As the crystal clear waters sparkle and the white sand of the beach shines, the friendly faces of the staff at the Grand Park Kodhipparu come into view as you realise that you’ve arrived at your very own paradise.

Opened in June 2017, this new Maldivian gem ticks every box for the luxury couple looking for carefree days spent on its crystal clear seas. Just 120 rooms make it one of the Maldives more intimate resorts, where your every wish is taken care. 

Two jetties of rooms extend from the tiny island out into the sea and all the way at the end, the Grand Residence, was to be our home for the next 8 days. Every thought has been taken care of when designing each room to give a real sense of privacy as your days turn turquoise blue and you feel as though you’re the only ones around.

Enjoy morning meditation in your room to set your mind on an idyllic path of relaxation. Breakfast is shared with dolphins providing acrobatic displays while baby sharks are at the shore looking for as good a feed as you are. Your in-room hammock will carry you over the crystal clear water where you can spend hours gazing at the sea life. Meanwhile your allocated lifestyle host is on hand throughout the day and night to assist with anything you may desire. 

While the sunrise brings the excitement of a new day as the burning sun rises above the horizon, by the end of the day we looked forward to finding out what beautiful colours the sunset would light the sky up in this time, orange, purple, pink, or a mixture of them all?

And as the sun sets, Grand Park Kodhipparu has a feast for everyone. With three restaurants ranging from more casual to fine dining experiences, the quality of food is always the highest throughout. After testing them all, we found the lobster and the short ribs of Firedoor irresistibly keeping us coming back night after night, and with a glass of good wine in our hands, we were truly in love with the Grand Park Kodhipparu.