UNEARTHLY DELIGHTS
Discover why a trip to The Maldives is a must for any stressed-out man in search of sun and salvation
By DAVID ASHFORD
I’M BALANCED precariously on one leg, my hands linked above my head in a hydrotherapy pool at COMO Cocoa Island resort in The Maldives. I’ve been told that yoga, when done correctly, can be a transcendent, borderline divine experience. But as a bloke who’s more comfortable bending it like a particular high-pitched style icon on the football pitch than contorting my limbs in a yoga studio, I had dismissed this as the new-age posturing of hemp-garbed hippies.
Until today when I jumped into a pool of warm water in a class led by Dr Aashly Jayan, the resident yoga instructor who carries a touch of the mystical about him. Aashly, who wears yellow flowers behind his ears, is doing his best to make me a yoga convert – of the water-based variety anyway – propping me up when I teeter and moving me gently through the pool’s hydro stations. Finally, he cradles my head as a heavy cascade of water pounds my scalp. As baptisms go this is hard to beat. I’m a born- again yoga disciple.
Hydro-yoga is just one of many experiences that invite divine comparison in The Maldives, perhaps the closest approximation of heaven on earth. On long grey days in the office under deadline pressure, I’ve longed to dive into the default desktop wallpaper of my Mac and inhabit a calmer, more exotic world - I just didn’t picture Dr Aashly here with me.
On Google maps The Maldives are a collection of tiny specs in a vast blue ocean. There are more than 1200 islands with only 320 of these inhabited, and tellingly, 110 of those are (mostly luxurious) resorts. I arrive via Singapore into the capital Male around midnight. Less than 100 metres from the arrival gate I climb into a waiting speedboat and, feeling rather Bond-like, take a jetlag-blitzing 30-minute ride to COMO Cocoa Island.
Arriving under the cover of darkness sets up a spectacular pull-back of the curtains on the first morning. The 360-degree view is a vivid, picture-perfect backdrop of turquoise, green and white. I wonder for a moment if my entire world has been enhanced by one giant Instagram filter. With senses reeling, I walk to the edge of the deck in my over-water villa and look down to see rays, baby reef sharks and a seemingly endless collection of stripy Nemo extras calmly milling around in the crystal clear Indian Ocean.
Cocoa Island is the smaller of the two luxurious Maldivian COMO resorts, COMO being the initials of their billionaire owner Christina Ong and her daughter Melissa. You immediately notice a level of detail you would expect from the stylish owner, who’s reputedly one of the wealthiest women in the world. The resorts have a reputation for their strong focus on wellness – incorporating their own COMO Shambhala brand.
Not surprisingly, seafood with a South Indian influence is the focus of the cuisine and the options on the main menu seem acceptably healthy, at least to me. But there’s a secondary “wellness menu” for those who wouldn’t even entertain the idea of a holiday blowout.
In such idyllic surrounds the temptation to do nothing but read a book with your feet dipped in the warm ocean waters is strong, but if you’re fully committed to the wellness theme there’s an impressive gym, countless holistic treatments, water sports and truly spectacular snorkelling and diving opportunities.
On the larger COMO Maalifushi island the standard of accommodation reaches oligarch-level opulence. My signature villa has its own private garden and pool, adjoining gym and access to your own stretch of beach. I was told quietly that it’s popular with celebrities. I can see why.
In just a few brief dips in the ocean I encounter more sharks, rays, turtles and a rather exhibitionist octopus that changes colour before my eyes. To fully enjoy the marine life I decide to take a ride on the resort’s 68-foot luxury yacht, Cameron (named after another Ong family member). From this elegant vessel you can partake in game fishing, surfing or diving but I decide to keep my ‘P Diddy on holiday’ vibe going by kicking back watching the sunset with a champagne on the immaculate white deck.
The visitor is so valued here that the resorts even have their own unofficial time zone - Island time +1 hour ahead of standard Maldives time so those picture-perfect sunsets are still present while you dine. It’s fitting, for this is a time and a place where earthly concerns melt away. Either that, or I got brainwashed by Dr Aashly back in the hydro pool.
ACCOMMODATION
Overwater suites and villas, which feature at both Cocoa Island and Maalifushi Island are COCO’s calling card. Each room has its own private terrace, perfect for slipping into the warm Maldivian sea. All suites in Maalifushi come with their own bike. A fantastic way to explore the white sandy lanes. comohotels.com
GETTING THERE
Singapore Airlines flies to the capital Male via Singapore. Go to singaporeair.com for more details.
To reach the COMO resorts book a speedboat or seaplane transfer via their website (comohotels.com)