[shikha_roy]

It’s been a really long time since my husband, and I have been on a vacation somewhere together. Last was for a week in Spiti in 2021. With the yearend approaching and leaves to be consumed before they lapse, we decided to take a week off and explore some new place. Initial plan was to visit Kashmir but going by flight didn’t sound exciting enough and driving down means minimum 3 weeks of leave. I did that twice last year on my Spiti ( https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...p-compass.html (Bangalore to Spiti in a Jeep Compass) ) and Rajasthan ( https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...p-compass.html (Bangalore to Rajasthan in a Jeep Compass) ) trip, so decided to be a bit more sober this time with my manager when asking for leaves

After much research, we decided to spend a week in Singapore. Booked a hotel in Sentosa for 6 nights, charted out a list of all activities to cover day wise and found a travel agent for Visa. However, every time we spoke to friends/family, we realize that Singapore is going to be a hectic trip, with visiting multiple places, the rides in Universal Studio most of which have a wait time of minimum 1 hour. On the other hand, hubby always wanted a relaxed vacation. After all the running around 5 days a week in Bangalore traffic, all he wanted was to just laze around at one place and do NOTHING which is his ideal definition of a vacation.

Our research started again. It was already end of October, and we already had our leaves approved for 2nd week of Nov. I always prefer sea over mountains (the reason why am found in Goa every 4-5 months) plus the Visa on Arrival made Maldives an ideal combination. We decided to take an All-Inclusive Package from MakeMyTrip, which included all transfers meals, drinks, non-motorized sports activities. You have an option to book flights yourself, or through them. Honestly the price difference isn't much.

You have multiple package options from MMT, some including only room and breakfast, some include only Room with breakfast and Lunch/Dinner. If you select these packages, you will have to pay for the to/from airport transfer, other meals/snacks/drinks/ all sports separately.
Btw, all billings there are only in USD, so it makes sense to take all Inclusive, rather than swiping your card during checkout and bill in USD.

The Male airport is on an island, which is connected to the mainland via a bridge. There are innumerable islands all around, where the resorts are located. If your resort/hotel falls within few kms from the airport (mostly towards North Atoll) the transfer is via Speed boat. However, if the resort is 150-200 kms far (South Atoll), they take you through a Sea plane. We opted for a resort in North Atoll, since we heard of few instances in Covid where the flights from India were delayed and the wait time to get a Sea plane is longer. You will also hear Public Island and Private Island when booking rooms. Public Island are those where multiple hotels/resorts exist. Private islands are owned completely by 1 resort; hence guests have freedom to roam around with no restrictions, hence more expensive than public islands for obvious reasons.

Coming to rooms, there are multiple variations, however they broadly fall under 2 categories – Beach Villa and Water Villa. Beach Villas are located on the beach while water villas are rooms built directly over the water and you see the turquoise blue water flowing beneath you.
The water villas also have variations – Water Villa with Jacuzzi, Water Villa with sunset view/sunrise view and many such. The prices keep going up with additional features.
We shortlisted Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa in North Atoll. Generally, the packages from MMT/Booking.com include 2 nights stay in Beach villa and 2 nights stay in Water Villa. However, we wanted to avoid the hassle of shifting rooms after 2 days, hence opted for 4 nights/5 days in Water Villa.

It’s a ~2-hour flight from Bangalore, getting a Visa is pretty simple, no questions asked if all your documents are in place. Male runs 30mins behind us, so adjust your watch accordingly though you don’t really look at time when in Maldives except calling up your friends/family.

Map of Maldives and our location in Blue dot:




Just before landing we got a first glimpse of the green sea touching the white sand beaches of Maldives. We wondered how ecstatic it would look from a sea plane.

From the sky:



Male airport is a comparatively small airport, but the immigration/stamping didn’t take much time. The entire process of landing, immigration to getting on the speed boat took less than 30 mins. As soon you land in Male, you have counters for every resort just outside the airport and you will also have people waiting with your hotel placard at the Exit. The speed boats leave just outside the airport. Our resort was 20 mins from airport. The weather that day was cloudy, with rain in the evening. We were wondering if we are going to spend the rest of the days sitting in room watching rain. But luckily the remaining days were bright and sunny, but it was neither hot nor humid. It’s a pleasant weather this time of the year.

Male airport:



Airport Parking:



Every resort has a counter at the airport:



Our speed boat:



On reaching the resort we were welcomed with refreshers and were briefed about the layout and guidelines post which we were transported to our rooms in battery operated carts.



Before leaving for Maldives, when we were browsing through photos, we were amazed how the water villas are built like a spinal cord growing towards the sea. Stepping into one of them, where we could climb down in the Indian Ocean from our living room was such an exciting experience.

Check Out our Water Villa:

https://youtu.be/_BCRxK6mOn8

Post checkin and some rest, we head to explore the property. Since this is a private island, we could access the beaches on all sides. It had 2 swimming pools on 2 beaches - one offering awesome view of sunrise and the other of sunset. The resort had sit out areas all around facing the sea, indoor and outdoor sports room, gym, meditation room, spas and other standard amenities.

Welcome to Maldives:



Life is better pool side:



Take me to the ocean:



Speed boat is parked after dropping us to the resort:



Chill out and relax:





Smell the sea, feel the breeze, hear the ocean, be at ease:





A beautiful sunset that was mistaken for a dawn:



Every sunset is an opportunity to reset:



Simmering view of swimming pool at night:

[shikha_roy]

Start your day with morning tea on the ocean:


Someone is missing his office:


Far from the hustle and bustle of city traffic:


We loved the deck view in our room, the endless horizon with occasional speed boats cruising in the sea, the turquoise blue water as far as you can see, gentle breeze from the ocean, unobtrusive view of the blue sky and the constant sound of water below your villa surrounded us for the next 5 days.

Our days were spent in lazing around in the resort, swimming, watching colorful fishes all around, indulging in water sports. Evenings would mostly be spent at ViuBar – an overwater bar with Live music and some unobstructed view of the sunset.

Don't miss the last video which has a footage of the live music.

The Viubar:


Watching sunset from Viubar deck:


Small chit chats overlooking sunset with snacks and drinks:




Most of the resorts have a dedicated restaurant for the buffet meals, and some cuisine specific restaurants which are not included in your package. The buffet is a mix of Thai, American, Korean and Indian food. Food is never disappointing there, considering guests visiting from various countries.
In our resort, we enjoyed a sumptuous 3 course meal at Oceans restaurant, which was multicuisine with Spanish, American, Indian and various other food options served on different days.

Oceans Restaurant:




The food spread:


Yummy desserts, Sunnyside and muffins:









When driving on highways, I always enjoy the early morning hustle and bustle of any city. Similarly, oceans also have an early morning vibe which one should never miss. The big fishes chasing the small ones every morning, the small ones rushing in batches with their silver bodies shimmering in morning sunray, huge seabirds waiting on the beach for their catch of the day.

Sharing some random pictures:









Resort Parking:

[shikha_roy]

One common question we encountered on our trip was: "Aren't there sharks in the ocean?" There were sharks, but not huge and scary as in Jaws. Every evening there is a ‘Shark feeding’ session, where small to medium size sharks are fed Tuna. Watching so many sharks at arms distance sounds crazy, but these sharks are the harmless ones (apparently).

SHARKS!


Dolphin watching rides are organized by the resort. But we did not have to go for it, since we could see dolphins from the deck of our water villa. We could catch a glimpse of small humps crossing our villa and we realize a pod of dolphins came to say a Hi. On multiple occasions we noticed stingrays right at our doorstep (read staircase) and fishes all around our villa. The fishes come in all shapes and sizes and colors. Multicolored fishes in crystal clear water right below your feet is an experience.

We ventured in few water activities, all of them non-motorized. Motor sports are not allowed to preserve the diminishing coral reef. One of the days, we went underwater in a semi-submarine to see the corals and fishes. 100s of colorful fishes swimming around in their natural habitat looks just so right. We even noticed a huge shark swim by! And this was the carnivorous one!

Submarine:



View from submarine:





Another day, hubby tried iAqua- a battery operated water scooter to take you underwater. Keep changing gears and you keep going faster and deeper. More than swimming skills, you need to be confident to do it, since there is no lifeguard with you, nor an oxygen cylinder. They have demarcated area, within the shallow water range where you need to ride. He enjoyed the experience thoroughly, watching fishes up and close, diving down and husssssh coming up the water. The only catch is you end up swallowing lots of saline water if you are doing it the first time.

iAqua:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWLBO7ufuiY

One of the days we decided to take a break from the buffet lunch and tried Italian lunch – Tuna pizza and Pasta in White sauce from another restaurant in the same resort.

Tuna Pizza



The resort organizes beach party on some evenings, on other days you can sit in the café over the pool enjoying live music with drinks, sitting on the deck watching sunset for hours.

Setting up the beach party for the night:









We witnessed 2 beach weddings during our stay. The decoration, the dresses, the party looked straight out of a dream sequence.

Someone had a dream wedding:



An elderly couple enjoying a romantic evening:



One of the evenings, husband had a little surprise for me. I was sitting by the beach and admiring the decoration for a couple dinner, complete with flowers and light decoration, the table done up beautifully in the middle of water, when I realized it was for us. Cool wind, water splashing below your feet, music on the beach and some lip smacking dinner.

Surprise dinner from hubby:







Some random pics:











After 5 days of Horn free, pollution free break from life, we are back to our daily life. Maldives is in one word – BEAUTIFUL!!

Few things to remember:
1. All purchases/billing are only in USD.
2. Prefer All Inclusive Packages so that you don’t have to worry about conversion rate and the 3-4% margins from bank everytime you swipe your card there. Along with the fare and room charges, there are some mandatory City taxes, local taxes which has to be paid during checkout, but those charges get included in All Inclusive packages.
3. Prefer the right window seats when landing in Male to get a view of the runway next to water.
4. We did not carry any cash with us, just a forex card topped up with $400-500, which we used for the extra water sports we availed.
5. Carry sunglasses and lots of sunscreen. No restriction on clothes.

You will never get tired clicking pictures of the beauty all around, but stop for a while, breath in the fresh air, dip your feet in the crystal clear water while admiring its many shades from sunrise to sunset. In short make memories!

The best thing to do in Maldives is.. DO NOTHING.

I leave you with a video which summarizes our 5days in Maldives, some with original soundtrack to enjoy the wind, the water and the music:

https://youtu.be/62hbGPpd0dU

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[alpha1]

The photos and videos are "mouth-watering" and make me yearn for a vacation now!
Thanks for the info on visa-on-arrival. I frankly never consider places abroad for headache associates with getting visa.

There are two things I wanted to know:
1) How crowded are the places at this time of the year? I expect the crowds to increase exponentially towards the New year and then stat tapering from Jan mid onwards ... (something similar to Goa?)

2) What is the COVID protocol / testing etc that one needs to be aware of.

[inwester]

Originally Posted by shikha_roy

Coming to rooms, there are multiple variations, however they broadly fall under 2 categories – Beach Villa and Water Villa.

Looks like you guys had a blast.

It's on my bucket list and last week when I found myself in Kerala I was thinking of going to Maldives for the weekend on a last minute. One question I had was whether they allow kids in the water villa?

[shikha_roy]

Originally Posted by alpha1

The photos and videos are "mouth-watering" and make me yearn for a vacation now!
Thanks for the info on visa-on-arrival. I frankly never consider places abroad for headache associates with getting visa.

There are two things I wanted to know:
1) How crowded are the places at this time of the year? I expect the crowds to increase exponentially towards the New year and then stat tapering from Jan mid onwards ... (something similar to Goa?)

2) What is the COVID protocol / testing etc that one needs to be aware of.

Thank you!
1. Dec- March/Apr is considered to be the best time to visit Maldives. Our resort was fully booked with guests constantly checkin in and out. The weather is perfect this time of the year, bright sunny yet pleasant. You don't feel the scorching heat even in noon under the sun.

2. No RT PCR required if you are fully vaccinated.

[shikha_roy]

Originally Posted by inwester

Looks like you guys had a blast.

It's on my bucket list and last week when I found myself in Kerala I was thinking of going to Maldives for the weekend on a last minute. One question I had was whether they allow kids in the water villa?

Thanks! Yes we indeed had a great time

I should have mentioned that in my original post. Some resorts are adults only like the one we stayed in, however resorts which allow kids do allow them on water villas too - Since most of the packages are mix of beach/water villas.

[//M]

Lovely travelogue with great detailed writeup.

I just got back from Maldives earlier this week. We stayed at the Dhigufaru Island Resort and the best part I felt about the island were the seaplane transfers due to the distance from Male airport. This was quite a unique experience for me. We were not asked for RT-PCR or even vaccination certificate anywhere. But we had declared our vaccination status with the resort online at the time of booking.

Hijacking your thread with a few pictures I clicked.

[jbpanda]

Great post and lovely pictures and no surprises there. Maldives is mesmerising. Thanks for sharing a detailed review. Very helpful!

If you are looking for a short relaxing and rejuvenating getaway out of country and do not have time for planning or waiting for Visa, look no further than Maldives. In June 2022, we went for our third trip to Maldives and stayed at Centara Grand Island Resort and Spa and it was fabulous. This resort allows kids and we travelled with our 5 year old who had a great time as well. The infinity swimming pool, the play room (where you can leave your kids under the care and supervision of staff) where kids meet new friends and are engaged in lot of interesting activities apart from play, water sports and activities around the resort, great food and hospitality and the list goes on.

Sharing some of our memories too as you rightly said, you leave your heart in Maldives and make memories for lifetime!

[Ace F355]

Thanks for sharing this. Maldives is wonderful and as usual, while we have done the trip - never got to sit and pen down the experience. Thank you for doing that in a very crisp manner.

Originally Posted by shikha_roy

One common question we encountered on our trip was: "Aren't there sharks in the ocean?" There were sharks, but not huge and scary as in Jaws. Every evening there is a ‘Shark feeding’ session, where small to medium size sharks are fed Tuna. Watching so many sharks at arms distance sounds crazy, but these sharks are the harmless ones (apparently).

Maldives actually has many different breeds of sharks. The Grey Reef Shark (toddler ones in the pics you shared) are most common. However, in and around Ari Atoll, you can also see whale sharks, which are bigger and great hunters. And towards the South atoll, they can be much bigger especially when you experience them in the wild during deep dives. Shark and Ray feeding is one way by most resorts to create a tourist's first experience with them.

During our trip to Maldives, we had a private beach villa with amazing reef and huge Reef Sharks (6+ feet long) used to visit. We were in awe of them till the time we saw the whale sharks and manta rays in our dive which was absolutely surreal to say the least. While reef sharks don't attack till the time one doesn't corner them or comes in the way of their feed fish schools, one has to be very careful with the wild ones during the dives. Below is kind of sizes roaming in our house reef.


Sharing a few more pics from our trip, hope you don't mind. We had booked for two of us and our baby daughter.

[ashokabs]

The Resorts are the canned holiday in the Maldives. This is the expensive way and not so interesting. Other than the beach,sea and lovely climate you get the same conveniences at any beach resort. We stayed in Rasdhoo Island which was about and hour from Male airport by speedboat. The resort was owned by a local who happened also to be an expert diver with all th equipment. His resort provided local food with fresh fish and seafood caught by the islanders themselves. The island was 650 m x 450m with around 1200 local inhabitants. We had a private 'bikini' beach within 150 m of the hotel and a very nice reef to snorkel or dive. There were a few other hotels and eating places. Otherwise only a few souvenir shops. However, the atmosphere was great and true Maldives. Had great fun and cost us almost nothing. Hotel room was only around 2800 Rs per night. Food was a little expensive and for 3 of us for 4 days cost us USD 750.

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by //M

Lovely travelogue with great detailed writeup.
I just got back from Maldives earlier this week.

When I opened this thread, I assumed you wrote it and was waiting eagerly to go through it

Nice information and pictures, will surely help tourists planning their visit there sometime in future

[vipinS]

Me and my wife visited both the places that you have mentioned for our honeymoon in December 2017. We stayed in Singapore for 5 days and then took a flight to Maldives from Singapore at a reasonable price. We stayed for 4 nights in Maldives in a water villa and it was simply breathtaking.
We already knew that Singapore would be very hectic and hence added Maldives for complete relaxation after that. I would definitely rate Maldives way over Singapore. And let me assure you that you made a great decision as Maldives was out of the world kind of place in comparison to Singapore which we felt was great but nothing that will be unforgettable.
Also as you have mentioned All inclusive packages makes a lot of sense since you stay on the same island and the prices in the menu card is eye watering. I highly recommend everyone who visit Maldives to book All Inclusive package only. The luxury of eating and drinking without looking at the exorbitant prices and not touching your wallet for many days is something that makes the Maldives trips so memorable. I don’t even compare Maldives with any other country I visited and I really think everyone should THE HEAVEN once in their lifetime.

[Haldian]

Amazing shares all. Excellent panoramas and video. My idea of vacation has mostly been mountains and am gradually waking up to touristy vibes around sea shores. Above posts and clicks make me wonder, jow soon will I be able to do a family trip to Maldives.

From fooding point of view, I am assuming that resorts would have cooks to suit taste palates across visitors domiciles. So, from vegetarians perspective, how feasible it is to have proper variety and availability of vegetarian meals?