Maldives: A Slow & Soulful Escape

By – Neha Verma

From the moment my seaplane skimmed the turquoise waters, I felt life’s noise fade into the background. The Maldives greeted me barefoot no shoes needed here with a cool coconut in my hand and the soft crunch of white sand under my feet. My overwater villa felt like a secret hideaway, complete with a glass floor to watch fish drifting by and a little ladder that dipped straight into the warm, crystalline lagoon.

Days unfolded gently, with no schedules except the sun’s. Mornings were unhurried affairs in the open-air restaurant, where I discovered mas huni shredded tuna mixed with coconut and chili, eaten with warm roshi flatbread. I piled my plate with ripe papaya and mangosteens, their sweetness perfectly matching the salty ocean air.

Afternoons were for drifting between activities and stillness: snorkeling with parrotfish weaving through coral gardens, floating in the bath-warm sea, or swaying in a hammock until the sound of waves lulled me to sleep. Tea time brought simple pleasures sweet black tea and golden-fried bis keemiya pastries enjoyed barefoot, hair salty from a swim.

As evening fell, sunsets painted the sky in layers of gold, rose, and violet. One night, I took a short boat ride to a tiny sandbank island for dinner. There was nothing but candlelight, grilled prawns with lime, the sound of the tide, and the vast embrace of the Indian Ocean. Time seemed to slow until it almost stopped.

Leaving was harder than I expected. The Maldives wasn’t just about picture-perfect scenery though it has that in abundance it was about the gentle pace, the way people smile with their whole face, the taste of fresh seafood kissed by the grill, and the deep exhale you take without even realising it.

I went there seeking rest. I came back with something more: a reminder to savour the present, to move at the pace of the tide, and to find joy in the simple beauty of life.