Overview
If you're in a part of Australia that's sweating through a heatwave right now — Sydney is set to break its record for the most days above 35 degrees in a season — you've probably been visualising trickling streams and cannonballing into a body of water for a few days now. But how about gliding down a waterslide straight into the ocean?
Unfortunately the cooling relief is purely a psychological one, as this slide of slides is located at luxury resort Soneva Jani in Medhufaru (Noonu Atoll) in the Maldives. The moderately-sized waterslide takes guests from the top deck straight into the ridiculously clear blue private waters the resort resides on top of. You can do all this between courses at dinner or drinks on the catamaran nets that are suspended just above the water.
The resort, which opened at the end of last year, boasts 25 over-water villas — all of which include their own private outdoor decks, pools, access to the ocean and retractable roofs. If you're already picturing yourself there, note that villas start at a huge $2000 AUD per night, with some even exceeding $10,000 a night.
So while going to the Maldives would be a great right about now, we might just have to live in hope that Australia's main swimming spots gets a slide — we can definitely picture one down at Clovelly in Sydney or jutting off the pier at St Kilda.