Maldives (CNN) I’m sitting on a chaise longue at a Maldives resort’s floating restaurant overlooking the sparkling Arabian Sea, but I’m uneasy.
I was not wearing a mask, nor were other guests or staff.
Not that it’s necessary: Everyone on the palm-fringed private island of Soneva Fushi is tested for Covid-19 on arrival and then quarantined in their villas until they receive new negative results.
I was able to roam the island freely and defy the six-foot minimum social distancing measures the world has become accustomed to since early 2020.
In just a few days in this Indian Ocean paradise, everything has returned to normal in what has been an unusually abnormal year – but the transition will take some getting used to.
Maldives: now open to all
The Maldives is one of the few resorts currently open to international tourists, including Americans.
The 1,200-island nation reopened its borders in July without any testing or quarantine requirements, then reversed course in September, requiring all incoming travelers (96 hours before departure) to have a negative Covid-19 test result. An online passenger health declaration form is also required to be completed 24 hours before departure.
The coronavirus outbreak in the Maldives is statistically under control, with fewer than 13,000 confirmed cases and a total death toll of 46 since the start of the pandemic. On September 15, it was declared a “safe destination” by the World Travel and Tourism Council.
Like all countries that rely heavily on tourism, it has been hit hard by the crisis. According to the World Bank, tourism directly and indirectly accounts for two-thirds of the country’s gross domestic product.
The industry boomed in 2019, with tourist arrivals up 14.7% year-on-year to a record 1.7 million total. Officials hope they will hit 2 million this year.
Writer Travis Levius flies with Qatar Airways, one of a dozen airlines currently flying to the Maldives. Face coverings and masks must be worn while on board.
In a statement issued in May, the country’s tourism minister, Ali Waheed, described the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as “more devastating than the 2004 tsunami and the 2008 global financial crisis.”
So it’s no surprise that it’s one of the first countries to reopen.
My journey began at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, where I boarded a Qatar Airways flight—one of a dozen or so airlines currently serving the Maldives capital, Male.
While the Maldives has a set of entry rules, Qatar Airways has its own: Passengers departing from any high-risk country, including the United States, Brazil, India and the Philippines, must show a PCR Negative Covid test on check in.
Note the emphasis on “PCR”: I’ve seen would-be passengers at JFK refuse a boarding pass because they offered a rapid test, and it’s not pretty.
When boarding, Qatar Airways passengers are required to wear masks and face coverings which they provide free of charge at the gate.
I flew economy class from New York to Doha on a half-empty plane, the entire row to myself. I then flew to the final stop in Male on Qatar Airways business class Qsuites.
Check out this interactive content on CNN.com
With plenty of personal space and a sliding privacy door, this is definitely my go-to way to social distance while flying.
I finally arrived at Velana International Airport in the Maldives in the morning, and from my window seat, landing above the pristine blue atoll was as exciting as ever.
The world’s most luxurious quarantine?
Disembarking business class before most everyone else becomes a huge blessing, as border control checks are rigorous and time-consuming. I approached border control with a handful of paperwork needed to enter: a printout of my negative Covid test result, copies of my two resort reservations (Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani), and my completed Traveler Health Declaration form. QR code of .
After claiming my checked luggage and going through customs, I found Soneva Fushi’s gracious (and masked) airport receptionist, who promptly took me to check-in for my scheduled seaplane flight to their resort.
A van transported me and other resort guests to Soneva Fushi’s dedicated airport lounge, where we kept our distance from each other, had a snack and completed resort check-in before boarding the plane.
Later we’d board their private purple seaplane for a scenic half-hour flight to their “international airport” (a small, isolated platform floating in the ocean), then a speedboat to the wooden pier that juts out from the resort , masked “barefoot butlers” and management welcomed us.
I hopped in a buggy with my butler who took me straight to my huge beach house…the only island life I got to see for the next 20 hours.
A few minutes into my isolation, a lab technician in a white hazmat suit entered my yard, administered an in-villa Covid test on me, swabbed my throat and lightly stabbed my left nostril. He told me I would have the results the next morning.
An aerial view of one of Soneva Fushi’s newly built overwater pool villas.
Soneva’s Maldives resorts — Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani — are just two of a handful of resorts that are conducting in-resort Covid testing for all guests as an extra layer of protection against the spread of the virus.
They are providing these PCR tests for free, along with generous food, drink and event vouchers for the inconvenience of self-isolation.
There are two post-test scenarios for Soneva guests: Covid-negative means carefree, mask-free exploration of the island and its plethora of off-site activities.
A positive Covid result requires 14 days of quarantine in the villa (accommodation is free). While I’m relieved by the negative outcome, I can’t help but think there are worse places on earth to recuperate for two weeks had it turned out differently.
After an early morning Whatsapp message from my housekeeper stating my negative result, I spent the rest of my visit experiencing this eco-luxury resort as I did in the pre-pandemic era: with other guests in the clear lagoon Snorkel with manta rays in the water; eat delicious Maldivian and pan-Asian breakfast dishes at their oceanfront buffet, and test mine at one of Fushi’s brand new Water Retreats (the world’s largest overwater one- and two-bedroom villas) Personal water slides – all without spraying sanitizer on my swim trunks.
“The Maldives presents a golden opportunity to rediscover the ordinary,” says Levius, who is clearly impressed by his temporary residence in Soneva Fushi.
By the time I arrived at my second resort, Soneva Jani, known for its sandcastle-style water villas with retractable roofs, I was completely used to this newfound “freedom.” Already tested at Soneva Fushi, so no further Covid testing is required.
On my double-resort trips — popular with Soneva guests even before the Covid era — the seaplane transfer between the two was the only time I had to wear a mask until the end of the trip.
Check out this interactive content on CNN.com
But traveling during the epidemic is a personal choice, and everyone has their own threshold.
I believe the Maldives have done a commendable job of preventing the spread of the virus and having protocols in place to keep locals and travelers alike safe at all times; select resorts like Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani that offer in-villa testing provide added peace of mind.
A typical Maldives vacation finds travelers sequestering themselves in their villas anyway, spotting a variety of fish from their decks, swimming and enjoying in-villa meals in the privacy of their own bubble.
Depending on the resort, the Maldives presents a golden opportunity to feel ordinary again — and for some, it’s worth traveling halfway around the world to experience that long-lost feeling.
