If white sand, aquamarine waters and endless sunshine are your idea of heaven on earth, then Maldives has to be the place to head for after wrapping up your nuptials.

The kingdom nation right smack in the middle of the Indian Ocean, 700km south-west of Sri Lanka, is more a collection of close to 2,000 small islands – only 82 of which are resorts. And Kandooma, just 35km south of Male International Airport, is one of them. With a land area of only 13 hectares, the perimeter of which can be covered on a 20-minute stroll, the resort is as in the-middle-of-nowhere as it can get.

Water world
Opened in the middle of this year, Kandooma is pure sand and palm trees surrounded by crystal-clear seawater, shallow lagoons and abundant marine life. This setting, plus its chic and spanking new Mediterranean-meets-the Bahamas-meets-Asia architecture and decor, makes a holiday here also a wonderful photo opportunity for honeymooners.

What it offers is a getaway that relaxes and refreshes at the same time. In addition to usual water sports like diving and snorkelling, there are also activities for the less active, such as night fi shing, campfi re storytelling, and even intimate castaway picnics, where they set up a white tent on a sand spit, provide a picnic basket, and leave you to enjoy it for a few hours.

Life’s a beach...
If these activities can’t take the post-wedding stress off you, then the pampering treatments at the world-renowned Como Shambhala Spa will. Or chill out to a cocktail during sunset at The Deck on the rooftop of the resort’s swanky wine restaurant The Kitchen, where you can adjourn for dinner on the beach after.

Out of the wide range of accommodation options, lovebirds will defi nitely like the water villas, which are large individual bungalows standing on beams over a waist-high lagoon with a romantic view of the sunset and the crashing waves afar. Whether you choose to spend your time jumping right off your private sundeck into the lagoon to explore the colourful variety of coral and marine life within, or lazing your afternoons away in the hammock suspended over the sea, you’ll return home recharged and totally blissed-out.