Kandima Maldives

I travelled with my Mum. Disclosure: we won the holiday through a Telegraph/Emirates/Kandima promotion, so please forgive me if my spectacles are a little rose-tinted! It's pretty surreal to arrive in the Maldives and see the turquoise sea and white sand you've seen in so many photos. While the transfer from Male to Kandima was smooth, and the Diethelm reps (working on behalf of Emirates) were really helpful, it took a long time (landed at Male around 8am and arrived at Kandima at after 1pm) so I think the seaplane option is definitely worth considering. The welcome at Kandima was lovely and our room (an Aqua Villa) was great. Real privacy and quiet (apart from the ruddy keol birds which now, of course, I miss). I had been a little concerned about how far we would have to walk, but as we were in an Aqua Villa without jacuzzi, we were at the end of the boardwalk closest to the land. That meant it was only a couple of minutes' walk to Zest for breakfast and dinner. We had to get the bus to Flavour on our last two days as Zest was closed - not surprising given how quiet the resort had become as coronavirus hit and the Maldives barred entry to those coming from the UK. We didn't wait more than 5 minutes for a shuttle bus at any point during the week but I can see that it might be a pain at busy times. The food was fantastic. The food and ambience at Zest played a big part in our enjoyment of our stay at Kandima. There was so much choice and it was all excellent. We were on half board and felt no need for lunch as we'd eaten so much at breakfast. On the first night, we weren't asked if we wanted wine and didn't see anyone around us drinking so assumed that the buffet restaurants didn't offer drinks other than the soft ones laid out. It was only on the second night when we sat somewhere different that we saw there was wine but we were still never offered any. I know that would have been chargeable but I still find it odd that we were never asked. We didn't bother asking after that as we had got into the habit of having a glass or two of red wine from the minibar once we got back to our room, well and truly full. We went on a glass-bottomed boat trip which I highly recommend if you're a non-swimmer or less confident swimmer and want to see some marine life. I hired a snorkel one day and wish I had done so earlier on as my confidence soon built. A big highlight for me was the yoga and fitness classes. I really enjoyed the complimentary classes each morning and afternoon and signed up for a full class later in the week. Anna was particularly good and has helped motivate me to carry on now I'm home (well, now we're all at home for a while, have a look on Instagram at @stayathomeyoga). She's a great teacher and clearly enjoys what she does!. I never thought I'd go on this type of holiday but this has really whetted my appetite for more.

We have been to the island two times. Our stay was amazing, the food is great but the staff is the best. Ragu, Rishab, Naresh, Wasa, Ketut, everyone is just sooo nice and we miss all of them. After this nonsense pandemic, we will definitely come back again. Till next time, friends

After extensive research, Kandima Maldives was top of our list. We loved this resort so much. The cool and colourful vibe of the resort made it so different and the food was so healthy and spectacular. Staying in the overwater bungalow was a dream come true. There were so many awesome people that made our stay amazing! Thank you to Mavi, Fauzan, Abu, Adam, Reea and Abo. You made our stay so a memorable ....we will remember you all forever!