Maldives - The Villa

Located on the Eastern edge of Kandoomaa Fushi was the villa I stayed in (while at the Holiday Inn Resort). It was situated directly in front of an amazing surf spot, Kandooma Right.... and provided a beautiful ocean view. The villa was 2 stories... the bottom floor was an open air living space and the top of was an (air conditioned) bedroom. This is the view from the water (just outside of the surf break). 

Maldives - Beautiful Sunset IV

I took these photos on the beach front of Holiday Inn Kandooma Resort as I was waiting for the boat for the airport. It was a beautiful place!

Maldives - Beautiful Sunset III

Photographs taken from the same spot as my previous post... just a different night (same beauty).

Maldives - Beautiful Sunset II

Around 6PM each evening, guests at the Holiday Inn Resort on Kandooma Island would gather on the roof deck to reflect on the day, drink cocktails, and watch the sky light up. For surfers, it was a time to rest/recover and talk about all the amazing waves they rode. For couples, it was a time to be together and enjoy the last few hours of the day. Regardless of who you were or what you were doing, the free show that Mother Nature put on each night was worth the daily resort fees.

SB Winter Sunset

 Enjoying a "winter sunset" in Santa Barbara...

An Evening at Butterfly Beach - Chapter IV

The sun has retreated behind the clouds... but the sky and ocean continue to glow. I loved the silhouette of the palm trees in the background. At this point, I was getting quite cold and was looking forward to joining my surfboards in the warm car. 

The Seventh Day of Sunsets

Sunset - Day 7. A fitting end to the Nicaraguan holiday. A calming palette of color as the sun dipped below the horizon. 

Sun Flare

Sunset - Day 6. The most spectacular sunset of the trip! 

Million Dollar View

Sunset - Day 5. Photo taken just before the sun dipped below the horizon. Missing this view at Ventana a las Olas! 

Sunset, Dusk, and Night

Sunset - Day 4. These 3 photos were taken within 30 minutes of each other. It's amazing how quickly the scenery can change... and how quickly the sun goes to sleep during the winter months.

A Dragon's Flame

Sunset - Day 3. Not the most spectacular sunset of the trip, but still incredibly beautiful. It almost looked like a dragon was floating through the sky...

Sunset - Day 2

Not the most spectacular sunset of the trip... but I loved the blue shades in the sky (and in our "plunge pool").

The Wonderful World of Santa Barbara

This picture summarizes Santa Barbara: beaches, palm trees, beautiful sunsets, and rolling hills. It's unlike any other place I've lived... and always makes me look forward to coming home after a long trip. 

Creepy Statue in Los Angeles

For some reason, this statue creeped me out. I didn't like the look on the guy's face... and it kind of looks like he's growing a third leg in the mid-section. 

"Widescreen Views" at Playa Encuentro

The widescreen views at Chez Arsenio Restaurant in Playa Encuentro are much better than the widescreen televisions at most bars in the US... the programming is much better as well. 

La Playa

The beautiful beach of Playa Encuentro... in front of the Hideaway Beach Resort.

Hideaway Beach Resort - Dominican Republic

Hideaway Beach Resort - the grounds

When I first started looking for a place to go during the Thanksgiving Holiday, I did a google search for "best place to surf November". A lot of the options were far away (Fiji, Morocco, Indonesia) or during the midst of their cold season (France, Northern California, Ireland). However, one search result I kept coming across was Puerto Rico. I had already been there and had a good time... but many of the breaks were rather crowded. Therefore, I wanted to try something different and I knew that the Dominican Republic picked up the same swell as Puerto Rico. I did a bit of research on the various surf spots on the north side of the island and found a little condo resort on the beach that looked nice: Hideaway Beach Resort. I wasn't too sure where it was (google maps had it in the wrong location), but I thought it was relatively close to one of the surf spots: Playa Encuentro.

I arrived at the resort very late at night (took about 20 hours of total travel time to get there from Santa Barbara) and could hear the surf pounding in the background. After getting the luggage in the room, I almost immediately passed out... and when I woke up the next morning, this is what I saw!! (see 2nd picture) I really couldn't have gotten more lucky... the resort was literally right in front of one of the best waves on the Dominican coast.

The resort itself was very nice... beautiful surroundings, good food, and friendly people. However, the only issue is that the power would occasionally go out and the sink in my bathroom kind of exploded and almost flooded the condo... but these are the kind of things you expect when traveling in the Dominican. You just have to accept them and think of it as part of the adventure!

View from the condo... looking at one of the best waves on the Dominican Coast.

Careful for the coconuts!

I loved the texture on that tree

The resort pool and the bar/restaurant. Serving ice cold Presidentes all day! (and they had some decent wines as well).

Fiji Gold

The "Golden Hour" at Musket Cove Resort in Fiji.

My Fijian Adventure - "Last Light"

Enjoying the last few moments of light as I lounge poolside at Musket Cove Resort. 

My Fijian Adventure - Namotu Island

Namotu Island (shown above) is located between Tavarua and Malolo Lailai. It features some world class surf spots that are a bit more "user friendly" than Tavarua: Namotu Left, Wilkes Pass, and Swimming Pools. Namotu was always the first place we checked (when looking for surf) and I surfed all 3 spots. Wilkes was probably my favorite (because it was one of the only places I could go right). However, I wasn't able to surf it everyday because of the strong currents and bad wind. The wave does almost a full 180 degree turn as it wraps around the reef... and it just peels forever.

On a side note, I almost stayed at Namotu Island. Unfortunately (or fortunately for my mom), it was fully booked. I think it would have been pretty cool to stay on such a tiny island. Although, I guess some people might get a bit "stir crazy" if they can't leave.

I love the ocean colors in this photo. During low tide, our boat driver had to drive a much longer distance to avoid the middle reef.