Before I set out on my world trip in 2017, I began wondering where the nicest place in the world was located. I had already found a few decent spots prior to 2017, for example, Times Square in New York, Maya Bay in Thailand, Erlian in Inner Mongolia, China, though there was something special about these places, nothing came even close to Hulhumale Island in the Maldives. 

Everything was absolutely perfect on the island, clear blue water, which is a rarity in some parts of Asia these days, laid back lifestyle, miles and miles and miles of clean white sandy beaches, palm trees high in the sky, amazing luxury hotels with great deals and most importantly, amazing Indian food all over the island. I had read about the Maldives so many times, online and in travel brochures, and the reports all sounded too perfect, too luxurious and a trip that I knew I’d enjoy, though it took a long way to get there, it was totally worth every single second.

Hulhumale Island is just a short bus ride away from the main International airport. Connected by bridge, the airport has links to other islands in the Maldives, via smaller airplanes. Most importantly there is a ferry service to Male, the capital city. Hulhumale Island is one of the most popular islands in the Maldives, mainly because it’s located so close to the airport and the beaches are absolutely spotless. 

It’s worth doing a day trip to Male. The ferry only takes about half an hour and it’s a lot more developed than Hulhumale Island, though not at all tropical. There are regular ferry services to and from the island, not just from the airport, but also from the other side of the island. Male has a lot of tall skyscrapers and a lot of international businesses, like most capital cities. There are no beaches at all on the island. It’s worth going to get a glimpse of Grand Friday Mosque and checking out some of the bigger markets and the Victory Monument. There is also a nice memorial dedicated to those that had lost their lives in the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

It’s very rare that everything about a holiday can be absolutely perfect, clear blue skies every single day, amazing Indian food, clean and white sandy beaches all around the island, as far as the eye can see, a place where I could easily spend the rest of my life. It’s a shame that paradises only come around every so often, maybe even once in a lifetime.  I’ve never seen any other place that even resembles the Maldives, none of the Mediterranean Islands are as tropical, or none of the Pacific Islands. It’s so unfortunate that the likes of Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand have been fighting a lot of pollution and waste problems over the past few years. I had high expectations before going to these places, but I was left disappointed. It’s almost embarrassing what’s after happening to some islands in different parts of the world, now almost suffocated with dirty beaches and oceans with plastic bags and bottles taking up a majority of the beach and ocean, a hazard for young children. I’m glad that the Maldives is far away from other countries and even happier that they have maintained their tourist industry and kept the beaches in great condition and long may it continue.

I can’t wait to return to the Maldives and spend longer lying on the beach without a care in the world, looking out over the Indian Ocean. There are direct flights from Sri Lanka, that’s how I did it, and the flight was short and also quite scenic. I can only imagine what the rest of the islands are like.