catch the shuttle bus from male international to the seaplane dock. it's a half-hour flight to reethi with some incredible scenery. the tiny plane docks at a platform and passengers are picked up by boat then taken to reception, followed by a guided walk around the island.
we booked a water villa directly through the hotel (reservation(at)reethibeach.com.mv). if you want guaranteed unobstructed sea views and greater privacy sitting on your patio, i suggest the water villas - about $40 more than the bungalows per night. there is a ladder on each patio that leads down to the water, and you can go snorkeling from your room.
our first day sitting on our patio, we saw 4 or 5 dolphins just at the edge of the reef. if you see this, grab your snorkel gear and swim out to them. we didn't know that we should have done this, and rather sat back and watched them hang out for 15 minutes while we could have been swimming with them. we didn't see dolphins off the villas again, so jump in the water when you see them even if it looks like they're just swimming by.
before booking, we couldn't find as many pictures of the room itself as we would have liked. so we made a point of taking a few shots of important items. here you see the kettle and minibar. the minibar is only stocked on request (thankfully! as it's such a temptation). water bottles are easy to find. if you're not all inclusive, they cost about $3) they're filled with purified water from the island. you can drink the tap water, but it's not recommended as it is desalinated sea water, and still has a bit of salt, but tastes fine. we were AI so we stuck to the bottles.
you can just see in the bottom right corner is our unbreakable french press coffee maker, by 'planetary design'. this is a must have if you love coffee in the morning (make sure to bring ground coffee). you can find them at coffeepotshop.co.uk . milk is a bit hard to come by, but if you ask your nearest bartender for a glass before heading off to bed, you can take it to your room for the morning.
there was a crazy story of a woman in the water villas who had her shower door explode into shards of glass for no explainable reason. she cut her finger very badly and needed 50 stitches. it doesn't seem possible, but after hearing the story, we treated the shower with kid-gloves.
you can see on the counter the ceramic bath gel, lotion, and shampoo bottles. plastic bottles are a big problem from the maldives, and it's best not to bring them with you. if you do, it's best to take them home with you.
wardrobe
closet with safe. also, the only hotel room i ever stayed at with its own life jackets.
enjoying the patio
no one wears shoes on the island. the dark wood of the walkways to/from the villas can get pretty hot, so they have water pots set up so you can cool your feet down until you get to the next water pot. just right of this picture is one of our favorite bars called, handhuvaru bar, which we renamed - the villa bar.
the water villas
standing near the villa bar
the villa (handhuvaru) bar. it's hard not to stop here for a drink on your way to and from your room. it's open from 11am to 11pm. it's a circular bar, so it's very easy to meet new people here. it has tables off to the side if you feel like having a quiet drink.
lounge chair from one of the bungalows.
view to the moodu bar. this is the best casual alternative to the buffet. the buffet is good, but if you start to crave some higher quality cooked-to-order food (like a fat cheeseburger), this is the place. it's mainly just dining, and there are no seats at the bar. it's open 24 hours. their kitchen also prepares room service meals. not on the AI plan (slight discount), but you can get AI drinks here for free.
hermit crabs of all sizes scoot around the beaches. they're fun to catch and play with, but they do pinch. the main bar has a hermit crab racing competition once a week. you can sign up at lunch and they'll assign you a numbered crab. the winner gets 27 tiger beers.
every night at 6pm is fish feeding at one of the piers. people start to gather at about 5:30.
the feeder guy has a bucket of squid, and the feeding is dominated by the rays that are hand fed. hundreds of fish also gather, as well as a few friendly sharks.
tropical fish of every amazing variety and color circle the island. it's like swimming in the best salt water aquarium in the world. the best part of the shallow reef extends down on the windward side of the island (the side with the sunset bar). we swam with sea turtles and spotted two lemon sharks. the sharks are safe to swim with, but when you first see one you might freak a bit.
we visited the riya bar twice, when it opens for the management cocktail reception once a week. it's open from 5-8pm each night and 11pm on disco night, but we never seemed to be able to get there during regular hours. we were always trying to catch the sunset at the sunset bar from 6-7:30ish, so missed out a bit on this very nice beach bar on the sand.
management cocktail reception - free specialty drinks. this was sangria night, and it was delicious. people gather and have a bit of chit-chat with the staff. canapes are also served.