get that adrenaline kick. Choose from water skiing,
catamaran sailing, jet skiing, etc. as long as you have
the weather god on your side. If your partner or you
are into tennis, you can perfect that forehand at the
hotel’s private court. But if you, like I, believe that
discovering a destination entails going to places of
significance to the locals, then visiting the island of
Utheemu is a must.
With a meagre population of 900, Utheemu is “the
historical island of the Maldives,” said butler Shujau
on the 10-minute speedboat ride to the island from
Hideaway. I visited the rather humble Thakurufanuu
Palace, the place where the hero of the nation,
Mohammed Thakurufaanu, was born. Utheemu is
the epitome of island life—relaxed and laid-back. You
can cover the island from one end to the other with a
fairly paced half-hour walk. It’s also where many of
the resort’s Maldivian staffers have their homes.
As I returned to the resort, drenched in sweat
(thanks to the tropical heat of a typical Maldivian
summer day), I was a happy soul. In this maddening
world, you rarely stumble upon a destination that
can calm your nerves with nature’s bounty: the
pristine ocean, the azure sky, and air so fresh that
you’d want to pack it as a takeaway! Ferenc was
correct when he said over our last meal at Meeru
Bar, “Hideaway is a timeout. You are happy when
you leave from here.”
elle
(Elle)
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