I knew the Maldives would be beautiful, but I was blown away with just how picture perfect this island destination really was – especially by drone. In the Maldives, the luxury resorts are all on their own private islands. I had the option of reviewing a few different resorts, but in the end, I decided on the Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa. It’s a 1.5 hour domestic flight from Malé International Airport and the only Maldivian resort located south of the equator, making it a super exclusive destination. The overwater villas on Villingili are enormous (even by luxury standards) and are some of the biggest in the Maldives. The island also has two kilometres of powdery white sand beach, and a lush palm tree jungle you can cruise through on your bike or in your golf buggy.
I decided to invest in a drone a few weeks before this trip, because I knew the island would be even more spectacular from the air. Luckily my boyfriend Jason is a natural with the camera and picked it up super quickly – our videos from the island are a little shaky, but I’m really happy with how our first drone photos turned out.
Funny fact – if you scroll down, you’ll see a shot of me riding a bike on the walkway to our overwater villa. About five seconds after Jason took this photo I almost went off the edge into the water. Jason keeps joking that I was riding so slow I basically came to a standstill and started to fall. But the real story is that I put my foot out to stop the bike, but ended up dragging my foot and breaking my toe and chipping the bone in the process. Thankfully, the shot turned out amazing 😛
1. Crystal clear tanning spots in the hammock-style net of our overwater bungalow.
2. The overwater bungalows – where every shade of aqua comes to life.
3. Two kilometres of powdery white sand, fringed by lush tropical palms.
4. The softest, most powdery white sand between my toes.
5. Island cruising back to my overwater bungalow – I still can’t believe I broke my toe five seconds later 😛
6. One of the three sets of overwater bungalows on the island.
7. One of the best things about Villingili Island is the three kilometres of lush tropical palms.
8. The best way to relax on the island is to chill out on the deck of your overwater villa.
9. The tropical nine-hole course that’s the only golf course in the Maldives.
10. The overwater villas on Villingili are enormous and are some of the biggest in the Maldives.
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