Kurumba, the very first island resort in the Maldives is just 10 minutes away from Male. It was established in the 70’s, back when the country had no telephones, no airports and no banks. Old black and white photos of the once-rustic resort are showcased at the lobby. After a few decades, Kurumba has now magically evolved into one of the most luxurious resorts in the Maldives. As an owner of a humble surf resort, I found this story very inspiring.


Leah, a Filipina and Sales & Marketing Manager welcomed me as I stepped out of my boat. Viktoria of the Guest Relations team toured me around the resort and its facilities while I had yummy coconut ice cream!

There were eight different restaurants, a couple of swimming pools, a spa, play area, tennis court, library and all kinds of water sports imaginable.

I was taken to my room by one of the hotel buggies. I thought to myself, “I could get used to this life!”. My favorite part of the villa was the open style bathroom that had a mini-garden beside the bath tub. After living in a tiny condo for years, having long lazy bubble baths is what I miss most!
Unlike the local Maldivian island that I previously stayed at, I was ecstatic to find out that bikinis are not a problem here. The beach was just a few steps away from my doorstep so I settled into my sunbed for a siesta and swam in the turquoise blue waters. I bumped into two guys who were just coming up from snorkeling the reef around the island. They were on a live aboard dive trip the week before and were ending their Maldivian vacation at Kurumba. Was proud to see that there was some Pale Pilsen in our mini-bar so I made them try it! I joined the brothers for a late dinner at the Italian restaurant, La Cucina. We ended the night with yoga on the beach and swam among the glowing plankton in the ocean. It was unreal!

Snorkeling

Guests can borrow tennis rackets and snorkeling gear from the Recreation office with compliments of the resort. I borrowed a mask and fins so I could join my beach buddies the next day. The island’s shallow circumference is protected by walls made of rocks. In between them are small openings into the deeper ocean that allow for snorkeling and diving. We stayed in the 15-20 feet deep reef encircling the island and saw amazing marine life such as baby black tip sharks, manta rays, parrot fish, clown fish, and some specie of fish that looked like it had electric blue eyeshadow on its eyelids!


*This information is updated at of May 2013

In search of more beautiful beaches,
Sole Sister Adi

Adi escaped from the corporate life years ago and her life now happily revolves around surfing, yoga and traveling. Her goal is to live a totally eco-friendly lifestyle and inspire those around her to do the same. She dreams of sharing her AntiGravity Yoga and Vinyasa practice in beautiful tropical destinations around the world and also to speak Spanish fluently! Her family is building Secret Spot Baler one hut at a time. Follow Adi's adventures on Wahine Yogini Travels.

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