Paradise Island is well known in Maldives. It belongs to Villa Hotels & Resorts, one of the original founders of tourism in Maldives. Dating back more than 20 years Villa Hotels are Maldivian owned and operated. That means that as a guest you’ll get to experience true Maldivian hospitality here.

Paradise Island is my favourite in the group. It is easy to reach by a speedboat transfer from Male at any time of day or night, which means you won’t waste any of your precious holiday time waiting around for connecting flights at the airport.

The island has been recently renovated and is the most luxurious island in the group. It also has a pretty long beach with powder white sand, crystal clear lagoon, ideal for swimming, lots of activities and entertainment for kids and adults.

Arrival in Paradise

Once you arrive in Male from your international flight look out for Paradise Island staff meeting you at Arrivals. They will escort you to a speedboat that will swiftly bring you to the island itself. It is a joint transfer with other guests who arrive at the same time.

Within half an hour you’ll be relaxing at the hotel’s arrival lounge. If you missed a meal travelling, say arrived late at night, you’ll be offered a complimentary meal at the resort’s café to make sure that you don’t go to bed hungry. A very welcome feature, that I haven’t experienced at other resorts.

Once you are ready to proceed to the villa you’ll be taken by a buggy to your new home away from home.

Accommodation

Paradise boasts lots of accommodation options. Two of my favourites are overwater villas and beach pool villas.

We stayed in two joining, semi-detached water villas with interconnecting door – an excellent set up for families like ours (2 adults + 2 kids).

Overwater villas are very fresh in their design, have a lot of wood and natural stone, spacious showers and double vanities. Oversized bath tub on the deck is a nice treat, as well as oversized shady day bed. It is a peaceful relaxation sanctuary with an incredible view.

Our other favourite option is newly updated Beach Villa with private pool. These villas are located directly on the best beach within meters to the main pool, bar and restaurant. These villas are perfect for families with small children.

Paradise has ultra luxurious accommodation options too – new two-bedroom overwater ocean suites. They are the most prestigious villas on the island, located at the end of the overwater villas jetty.

There are only two of these, so book them well in advance, especially if you are thinking of visiting Maldives during the Festive Season.

Facilities

Facilities is what sets Paradise Island apart from the rest of the resorts in Maldives.

This island has everything you could think of to entertain younger guests and adults who love activities. A day did not go by without us doing something exciting for the whole family.  Here are some of the activities we enjoyed, but I won’t be surprised if I left something out as there are just so many.

Water based activities:

Private and shared snorkelling excursions

Watersports (everything you could think of) – water skiing, jet skis, jet blade, fly skiing, kite surfing and many more

Parasailing

Land based activities:

Tennis

Badminton

Billiards

Table tennis

Gym

Watersports guys are very helpful and friendly. It was my kids’ favourite destination on the island. If you would like to try something new staff have lots of patience and will do their best to teach you a new skill, whether it is water skiing, kite surfing or jet blade. Some of these things look harder than they are; my daughter was able to do some tricks on the jet blade after just one session.

A gorgeous way to see Paradise Island is from the sky – try parasailing for something exhilarating for the whole family. Even our grandmother joined on the adventure and loved it.

My kids also loved the Seabob, must try experience for 7-13 year olds. It is a high-end underwater scooter, perfect in crystal clear, warm Maldivian lagoons.

I also have to recommend a private speedboat excursion to a nearby reef for Turtle Snorkelling followed by a sandbank experience. This is a ‘must-do’.

On our trip we saw more than 10 turtles up close and personal and then went onto a sandbank for taking some photos and swimming in the most turquoise water you’d ever see.

In the evenings, before or after dinner, we loved having a battle of table tennis or game of billiards. There was just enough time for a few games before evening entertainment started at the bar. During Festive Season (approximately from 15^th of December to 10^th of January) there is special entertainment every night– it might be a quiz night, dance competition or magic show. We had a great entertainer flown in from Egypt this year and even though we didn’t join every night we loved the times when we did. It’s a great vibe and atmosphere.

Sporty guests also won’t be disappointed with tennis, badminton or a good session at the gym. Gym instructor was very helpful teaching my 11 year old son some exercise techniques and proper way to use the machines.

Resort’s new swimming pool requires a special mention – it is very instagrammable. Surrounded by swaying palm trees and featuring a glass edge it’s the heart of the resort. A new pool deck with sunken seats and new sun lounges are coming to the resort soon and it will make it even better. Can’t wait to see it once it’s done.

The Spa

All Villa hotels feature Araamu Spa, Thai inspired spa with outdoor garden pavilions set up amongst the dense green foliage of tropical plants.

Every pavilion features an outdoor couple’s Jacuzzi, two massage beds and outdoor shower. All you hear when you lay on your massage bed is birds singing and water flowing – possibly two of the most relaxing sounds of nature.

The spa offers classic treatments like massage, scrubs and facials as well as Ayurvedic treatments, that have more medicinal purpose and are targeted to a specific area of concern.

I tried a classic massage and loved the experience. Most of the therapists are from Bali and they are very good at massage.

Diving

Of course Paradise has a dive club and a few excellent dive sites nearby. My daughter is PADI certified and did an exciting dive to Fish Factory, a great spot where she saw sharks, sting rays and octopus all at once.

Dining

Most of the guests at Paradise choose Full Board, my favourite meal plan, that includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s the most convenient option, especially if you are travelling with kids, who are always hungry.

There are two buffet restaurants – one serving beach villas and another, Lagoon, exclusively for the water villas. We loved having our private restaurant overwater, with intimate atmosphere and attentive service.

We found the food yummy, not exclusive, but tasty, with lots of fresh fruit, salads, European and Indian options. About 50% of the guests were from India, so we found the food to be heavily skewed towards their taste.

Paradise Island also has two a la carte restaurants – Japanese Fukuya and Italian Al Tramanto. Fukuya is an indoor restaurant with Teppanyaki and a la carte sushi – sashimi options. Al Tramanto is an overwater restaurant with romantic atmosphere, perfect for couples.

All In All

Our experience at Paradise Island was excellent. Every day felt exciting and festive. December is a great time of the year to visit the island, but I am sure the team at Paradise will look after you no matter what time of the year it is.

The island is very child-friendly and has a lot to offer.

I am already excited about visiting it later this year after Paradise Island re-brands into Nautica and offers guests even better accommodation with all villas undergoing renovation in the months to come.