Boat Rides

And yes, Maldives is expensive.  VERY expensive! Getting to the mainland, Male costs us US$70 per person.  But I tell ya,  the joy of experiencing Mother Nature’s pure creations at such close proximity and all the first memories I gained with my children?

* Our first-midnight cruise ride to our island resort (50 minutes away from the main island of Male)
* Our kids’ first snorkeling experience – the water in the lagoon is so clear you can see all sorts of marine life!
* Sharing our first glimpse of the famous natural, unsullied coral reef of Maldives together as a family
* Feeding stingrays and seeing sharks and eels in their natural environment for the first time.

Priceless!

Seeing GOD’s creation up close? Definitely worth every penny we spent.

You May Also Like These Posts:

• Traveling With Kids: Maldives, Male City
• Heavenly Manna In Maldives
• Feeding Stingrays In Maldives

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