Last year Maria Carlsen and her fiancé Jens Valeur, from Copenhagen, took their young family to Constance Moofushi. Here Maria tells us about their holiday experience.
Relaxing in the hammock at Moofushi beach villa
Dear Constance
In January 2012 my fiancé and I went to the Maldives with our two boys aged 3 and 7 months.
It had been a dream for our family for a long time to go to the Maldives so my fiancé did a lot of searching on the internet for the perfect resort. When he finally found Moofushi, it really looked like paradise on earth.
Arriving in paradise
Our fantastic journey began when we arrived in Malé where we were overwhelmed by the sight of all the air taxis.
The flight to Moofushi was absolutely stunning – we couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw all the beautiful atolls underneath us in the water. This was also the first time we flew with a barefooted pilot.
When we came to Moofushi the excitement just grew bigger. This was the first time we ever went to a place that was more beautiful in real life than in pictures. When we arrived at Moofushi we were met by the most smiling and obliging staff, and were quickly shown the way to our villa.
Constance Moofushi from the air
Idyllic beaches
Immediately we went to the beach, which was actually in our backyard since we were staying in a beach villa. It was by far the most beautiful beach we have ever seen.
The first thing our 3-and-a-half-year-old son said was that he wanted to stay here forever. And this was really the feeling we all got when we put our feet in the warm sand for the first time.
Fine dining
The food at the restaurants was really amazing with a wide choice. Normally we never go to all-inclusive resorts and never where they have buffets, but this buffet was on a different scale.
The chefs were so friendly and smiling, everything was clean and the food both looked and smelled fantastic. There was delicious food for all of us which was especially important for us because of our two little boys. We were also surprised at the selection of very good wines and the expert advice we were given on what to choose.
At lunch we enjoyed eating at the beach bar and were very happy to discover that if there was something we wanted that was not on the menu, the Constance staff made sure we could have it anyway.
Kayaking
Water sports
Before we left home I was wondering if it would be possible to stay at such a small island for 12 days without getting bored, but how wrong I was!
Just the fantastic water was enough. The snorkeling around the island was so beautiful we never got tired of watching the fantastic underwater world at Moofushi.
We saw a lot of small sharks and different kinds of rays. We snorkeled with turtles and big manta rays, dolphins and a lot of beautiful fish. We also enjoyed the canoe and the water-cycle.
Family friendly
The staff were amazing with our kids, a lot of them remembered our boys’ names which made our oldest son feel very special. He always ran around with a big baby scarf around his neck and the staff called him superman. When people are this attentive to kids it makes them feel very special and happy, which was exactly the feeling my son got.
A lovely surprise
Beach paradise in the Maldives
After five days enjoying Moofushi the receptionist called and asked if we would like to be transferred to Constance’s other Maldivian island hotel, Halaveli.
We had read about Halaveli when we were searching for Maldivian resorts and we remembered it looked amazing. After only a few hours we sat in a big yacht by ourselves with two members of staff on our way to Halaveli.
Constance Halaveli
When we could see Halaveli we saw maybe 8 people in white clothes waving at us from the bridge. It felt very surreal to get such an impressive reception. After the arrival we were shown around the island and taken to our new home for the next 6 days.
Luxury accommodation
The beach villa was quite spectacular. It was huge and had a big beautiful private garden with our own plunge pool and outdoor bathroom. Our son was amazed by having his own pool and was swimming in it several times each day.
Inside the villa was also fantastic, and we took special notice of the pillow menu and its many pages.
On the beach
Relaxing in paradise
For the next few days we enjoyed the extremely beautiful pool by the restaurant and all the breathtakingly good food.
The restaurant at Halaveli was really quite amazing. Our 7-month-old son and he was served the most amazing homemade babyfood I have ever seen – delicious fish with shrimps, different kinds of mashed vegetables, all kinds of fruits.
The food in general was fantastic. Every night there was a different theme at the buffet – Japanese, Indian, Italian… The sushi was so fantastic we had it almost every day for lunch. The breakfast was also a fantastic way to start the day with all the different kinds of bread, cereals, eggs and fruits.
Friendly expert service
Everyday we had a long conversation with the sommelier at the restaurant who was so friendly and who offered us the most fantastic wines. He always remembered which kind of wines we each liked and had a lot of good suggestions as to what we should try next. He even offered to show us the wine cellar at Halaveli.
All the staff in the restaurant were extremely happy, friendly and accommodating. They always took time to talk with us and our children. Every night we were at the restaurant for at least an hour and a half (which all people with kids know can be difficult).
There was also a great ‘kindergarden’ for the kids where we could take the kids to play if they needed a break from the sun. One time we had a babysitter to look after the boys while we went to the fantastic spa. The babysitter was amazing with the kids and we felt very safe with her watching our little ones.
Constance Moofushi, Maldives
We had an amazing massage from two smiling masseurs while we were looking down at all the beautiful fish swimming underneath us.
Family adventure at Halaveli
As we did at Moofushi, we also made use of all the different activities at Halaveli. My fiance went wakeboarding with a great instructor, and we all went in the boat.
Everyday we went for walks around the island and we never got tired of watching the beautiful beach and the breathtaking clear blue water.
It was amazing to watch the rays lying at the waters edge in the sunset. A few times we participated in the feeding of the fish by staff from the jetty. It gave us the chance to experience sharks, rays and tunas up close. This was incredible, especially for our 3 year old.
Both at Moofushi and Halaveli my fiancé went diving and this was a fantastic and unforgettable experience for him. He saw huge manta rays and a lot of dolphins. He also had fun with drift-diving.
Barefoot in the sand
Holiday of a lifetime
Our vacation in the Maldives at Constance resorts, Moofushi and Halaveli was honestly the most fantastic and memorable vacation for all of us.
The Maldives is the most beautiful place we have ever seen in the world and we have travelled a lot in Asia, America and Europe.
We are planning to go back to the Maldives in January or February 2014 and are seriously considering going back to Constance Paradise at Moofushi or Halaveli and experiencing our paradise once again….
Maria and Jens.
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