Per Aquum Niyama - Part 1 | Dhaalu Atoll, The MALDIVES
The Maldives, where should I even begin? It had been my DREAM to visit this sought after holiday destination, to skinny-dip in the cool, turquoise Maldivian water, to let my mind drift, to sit back, relax and then pinch myself to make sure that I was really there, in a tropical paradise surrounded by beaches, blue lagoons, reefs and colourful fish.
The planning of the trip started pretty much after my birthday last year when the other travel bunnie asked where I would like to celebrate a milestone birthday, the big 3-0. The Maldives, I responded without hesitation. So it was up to me to pick the resort and Per Aquum Niyama won my heart.
I started to appreciate the whole “no news, no shoes” mantra of the Maldivian lifestyle as soon as we boarded the seaplane from Malé to our resort in the Dhaalu Atoll when I noticed that both the captain and the co-pilot were barefoot. The seaplane journey to Niyama took around 45 minutes. Usually not a fan of small planes, I enjoyed every single second of that flight. I couldn’t take my eyes off the rings of islands surrounded by crystal clear blue water down below. I was so amazed and so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to see something so breathtakingly beautiful. As the seaplane slowly approached the resort, Per Aquum Niyama’s two islands came into sight and I could hardly contain my excitement.
Upon landing, we were greeted by the resort’s general manager, Dietmar Koegerl, our thakuru (Maldivian-style butler), Reem as well as one of the carers from Minibun George’s kids club. A refreshing drink and a scented cold towel later, we were in a buggy en route to our floating home away from home.
Per Aquum Niyama has two islands. Chill, the original island and Play, their new addition, with both islands connected by a footbridge and being open to all guests. Located on the Chill Island, our water studio was everything I could ask for, and more! The spacious room was equipped with EVERYTHING - a full-size fridge (and inside you’ll find homemade ice cream which gets replenished daily), Nespresso machine, fully stocked mini bar and even a popcorn machine! After sliding open the double-door in front of the king size bed and I was looking directly at our private infinity pool and the rippling water of the Indian ocean. It was hard to tell where the ocean met the sky as the different shades of blue seamlessly blended together. For a brief moment there, it felt like time had stopped as I stood still to take it all in. Not only was the shaded private deck furnished with a daybed, dining tables and two sun lounges, it also had wooden stairs leading into the lagoon below. Needless to say, a lot of our time at Niyama was spent swimming in our private pool, sun-baking on the lounges and looking at fish five metres away from our room.
One of my biggest concerns, when I was looking at resort options in the Maldvies was whether or not I would get bored. I’m usually an up-and-go, let’s-explore-every-corner-of-this-destination sort of girl, so the thought of spending that much time on an island with not much to do had me a little worried. Oh, how wrong and naive I was. Albeit very, very relaxing, our days at Niyama were definitely fun-filled. My days would usually start with a yoga session with the resort’s in-house yoga instructor on an ocean facing deck doing sun salutations. Then, I would meet up with the boys for a scrumptious breakfast before either embarking on a spinner dolphin quest or hopping onto a boat for a snorkelling session around the nearby islands. In the afternoons when Minibun George got up from his naps, the other travel bunnie would take a bike ride with him to the resort’s kids club, which by the way, is one of the best kids club that the Maldives has to offer, while I snuck away to the Lime Spa for a nourishing, indulgent spa treatment…
Every night just before dusk, Reem would come over in her buggy to pick us up for dinner. The resort has plenty of dining options ranging from modern fine dining, Mediterranean-inspired dishes and Asian avant-garde cuisines to mouth-watering buffets, African cuisines and even an underwater restaurant that’s only accessible by the hotel’s boat. So unsurprisingly, we had dinner at a different restaurant every night during our stay at Niyama.
Leaving Niyama was hard. By the end of our stay, Minibun George had grown so close to Reem, that he got extremely emotional when Reem farewelled us at the jetty. I don’t know what it was, perhaps it the exceptional and friendly service, the incredibly delicious food, the breathtaking views, those colourful, cute looking tropical fish or even the partially open air shower and gigantic tub… I was sad to leave this paradise playground, and I have no hesitation to say that it was one of the most amazing resorts that I’ve stayed at so far. Luckily, we have decided return to the Maldives…
Bunnies’ Travel Notes
Bunnies’ Room Number: 64 – Water Studio with Pool (Sunrise facing)
Bath products: L’Occitane - La Collection de Grasse Jasmine & Bergamote
Perks that we loved: umm…EVERYTHING!
Check-in/check-out times: very flexible
Time of stay: May 2017
What we paid: $7,000AUD for four nights including seaplane return transfers
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