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Pure bliss: After a long journey, Vida and Richard are greeted by a truly beautiful sight
The sea-plane took off and was soon just an ever-dwindling spot on the blue horizon.
We were left standing on a platform about the size of the average family saloon car, bobbing gently up and down on the waves; my new husband, myself and our luggage. And nothing else.
Surrounded by the vastness of the Indian Ocean and with the sun beating down, heating us up to a sticky 30C we wouldn't last long out here.
Nor did we need to. Fortunately, our isolation lasted just a few minutes until our 'rescue' by a dhoni - a traditional small fishing boat - which had travelled all of 200 yards from a nearby tiny island to take us ashore.
For a fleeting moment I had visions of our bags disappearing into the sea as they were transferred to the boat , but they were hoisted swiftly and safely on board and we headed for dry land.
The flight in itself had been unusual: sitting at the front of the tiny plane with the cockpit door open we had a view bettered only by the captain and co-pilot, snazzily clad in shorts and flip-flops. Welcome to flying Maldives-style.
Our journey from London had been a long one, a ten-hour flight to the Maldives capital Male and then the 30 minute sea-plane hop to our island. But as that famous advert goes, good things come to those who wait.
Let the sightseeing begin! A short hop on a floating plane to the resort saw the honeymoon start in style
The setting was lush, the sands around the resort were wash-day white and the lagoon beyond the beach was filled with clear, emerald water. The words ‘tropical paradise’ hardly does it justice.
A stroll around the entire island took barely 30 minutes, not that we were necessarily in walking mode; if you want exercise then it is the water you head for. And, given the island's dimensions, there wasn’t far to go to the sea, no matter which of the four types of accommodation you were in.
We were staying in a Deluxe Villa with an outdoor bathroom, complete with sunken bath; a plunge-pool; a private entrance to the beach and sun-loungers both on the sand and the decking.
We managed a quick, refreshing dip on our arrival, then indulged in the height of pretension, an evening meal of barbecued lobster washed down with a glass of champagne, well, we were on honeymoon after all.
The happy couple take a just married dip and Vida (right) cooks up a storm at the beach barbecue
No amount of underwater films nor television natural history programmes prepares you for the triggerfish, parrotfish, stingrays, turtles and even harmless sharks that you see while diving in the Maldives. And those are just some of the creatures we recognised, there were many more exotic creatures that we didn’t.
The island is on a plateau which drops into much deeper waters some 20 yards from the beach - easy to spot by the colour change from turquoise to a darker blue - and it is here that the snorkelling is at its most wondrous.
There were a number of excursions, at extra cost, on offer if we decided to leave our base: a private meal for two on a deserted island or sandbank, or even a night for two alone on another stretch of sand where you are cooked a meal by a chef, left to stay in the resort’s beach-side room overnight and are awoken with breakfast the next day.
But, while we decided against some of the pricier romantic options, a two-hour snorkelling trip to a nearby reef, was the perfect trip at just £15 each, enabling us to see fantastic multi-coloured schools of fish, large starfish, wonderful coral formations and, perhaps best of all, a florescent blue cuttle-fish.
And just in case drifting around in an underwater world wasn't relaxing enough, our honeymoon package included a couple’s Balinese massage with oils and soothing music so relaxing that both of us would have fallen asleep if it were not for the loud, delightful singing of a bird in a tree near to our spa.
Heavenly sunsets: Watching the sun sink beneath the horizon was a perfect precursor to a romantic dinner
Life just doesn't get better than this. That is, unless you are heading on to a second resort to stay in a water villa, poised on stilts in calm, clear waters.
The next morning we transferred to the Coco Palm on the crescent-shaped island of Bodhu Hithi, a transfer that involved a 45-minute speedboat trip which, fortunately, coincided with the only rain we experienced throughout our trip, so no sunbathing time was lost.
After being greeted with flowers and champagne, we were met by Asahd, our personal butler, whose first duty was to give us a tour of our water villa. Normally we can manage to find our way around a hotel room unaided, but this time help was needed.
The bathroom alone was the size of the average one-bedroom flat in the UK with its double bath, indoor and outdoor showers, not to mention the flatscreen tv, dvd player, ipod docking station and nespresso machine.
We weren’t feeling stressed, but if we had been Asahd’s rose-water foot massage would have taken away any strain.
All at sea: The newlyweds could enjoy glorious solitude in a water villa at Coco Palm Bodu Hithi
And the uneasiness returned the next day when we stepped straight into the water and I lost one of my flippers trying to shoo away one overly curious fish who, I was convinced, meant us harm.
Clearly I am not a born waterbaby, but the staff put me at ease, reassuring me that the fish was merely inquisitive and not looking for lunch.
Somehow their assurances were forgotten the next day when a 3ft long Jack fish got too close for comfort and we scrambled back onto dry land and ‘safety’.
It was only when we slowly went back into the water that we realised he was probably just investigating these alien invaders in his territory, and after circling our legs once or twice it left us in peace.
Our special newlywed treatment continued at Coco Palm and my husband, Richard, enjoyed a free introductory scuba diving lesson, while I made the tough decision to stay on dry land and opt for a free coco palm massage.
After all my 'hard work' I felt I fully deserved our final evening meal which consisted of a five-course feast accompanied by a different glass of wine with each course.
It's funny how a honeymoon doing exactly what you please in beautiful surroundings can leave you exhausted. But exhausted we were. Perhaps I need another one to get over it.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1344769/Maldives-honeymoon-Why-paradise-perfect-just-marrieds.html#ixzz3CQ8WJjFx
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