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| Maldives Holidays - Bandos Island |
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| Written by Jonathan Harvey |
| Monday, 26 October 2009 07:42 |
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Glittering in the turquoise Indian Ocean are over one thousand tiny coral islands scattered in the range of coral atolls that form the Republic of the Maldives. The epitome of an island castaway, these islands have the most beautiful ice-white beaches, and coral reefs. The fantastic marine life and water sports make the Maldives the most amazing destination for your a holiday. I have been to the island resort of Bandos several times now and it one of my favourites, if not thee favourite. Located within North Mal Atoll, the Maldives Holiday resort of Bandos is one of the closest to the capital island of Mal which is very convenient for those of you who want to explore more of the cultural side of the Maldives capital, which is more westernized than the remaining islands. Transfers from Mal are by boat and take approximately 20 minutes. Bandos has some excellent marine life in abundance, including white tip sharks, barracuda, and many thousands of species of colourful reef fish. As well as having shipwrecks to explore, the coral reef also provides some good surf here for the water-sports enthusiasts. Bandos has an excellent PADI dive center here which caters for divers of all abilities, including beginners. Its got to be the best place in the world to pass your initial PADI open water dives, the only thing is you may get distracted by the stingrays and sharks gliding by! Bandos is a 4-star resort and has 100 standard rooms, 48 Junior suites and 48 Beach Villas. The standard rooms are a mix of double and twin rooms to help accommodate families and overall they are nicely furnished. The only thing I would say is that the bathrooms are slightly on the small side in these rooms, but on the upside, most face west and so get a good sunset and the majority of them are beach fronted. The Junior suites are nicely decorated and I was lucky enough to stay in one of these during my recent visit. For people with small children I would just point out that at high tide the beach in this area of the island is pretty much completely submerged. The Beach water villas are two-storey, with an upstairs bedroom and a sea balcony. These buildings have been carefully and tastefully done to give you that superior feel, with the bathrooms half inside and half outside, complete with thatched jacuzzi. The resort has gone out of its way to accommodate families, with a purpose-built childcare facility complete with female staff on hand to look after the children and provide babysitting in the evenings. Some of the rooms in the standard and junior class have an interconnecting door for families split between several rooms. For couples intending on getting married on Bandos, you will be pleased to know that the resort accommodates you with the "Kuda Bandos Sunset Wedding" which features a taste of traditional island ceremony, a sunset boat ride, unique cultural costumes, Maldivian drums and traditional style and ceremony. The wedding ceremony is held on the beach of one of the uninhabited islands in the atoll - Kuda Bandos - and is followed by a private cruise for the newlyweds on a Dhoni (Maldivian boat). About the Author: Jonathan is a travel journalist and travels frequently to the Maldives to report on diving and environmental issues. Read about the Maldives at the Maldives Holidays guide and about the superb diving island resort of Bandos in particular. Kindly provided by MoneyHunter.org You are welcome to use this article on your own website, if you include the link just before this text. |
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