Курамати, зеленый цветущий остров. Kuramachi, green flowering island.

We were on the island twice, for one simple reason: I have not yet been able to find an alternative to it. We were in 2008 and 2010 in the middle of November. It is a large and very green island. And walking in the shade is much more pleasant than under the direct rays of the sun standing at its zenith. On the other islands I considered, there was much less greenery...
Everyone who goes on vacation chooses a place that would best suit his wishes. The most important criterion when choosing a hotel in the Maldives for me was the size of the island. Kuramathi, by Maldivian standards, is a large island, one and a half kilometers long. Rooms - detached bungalows on the beach. There are grouped, but they are few. And I was only interested in the first option. This was my second condition. There are also water bungalows, but this is not for everyone. Under you, day and night, water splashes. ) Above you all day in good weather, the hot sun. And, despite the fact that there is a shadow under the big roof, it is hotter on the water than on the shore in the shade of palm trees. And the aromas from the island are unlikely to come here. ) Kuramachi is a very green, flowering island. On the first visit, the weather was more cloudy and it rained 4 days out of 11. But what smells were carried in the air after the rain! To be honest, after a couple of days it became a little sad. But we found something to do at this time as well. For gym lovers, there is one available. Especially foreigners complained about him). I just didn’t understand why running on a treadmill in a stuffy indoor room when you have an entire island at your disposal (except in bad weather)). But they tormented themselves in any)... Then the SPA. You are offered different types of massages for which there is a record (so you can not get at the desired time). But, there are two pairs - Finnish and Turkish. Cool off from which you can in one of the two pools with cold and cool water. Everything is miniature, but there is! ) And how nice it is to lie in one of these pools and look at the sky, since there is no roof in the pool area. And if you went in the rain, then it's not scary either. Who cares? You're still all wet. ) And the cool rain on your face? It's just a fairy tale!... And I still don't understand why people don't swim in the rain? I'm not talking about strong winds, waves. But if there is a calm warm rain, calm, why not spend time in the water, among the cheerful bubbles bursting around you? )
. . . The third and main condition for me was the presence of a house reef. And there is one. To enter the snork there are several channels cleared of corals. Their locations are indicated on the signs on the shore. We snorkeled for several hours a day. ))) And every day there was something new. This is again an amateur. But how can one not like swimming in a large aquarium. ) Of course, snorkeling is best in sunny calm weather: the sea is clear and there are many fish. Reef sharks, moray eels, parrot fish, turtle (if you're lucky)... you can't list them all. For snorkeling, I got a thin wetsuit. My husband had a special T-shirt that protects from ultraviolet rays. It fits snugly to the body. An alternative can be a simple T-shirt, preferably with long sleeves, shorts are also better than swimming trunks, and generously grease your ears and legs with sunscreen (and don’t forget about your head if you don’t have it with thick hair))). It's good to have slippers for corals. The fish we came across were completely friendly, but we didn’t feed anyone, and didn’t try to touch either.

Now about the hotel itself. There used to be 3 hotels there. Now they are merged into one. As a rule, you are offered a bungalow in the widest part of the island, the former Village. There is a large cluster of houses and, indeed, it is difficult to retire. If you want complete privacy, then there are other island-hotels with the territory adjacent to them, which is not allowed to enter outsiders. But then you are also deprived of the opportunity to walk along the coast, but only along the paths of the island. In addition, such islands are usually very small in size. You are there if you are ready to spend all the time only on your mini-beach and in a luxurious bungalow.
I return to my impressions of the island. We lived in the Cottage and SPA hotel. Its rooms are located on the northern side of the island, located in one line along the coast. Now these villas are called Deluxe Beach Villas with Jacuzzi. There are few houses. It's easier to get away. Although, if you think that all the bungalows are occupied, then the number of people surrounding you is clearly much less than it should be. )
The wind rose, during our vacation, was on the other, southern side of the island. Surprisingly, when there was a strong wind, and on the southern part of the island there were at least not big, but waves, we had complete calm. about the quality of housing. Yes, the furniture and the houses themselves have already asked for cosmetic repairs. But now these bungalows have undergone a radical change: the shower in the mini-garden has turned into an outdoor jacuzzi, where there is also a place for a sunbed. The area of ​ ​ the bungalows themselves has also been increased. I haven’t been in new ones, but their photos are on the hotel’s website, which speak of changes for the better. ) I liked the beach in this part of the island the most. A reef is located on the south and east side, with all the ensuing consequences. Although in the immediate vicinity of the coast, the beach is cleared of corals. Even along the entire southern coast, breakwaters are lined with dead corals, which also spoils the picture a little.
The third hotel was located on the narrowest part of the island, not far from the lagoon. On the south side in this part of the island the beach is very long and shallow. Again, breakwaters And on the north side, the coast at that time was buried in rough vegetation, which made it difficult to approach the water.

About getting around the island. There are electric cars, but I rarely saw them with people. Once, while walking, I was caught in the rain. I went to the nearest reception and asked to call the car. I was immediately given it and taken to the bungalow. And, by the way, all bungalows and hotels have umbrellas, and under them it is quite possible to spank barefoot through the puddles in rainy weather. On the island, as a rule, go barefoot. Everything is there for it. Only you need to come to the restaurant in shoes. )
About food. The food in our hotel was not bad. I don’t know how it is now, but before you were assigned a table and a waiter. One day was a buffet, the other two menus to choose from. When there was a menu, we asked the waiter what he would advise us. And it was very tasty. The buffet was not very varied, but it suited us. There were days of any national cuisine. The buffet was served outside. Here you can taste something new, not the usual. To do this, you had to take an absentee ticket in your restaurant. Maybe everything has already changed. . . It was surprising that the fish was very poorly represented. As I understand it, if you want to eat plenty of fish, you need to sign up for fishing, catch it, they will cook it for you, then eat it! Fruit was also not very good, it is not clear why? But they made up for it with great desserts. We had breakfast and dinner to feel free during the day. If you wanted to have a bite, we went to the Palm pizzeria, located next to the SPA. Once, instead of dinner, we booked a table at The Reef restaurant, (which must be reported at the main restaurant). The Reef is only open in the evening. They cook seafood there. We ate lobster and charcoal fish. Expensive. But it was delicious. )
There are also other restaurants, but we didn't go. Next to our restaurant is the Havana Club, where you can drink a bottle of good wine. It is usually empty, but we spent several pleasant evenings there. At the same time, the waiter delicately left, and we had a restaurant for two. ) You can smoke a cigar there, and, it seems, there was a hookah.
On our second visit, we were given a romantic dinner. Those who wish can sit right on the beach. We stayed in the restaurant area. Tables were placed far away from people. But pleasant music was heard here and the waiter was more accessible. As for dinner, it was great! We got an unforgettable experience both from the dinner and from the service!

About room service. Cleaned up twice a day. There were enough towels. We left money, but it seems to me that this would not have affected the quality of cleaning if we had not left. The waiter was also thanked, and upon returning home they sent him photographs of him and his friends. )
It is impossible to talk about nature. It is beautiful, especially if you get up in the morning, when dawn has just dawned. When everyone is still sleeping and the cleaners have not yet begun to sweep the flowers that have fallen during the night from the wind. Then the island rises before you in all its glory - with its smells, colors, colors, cries of awakening birds. You can peep how a heron catches a small fish jumping out of the water, fleeing from sharks. To see how the moray eel caught a gaping crab. How sharks walk along the shore, chasing a flock of small prey, how a turtle gnaws something at the bottom, how a heron, sitting on the top of a palm tree, spreading its wings, takes sunbaths, how flying foxes violently share something in their large family...
Everyone travels for different experiences. I got what I wanted from the holiday. I liked it all very much. And I dream of coming back here again. It's just a pity that the developing infrastructure of the hotel is crowding the pristine nature. )