Sun Siyam World in Maldives announces itself with scale. More than a dozen restaurants, the country’s largest floating waterpark, a full-size football field, electric go-karts and a horse ranch. I still cannot quite believe the horse ranch. The water villas here comes with a private infinity pool and a slide that deposits you directly into the lagoon!
The underwater world, however, is where Sun Siyam World made its most lasting impression. I am not a swimmer. Snorkelling, therefore, was not on my agenda, until the resort’s instructors made it impossible to say no with any conviction. Life jacket on, mask adjusted and with the quiet terror of someone about to do something they had not planned, I lowered myself into waters so clear they felt almost fabricated. Within minutes, a sea turtle glided past with the indifference of a creature that finds tourists mildly tiresome. Then came a parade of fish, striped, spotted, fluorescent… all of them unconcerned. It was, in a word, magnificent. Non-swimmers, take note: do not let fear talk you out of this one.
There was also a coral planting session led by the resort’s marine biologists. It began with an explanation of coral ecosystems – how they are formed, why they matter, how fragile they have become. Then, we planted our own small fragments onto a coral frame, a gesture that felt both modest and necessary. It is one of those experiences that stays with you long after the tan has faded.
On land, the stable was waiting. I had never been on a horse. This felt like important information that no one had asked for. Shams, the Marwari stallion assigned to me, was apparently briefed on this in advance! He was patient, steady and carried me along the beach at a pace that was gentle enough for even my frazzled nerves. A glorious morning sun, powdery white sand and the bluest of ocean – the scene looked straight out of a travel postcard. For a few minutes, I felt genuinely free. Nervous, yes. Occasionally holding on slightly too tight. But free.
The cooking class that followed was at least something I was marginally more qualified for. We made a dish called Mashuni, the traditional tuna salad that is as central to Maldivian life as rice is to India. Grated coconut, fresh tuna, chilli, onion, lime come together to make a simple yet delicious salad that can be mopped up with roti or rice. My Mashuni was, I was told, acceptable. I have chosen to interpret this as high praise.
But the detail that surprised me most, though, was the hydroponic farm tucked within the resort grounds. Rows of mustard, lettuce, chillies and basil growing in neat vertical columns. Watermelons hanging from vines with a confidence that seemed to defy gravity. The resort grows its own produce and the freshness screams on your plate – a detail that sounds small until you taste the difference.
And then the sun goes down. Which, at Sun Siyam World, is not the end of the evening but rather the beginning of an entirely different one. Live grills appear on the sand, drinks flow across multiple bars, hookah curls into the warm night air and hidden bars tucked across the island come alive. The resort does not believe in quiet nights. On any given evening, there is a live gig on the beach, a pool foam party in full swing, a cultural dance performance, or a karaoke session that starts with polite participation and ends with strangers becoming friends at volume. The foam party, I should say, was not something I had anticipated. I also did not expect to enjoy it quite as much as I did.
Sun Siyam World is not the Maldives for everyone. If what you want is silence, a hammock, and absolutely no one suggesting you plant coral or ride a horse, there are other islands for that. But if you are willing to be surprised, to find that a place this beautiful can also be this alive, it is unlike anywhere else in the archipelago.
I did not expect to leave the Maldives having done quite this much. I also did not expect to miss Shams quite this much. But here we are!
