Maldives

[adelene]

Good morning everybody.
Have a lot to catch up this morning.
Wu is going to talk abt Mirihi for another 12 months before he make another trip to another island resort, then he will promote that resort for another XX months.... and so on. kekekekek! Isn't it?
Actually, it would be nice to have all of us making a trip to one of the island. I wonder if there are enough water ville for everyone here?

imagesxela,
you do your research and nua over at Maldives loh! Make use of the deepavli and the Hari Raya Puasa Holiday to make the trip. You can be very nua in maldives.

Mish,
Yalor! this is the only chance to take long leave. I told my boss and his mouth dropped. And he give me the expression telling me to cut the holiday short, I dun care. Cannot always grant his wish, I'm not genius mah!
Can give you some details when you wanna make your trip!
How is your decision? Anatara? Make it a week vacation.

Haru,
Initial plan to go hawaii this trip as well. eventually, change cos we have far too many places to hit in Southwest america.
Have you spot any whale shark when snorkelling at Hilton?


zhuzhu,
I din buy the prdt. Does his prdt work? I'm not so confident with him leh! You know sometimes taiwan TV proogram act act only.

Wu & joy,
you super!!!! I saluate you. I only hit 3K in a month, you 8K. I have not buy my wide-angle lens.
HUH??? You bringing a friend with you!!! Thought it should be a romantic 2 person time! It's baby time. BTW, any good news?
Have you spot any whale shark when snorkelling?

puppylove888,
agreed with you. Maldives is a place to enjoy the sun, beaches, sea breeze and the peacefulness. Nua nua ard. Actually many islands are above standard.

 

[mish]

Haru,

What affected my decision? A few actually. Hehe.

As this is our honeymoon, we want an unforgettable honeymoon within our budget. So we set our criteria as:

1) Not too crowded.
2) Some activities but not too much - club med is too much.
3) luxury/Space
4) water villa

Water villa is a plus la.. Not a must.

So Hilton seems to match every thing except that we are unable to afford the water villa. hehe.

So I just try to source around for water villas lo. But the nice water villas are always out of our budget. Eg: Taj Exotica.

Then Wu copy and paste the anantara link. We find the webby looks good, water villa very HUGE and the pricing seem more affordable- webby says 7n usd3k. So I just emailed them lo.

Even though it is so new, we decided to give it a try. Their other anantara seems to be doing very well and reviews are good. Plus u all support my change decision.... so.... we decided to take the chance.

Sooooo... thats the whole story.

 

[ryo]

Yo LPH,

YEs... the 8k includes spa and everything. I never did diving there else worse.... Heng ah!.

Yo Mish,

I'm not anti-hilton lah..kekkeke.. It's still really a good choices still and at that price, it's really a catch loh! anw, why don't you go for the dexule BV package. Next year the price hike so much, from USD370 till 540. It's a wonderful place to be though. If u normally stay in the villa, you'll not feel any crowd or rowdy feeling loh.
However, this year I'm so Nua, so Mirihi a better place for me...cos don't hv to walk so far.

Yo Haru,

I also want to take leave and rest but cannot leh, not enough leave liao. I'll hv to save some for my trip to sydney this coming sept/oct, accompany my wife there for their company trip.... Haizz... wait till next year lah, I'll hv more leave by then.

Saw your pics liao....very very nice!! Looks like you've grab all the technique in such a short while!! Kudos to you!!! For me, I'll hv to depends on Mass shooting and pick out those nicer pics....no skills to talk about!

Yo Adel,

HAhaha.....probably so...Mirihi for 12mths... But still Hilton got it's pro and Mirihi got it's cons also lah. I've already point out in my earlier "review" mah.

There 30 water villas on Mirihi, and the drop you taking about....kekeke... I always see diver jumpinp off the jetty(just around 20m long).... and the whole island are surrounded by reefs. Sounds good for u?

....hmmm... not sure leh. Did almost everyday during the trip, and I'm not sure whether there'll be baby wu or not. See how lah hor!

No...never see any whale shark. But there's a whale shark tour which cost USD120. Too ex, that's why never go.

Hopefully next year round if can go, will plan for early April to beat the Manta season. That's a Manta Point right between Hilton and Mirihi!... Interested?

 

[mish]

Adel,

Gd gd! Tell me more after your honey moon! We going to stay in anantara for 7n. Hee. Not like u... can take so long holiday!

What do you do? can take so long leave? will have alot of work when u come back?

 

[kazataza]

Good morning..
finally finished my confrence call...had it for the past hr...ear burining already...kekekeke

Wu & Joy,
So Mirihi value for money lah..which massages did u guys try? i'm oso eyeing the spa there cos i think still quite affordable

really dying to see your photos...kekekee

 

[joystream]

hi Fanfan,

the spa really worth it!!! Go and do to "for him and her" spa for USD$140.For this one they do the balinese massage. They also will include a bottle of champagne for you!!! Then we also tried the aromatherapy and aloe vera sun smoother... wow shiok shiok when they apply the aloe vera on your body.... then if you sign up 2 USD$60 package, you will get 10% discount. 3 and above will get 15% discount. so quite worth it!!!

as for the photos, please wait.....

kekeke

 

[haru]

hey blueginger,
nope, didnt see whale shark. saw some tiny fish that looked like baby whale shark, but nt sure if it is lah. me no diver so dun realy noe how to tell.hahaha...

wah Wu,
u gg to sydney in sep/oct? thats so nice!!! get to travel again! hope to hear from good news frm you and joy soon!!!kekeke....

 

[kazataza]

Joy,
thanks for the info...so for the purchase of 3 massage, must the 3 massages b used by one person, or can be shared among u and your partner?

 

[adelene]

Wu,
Cool...
I wanna go Mirihi then. Have reef and drop. Not crowded as well.
April good. You treat me to a trip loh! It's my birthday month.
Whale shark trip so expensive leh! Sure can see whale shark meh?
Gng to sydney. Envy! Envy! Envy!

Mish,
Sure. will let you know.
My job is project-based. So i just not located big project ard the time loh! NO time to pile up my tray. Besides, I told boss I oso need to have wedding in taiwan, so he understand.

Haru,
Have you overcome your fear swimming with fishes. They are adorable, right? tiny fish not baby whale shark, I think? cos baby whale shark are larger than a normal shark. I saw triggerfish and some reef fishes in your photo. Nice catch. So you met Wu and Joy at Hilton?

 

[joystream]

hi fanfan,
for the "him and her spa" no discount... only those that cost USD$60 got discount. the massages can be shared..

so no worries...

cheers!!

 

[starmed]

haru
thanks soo much for your wanderful pics..

haha..like suffering some withdrawal... your pics are really nice!! btw u look cute in your specs... u guys really good photographers leh... know which angle to take etc... still say amateur...

Wu & joy
are your pics ready for the show? think alot of us waiting eagerly leh...

u guys make mirihi sounds really good..

haha..think i also wanna go there liao not hilton...esp after Wu mention the crowds there... gee.. not my kind of place.. too old liao..wanna be hermit...

adel
wah!! it's a nice place in the US... keke.. do take pics k?

joy
the spa there is like the one in hilton? or better? seems not too ex leh the spa..

 

[kazataza]

joy,

i'm planning to go for the "him and her" spa oso...cos i thot quite value for money as i think SG spa rates also almost there...hope USD continue to drop...heeheehee

 

[shan_shan]

hi Wu,

thanx for sharing wif us ur wonderful experience at Mirihi...wow, tink im choosing Mirihi now for honeymoon oso...

u mention that the rooms is bou USD$200+ rite? i enquire bou the price from this website at maldives@asiatravel but they quote me USD422 for Nov rates lehz...so much difference ah....or wil it be cheaper if i book the rooms direct from Mirihi? so meaning u wil book the rooms n the air tic n seaplane transfer (anything else?) separately izzit?

 

[starmed]

shanshan
think nov will be higher cos it's the peak season in maldives...

 

[bvbride]

hello Mish

correct her name is Jolene not Joanna ok. in case u forget just get the chinese therapist la. the place is so cool right and the smells so wonderful. yr first brazillian? good luck ! no worries la u are in pretty good hands!

wah.. the pkg for Anantara sunshine escape sounds so tempting and itz like USD 3K for 7n on Water villa? hmmm...... but even i can make it doubt possible for me to be on leave in Sept la...hmm..hopefully end of the year i can make it? kekeke...no pictures hor....the other time i think u fwded me some powerpoint slides...doesnt really tell much though. but thanks for being so brave to be one of the first to explore this new venue yeah...u gog in sept06? u might hv mentioned but i forgot le...

haru: hv a good break - im still suffering the hang over from world cup man... late last sunday night i was watching the match and doing major ironing. in the mean time the washing machine was doing itz 2nd or 3rd load of the day. no wonder im still so beat. today better sleep by 11.30am...not my style le...kekekek ;p

cheers!!

 

[zenn]

Hi everyone!!

Wu, joy and haru, welcome back!!!

Haru, can share wif me ur photos? [email protected]

Wu & joy, thanks for ur report! We decided to postpone our maldives trip to next yr cos even if we go ahead I cant enjoy most of the activities or even my fav spa. Also, after sick for more than 1 wk, i also worried in case if really fall sick there I will have trouble getting medical help. Hopefully mirihi will not increase price or no more changes again.

 

[jenzhuzhu]

Hi there

Can anyone share with me his/her experience if u ever been to Bandos Island or Club Rannalhi in Maldives

Tt of gg to either 1 place coz the rates is much more affordable for both my FH n me

 

[kazataza]

shanshan,
I'm going Mirihi in Nov and here're the rates I'd gotten so far

Direct from hotel: USD422 + 10% per night
From CrownTours: USD403 nett per night

Including seaplane transfer and the seabed taxes, my stay 5N at Mirhi will cost me USD2881.

22 Dec will be another hike in the rates to USD598 per night if u book direct from the resort..

if u need the winter rates booking direct with hotel, i can give u the details

I took up the former offer due to the following:-

1) From the info I'd gotten from Crown Tours, they charge 10% of the total bill for credit card payment. You may wish to double confirm with the folks here who'd used Crown Tours

2) Cancellation policy. Booking direct Mirhi can allow me to cancel 20+ days before my arrival date. I need this as I'm only able to confirm my air tix around mid Oct.

 

[haru]

hi bvbride and joy,
wah, my washing machine work super hard today. did few loads of laundry from leftover bedsheets before our trip and i changed all e sheets today today. major laundry day..hoping most of it can dry today so i can do another full load of towels..=P

hey starstar,
hahha..ya, had to wear my glasses while watching video on e plane..kekeke..no lar, me and hubby def stil amateur just that we like to look out for nice things to shoot. we even tried some shots like those in magazines (u noe those w attitude look..),hahahaah..but of coz we look nothing like models lah! we just pose for fun..quite funny to see it..

actually i notice all e angmohs like to hang out at the pool. early morn aft breakfast they all go straight to the pool. its almost like a place to be seen,hahah..but other than that, esp at water villa island, quiet quiet. but i believe at mirihi will be more like pure quiet with almost not another guest in sight coz so few guests on one island.

yo Wu,
can't wait to see ur pix!!

hey jenn,
hmm..i dun noe much about bandos or club rannalhi, may can see if Wu has any idea.=>

 

[haru]

hi fanfan,
are those rates for water villa? now i see anything more than US250 like quite ex...=P

 

[mish]

Bvbride,

Got it! I made appointment for Joanna. I not so brave la.. go brazilian. I going to do the norm only. wahahaha.

Yes yes, I have taken the plunge to go for anantara to have a look! The pictures really doesn't tell much. But 139sqm.. shouldnt be that bad for a water villa la. hehe.

We are going ic Oct 2006. No more promotion. We get another promotion package. about 4k.

 

[lph]

wu, u spent $4K per person for 9 nites in water villa? tat is quite affordable

 

[kazataza]

haru,

yes....cos it's in Nov..the 1st price hike...
Dec is worse...USD598 + 10%...can faint man..
think Nov hard to get USD250 ...even beach villa at Mirhi is going at USD392 + 10% in Nov...
sigh...

 

[imagesxela]

Duh!!!! Jennife...how come u here also ah!?!? Going maldives ah? hahaha..

I heard Bandos is for SQ people and very very near male. Club Rannalhi leh..i did asked here before..but seems like no one been there.

Why dun u go Baros...


WU..why are we waiting lalala..why are we waiting..lalala...(pressure pressure)..hahahaha..

 

[mish]

Imagesxela,

I think baros quite ex leh... i checked the water villa that time. Not very reasonable. I think maybe she should go to mirihi... sincegot wu's review already...

 

[zenn]

Haru, thanks!!! so nice!! reminded me of my stay at everson hua hin but i m sure maldives will b much much better. must show my hb so that he will remember his promise next yr

 

[imagesxela]

Baros Ex ah? ohh... ok ..didn't know that..maybe due to renovation and everything new new so increase price? last time i went like ok leh..

oh..of course should try Mirihi ...i also tempted liao..haha.. after the good review by WU... seems like a good place for photography as well...hmmm...Think Think Think..

 

[joystream]

starstar,
dun pressure us for photos leh... very stress...

;ast nite we stay up till about 2 plus just to view and arrange the pix in order.. we haven even choose which one to put for public viewing!!! sigh... wu took too many pix liao..

i didn't try the spa in Hilton so no comparison for this. what i can say is they are very nurturing. thats why very shiok. even wu enjoyed it!!

haru!!!
lucky you.... so shiok can break for another week!!! me got to do all the laundry after i get back from work...

so tired...

mr wu,
hmmm... sex life..? hahaha

 

[kazataza]

i've a question to ask u guys...deviate from the Maldives topic awhile..

For part of my HM in Nov, i'm thinking of using my Tigerair free air tix apart from the Maldives..and is thinking of going to the following:-

1. Phuket
2. Chiangmai

If it's you guys, which option will u choose?

 

[haru]

hi fanfan,
i think i'd go for phuket...=P

 

[mish]

i will go chiangmai... hehe. Phuket beach.. maldives beach? over dose!!!!!

 

[haru]

hahahah Mish, quite true!!

 

[starmed]

fanfan
chaing mai...hmmm..got other choices beside these two? HK?

joy
haha...ok..no lah..not only me leh...imagesxela singing 'why are we waiting' too... haha..ok.. we'll wait patiently for it..

 

[lph]

fanfan, so qiao...me also trying to redeem the tigerairways free tix. thinking of gg phuket or krabi.

after searching ard, think i prefer the resort in phuket.
take a look at this resort: http://www.accesspoolresort.com
http://www.burasari.com/
havent check out the rates yet.

anyone been to any one these resorts?

 

[zhuzhu]

aiyoh..i never come in the whole day..already 1 archive liao..

eh Wu, Joy & Haru..when u guys not around..it was SOOOOO quiethere..

Hey Adel
U asking me abt the niu er pdts rite? only tried the red wine mask last nite..find it so so..duno why got so many ppl made so much hoo ha abt it..

Hey fanfn
I think it will pick phuket oso..being to chiangmai b4...like nothing much oso...anyway can't remember much..so must be nothing fanastic over there..

eh how come u guys got free tix to redeem har?

 

[joystream]

zhuzhu,

forgot to tell you...!! relax inn hor... very good already leh.... you still complain har.. (previous post) last year we went that one much much much much worse than relax inn.... dunno how to describe to you that one... dun think you will want to sleep on the bed... heehee

 

[zhuzhu]

hahaha..joy
really ah..better than the previous one u stay ah..when we walk down that dark corrider already sian halfway..go in the room sian 3/4...then mid of the nite got chanting fully sian liao..

 

[ryo]

Yo folks,

Haiz..... sorted for so long hor, I just completed the 1st day of photo. It's around 73 pics out of my 8K pics.

I'll slowly add on as time goes by hor...pardon me and bear with me.

Hope u folks enjoy. Let me know how can I improve the photography skills as well...

P.S ANW, some of the pics I used the wrong ISO, forgotten to set back to ISO200, i.e ISO800...thus slightly noisy lah...bear with me okie!

Enjoy!!!

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2104321453&idx=0

Wu "N" Joy.

 

[imagesxela]

Wow... great pics...sharp image, especially the last pic of joy.. any post processing done? or all raw from your camera?

The bed is big hor..waah.. the place looks good man...more pics please..ahaha...

Anyway..thanks for the effort for putting up the pics...

 

[ryo]

Yo imagesxela,

So late haven sleep ah? Waiting for my pics? kekeke....kidding lah...

Anyway, all pics not RAW. I use fine then max pics size.
Anw, these are the better pics... you haven see how many blur pics i took ah... I thot my hand quite firm liao, still pics come out blur. I really need more practice and learn ow to compose a nice pics.
Haru took those pics also very nice...especially those with her super wide lens... I think 10~22mm? that's why I shld hv bought a super wide lens there. neber mind next year...kekekekek...

Bed is big and comfy. no complain lah.

I now only sort until the 3rd day. Loading these 1st batch of pics takes me 1hr liao.
wait till tomorrow nite hor....come back hor, so busy with work, can't even chat with u folks!

 

[mish]

Yawn... I am soooo tired. After looking at the nice nice pictures of Wu and Joy's hard work - they were trying to sort the pics from 8ish till 12!!!!I went to play game till 330am! Unbelieveable!!!!! OMG!!! Jialat looooo. Tired day.. -.-

 

[kazataza]

thanks guys for the vote....i actually oso prefer Phuket...but like what Mish said, my bf is worried that we have overdose on the beaches...

LPH,
I'd never stayed at there..but i heard good reviews on them...met a SG gal in Phuket the last trip and she was staying @ the Access Pool..she's very happy over the resort...but the resort is not very near the Karon beach..you gotto walk abit..nice quiet place though

For Burasari, it's a botique hotel @ Patong beach...very accessible to Patong Beach and the Patong market..less than 5 mins walk u reach either..but, it seems that many singaporeans on F&E are staying there ..
try to compare the rates offered at www.phuket.com
usually it's much cheaper than if u book direct with the resort

 

[jenzhuzhu]

Hey Alex

Didnt expect to see u here. Yah, gg Maldives for my honeymoon but that will be in Dec coz heard frm my frz whom is a regular fisher in Maldives saying that Dec - Apr is their peak period n the weather is sunny all round

Baros is okay but seem like the water villa is quite ex. Been doing research on Bandos Island Beach villa with Jacuzzi n Club rannalhi water villa, these 2 i feel that its more affordable so trying to see if there is any review on this 2 island

Btw, which resort did u went 2 last time round

 

[adelene]

fanfan,
Both beaches different views mah! No worry.
But all depends on what you prefer.
Phuket: Beaches, sunshine, party.
ChangMai: Forest, mountain, greenish.

Wu & Joy,
Just start going through your link.

 

[adelene]

Wu,
That's all? 8K pics only on for the first 2 days. I'm waiting.... =P
I think you dun have to do any editing liao!

 

[shan_shan]

Hi fan fan,

thanx...ic, no wonder the price is so much more exp than wat Wu mention....

yes yes, can i hv the details pls?...can i also hv the contacts of Crown Tours? Thanks!..

 

[haru]

hey Wu and joy,
went thru ur pix. super clear leh!! nice!! joy, u also have ur own "smelly" pillow?? me too! but mine is smelly blankie, like charlie brown..kekeke..but i didnt bring it with me to maldives lah, to heavy..hahah...

 

[imagesxela]

jennife

I went baros and taj exotica...now looking at laguna...but dunno when go..hahaha.. u go see our chart lah...all the photos are in there man...

WU,
I still quite amazed by the 8K photos u took..HAHAHA..unbelievable leh...sort until cross eye ah..hahaha..

 

[jenzhuzhu]

Wow Alex

rich sia... those 3 resort u had mentioned is definitely out of my budget coz their water villa is damn ex

I tink i better stick back to either Bandos Island or Club Rannlhi. nid to save since spent so much on my wed prep liaoz

Keke...

 

[joystream]

haru,
i can imagine you dragging the blanket and sucking your thumbs!!! muahahahaha