SALTY LUXE MALDIVES ITINERARY

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Indulge Maldives had the pleasure of creating a special two week Maldives itinerary for ‘The World’s Most Influential Island Influencer of 2020’ … Sarah Royall, aka the gorgeous Salty Luxe (425K Instagram). Hailing as a queen of tropical travel from Australia, Salty Luxe had the pleasure of island hopping Maldives over three months throughout 2021 (traveling to Maldives during COVID-19), and staying at the best budget island’s in Maldives & the best resorts. We created Salty Luxe’s Maldives itinerary to combine the best of resorts & local island experiences. Opting to travel Maldives like Sarah did ensures you can stretch the holiday budget, maximise your travel days and experience all that Maldives has to offer. See our Salty Luxe Maldives itinerary below for tropical travel inspiration. Our Indulge Maldives specialists live in Maldives & can create you your own dream Maldives holiday itinerary.

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ISLAND #1

4 NIGHTS SAMURA MALDIVES

Salty Luxe and her partner Matt, aka Chesh, stayed four nights at the gorgeous SAMURA MALDVIES, situated on the beautiful local island of Thulusdhoo. As the first local island the couple have ever visited in Maldives, they not only discovered how to travel Maldives affordably, but they had such a memorable time together and did a heap of typical Maldives activities! When Salty Luxe contacted Indulge Maldives, she really wanted the best local island experience for their first time around. Sarah felt her and Chesh hadn’t really experienced the culture of Maldives & everything the country has to offer by only bouncing between resort islands. Salty Luxe specifically chose Thulusdhoo Island for their first local island experience as it is the main surfing island in Maldives, plus it’s just a 30 minute journey via speedboat from Malé International Airport, making it both affordable & easy to travel to.

In Sarah’s opinion, ‘Samura Maldives is located on the best part of Thulusdhoo’, nestled under canopies of overhead coconut palms that sway to the calming ocean breeze. ‘The beachfront strip where Samura is located has a handful of boutique hotels and a bikini beach for tourists to laze on sun lounges whilst getting their fair share of Vitamin C.’ Salty Luxe says how ‘the island has a real Bali / Tulum vibe going on, thanks to the low hanging palms, wooden cafes and day beds. And at the heart of this vibe is Samura Maldives.’

Sarah loved the ideal location of Samura Maldives situated on the stunning turquoise lagoon of Thulusdhoo Island, with the world famous Cokes Surf break perched perfectly as the backdrop in the distance, where Chesh her partner enjoyed lots of tropical surf sessions in board shorts! We love how Salty Luxe says ‘surfing is the currency on the island and that’s because you can paddle straight off the beach to ‘Cokes’ or catch a boat from the bikini beach to ‘Chickens’ – two world class surfing spots.’ Salty Luxe and Chesh shared the lineup with an array of tropical marine life, locals and other international travellers, all surfing from dusk to dawn, before heading back to our Indulge Maldives’ Café on the island. ‘Special mention to Indulge Thulusdhoo Cafe which is literally next door to Samura and serves up the best sandwiches, açai bowls, bliss balls and fresh juices. I was desperate for some good vegan food and this Bali style cafe was a life saver!’

Exploring the island Sarah & Chesh enjoyed riding bicycles around the colourful village & out to the sunset point where they had a romantic candlelit beach dinner for two, checking out the Randhaa Surf Shop where they hired surf boards and also wandering through Sandy Toes, a Maldivian & Balinese boutique shop. Salty Luxe loved the fact ‘you can grab a boat and explore other surf breaks of North Malé Atoll’. Her real highlight of staying at Thulusdhoo Island ‘was taking a boat out to discover the remote sand banks – the same sandbank excursion you’d expect while staying at a resort island. Although it’s a public place we didn’t see anyone else and chilled in the shallows, laughed and swam for hours!’ Thulusdhoo is known as the best for surfing island in Maldives and has a bunch of diving sites such as the Aquarium and the Colosseum, plus two bikini beaches and is close to sandbank islands. It’s great island destination for water sports lovers & adventurers. You can read our Indulge Maldives Thulusdhoo Island Guide here.

‘We had an amazing time at Sumura and Thulusdhoo Island. There’s more ‘travel’ experiences, vibes and adventure to be had, with enough luxe and beautiful nature to satisfy all tropical lovers. Of course there’s no alcohol (although a floating bar boat off the island) so respect is needed to the local people – more reason to come and have those classic travel moments. We had such an amazing time and would love to come back again – it’s the same beautiful waters and tropo vibes at a fraction of the price!’

ISLAND #2

4 NIGHTS COCO PALM DHUNI KOLHU

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If you’re looking for an affordable & authentic resort experience in Maldives, look no further than Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu. Just a 35 minute journey via picturesque seaplane and you will be whisked away to the beautiful Baa Atoll region of Maldives, home to UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, Hanifaru Bay.

Salty Luxe reflects on ‘how amazing it was to experience a more authentic Maldives stay. The food is kept simple and the villas use natural timbers and traditional thatched roofs. You feel closer to nature and the more simple way of enjoying the magical surrounds, like being dropped at a private sand bar for sunset with a plate of food and a bottle of wine. Or our favourite experience – the private island, one of our top moments from this trip. Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu has a private island and it is absolute goals. Palm tree right to the water’s edge, and nothing on it except a tiny hut and an open fire grill. That’s it! We were taken here and left to swim and explore the beach & jungle fringes. Then we showered and changed in the hut ready for sunset. Just two staff from the resort are here to set up the dinner table on the soft sand near lapping waves. And then we sat and enjoyed the setting sun while our own chef cooked dinner, with only a few lanterns, the distant islands and the blazing stars lighting the night sky. Then in pitch black light, the boat comes to take you back home. We even saw bioluminescence in the water on the way home! Incredible! You can also come here for the morning, afternoon, or overnight stays!

Indulge Maldives especially wanted to partner with Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu & Salty Luxe as the resort is home to a turtle rehabilitation centre. As an advocate for conservation, we wanted to send Salty Luxe to experience the wonderful work of the Oliver Ridley project and share it with her followers. The team take in injured sea turtles found in Maldivian waters and either rehabilitate them, release them or give them a new home at the sanctuary if they are unable to survive independently in the wild. The amazing team at The Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu sea turtle sanctuary also educate guests through a series of educational programs, workshops and in-house sea turtles tanks.

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ISLAND #3

4 NIGHTS KANDOLHU MALDIVES

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Salty Luxe sums up her stay at Kandolhu Maldives, recently voted as the World’s 4th Best Hotel by Trip Advisor, as a tiny island with the best snorkelling, Mexican bar and bathroom in Maldives. Discover this tropical haven, perched in North Ari Atoll, 25mins via seaplane from Malé International Airport.

With just 30 villas on the island, Kandolhu Maldives was the smallest resort island in Maldives that Salty Luxe visited. The couple loved Kandolhu Maldives for its intimate / remote vibe, personalised experiences with staff and most of all the bustling house reef, alive with marine life. ‘We snorkelled straight off the sand. It was by far the best snorkelling of our entire three month trip. We were literally trying to avoid bumping into turtles swimming around us. One corner of the reef is full of anemones, clown fish and baby reefs sharks in the shallows. With perfectly still water it was like having an aquarium at your doorstep. We didn’t even need to go below the surface to see everything! The manta excursion was insane. We saw 3 massive mantas on our private tour and not another boat in sight. Pulling up in the middle of nowhere and sliding into the water with these beautiful creatures was such an incredible experience in itself!’

The overwater villa bathrooms feature a ‘floor to ceiling glass with an incredible free standing bathtub, a massive drawcard for me. I don’t normally like to spend time sitting still when in the Maldives but this tub was the exception.’

Kandolhu Maldives is home to four restaurants, with Salty Luxe’s favourite being the lunchtime Mexican bar. ‘Wow! A tiny little shack on the jetty with 6 bar stools and the best tacos in all of the Maldives. After swimming in the day time heat we dripped off in the shade and tucked into a Mexican feast. This was an absolute highlight of our trip!’

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ISLAND #4

2 NIGHTS SAii LAGOON MALDIVES

On her two week Maldives itinerary Salty Luxe had a short stay of two nights at SAii Lagoon Maldives when the couple first arrived in the country. As flights from Australia land and depart around midnight, an overnight stay close-by to the airport may be required, before flying out to your holiday island the next morning.

SAii Lagoon at Crossroad complex is the first multi resort island in Maldives and is just 15minutes via speedboat from Malé Airport. Also home to Hard Rock Hotel Maldives, a number of restaurants and shopping facilities, a stay at SAii Lagoon offers a unique holiday experience in Maldives. If you’re looking for a combination of pristine waters, affordable resort accommodation, dining and shopping before disembarking Maldives, SAii Lagoon may be perfect for you.

Sarah enjoyed the facilities of SAii Lagoon for one full day before beginning her Maldives itinerary. SAii Lagoon offer a range of complimentary experiences including free coral planting with the marine biologist, a cultural tour at the resorts cultural centre, water sports activities, free snack boxes etc.

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RECEIVE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED TWO WEEK MALDIVES ITINERARY

At Indulge Maldives, we specialise in creating unique island hopping itineraries, across both local and resort islands. Maldives has over 1,000 islands, often proving difficult for travellers to choose just one or two. As each island is completely different to the next, our team help you narrow down the perfect holiday island or islands for your Maldives holiday dreams and desires. We don’t charge a planning fee, we work on commission basis from the resorts, so planning your holiday won’t cost you anything 🙂
Contact us today E: holidays@indulgemaldives.com

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