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Photography – Bobby Bense | Helen Janneson Bense
Drone Photography – Courtesy of Grand Park Kodhipparu
Model/styling – Helen Janneson Bense
Location – Grand Park Kodhipparu | Kanuhura – Maldives
Outfit Details
Swimwear – Gypset Lace up | Alena Luxe | Hush Hush | Ostuni Halterneck | Hartley Top + Bottoms
Strawberry fields forever skirt | Free Spirit crop
You can read my recent Interview on Indulge Maldives
Ok so we have officially found heaven on earth! The Maldives is honestly beyond breathtaking, it’s actually so unbelievably beautiful the views brought me to tears many times. From our seaplane arrival and parasailing over the atolls, to heart melting dolphin encounters and sunset cruises to castaway islands…these moments will live on in us forever.
We spent 10 days in this turquoise haven with our family, split between two amazing resorts – Grand Park Kodhipparu and Kanuhura. We somehow brought the sunshine with us and lucked out with an almost all clear, sunny time for our entire trip, which we didn’t expect considering we traveled in the rainy season. Honestly when it did rain we didn’t even care! It was still so warm, so beautiful, and our level of relaxation and family fun reached all new heights on this trip. For anyone on the fence about traveling during the rainy months, my tip is absolutely do it! It’s less crowded, less expensive, and you’ll have the best time guaranteed.
We spent our days soaking up the sunshine playing paddle ball on the beach, snorkelling, supping, jet skiing and island hopping in these crystal clear waters. We pretty much ticked off a whole lot of bucket list items, including simply being there!
Though many people think of the Maldives as the honeymoon destination, I felt like it was actually one of the best places we’ve ever traveled with our children. There was just so much to do and even when we were just relaxing on the beach I was so inspired watching their imaginative play. It’s so refreshing to see what children will come up with when immersed in a natural environment away from all the usual technological distractions. They were hundred percent happy exploring, and it felt so safe for them with no cars and so much beach to run and express their little hearts out.
One of our highlights was filming a wedding with Grand Park Kodhipparu. Bobby and I felt like we were getting married all over again. We set sail to a nearby sandbank, dressed in flowing chiffon, with an island style wedding awaiting us. We danced, we kissed, we strolled down the aisle and into the sunset together in one of the most romantic moments of our entire trip. Another stand out moment was our arrival to Kanuhura. We took a seaplane and we had no idea how incredible it was going to be. The turquoise view over the atolls were unforgettable. After our sea plane we hopped on a short boat ride and found a pod of dolphins that put on a show for us. We hadn’t even arrived yet and we were completely overcome with emotion from the natural beauty surrounding us.
I hope you all enjoy our photos and honestly if you have the opportunity to travel here, we all highly recommend it!
With love and gratitude,
Helen xx
All text and images copyright © Helen Janneson Bense 2021
Drone imagery © copyright Grand Park Kodhipparu
