I was exhausted by the previous six months of work, so I decided I needed to sleep by the ocean for a while.

I wanted to treat myself, so I booked a place at the Meeru Island Resort in the Maldives, an island country in the Indian Ocean southwest of India.

I rented a villa on stilts out over the ocean - it was incredible!

I had been needing this kind of rest for a while now.

The villa itself was amazing, I loved the open air shower.

Luckily for any passers-by, the back porch outside my shower had 12 foot walls. Luckily for me, there was also a jacuzzi in it.

Meals were included, so we ate buffet style in a large dining area.

Olga was seated at my table, we had many meals and great conversations together. She is Ukrainian, married to a Brit, living in Spain.

One evening we went to see a Maldivian traditional dance together.