Dear Diary. Oct '22
Island hopping around the Maldives
We spent 1 month in the Maldives. What a month it’s been. You now swim without mum or dad, you’ve seen (and swam with) so many sharks we’ve lost count, you wish everyone you see a happy ‘Morning’ and have discovered a fascination with planes, neooooooow! You’re happiest bare foot, our little blondie island girl <3
We began the month working with the team at Villa Hotels, hopping from Paradise Island to Sun Island. After which we travelled to 5 more islands just us 3. The schedule was
Manchester - Doha (international flight)
Doha - Male (international flight)
Speed boat
Paradise Island
Speed boat > Domestic flight > Speed boat
Sun Island
Speed boat > Domestic Flight > Domestic flight > Speed boat
Reethi Beach
Speed boat
Finolhu
Speed Boat > Domestic Flight > Domestic Flight > Speed boat
Raffles
Speed boat > Domestic flight > Seaplane Transfer
FushiFaru
Seaplane > Male - Doha (International flight)
Doha - Manchester (International flight)
It was a lot of planning and scheduling and a lot of travel in-between stays but the resorts do help out. All you have to do is inform them where you coming from and where you’re going to and they organise the best route and times, book the flights and/or arrange the boats. There’s kind of an unwritten rule in Maldives when you island hop from one to another, the island you’re at will have collected you and the island you’re going to picks you up.
The Maldives can seem daunting to some to visit with a toddler whether it’s because of the distance, the cost or the uncertainty of things they can do but we would 100% reccomend a visit. We made the most special memories and would go back in a heartbeat.
Float Suits
One item that’s been essential for Mila during this trip is her SplashAbout Float Swimsuit. We have had this swimsuit since she turned 1 but it’s really come into use during this trip. She is now understanding and learning to trust the floats and for the first time tried swimming without holding our hands. Throughout the trip she continued to build up her confidence and is now comfortable swimming in the pool and ocean on her own with the support of her float suit.
The idea of the swimsuit is that it’s an alternative to arm bands, allowing them more ease when swimming as their arms are freer. In time, as her legs get stronger and her stamina improves we will remove the floats bit by bit until she is swimming in the float suit - minus the floats, or just a regular swimming costume.
I had a premonition that during this month she would start swimming on her own, she has always loved being in the water and had recently showed signs of wanting to trying swimming more independently. With that in mind, knowing that we would inevitably be in a pool or the ocean every day during our month in the Maldives I put it out there that she would be swimming on her own by the end and she was! Call it mamas intuition :)
I would 100% recommend these suits, I had never heard of them but River was the one who introduced them to me since he had one when he was a child and I’m hooked.
Let me know if you’ve used them before with you child/children? I loved to hear your stories, tips etc.
