MALDIVES - Baa Atoll
Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru

The Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru is located in Baa Atoll, which is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and it’s the most famous place to see Manta rays. During manta season, if you’re lucky enough, you might see mantas around the resort.

Compared to other resorts in the Maldives, Four Seasons LG is a big island with many trees and the staff calls it a “jungle island”. In the “jungle”, it was so exciting to spot geckos, dragon lizards, white-breasted waterhens, Indian flying foxes, grey herons, etc.! Around the resort, there are abundant underwater ecosystems, and we snorkelled right in front of the resort and in the house reef where I saw reef sharks, turtles, clownfish living in pink anemones, eels, octopuses, and so many more species of fish. The crystal-clear seawater in different shades of blue and the beautiful white beaches around the island was so soft, and whenever I walked on the beach barefoot, it heals me. I saw shells in different shapes and colours, which will be/were homes to hermit crabs. I enjoyed the magical experiences in Landaa with all these creatures. And about 15 mins of kayaking from the resort, there is a sandbank, with some plants on it that are sometimes full of bird eggs. Whenever I kayaked to the sandbank, I only brought a bottle of water (of course in a glass bottle) with me to enjoy the sense of peacefulness and “loneliness”.

The facilities at Four Seasons LG was unpickable and totally Four Seasons hotel standard, except it is better because they have redefined “luxury” and they nailed it by trying to do everything in a sustainable way with accountability and transparency. There were many local decorations in the rooms, which effectively brought us the awareness of the local culture. The shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel, etc. were from an organic brand which produces environmentally friendly products with a sustainable approach.

Four Seasons LG brought me so much joy during my stay with experiences the contributed to my wellbeing.

I spent my 23rd birthday there, and that would be one of the most unforgettable birthdays I’ve ever had! From morning to night, surprises, surprises, surprises! What they brought me are not only fancy experiences (luxury room, high-end food, and beverages, thorough service, etc.) but the love from the people who worked there, they really cared about me, they treated me like their family, I could see that their genuine wish for me was wanting me to be happy. And I could see that they were all pure-hearted people, filled of love, joy, and positivity! One simply could not be unhappy with these people around you.

In addition to the care they gave to me mentally, they took care of me physically too. Nearly every morning, we had free yoga classes with our yoga instructors, and they always encouraged us to do the yoga session with them in the early morning. I really appreciated it, and I did see changes in my body and mind.

I recommend everyone who stays at Four Seasons LG to try their Ayurveda treatment using all-natural plants that grow in their garden. After the treatment, you will feel the power of nature. Their specific way of running their spa made me rethink a lot about my connections and relationships with the surroundings, with people and with nature.

There were amazing experiences that contributed to the community and the environment. There is a Reefscaper programme at Four Seasons LG and they make coral frames that help to grow corals, as coral bleaching happens in the Maldives. Guests can buy these frames (some of them are heart-shaped to add a bit more fun) to help grow and rejuvenate corals. We bought a coral frame and they added our name tag on it, and we can also track how “our” corals’ growing using its ID number even if we are not in the Maldives. And as part of their revenue will be used to help developing education, infrastructure, etc. in the local islands, we felt that we were doing things that were beneficial to both the environment and the community.

I learned to dive and it brought me a new dimension of understanding about nature and the environment that’s around me. We had the best instructors, and whenever we saw trash in the ocean when diving (although these trash definitely should not be there), we take it with us.

There is also a turtle conservation program, and they rescued the turtles who got stuck in ghost net. Many of them sadly lost their fins, and I remember one of them lost all of its fins! That one could never be sent back to the ocean anymore because it lost its ability to dive deep to hunt. The staff working in the program informed me that after it recovered completely, it can only be sent to zoos that will take care of it and also can bring awareness to the visitors. Some turtles were injured by oil disposed from boats … again, they really shouldn’t be there! Turtles should be able to live their lives and swim freely in the ocean. I often visited these turtles when I was there. People who take care of these turtles fed them tuna at 5 pm every day, and sometimes I was able to feed these poor turtles too.

There are so many wonderful things that Four Seasons Landaa did to the environment and the community. There is one thing that was truly inspiring and memorable for me. Every day after room cleaning, they’ll put a card on the bed informing us about all the environmental hazards happening in the Maldives. I remember there were cards on how picking up shells make hermit crabs “homeless”, and how plastic waste is killing animals; and cards about species knowledge about local birds and fish. The cards are colourful and really attractive to read. I really learned a lot from that!

BAA ATOLL, MALDIVES, Maldives

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About the Author

Yuan Fang

Yuan Fang Traveller

I'm currently finishing my master's study on environmental politics. I love animals and plants. And I am seeking ways to be a good "roommate" with these animals and plants.

Living Positively

LAUGH

Maybe you can't see, but I was LAUGHING XD! Always keeps me happy underwater (I'm the one on the right)

LEARN

I LEARNED from FS Landaa that each Manta has its own typical pattern on the belly. It's like our fingerprints!

LOOK

LOOK at this little guy (anemone crab)

LOVE

Celebrated my birthday underwater! Feeling LOVED :)

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