Paradise in the Maldives at Constance Haleveli

Paradise in the Maldives…? Crystal clear aquamarine water, white sandy beaches, amazing sunsets, beautiful islands. It was everything we expected and more. The Maldives is well known as a honeymoon destination but would it be family friendly? Read on to find out.

The Maldives is a tropical nation in the Indian Ocean composed of 26 ring-shaped atolls, which are made up of more than 1,000 coral islands. It’s known for its beaches, blue lagoons and extensive reefs. Its country size is similar to Portugal but 99% of it is water! It is the flattest country in the world with its highest point being just 2.4 metre above mean sea level. We spent two weeks at Constance Haleveli in the Maldives, part of the North Ari Atoll. Typically we are not resort type travellers, but this is predominantly what you find in the Maldives.  We were here in low season during the summer months, but although we had a few rainy days (usually just a couple of hours) we had plenty of sunshine too.

We had opted for a beachfront family villa. These are two storey and easily able to accommodate a family of five. In fact they are huge. These are very well-designed villas. Downstairs there’s a central bed area with glass doors opening onto a patio area. Then there’s an open-air bathroom, complete with huge bath and shower. Upstairs there’s a second bedroom with plenty of space for three beds and another bathroom. Outside is a patio area with table and chairs, and sun loungers, as well as a plunge pool and garden area. Our villa fronted directly onto the beach, with our very own section of sand complete with sun loungers.

To us our villa felt very luxurious, perfect for our family in every way. Other accommodation options at Constance Haleveli include over water bungalows and single storey beach villas.

So, what was there to do for an active family at Constance Haleveli in the Maldives?

ARRIVE BY SEAPLANE

Getting to the Maldives is very much part of the adventure. We flew Emirates via Dubai from the UK. We arrived into the capital of Malé. From here we were to take a seaplane to our paradise island. A little while later, we boarded our seaplane for the twenty five minute flight to Constance Haleveli. We were all excited to be in a seaplane again and the views of the islands and reefs were spectacular. We had a birds eye view of Haleveli as we came in to land.

As we walked along the seaplane jetty the crystal blue sea and the white sandy beaches caught our attention. As did some baby reef sharks playing in the shallows!

THE BEACH

Our very own section of beach was immediately in front of our villa. We certainly made the most of it! Beaches are beautiful white sand which never gets hot.  Beach games are provided near the pool area and include beach tennis, beach football, pétanque and giant chess.

THE POOL

Even with unlimited swimming in the crystal blue sea, we enjoyed spending time at the pool. Whilst we were at Constance Haleveli there were some water polo goals in the pool. The boys spent many hours playing water polo with friends.

THE ACTIVITIES

Constance Haleveli offers many different activities from watersports, including diving and snorkelling, to all sorts of excursions. We didn’t sign up for any of the excursions, something for next time perhaps. We did enjoy the free pedalo’s and kayaks which were great fun for the boys to splash about in.

A twice weekly event is the  shark feeding from the jetty at the dive centre. This is a sight worth seeing as the black tip reef sharks and enormous jack fish all feed off fish thrown into the sea. You wouldn’t want to fall in at the wrong moment!

GO SNORKELLING

The Maldives have fantastic snorkelling, often close to the shoreline. We snorkelled on the house reef with the boys, simply swimming out from the beach. There were some different types of coral and a huge variety of reef fish in many differing colours, including black tip reef sharks and the odd turtle (which we were lucky enough to see).

The snorkelling is off the beach and jetties and easily accessible as long as your children are good swimmers.

KIDS ACTIVITIES

Constance Haleveli has a kids club with a full programme of activities for children and teens. Our boys are getting a bit old for kids clubs preferring to entertain themselves. Saying this, there was something each day that the boys engaged in, sometimes with a specific activity being organised just for them. They did tennis lessons, water polo, pizza making, sushi making, pool games and mocktail making. The staff at the kids club, indeed all the staff at the resort, went out of the way to make sure the boys had fun at all times. Don’t hesitate to stay at Constance Haleveli with kids! They will love it.

 FITNESS

If you’re a fitness fanatic there’s plenty to keep you occupied at Constance Haleveli. There is a tennis court with a tennis coach providing coaching and a gym full of equipment. There is also the island to run around, about a kilometre in distance. Dave and I did this almost daily!

THE FOOD

There are three restaurants at Constance Haleveli: Jing, the resort’s signature restaurant located on the jetty; Jahaz, the main resort restaurant where breakfast is served every morning; and Meeru, a la carte on the beach. We ate many dinners at Jahaz, the main restaurant, as it was buffet style with a different nightly theme. Our favourites were the Seafood, Indian and Japanese buffets. We opted for a half-board meal plan with breakfast and dinner included. There’s also the Jahaz Bar where we had ice cream most days and frequently watched the sunset with a cocktail or two!

We spent two weeks at Constance Haleveli and loved every minute of our time here. We did indeed find paradise in the Maldives, at a truly family friendly resort. With a swimming pool, stretches of beautiful beach, crystal clear sea, water sports, kid’s club with a full programme of daily activities and several restaurants, this place has it all.

Read Also: Family Friendly Constance Haleveli in the Maldives