Heaven is a Place on Earth

Heaven is a place on earth – and it is called Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu.

It’s just a thirty-minute seaplane from the Maldivian airport of Malé, and I have never experienced a place that embodies such complete peace and ultimate luxury.

Departing London Gatwick on a wet and miserable November evening, all worries, cares, and concerns simply vanished.

“Which resort, ma’am?” A friendly voice, just oozing calm and serenity, made our connection at Malé, the main international airport for the Maldives, perfectly seamless. This kindly lady guided us to the check-in desk for Coco Palm, took our bags – my suitcase almost as tall as her –and gave us our first taste of the superior customer service the Maldivian people pride themselves so highly on.

Everything was just…easy.

Despite swarms of people buzzing through the airport, there was just an air, a cool calmness, about the staff who greeted us, that quelled all the hustle and bustle around us.

With everything under control, we were packed into a rickety old bus for our transfer to the sea plane. It was here my nerves rattled – just ever so slightly. Some erratic breaking as the driver approached an even older vehicle in front, before commencing a scarily slow overtake on a very small straight, slamming his foot on the accelerator.

Slightly breathless, we arrived at the sea plane lounge in one piece. As our bags were stowed ahead of us, our only concern was which drink to savour while we watched from a balcony as the tiny, propeller driven planes shot in and out of the ocean runway like fireflies.

Now on our seventeenth hour of travel and with humidity at a sticky 70%, I was almost screaming for a cold shower – or a plunge into the enticing, azure waters that surround these beautiful islands. I could feel my clothes clinging to my skin, my hair frizzing into a wiry, bedraggled mess, and with every passing second the wait for this final transfer felt like an eternity.

Finally, with seat belts on, the pilots in shirts, shorts and completely bare foot, the propellers swirled into action. With a deafening roar the plane soared into the sky, my stomach lurching to my feet. As we gazed out, civilisation faded into the distance, and the vast ocean stretched to the horizon in the most breath-taking patterns of green and turquoise blue.

And then, almost from nowhere, land. A thin, oval-shaped island. As the plane descended, we could see the jungle canopy sprawling out from the centre. Palm trees. Banana trees. Trees I had never seen before. And all draped in the warm glow of the setting sun, a striking myriad of reds, ambers, and golds.

Our short flight ended with an abrupt landing alongside a tiny, wooden jetty floating offshore. Helped by the pilots onto this wooden pontoon caressed by receding waves created from our landing, I couldn’t help feeling a little like Tom Hanks in Castaway, watching the infinite ocean ’till it blended with the endless sky along an invisible horizon. Turning, unsteadily, I saw the island resort behind me, and heard a pilot, with a wry smile creasing his face, suggest it was time to swim.

Soon, a small, white boat pulled up to the pontoon and a smart steward, dressed in white from head to toe, greeted us with a big smile and two hot, rolled flannels to wipe our faces. I was initially sceptical – more heat and humidity in thirty-two degrees at six o’clock at night – but the towels were infused with lemon grass and lavender. The towels steamed our faces, allowing the pure scents of peace and relaxation to enter our skin, the lavender filling my lungs with the hazy smell of late summer.

As if in a dream, the boat skimmed across the water, arriving at a jetty where three more members of staff placed a beautiful palm necklace over our heads and led us along a jungle track as dusk settled across the island. We had two weeks of pure relaxation ahead of us and already Coco Palm’s promise, its mantra, ‘that happiness is found in every moment’ was taking me to new levels of happiness and content.

We heard the gentle lapping of waves against the shore. The call of a water hen. And the crunch of almost pure white sand beneath the naked feet of Joseph, our guide to the tropical island which was now ‘home’ and a lifetime away from the trials and tribulations of our ‘every day.’ Joseph pointed to sandy tracks leading to bars, restaurants, and luxury spa facilities. This place really was perfect. And I couldn’t wait to discard my winter socks and pumps, allow my feet to breathe and wriggle my toes in the sand.

Reaching our villa was like walking onto the front cover of a travel magazine. The perfectly circular building, laid with a thatch of palm leaves, created that ultimate sense of tropical paradise. A stone courtyard gave way to sand snaking through trees to a fresh-water plunge pool shimmering in the sunset with sprinkles of fresh flowers, fallen from the trees above. Two wooden loungers in a tree shaded alcove, giving way to the pure-white, sandy shore and the lapping ocean just metres away.

Inside, the clay walls glowed warmly in the lamp light, terracotta tiles cooling on my feet. A king-sized four-poster bed draped with white curtains, sinks cut into pure marble, and grand overhead mirrors gave a sense of delicate decadence. A walled rear courtyard complete with jacuzzi bath and outdoor shower provided that sense of ultimate privacy. It was pure paradise, pure luxury, and promised a tropical island lifestyle that seemed, and indeed was, thousands of miles away from all the cares and worries of a reality left back home. 

With a bottle of bubbly chilling alongside, we wasted no time in changing and throwing ourselves into the plunge-pool. Relaxing in the privacy of our own pool, sipping fizz, and watching the sunset, settled our weary minds and bodies as we soaked up the beauty of this tropical paradise. Changed for dinner, we re-traced our earlier steps through the sand paths. This time barefoot.

Two welcoming restaurants, elegant, spacious, and offering an immense choice, truly capture the essence of Maldivian hospitality. Tucked away in the deep green of the island’s flourishing plant life, diners are greeted by large clay water pots with a wooden ladle with which to pour fresh, cooling water over their feet before entering the dining area, refreshed, cool, and clean. Cowie, the larger of the two restaurants, offers an elegant celebration of food, both local and global, while Cornus brings the luminous flavours of Asia to the Maldives.

Under cover of palm thatched roofs and with powdery white sand underfoot, the Beachside Bar and Conch, the Maldives-inspired bar and café, offer effortlessly chic locations for coffee, lunch or delicious cocktails. We found it oh..so easy…to just slip into the deckchairs, order a drink, and sink our toes deep into the sand and let nature work its wonders.

Coco Palm is without doubt the place to relax. To do nothing. Think of nothing. Just embrace the beautiful moments of every day. Tell the time by how you feel, not by the clock. Sit on the beach, with the Indian Ocean stretching away in front of you, watching the sun and its evening glow slowly sink below the horizon. It’s a place that truly inspires an appreciation of the wonders of the natural world. The Maldives is paradise. Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu really is, Heaven on Earth.

All I need now is a better excuse than a honeymoon to head back and relive more incredible experiences.

Daisy Rosling flew to the Maldives with Emirates : https://www.emirates.com/uk/english/

Details for Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu : https://cococollection.com/en/palm-dk

Picture credits: Daisy Rosling; Coco Palm Resort