Maldives was the first international trip I took with my newlywed wife, the love of my life. I had always dreamed of travelling abroad, but little did I know that my first international adventure would come after getting married.

The pristine white beaches, the calm blue sea and that wonderfully humid tropical weather had a certain sense of calmness to them. Even now, whenever I think about the Maldives, a part of me wants to go back.

For our honeymoon, we decided to stay away from the crowded and more touristy North Maldives and head straight to the southern islands — all the way to Gan.

I had never really understood what paradise looked like until I leaned over to steal a look through my wife’s window seat (obviously) as we flew over the islands. Below us were tiny stretches of land surrounded by impossibly blue water, scattered across what seemed like an endless ocean. It was one of those views that makes you stop talking for a moment.

Once we landed at Gan International Airport, a ferry was waiting to take us to Canareef Resort Maldives.

And this wasn’t your typical resort where everything is packed into one building. Canareef stretches for kilometres across the island, with beautiful cottage-style villas spread out along both sides. Almost every cottage opens towards the sea, which means that the ocean is never really too far away.

For our honeymoon, we decided to split our stay between two resorts — Canareef Resort Maldives and Equator Village Resort. We spent most of our time at Canareef and kept the last two or three days at Equator Village.

There was a practical reason behind that decision. Equator Village is much closer to the airport, so we wouldn’t have to worry about a last-minute sea transfer if the weather decided to turn against us. Maldives is beautiful, but when your journey involves boats and islands, it doesn’t hurt to have a little backup plan.

Our arrival at Canareef couldn’t have been more welcoming. We were greeted with a cool coconut drink, a few snacks and, almost immediately, that feeling that we had left the rest of the world behind.

Everything felt slow.

People were walking around the resort, couples were celebrating honeymoons, families were enjoying their holidays, and guests from different corners of the world had all somehow ended up on this tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

And for the first time in a while, there was nowhere we needed to be.

Just the two of us, the sea, and a few days to figure out what paradise actually feels like.