It's getting to the dinner of the last evening on the island that while the ultra white doors of the Water Villa Restaurant were opening to almost swallow me, I went through a fleeting thought.
Here I am, I'm at the end of this wonderful week. After all, sooner or later everything comes to an end, but what matters is what has been in the middle, and how we could live it. A life metaphor.
Has anyone ever said that Maldives are boring? Those who know me quite well are aware that time is never enough for me because I'm always busy and with plenty of things to do. With the softer rhythms here in Athuruga, located in South Ari Atoll, my days were rich and fulfilling and I would stay at least another week to gladly repeat everything.
Every day used to start with a very long swim, going directly from the over water villa into the sea, whose water was always inviting, crystalline, salty and warm to the point that you would not want to get out.
Only the breakfast served on the patio made me re-emerge and every day I was surprised to repeat aloud how wonderful this was. The silence broken only by the splash of water and the wind's noise in between the outside curtains that gave the impression of being on a very elegant boat. The horizon in front.
And that turquoise out there, an irresistible appeal, so that the hours I spent in the water have been higher than any other holiday I have had in the Maldives in the past years.
Athuruga is an island that you love at first sight. It is small and it's easy to move around, everything essential is there, and more than that. And the fact of staying in the villa over water gives the opportunity to experience a very intimate experience, moving only when it's strictly necessary, for lunch or dinner.
A few times, instead of going on foot and only to accomplish the gentle driver, we took us the over water restaurant in less than a minute. Where Farouq from the first moment hold us under his wing and with impeccable style and service followed us with high quality lunches and dinners.
I'm certainly not a big eater and I'm also very selective when I feed myself, but I do not remember ever having payed such homage to the cuisine every day.
My senses are always very attentive to all the manifestations of nature that on an island are constantly revealing. A sunset, the dawn lights
or the magic of a rainbow after a very short shower,
the wind blowing between the palm fronds after a SPA massage,
the different kinds of fishes and the many and various species of giant rays every day passing under our patio with great elegance.
It will be hard to give up on the unforgettable appointment of the snack in the afternoon when returning to our room where a cake was waiting for us, left by Hassan - who decorated with flowers our bed for three times -
or when we decided to lay down to the Main Bar on the beach for a cocktail, to see the colors of the sky becoming pink.
I must say that the beauty of this island lays also on the fact that the reef is very close and from the beach or the room in five minutes you can enjoy the amazing under water spectacle,
among rich corals and countless tropical fishes of vivid colors, absolutely fashion designed , to be copied for the next blouses!!
In case you do not want to go on excursion with India, who underwater is in her element even more than a Maldivian fish, to Sand bank, a tiny white sandy strip of land in the middle of the green and blue sea, which looks like if hand colored.
Colors that the boutique of the island, managed by the very nice Paula, has resumed in its collection items...
...a bit of shopping in barefoot and pareo is light and fun.
In short, a very special island that was even more special to us thanks to the celebration of the renewal of our wedding vows with a ceremony on the beach, enlightened by the shining sun, blown by the wind and crowned with flowered arches, by music,
and by an unexpected as good heart shaped cake, completed by the spouses on the top.
With the support of the island's managers Hassan e Hashim who with Nicole, Giacomo and all the staff went into every single detail.
What better way to say another YES and to dine romantically on the beach right after, with a menu whose courses, apart from the dessert, were all lobster based ? As the champagne and lobster risotto, served in a delicious melon, combining original and fresh flavors, prepared by Mahinda, the chef of the island. Qual migliore atmosfera per pronunciare un altro si e per cenare romanticamente sulla spiaggia subito dopo, con un menu le cui portate, a parte il dolce, erano tutte a base di aragosta? Come il risotto allo champagne e all’aragosta, servito in un profumatissimo melone che combinava sapori inediti e freschissimi, cucinato dallo Chef dell'isola.
While the seaplane is taking off from the sea, my thought is: but when do you come back here??
Athuruga Island, Maldives - www.athurugabeach.diamonds-resorts.com