07/08/2023
๐๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ถ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ฑ๐ฆ, ๐๐ช๐ง๐ต๐บ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ด ๐๐ฏ
๐๐๐ ๐พ๐ช๐ก๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ป ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฆ
It may surprise you that the Maldives didnโt feature on the international tourism map until the 1970s. The first resorts opened fifty years ago, and were instrumental in kick-starting the countryโs transformation from a sleepy fishing-dependent nation to a byword for opulent escapism.
A stopping point between the Middle East and South Asia for centuries, with a storied Buddhist and Islamic history, the Maldives is a perennial magnet for divers and snorkellers due to its rich marine biodiversity. The coral reefs that are the foundation of the island nation are home to more than 1,000 species of tropical fish, as well as sea turtles, manta rays and playful dolphins aplenty.
While the Maldives covers a massive 90,000 square kilometres, less than 300 square kilometres is dry land and only 200 of its islands are inhabited.
From the air, these islands resemble a loose string of jewels, fringed by gleaming white sands and deep turquoise lagoons, making it abundantly clear why the name โMaldivesโ is believed to have originated from the ancient Sanskrit for โgarlandโ and โislandโ.
Synonymous with over water villas, mesmerising diving and unrivalled facilities, with many resorts now competing to offer guest experiences beyond the expected, in issue 42 of ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ, Dawn Gibson-Fawcett checks into five of the best Maldivian beach escapes.
Read Dawnโs armchair guide to the luxe diversity of what the flawless Maldives has to offer, here โ> https://issuu.com/theculturedtraveller/docs/42/48
๐ท Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi, Shaviyani Atoll
