The Maldives
It was the middle of the COVID pandemic. Germany was under strict restrictions, and life had shrunk to something small and heavy. When my husband and I landed in the Maldives, pregnant and slightly exhausted from the weight of those months, I remember the feeling of stepping off the plane: relief. Pure, physical relief.
We stayed for ten days — just the two of us. The world we had left behind felt very far away. And the Maldives, with its unhurried pace and its impossibly blue water, felt like exactly the kind of reset we didn't know we needed.
Where we stayed: Angaga Island Resort & Spa
We chose Angara Island Resort & Spa, and I can recommend it wholeheartedly — especially for anyone who wants the full Maldives experience without the very highest price tag. It is one of the more budget-friendly options for a water bungalow stay, and that matters, because the water bungalow was genuinely the heart of the whole experience.
Staying over the water means you step directly from your bungalow into the ocean. The views are uninterrupted. The privacy is remarkable. And for me, as a woman who wears hijab, the water bungalow was a real game-changer. We could arrange our sun chairs to create a private space, completely shielded from view, and simply be. No navigating crowded beach areas, no feeling conspicuous. Just the sound of water beneath us and the sun above.
If you wear hijab and have ever wondered whether the Maldives is really for you — a water bungalow changes everything. It is one of the most naturally private ways to enjoy the ocean I have ever experienced.
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Underwater Maldives
We spent most of our days snorkelling. The water around Angara Island is crystal clear — the kind of clear where you can see every detail of the seabed beneath you without even putting your face in. Beneath the surface, the underwater landscape was unlike anything I had seen before.
We swam alongside sea turtles, drifted past countless colourful fish, and — one of the most memorable moments — encountered baby sharks. Small, completely harmless, and utterly fascinating. There is something quietly humbling about being in the water with creatures like that, going about their lives completely undisturbed by your presence.
Being pregnant and snorkelling in that water, watching a sea turtle move slowly and gracefully just a few metres away from me — it is one of those moments I know I will carry for a long time. There was a stillness to it that felt almost sacred.
The food
The food at the resort was excellent. The menu leaned heavily into fresh seafood and Indian cuisine — which suited both my husband and me perfectly, as it is food we both love. After months of COVID-era cooking and the grey monotony that came with it, sitting down to beautifully prepared seafood on a terrace above the Indian Ocean felt like a genuine luxury.
The quiet that makes the Maldives different
There is something specific about the Maldives that I think is worth saying honestly: there is not a great deal to do there. You are on a small island. You stay on that island. You snorkel, you eat, you rest, you watch the water change colour as the light shifts through the day.
For some people, this sounds limiting. For me — and I suspect for many of the women reading this — it was exactly the point.
If you live with that constant inner pressure to always be doing something, always be seeing something, always be optimising your time — the Maldives quietly dissolves that. You simply cannot rush there. There is nowhere to rush to. And once you accept that, something in you begins to exhale.
The COVID timing actually added to this in an unexpected way. There were fewer tourists than usual, the atmosphere was calm and unhurried, and the people — both staff and other guests — were warm and easy to be around. It felt like a rare pocket of peace inside a very difficult year.
Would I go back?
We are already talking about returning — this time with our children, inshallah. I think the Maldives would be a wonderful experience for them: the snorkelling, the sea life, the extraordinary simplicity of island life. Some places are best discovered young, when wonder comes easily. I think this is one of them.
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A FEW PRACTICAL NOTES
Angaga Island Resort & Spa is one of the more affordable options for a water bungalow experience in the Maldives — well worth considering if budget matters.
A water bungalow offers exceptional privacy — particularly valuable if you wear hijab and want to enjoy the ocean freely.
The snorkelling is excellent directly from the bungalow and around the island — no boat trips necessary.
The food leans toward seafood and Indian cuisine — if this is food you love, you will be very happy.
Go with the intention of slowing down. The Maldives rewards stillness more than activity.