Sweet Treats at the W Retreat & Spa - Maldives

After our brief stop in Singapore, K and I hopped aboard a Singapore Airlines flight to the Maldives. This second honeymoon destination was K's choice (mine was South Africa), but I'm so glad that we were able to experience this beautiful part of the world. The W Retreat & Spa - Maldives is truly worthy of all the praise it receives online.

At the airport, about to board seaplane to the W's island!

The Republic of the Maldives is an island nation just north of the Equator in the Indian Ocean. Most of the islands are teeny-tiny; of the nearly 1,200 islands that comprise the Maldives, just 200 are inhabited. And one of these islands is home to the W Retreat & Spa - Maldives.

As you can see from the photo above, the island itself is quite small... it took about 15 minutes to walk (at a leisurely pace) around the perimeter of the island. The island houses the hotel's reception area, restaurants and shared pool areas, as well as a couple guest cottages. But the W owners built a long row of opulent over-water bungalows attached to the island by a long wooden walkway. K and I were lucky enough to score one of the bungalows towards the end of the walkway. This meant that we had a longer trek to get to the restaurants, but we woke up every morning to unobstructed water views that made us feel like we were the only two people in the world. Talk about a romantic honeymoon setting :)

But of all the special touches at the W Maldives, this was probably my favorite:

This hut may not look like much, but it brought out my inner "kid" every day. There were three of these special huts spread around the resort... one on the island and two along the wooden walkway out to the over-water bungalows.

A real island treasure chest

A selection of London Dairy ice cream cups (in Cookies and Cream and Double Chocolate flavors) and Natural Strawberry sundae cones, along with some Calippo ice lollies in Orange. My gluten intolerance meant I avoided the sundae cones and Cookies and Cream ice cream cups. K tried both during our stay, and he seemed to especially enjoy the cones (i.e. he ate multiple). The Double Chocolate ice cream was a great after-lunch or dinner dessert, with its rich dark chocolate base. But the "chocolate flakes" advertised on the package didn't taste even remotely chocolaty to me... they tasted like pure wax! Luckily, the flakes were so thin and small that the overall taste of each spoonful was good. The Orange ice lollies ended up being my go-to treat... incredibly refreshing and intensely orange. While the packaging said the lollies contained 20% real orange juice, there was a lot of added sugar. These tasted more like frozen orange Slurpees than the orange juice popsicles my mom would make us during the summer (and sometimes allowed us to eat for breakfast!). So while I wouldn't eat these every day at home, I ate one or two every day in the Maldives. Hey, they were complimentary!

These ice creams provided excellent (and convenient) fuel before our different activities, including snorkeling and deep-sea fishing.

I caught one! (But ultimately threw him back)

The W Retreat & Spa Maldives is an unforgettable place. If you're looking for a romantic island getaway where the food, drinks and recreational experiences are only out-shined by the friendly and accommodating staff, the W Retreat & Spa - Maldives is for you. You can count on me returning one day... and not just for the free ice cream!