Maldives

[starmed]

t&p
oh ok...ya...she told me her weekend's r usu busy but I didn't expect her to be so fully booked. so pai seh...

wah..jarrett is almost catching up on Jayden!! He's only 7.9kg as of today... =)

wah!! going Italy!!! COOL!! =) must enjoy yourself... take a break. so your boy's taken care by hubby when u r away?? How long would u be away??

zhuzhu
think Markus's weight is ok..so as long he dun fall into the lower percentile or overwieght can liao... =) so as long he's healthy right?

your china maid very ex leh... $12 bucks!!

bvbride
ya man..time flies when u r busy...=) dun worry abt u being clueless...I dun think u r clueless lor.. u r more of 'xi4 xin1'.. =) jia you lor. =)

Wu
wah..so long never hear from you liao..good that u doing well. nice to go back to Maldives again.. =) must enjoy leh.. n also hopefully got good news when back har..;p u guys do need a break. =)

hee..think I'm still not that bad..cos I just brought my kid on a weekend cruise in March. =) actually past few days, my hubby was contemplating to bring us to the States to meet up wif his bro who's there studying n is coming back in june for holiday... but becos his bro's tics r bought liao..so decided not to go.

We wanted to go becos we realised that if we wait till when our kids r older...by then, we already late 30s or even 40s liao. We always wanted to go to the Six Flags theme park in the States but if u go there as a 40 yr old...seems like abit weird n also scare to take the rides liao..wait heart attack. So decided to chiong for it in June but last min decision..his bro bought the tics back home liao.

We wanted to meet up wif his bro becos least got his bro to babysit Jayden for the period we r on the rides mah..so now his bro can't make it..decided to forget abt it..sigh wasted..US dollar so weak now... see how in the next 2 years.

well, decided to drive up north to genting instead. His bro will join us...=) might stop at malacca for a nite. =) this would be the 1st time Jayden meets his uncle. =) hope it'll be a good trip.

 

[ryo]

Yo Starstar,

Missed talking to u as well!

Busy busy mum eh!
I'm doing ok lah... see.. I'm still awake doing my couples's photo. Actually this 1 yr in photobiz really spoilt my health a little. sometime rush couple photos until 5am, then 8am must wake up prepare to go to work. Normally I still sleep at about 2-3am. These late nite is killing me......Buay Ta Han... I really must do the Maldivian way...just Nua for 1 or 2 weeks there in Maldives to replenish my energy. Chiong!!

Hahaha.... 40yrs old is not old la... u talking about me issit? kekeke.... young at heart is all it matters. I saw "Old folks" still take rides during my study days back in the UK. Mind u...it's those leg hanging type of roller coaster hor! Hee....

 

[bvbride]

hey! TGIF so nice to see so many posts

Wu: U will be a great dad i know

but somethings got to give - perhaps u have to take lesser photog projects when its your turn
but time spent w bb is worth it i must say!
whoa u are still so in touch abt the resorts in Maldives. i like anything new

alamak - u work too hard lor...pls take care yeah..dunno how u do it - sleep at 3am work at 9am!

T and P: Whoa - your milk v powerful man - Jarrett is so big now! but not to worry la... just my 2cents - bigger babies will slim down a little eventually and the small ones like my boy will gain weight as they go along

Starstar: Lucky u - still got so much traveling to do after bb

am sure u will be gog to US before you know it

Zhuzhu: Markus's hair looks ok to me - i can see tt he has grown more hair le...my boy's hair so fine until can fly like feathers in the air hahha...
$12 per hour for such lousy service!! gosh...
i also think Kieran will stop ballooning as he gets older...hopefully he will be the more lean type like his daddy

btw how come white onions so expansive one hor?? howz the taste?
i think i will use normal yellow ones ? dun really see any diff...

 

[truffles__pearls]

starstar,

u r so farney, what heart attack. haha...like Wu said, never too old to take rides but ahem..maybe from our late 40s onwards, best do a health check before we embark on such happening holidays. I, for one, have a weak heart. I don't want to appear on the news headlines man.

Jus brought Jarrett to doc for his jab. Doc commented babies frm around 4 mths onwards will slow down a bit in weight gain, then pick up again around 8 I think. So I am not expecting Jarrett to grow much bigger for the time being.

Ya Lita said her weekends r fully booked by all her regulars, so no slot for me. But I told her to call me if she can work out her schedule. I prefer to have Filippinos than china chinese. My chinese not too good, hard to tell them exactly what i want.

Re. Italy, will be going somewhere in Jun, prob 14 days or so. Not sure yet, have not book my package cos still can't work out the flights and packages. Don't know to take up tour with Dynasty or Insight.

Anyone can comment on Insight or Insight Essential?
And can u guys believe it, I am only at the planning stage but I am already missing my baby!! Am I crazy or wat. I told my hb to show Jarrett my pics everyday when I am gone, if not he wun want me anymore when I come back. Sobz..

bvbride,
Haha..ya my milk very power! LOL...must be all the carbo I am stuffing my face with.
You are rite to say most babies will even out sooner or later. Like jarrett was pretty skinny at birth, now he's more "ba ba". My MIL commented his thighs not much different from pig's legs. hahaha...

zhuzhu,
wah a bit ex sia. the one i am trying is $10/hr. Dunno good or not. I still have another 2 contacts but also dunno if they are good. Will try them all I guess and decide who to stick with for long term arrangement.
I bot the jumperoo too! ;-) Hope my little one will like it. When can baby sit in it? Jarrett cannot sit without support yet.

Wu,
The beach house looks great! Drool.....u noe what to do when you come back! Must share the pics!

 

[bvbride]

Hi T and P

I got my boy to try out the jumperoo once his neck is strong enough and can hold his head v steady. he couldnt sit w/o support at that time too but managed to jump away after letting him try for two weekends or so...

Mummies: I didnt intend to let Kieran use a walker but this week my mom bought him one cos she need to put him down somewhere so that she can go about her chores, cook, make milk etc.
Didnt blame her of cos la cos she is not exactly young liao plus my boy kinda heavy now and needs constant carrying...
dun want to tire her out or else no one take care of my darling already..

Worried abt the walker affecting his walking? I hear alot alot of conflicting views..haizzzzzzzz...

 

[haru]

hi Wu!
wow, its been a while since we heard from you. take it easy with ur photography. most impt is to have ample rest to chill. => i would LOVE to visit maldives again. its just paradise there.

hey T&P,
wow, italy would be cool! my gf just came back from HM there. expensive but lotsa nice arty stuff to view.

i just came had a huge burger for lunch, so full now. planning to go for a swim tom. have nt been exercising much lately. hubby and i are planning for trip to perhaps bali this june/july. does anyone have recommendation of nice hotel, not overly expensive and pref near e beach?

 

[zhuzhu]

all,
ya that china maid is super X..and I had to pay $10 for registration fees..lucky only $10...

bvbride
not sure whats the diff between white n yellow onion..but it does makes the stock smell n taste better..

Some ppl said bb who sit in walker can start walking faster..some said bb walk tip toe...

T&P
u put jarrett inside the jumperoo when he can sit unsupported..otherwise not good for him..

 

[happy_ting]

hi

anyone been to the club med in maldives? is it good?

 

[truffles__pearls]

Ok will wait till Jarrett's stronger than let him try the jumperoo.

Haru,
How are u feeling? Enjoying ur pregnancy already?
Can u believe I actually miss being pregnant? Gone were the days where I was treated as Queen..haiz...

 

[haru]

hi T&P,
haha, the feeling is still surreal. not feeling too bad except for nausea on and off. but no throwing up at all, phew! 2 more weeks to my next gynae appt. looking forward. =>

 

[kazataza]

Wu,
you planning to go Maldives again? going to abandon Alex?

Haru,

you're pregnant?!??!
oh gosh!!! it's been sometime since i checked in here and there's so many updates...

 

[zhuzhu]

t&p
eh sometimes i oso missed the times when I was preggy..in a flash..Markus is going to be a toddler soon..was just telling hubby I missed him when he was still a bb..

 

[haru]

zhuzhu,
any plans for baby no. 2? =P

 

[starmed]

Hi all =)

Wu
yoz... u have to take care hor... health is impt k? it's good that u r planning a break soon. U n Karen sure need one... =)

wah..40 years old liao still take those rides..pai fu... think I'll be scare to take such risks...or maybe bef emabarking such adventure..must go for health checks first...if not, peng san also dun know why... abit kia si spirit here...keke..

t&p
so sorry..can't help ya wif your planing cos never been to europe bef... maybe the rest can help ya better?

how's your part time helper? ok?

u miss being preggie??? get your no.2 then...keke..;p

zhuzhu
when your no2 coming??? hee..I'm hoping to have one next year...=) so hopefully by end year, will have good news for Jayden. ;p

haru
not bad...least u dun suffer from bad morning sickness... still have to take care k? watch what u eat... =)

fanfan
wah...so long since u last came in...any upcoming trips??? =)

 

[zhuzhu]

ladies
my factory now temporary closed shop..not in production anymore..

 

[luvz17]

Hi Ladies,

I need more info about Maldives. I heard so much about this place.I am thinking to go there for honeymoon in Jan. Can anyone tell me more about this place?

Is it better to make own arrangement or by agency? Which agency caters to this place?

What are the recommended hotel/ resort?
Are they English -speaking place?
How many days are appropriate to be spent there?

Sorry for asking so many qns at one time.
Thanks in advance

 

[kazataza]

starmed
i just returned from phuket...went there for a 4D3N short break...

luvz17

wah! u so early planning for your HM for next year ah...

i think most of us use http://www.mal-dives.com/ as a starting point to do our research...it helps to give us a rough idea what resorts are out there and the respective price range..

for me, i booked through Holiday Tours (located at Cairnhill - Orhcard) http://www.holidaytours-sin.com/

assuming you're flying direct to Male via SQ, you will reach Male only @ night...hence you will need to factor 1 night stay at Male if you choose a resort accessiable via seaplane.

for myself, i spent 5 nights at Anantara. Though it's accessible by speedboat, i still stay 1 night at Male as i think it's not worth it to spend so much for the 1st night when i only check in at 9 or 10pm...


if you're into water sports/activites and "rotting" by the beach, you can stay there for a longer time.

i know of people who went therre for 4nights and complained that they find it too boring...cos they've nothing to do...guess a lot of singpaoreans are too used to fast paced lifestyle...

As for the people there, they're able to speak basic English...of cos, don't expect ang moh type of fluent English lah.


oh yah..and most impt thing, water is quite expensive in maldives resort. so do check out how many bottles of complimentary water they give u daily. we brought 3 x 1.5l over there to supplement what's given


hope this helps

 

[happy_ting]

hi

anyone been to club med in maldives? Can share your experience? It seems quite a good deal with the "all in" rates. thks

 

[starmed]

fanfan
wah...not bad leh...think u travel quite abit right? tot u went siam reap recently...good...do your travelling bef having a kid. =)cos when u have a kid, travelling wif a kid is a total diff kind of feeling liao...

luvz17
what fanfan mention is right...go to the webby n check out the resorts available n shortlist the ones u wish to go...

just bear in mind of the transfer of the resorts..cos some resorts r only accessible by sea plane so u'll need to factor in 1 nite stay in the Male. Others by boats..u can go straight to the resort on the nite itself.

Also the resorts all use USD..so need to cater that in mind for your budget. =) meals can be expensive in some resorts... Oh ya...if u r going in jan, it could be the peak season for most resorts...that'll means more ex to go than other mths like july.

how many nites there depends on u n hubby liao. If u r a beach goer, loves sun, sea n sand n 'nuaing'...it's the place for ya. 4 nites may not be enough for ya!! If u want sight-seeing or shopping, dun think maldives is the place for ya cos u'll most prob be bored to tears. If u r the in-between kind of person(loves beach but also much prefer some sight seeing/shopping), think the best alternative for ya is Mauritius. The only thing abt Mauritius is the resorts there dun have the over water bungalows in maldives. It'll depends on what u r looking for n your budget.

 

[starmed]

zhuzhu
so when u planning for the 2nd one??? ;p

meiting
so sorry...I didn't stay in club med bef so can't help u wif that. But heard club med is like a family resort...so maybe need to bear wif kids on the island wif ya???

 

[haru]

hi meiting,
i think club med is generally ok, but i wld say go for resorts which requires you to take a sea plane. i personally felt that was a good experience flying above the atolls. but its a personal thing. if u budget allows, go for it!

do check out tripadvisor website too for some recent reviews from travellers from around e world. if you can, have at least a nite in a water bungalow. its really cool to be able to jump right into the sea from the balcony aft waking up in e morning. other than that, its really all about total relaxation and just enjoying e sun, sand, sea.

 

[mish]

wah you all really onz leh! I loooonggg loooonngggg come see one time.. and you ladies are still here! Wonderful!!

Wu forever going maldives! The resort that he is going makes me DROOL! Omg.. Its soo pretty.

Fanfan, wah.. u also still here!

So.. how many no. 2sss coming up?

 

[kazataza]

starmed,
u still remember i went siem reap? i myself nearly forgot abt it when my fren commented that i keep going hols..i still told her "where got? 2008 havent go lah"...then she asked "thot u just went cambodia?? " blur me right?


yah...agree must travel before having BB...but hor, me trying to postpone having BB lah..telling other half rubbish theory now...say next year is ox mah...i dun like...so must wait till the right chinese sign lor...hahahaha



mish,
how come u suddenly come here? heehee....so eng again huh?


talking abt maldives make me feel like going again.......................................

 

[mish]

Fan - ya.. eng eng sometimes come and see this thread.. then all bb talk leh.. so i mia for a while. next time got bb then join in bb talk..

But now and then wondering hw the rest are doing ma.. so come and talk abit. heh heh

 

[ryo]

Yo bvbride,starstar,Haru,

I'm gonna rest more for sure... pass more AD jobs to my trusted partner Alex! kekekeke....

Yes.. T&P, will take more photo this time round

Yo ladies,

looks like ppl are starting to ask about Maldives again huh... becos it's start of the season! Maldives season. Hee.

Yo Fanfan.... Mish say she eng eng wo...kekekeke.....

Yes Mish, I've just put up my reservation thru www.mal-dives.com again. Yes... it's the beach house. Hee. ya la... Maldives again.. becos me n KAren are both beach bum n lazy bugger... dun like walking..haa

 

[haru]

hey Wu,
when will u be gg for your trip? i saw the resort website, looks awesome!!!!ah.....*bliss*

 

[mish]

Wu, you going with another couple? You took the big big water villa? COOOOOooooolllll!

You 2 really enjoy life! SO NICE! Great to keep having couple time like the you of you. Enjoy eh!

 

[luvz17]

Thanks, fanfan.. No choice..coz we need to work out the budget. We shortlisted this plc coz we want to relax after wedding. If the price exceed our budget, then we have to find alternatives eg bali or phuket..That website really helps me alot. I can foresee the overall resort. SO you spent 1 day at male and 5 days at anantara? How much did you spend for tix and accomodation?

Hi lavender_lover, thanks for the info too. How abt u? where did you stay at maldives?

It seems that 1 reort is at 1 island. Is that true? Means u will be stuck at that island?

 

[ryo]

Yo Haru,

Tentatively from 5th July till 14 July. Yup... low season rates again.. hee.
Actually hor.. I think Hilton, W-hotel, Huvafenfushi more hip n noisy... but just that I find this beach house resort hor really value for money, n for old man like me... I need a quiet place loh. Hee... In fact at 1st I wanted to go back Mirihi as the rates still maintain a 2007 rates, and simply love the quietness n the food.

Any this time round at the beach house, we'll just relax in the villa, do some spa, eat some nice food n perhaps do some fishing, tats' all. Becos their excursion is Ka-to ppl one. Snorkelling trip alone cos USD100+ per pax... siao.

How are u doing recently?

excited to be parent eh!

Take care ok....

Yo Mish,

No lah... going with Karen only.. see ya .. jio u liao u dun want to go. still got time eh..wanna go? we share the big big water villa la.
It's time for me to relax la.. really sick of work and all the bullshit that happened around me. Haizz...
before I book the airtix... want or not?

I still can reserve rooms for u.!

Karen will be happy if u join us!

Hi luvz17,

U can let us know ur budget and all the wonderful ladies here will be able to help out.

YEs indeed, Maldives is a place to simple relax, and slow down ur pace. It's a place where time stands still... everything is slow motion, even the waiter there, but dun blame them hor.

Airtix now is a killer, it's about 972nett to about 1.4K per pax. Then Jan period is Maldives peak season, the villa rates can easily double to triple.

Yes indeed. 1 island is 1 resort, but like hilton, it got 2 island join by a bridge. 4 season, Angsana etc got 2 resort in 2 island.. etc.
Basically u are going to be stuck in 1 island, just like Castaway show featuring Tom hanks, Or Lost... but stuck in a much smaller island.

Give us a budget n we'll try to work things out for you.. and perhaps suggesting a resort for u.

Cheers!

 

[mish]

Wu,

Cannot la! Budget constrain! You wanna sponsor? Ask Karen to sponsor me la! Pretty plsssss.... I think you need a break la. Work so hard! Need some rest!

Luvz17,

Hey! I stayed in Anantara water villa for my honeymoon and I must tell you that Maldives is BEAUTIFUL!! You will be like living in a beautiful painting. The sea is blue.. you can see fishes almost anywhere.

It's a must go and it is really a nice place for couples to go for their honeymoon since there is nothing much to do other than 2 of you snorkelling, lying by the beach, kayak etc! Very good couple time!

If you have budget constrain and club med fits your budget then why not?! Some of them stayed in club med before and their review of it is not bad as well. You go there for the sea so any resort is nice! haha. Wu stayed in Mirihi in a water villa. He said that it is reasonably priced and nice. He can provide more info for you. He is our Senior Consultant and a true blue "maldivian"!

 

[truffles__pearls]

Wah..all this renewed talk abt Maldives is driving me crazy with LUST! hahah..i am lusting for a holiday to Maldives. HB and I were jus toking abt it yesterday...dunno when can go back again.

Starstar,
no luck with the helper leh. Miscommunication, in the end she didn't come cos she tot I didn't confirm with her. So now waiting for her to have a slot on WE and still looking around for other lobansg. Found one Filipino one, but she's charging $12.50/hr and so ya ya some more, so decide not to engage her. I'll lose my cool with a ya ya maid man..

No. 2 is NO NO for now. I can hardly cope with Jarrett leh!

 

[happy_ting]

hi all maldives lovers,

thanks for all the advice.. I might go for club med due to budget as we already spend alot on wedding. Is march a peak season or low season?

 

[kazataza]

Wu,
confirmed liao huh? that's fast leh...poor Alex got to drool and take pics while u go bumming..hahaha...
told u Mish very eng one mah...shhh......


luvz17,
for accomodation + expenditure, we spent less than S$6k. our air tickets FOC. we took a package from Holiday Tours and they deduct $1k or $1.1k out from the package price as we don't need the air tickets.

keep a lookout on those with honeymoon deals especially those that include meals. we'd 1 dinner + wine FOC.

we did 1 session of spa each...went 1 day island hopping trip, 1 night fishing trip. had 1 room service (1 pasta main + dessert)

if i didnt remember wrongly, we did 1 dinner (and 1 lunch) on cup noodles.



have fun planning and the eager feeling of chiong-ing to Maldives..heehehe

 

[ryo]

Yo T&P,

I reckon that you deserve to take a break lah.... Go Go GO!!!

Yo Meiting,

Clubmed seasonal rates is different from other resort in Maldives, If I can remember correctly. normally for other resort, march is shoulder period, 2nd cheapest, and when reach mid May, it's low season. Clubmed rates can fluctuate within this periods.

I dun like Clubmed somehow... as their villa look small for the price you are paying. Try to look at other resort.

Just give us your budget and we'll calculate from there, to see which resort will meet ur needs...there are tons of good n value resort out there.

 

[ryo]

Yo fanfan,

ya... kekeke most likely. Resort not 100% confirm(under request now) but Airtix booked liao.

If I dun get the villa that I want at the beach house, I'll either choose w-hotel or huvafenfushi....or maybe my favourite Mirihi(Missed the lobster n lamb chop there)!

No lah... we July no job yet... so Alex will be doing other thingy.

kekeke.... Mish is seeing the thread lah....shhhhhh.....

 

[mish]

XF - please la! I just started reading - timestamp:5.24pm! What eng eng! Need to work de hor!

W hotel!??!!? wow... so cool.. cant tahan you... keep choosing all the mei mei hotel for us to drool on.

 

[starmed]

luz17
Yup..it's easier to work out a budget first. For me, I went during the 2005..so can't really use my rate to compare. I spent abt $6k inclu air tics... stayed 6 nights at the Taj Coral Reef water villa. Think now should be more ex liao... If u can't go Maldives due to budget, try Mauritius. My sis went recently for her honeymoon in Jan n both of them love the place there...I suggested Maldives but they say they'll bored to tears if go there... in the end ended up at Mauritius. Both of them also a beach lovers but they prefer a place where they can sight see n have some adventure experiences together. They went to a safari park there n had super close encounter wif lions!! for me, think I'll freak out man. keke...

t&p
keke..me also like ya wan to go back maldives too but not so soon lah... wish to go states first for my disneyland n red flags!! anyway, think u'll have a mini break coming up right together wif your work trip to Italy? Take it as a break. How long will u be away?

For me, I'm planning to go for a short trip away too just me only...w/o hubby n Jayden. PLanning to go BKK wif my best pal n stay there for 2 nites. think it'll be a very good time for my hubby to bond wif Jayden. Just hope Jayden won't miss mummy too much n start crying... sigh..think I'm gonna miss Jayden more than hubby...keke.. BUT I do need a break from all the chores..some me alone time.... =P gosh...even as I'm writing abt it now, I have a strong feel that I'm gonna to miss my boy for sure!!

Wu
=) take more pics for us to drool k? btw the shangrila not open yet lah.... keke..got check the webby periodically just to drool over it...haha..=)

 

[truffles__pearls]

mummies,

there's a toy warehouse at no.1 lok yang way. U guys can check it out.told starstar n bvbride liao, but dun have the others hp so cannot sms u guys earlier. brands under mattel such as Fisherprice, Barbie, sesame st. etc.

Haru, u can also check out infant toys. the cot mobiles are rather cheap. ;-)

Starstar,
yeap will be gg in june, abt 15 days. Only 2 days for work! Ahahah..the rest all for holiday and shopping.

 

[oohlahlah]

Hi all Maldives experts,

Any views on which of the following options are better?

1. Conrad Maldives Deluxe Beach Villa (US$925 incl breakfast)

2. Conrad Maldives Water Villa (US$925)

3. Banyan Tree Deluxe Beachfront Villa (US$1005 fullboard)

4. Anantara Deluxe Over Water Suite (US$770 incl breakfast)

5. Anantara Deluxe Over Water Bungalow (US$630 incl breakfast)

Budget is about S$8,000-S$10,000 for 6 nights excluding airtickets. COnrad seems to have increased their prices esp at the restaurants after they rebrand from Hilton to Conrad.

Advice needed. Pls help!

 

[haru]

hey starstar,
wow, i think tats a nice idea to go for a short trip with gf. nice to go there to have massage, yummy food, some shoppin and basically to relax.=> my in-laws family (all 14 of us) actually planned to go bkk together in dec, looks like i will have to tell them to count me and hubby out.

T&P,
thanks for e info! think i wont start shopping that soon. to be honest, i am really not e mood to visit the malls and shop nowadays.hate being in crowded places nowadays but my energy level is slowly returning and i think i'll be back in my happy shopping mode again soon.hahah...

u know what? hubby and i happen to have e same thought yesterday (no wonder we are husband and wife) and contemplating not getting a pram. sounds crazy, but hubby likes those carry on shoulders kinda straps. anyway, still early to decide. think everyone will think we are mad to consider that.

 

[ryo]

Hi Starstar,

sure... will be bringing my camera pack there.

Hmmm... ya hor... Shang not open yet. end of this year perhaps?

Hi Littlemay,

6 nites is pretty tough for conrad as per your budget, becos you must also include seaplane transfer(USD270++ per pax) and a nite stay in Male(~ USD80 -100). Does the USD925 for DBV n WV for Conrad comes with +10% S/C and USD8 per nite per pax bed tax? after you factor all this in, seems you're gonna left with not much cash to enjoy.

Anantara might suit your budget better, as it goes by speedboat transfer. Check out Mal-dives.com promo below, buy 5 nites free 2nite offer.
http://www.mal-dives.com/maldives/holidays/resorts/special_offers.html

Also depends when you are going... free nites offer are coming from W-hotel, Huvafenfushi, The Beach House, Soneva Gili etc....

My humble opinion is that if u still wants to go Conrad, Deluxe beach villa is the better option over the water villa(There's better water villa out there at lesser price), becos it has a 300sqm living space, wherea the normal water villa is much smaller, probably <100Sqm). Actually the beach villa in Conrad shld be counter as garden villa becos it's like at least 10~ 20m away from the beach.

You can check out www.mal-dives.com promo for The beach house and Island hideaway resort(235 sqm big water suite is ~ low season rate of USD600 nett per nite), and W-hotel, huvafenfushi n Soneva gili etc free nite offer. their water villa rates effectively are less then USD1K.
I reckon that these water villa is better value as comparison.

Unless u are looking at the newer conrad spa water villa, probably it's of better value, but not cheap as well.

Oh yes... Conrad DBV use to cost about USD300 in 2005, nothing has change internally except it comes with LCD TV.

p.s my suggested rates up there are based on low season rates.

cheers!

 

[oohlahlah]

Wu,

Thanks for your input. I will be going in Nov, and that's the peak season rate.

If I decide on Conrad, then I may reduce it to 1+4 (night at Male, 4 nights at Conrad).
I've done the maths, for the same amount of $$$ I can stay for 6 full nights at Anantara. I would like a mix of beach villa and water villa so that I can experience both. I was actually inclined to book Anantara but i read quite a number of reviews on Trip Advisor about complaints about sewage smell in the water villas due to poor plumbing. I'm very particular about rooms and wouldn't like the bathroom to smell. Has anyone here stayed at the Anantara Over Water Suite? Is it really that bad?

 

[zhuzhu]

haru
1st tri is like dat..u won't have any energy to do anything..dun worry..it will get better when u hit 2nd tri..

those bb carriers..I had them also (bjorn &amp; egro brand)..but it really gets quite heavy when bb gets bigger..its good to have a pram cos bb can sleep in it..

 

[oohlahlah]

Hi WU,

Have you booked from www.mal-dives.com before? Are the rates inclusive of 10% and bed tax? If so, it is cheaper than the rates quoted on the hotel website?

 

[ryo]

Hi littlemay,

That's a good move, by reducing the no. of nites stay.

That really have to depends on what you want for your money. Hilton or rather conrad, uses up-market stuff in the villa, nice bedding, expensive toilet setting etc... Mish, fan fan went to Anatara b4, can ask them though, but if I can remember correctly, they did not complain about the toilets. I reckon that it might be just some bad luck ba, probably toilet stuck or something.

I miss out the Banyan tree option you've put there. Seems to be a rather good option since it's based on all-inclusive or full board right?

Is conrad top of ur want to go resort? as if you want to experience both water villa n land villa, can try either W-hotel or huvafenfushi also, as their water villa look nicer, posh n bigger... but then I would prefer Conrad's DBV then..haa..difficult decision eh. Not sure whether conrad did an upgrade/reno on their water villa(looks outdate liao) or not, as I find that it's long due for overhaul, to compete with those big boys out there. If they have, then you might want to consider.

Let us know what u choose eh!

Can't wait to see how conrad looks like now also, since my trip there was like 2005.

Cheers!

 

[ryo]

Hi Littlemay,

Yes, I did booked from them once... and my upcoming trip to The beach house Maldives is gonna thru them as well.

And yes, their rates quote is nett, ie. all inm taxes, 10%. So u just pay that final amount to them thats all.

Oh yes, their rates is definitely cheaper in comparison to published rates(hotel). However, you might also want to compare rates with our local travel agent, Holidays tours. Most of mal-dives.com rates are cheaper than holiday tours though. Bear in mind that holiday tours rates do no includes all airport/fuel surcharges.

example:- I've book The beach house from them, and the rates for the Grand water pavilion is USD1375 nett, but if you book direct with resort, it's USD2500++, and at the same time, they dun allow us to go direct, as it's based on allocation to agent only.

1 point to note when booking with mal-dives.com, it's best if you can confirm the rooms availability with the resort that you want to go, directly with the resort, then book thru mal-dives.com, just to make sure no over-booking issue here. Their booking method is very complicated, as mal-dives.com might be booking direct with some resort, while at times, it'll book thru some wholesale agent in Maldives.

thus, say if you wanna to book conrad, you can book thru mal-dives.com but also write to conrad direct to quote ur booking number, ur information just to make sure your booking actually goes thru.
Overbooking issue does happened at times, not only with mal-dives.com, other agents too.

Hope my explaination is clear.

 

[oohlahlah]

Hi Wu,

Yeah, I read that the water villas at Hilton are a bit dated already. I think they refurbished the superior water villas, not sure about the standard water villas.

I know W Hotel and Huvafenfushi are lovely, but their prices are rather steep.

Thanks a lot for your info!

 

[oohlahlah]

HI Wu,

One other question, does the rates on www.mal-dives.com include roundtrip transfers?

 

[ryo]

Hi Littlemay,

yeah.. W- hotel n Huvafen does looks gorgeous.. so does the rates. nvm.... if u really like Maldives, next time go during low season like what I do...heee.. more nites for less money.

you must click on the transfer mode to add in the transfer, i.e. seaplane, domestic flight or speedboat round trip transfer. Dun forget to click on the meals option as well. once you choose the date that u want, meals option and transfer option, the rates giving to you is nett liao, that's what you need to pay, no more no less.

Have fun clicking on the rates thingy, who knows you can get a better resort at lesser pricing.

Conrad belongs to luxury resort class at that website. try to click on the luxury resort cat, and look at more option if you can.

Happy researching!

Glad to help out.

 

[luvz17]

Wu, are u frequent Maldives traveller? coz u seem to know alot...seems like Jan is not a gd time to go. So which months are low season? maybe considering to postpone honeymoon. Is it possible to spend air tix + accomodation within $7k for 5/6 nites? Preferably to stay @ 3 diff plc, includes staying at Male on the first nite. Is it better to book through travel agent fm sg or book online fm the website mal-dives.com?

lavender_lover, we are thinking of mauritius as well but maldives is still shorlisted as no 1 plc..has been my dream to go maldives =)

Mish, ur description really tempts me so much..