Club Med Insider

An American in Paradise (Club Med Kani, Maldives)

"Here come the Americans!" "Are you the Americans?"

Oh, how the GO's whispered behind our backs (and asked us directly!!!). After traveling for 20 days through India with an American tour group, this was a shocking introduction to paradise. But, we were celebrities -- the first Americans to visit this Club Med in a very long time. And no wonder. Two days travel to get to the middle of nowhere is no small feat.

Given that we were half way around the world, we figured we might as well end our India adventure with a week of R&R at a Club Med. Looking at the globe, and then the Club web site, we picked Kani in the Maldives, a chain of atolls in the middle of the Indian Ocean, about 500 miles south of the tip of India, reportedly with good snorkeling. Good was an understatement -- incredible, even ranking higher than the Great Barrier Reef in our experience.

The view from our plane as we flew over Club Med with it's palm tree like arrangement of the island and huts over the water just wetted our appetite for what lay ahead.

We stayed in a hut/suite over the ocean. We were truly in paradise. The entry to our hut was our living room, with a couch and coffee table always stocked with fresh fruit. This led to the bedroom with a four-poster bed and a floor to ceiling sliding glass door leading to the balcony with inviting lounge chairs and an incredible view. Stairs descended from our balcony to a private platform (with a shower) with a ladder going into the ocean. Our bathroom had a stall shower at one end and a freestanding bathtub overlooking the ocean at the other, with a double sink mirrored wall between. Who would ever dream that using a head could come with a breath taking view of water that changed from aqua to blue to gleaming sun light of sparkles to gorgeous sunsets?

We wanted to spend the week doing the things we like the most: snorkeling, sailing, and eating. After the first day, we decided that the snorkeling was too good to miss, so in six days, we went on 11 snorkeling trips. The morning trip the first day, and then the morning AND the afternoon trip each day thereafter. And, each time we went we were in for something new and surprising. We loved the scenery, beauty, variety of fish and corals and all around splendor. On each snorkeling trip we saw fish we had never seen before, or coral formations that were new and different, or seascapes that were exciting and dynamic. The variety of fish was astounding, dozens of varieties. The fish differed in size from very small to the largest which were one to two feet long. We saw eagle rays, flying (we mean swimming) in formation. When they flapped their "wings" it looked like flying, not swimming, and was scary and beautiful at the same time. We were so sorry we didn't have an underwater camera. At least we were able to capture the dolphins that we saw on one trip. There was a pod of about 20 that swam with us for several minutes.

As for the other things we enjoy doing, we sailed our first afternoon and squeezed it in after snorkeling when we could. The food, with lots of local fish, and always an Indian table, provided the sweeping variety one expects at the Clubs. And we were once again amazed by the creativity of the chefs and kitchen staff, with the creation of such warm and inviting ambiance to fit the mood of each meal.

Oh, BTW, getting to the Club from the airport at Male (capital of the Maldives, and location of the international airport) was an adventure in and of itself. The Club had a high-speed water taxi waiting for us upon our arrival for the half-hour "crossing" -- moving along several of the islands, and then a stretch of open water where the swells and speed made for an exciting ride. Not only fun, but also a great way to start (and then end) our adventure in this paradise.