You step off the boat into knee-deep water. It is warm. The sand under your feet is white. You look up and the water ahead of you is the color you thought only existed in drone footage. It doesn't. It's real. It's right here.

The lagoon is shallow enough to stand in most places. Kids play in the shallows. Couples float on their backs staring at the sky. The cliffs of Comino and Cominotto frame both sides like a natural amphitheater built for swimming.

When you're ready, you walk back to the pickup point and wave at the next shuttle. Fifteen minutes later you're back at Hondoq, already planning what to do with the rest of the afternoon.