Four flights, one boat ride, and 42 hours after boarding our plane in Portland, Oregon, we were greeted at Soneva Fushi, our resort on the island of Kunfunadhoo in the Baa Atoll region of the Maldives. I was still wearing my black skinny jeans and Blundstone boots—two things I quickly realized would be 100 percent useless to me for the next seven days.
The series of islands that make up the Maldives are pristine, speckles of green bordered in bright white, scattered across the bluest blues you’ll ever see. Jungle flowing into the sand flowing into the sea. The islands’ intense beauty, combined with what seems like an infinite forecast of sunny and 83 degrees, amounts to a truly incredible experience, coming dangerously close to being too perfect. For four Pacific Northwesterners, it was a welcome retreat from the angsty city we call home.
For an entire week, we were completely barefoot. This was just before a big storm rolled in.
We rode bikes along the sandy jungle pathways—this is how we started each day on the way to breakfast.
Dove into the blues of the Indian Ocean, and swam as deep as our lungs would let us.
What sets the Maldives apart is that the nature engulfs you. You feel your remoteness.
iPhones don’t even register the time zone, you have to enter it manually
You forget that in real life, you don’t always get to shower outside and that all water isn’t served in coconuts. You get very accustomed to never needing to lock your door and having perpetual sunburn (in the best way).
These staircases are crafted from woods harvested on the island.
Somehow, amidst all the resorts and honeymooners, the islands have kept their simplicity, deserving every single bit of their hype.
We drank Tiger brand beer and passion fruit mojitos and were unattached to our shoes and emails.
On our last day, we were snorkeling along the reef and saw a couple of dolphins jumping out of the water across the way. Before we knew it, they were about 15 feet from us, shooting like bullets through the water.
At local vegan restaurant Shades of Green, a local farmer harvests greens for the night's meal. The island's commitment to sustainability is a major boon.
The Indian Ocean during blue hour. Whatever it is that draws people like us 42 hours away from home, it’s no doubt well worth the jet lag.
With its people and island rhythms, the Maldives refreshed us. I like to think we brought a bit of its slowness back home with us.
