Maldives - the Setup

Surrounded by Water
Our island was only about 700 yards long and perhaps 50 yards wide. It stretched north to south with a restaurant and bar on one end and a gym and spa on the other. There were a few small houses on the island near the beach but the majority stayed in thatched roof villas which were perched on stilts in the lagoon. The time zone is three hrs earlier than Singapore so we were wide awake by 6am. The tide was at its lowest - around 4 feet deep and the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. It was warm: 85 degrees with a nice breeze.

This is a shot looking north from our front door at around 7am. Nobody was awake but us.

The villa had a bedroom and a bathroom - pretty nice but nothing spectacular.

The bathroom however, well, yes it was pretty spectacular. Look at the view from the tub. The glass is one-way as long as the sun is out so you don't have to worry about someone floating by and getting a free look.

The best of all was the back deck. Completely private with a small pool, a lounge bed and an infinite view into the lagoon and the sea beyond. Our lagoon was one of the largest in the Maldives - you couldn't see breakers for a half mile or more.

We faced due south into the Indian Ocean. The sun would come up on the left and set on the right. Every morning I would stumble out of bed and lay down on the lounge bed to wake up slowly. Sip some coffee, sometimes dip into the pool.

Or, even better, take the ladder down into the lagoon. We had a small patch of coral about 20 feet from our deck where all the colorful fish would hang out. You can see another island in the distance. On the right is the southern most end of our island - those huts house the spa and yoga center.