Life of luxury at Niyama Resort

If you've been reading this blog you will probably realise we aren't the kind of family that generally stays at luxury resorts.  Accommodation is usually a means to an end, that end being visiting an exciting city or natural wonder.  However there is a time and a place for luxury and getting near the end of a 12 month holiday where we have been on the go constantly was the time.  And Niyama Island Resort in the Maldives was the place.

Until November the Maldives wasn't even on our travel itinerary.  After our Westerdam cruise we had a gap of a bit over three weeks before we were due to fly home to Australia from Kuala Lumpur.  Originally we had many ideas - China, Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia and even Nepal but suddenly the idea of a luxury resort stay in the Maldives sprung up from a search for interesting Asian destinations.  A bit of further searching and we found good airline deals and some great resort packages and with just a few weeks to spare we were all booked.

Getting to Niyama from Male was all part of the fun.  We skipped the very expensive seaplane for the slightly less expensive Manta Air who flew us on a scenic flight to the tiny atoll of Kudahuvadhoo (the runway is as long as the whole atoll) followed by an exciting fast speedboat transfer to the island.   Actually it's two islands (called "Play" and "Chill").  We stayed in a beachfront villa on Chill and navigated between our villa and whatever venue we wanted to visit either by golf cart (on call whenever you wanted) or bike.  Our wonderful thakuru (basically a PA/butler) was always available to help us with activities, bookings, buggy transport and anything else we might need.

The workers even cleaned our private beach every morning

Niyama was exactly what you would expect a luxury tropical resort island to look like. The sand was so white it hurt the eyes, the sea was a perfect blue, everything was neat and tidy with an army of staff constantly trimming, sweeping and cleaning up the foliage and all the pathways running the entire 2km length of the two islands.

While we never got up early enough to see sunrise, sunset was one of the best times of the day (and not just because it was dinner time!)

In Maldavian resorts, overwater villas are one of the key selling points, but this was a highlight we didn't go for.  We were very happy with the privacy of our beachfront villa where we only had to walk a few meters to go for a swim and could always enjoy a quiet walk on the beach or a comfy lounge under the shade of the trees and umbrella while eating complemetary ice cream - the freezer was restocked every day.  We even had a popcorn maker.  Our bathroom was huge with two showers - one indoor and one out and an enormous bath which we didn't use with the sea so close (it was a bit humid for baths too!).

The sea water was very warm and although the coral was poor (mass bleaching) the sea life was spectacular. I (Eric) saw rays, sharks and every possible tropical fish when snorkelling just a few meters off the beach.

We didn't do much except lie around and swim in the ocean or one of the pools - I did go running a few times and we all played a bit of pool in the games room.  However Samuel had a very active week thanks to the amazing Kids club (see separate post).  He claimed that Niyama was even better than Orlando.  High praise!

A rare moment of relaxation for Samuel

Although the scenery was Robinson Crusoe style, the food was more top notch city restaurant.  Niyama is famous for its signature dining experiences, however we didn't visit any of the signature venues, being perfectly satisfied with the breakfast and dinner buffets at Epicure and lunch time a la carte dining at Blu (or casual lunch under the palm trees beside the beach).  Dinner was a different themed buffet each day which made for plenty of variety as well as luxury so we all ate way too much of course!

We had thought about splurging on a trip to Niyama's famous underwater restaurant Subsix where lunch would set you back US$200 per head and that was without including drinks, GST and the service charge!  However the set lunch menu was heavy on shrimp and shellfish (I have an allergy to these).  In the end Subsix was closed for much of the week because it sprung a leak (a tad concerning), so it was a moot point anyway.

Samuel right at home by the dessert bar

Of course the resort hosted a different type of traveller to that which we were accustomed.  There were a few families with young (pre-school aged) kids since it was still term time in most countries.  However there were a lot of Instagram couples, the women with designer handbags, endless legs and a different bikini for every day of the week and the men with intricate tatoos and gym honed physiques looking like they had just stepped out of a photoshoot for Mens Health magazine.  Watching one lady spend half an hour on the beach arranging her glass of bubbly, Louis Vitton handbag, deck chair, bikini and buffed boyfriend for the perfect photo almost had us laughing out loud at lunch one day.  The clientelle was an eclectic mix with couples and families from the USA, UK, France, Russia, various Middle East countries and Australia all present.

All in all Niyama was expensive, but it was worth it.  An absolutely amazing resort, by far the best place we have ever stayed at or are likely to stay at - unless we come back again though which is very possible!