Travel with me #98 : Ayada, Maldives - A Slice of Paradise!

 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 SuitesWelcome 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 AreaFirst BathroomBedroomThe 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 BathroomThis 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 PoolThis 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!