Maldives

[ryo]

Hi LostSoul,

yes indeed. It's the old one. New ones no one knows when will it open.
Normally direct rates will be higher...for most of the resorts.
Travel agent in Natas normally will only do mass market resort. Try to avoid those. The only specialized Maldives agent here locally is Holiday tours. However do your sum correctly as they might excluded the extras such as taxes.

hmm.... cannot find ah.... I'll check again.

 

[lostsoul]

Wu: How was your trip?

Thank for the info.. think the new one is only opening in Jan 2012... I've checked agoda and impex, no rates available for Zitahli Kuda-Funafara Resort at all... strange...

 

[ryo]

Hi Lostsoul,

Back from the trip... very different with kids around.

YEah... I think Zitahli not yet release the rates to agent. However, there are several resorts that have rates till next year april 2012.

Still planning to go during Nov-Dec period?

 

[lostsoul]

Hi Wu,

Sorry for late reply...

Yah.. still planning to go in Nov... Checked many online agents.. all do not have rates at all.. seems like we can only book directly with the resort...

 

[bliss_girl]

Hi everyone, would like to enquire if anyone here has done para sailing in Maldives? Anyone can share their experience? =)

I'm thinking whether to source and go for para sailing activity as the resort that I will be staying at does not have that.. Cheers~

 

[ryo]

Hi Lostsoul,

yah... check several agent, still not rates. Agoda and Mal-dives.com still no rates, only until end Oct 2011 only. I think still can wait for a while bah, booking through resort direct(Zithali) will cost more... I believe they will soon allocate rates/rooms to agent soon.

Hi Bliss_girl,

You settle for Banyan tree resort for your trip liao?
My friend recently just return from Velassaru(one of the nearest resort from airport). They have Parasailing over there.
If you're going to Banyan tree, and they don't provide such sports, then unlikely you're able to do that for your this trip. Unless you are willing to island-hopped to a resort that have such facilities... which doesn't make sense becos the speed boat ride might cost more than the parasailing, and the resort(that have such facilities) might not allow you access the sports since you're not a guest there.
You do know that once u are at Banyan tree, literally, you'll be somewhat stuck at the resort. The nearest resort, however is Angsana(Banyan Tree sister island which is just opposite, and there's a dhoni running through both island frequently).

Cheers!

 

[rahrah]

Hihi! I am new to this thread!

I want to book my honeymoon to maldives in Jan next year, but having problems deciding on the accomodations. And budget is an issue for us too. Any recommendations? We are hoping not to spend more than $8k for both of us, including the airtickets. I kind of shortlisted a few accommodations. We are thinking of Vilamendhoo, Club Med Kani or Chaaya. Are these places okie? Or any other suggestions? Hee.

Also I tried to look at the availability of these resorts at impex, but the availability is all under "Zero room, but wait list possible". What does that means? Is it all full?

Thanks thanks! Haha.I feel like I am suddenly asking alot of questions. We are being stressed on booking the accommodation soon, and I feel stressed not knowing how and what to decide! So really need all your help! Thanks!

 

[ryo]

Hi rahrah,

Congrats on your upcoming wedding n HM.

Jan is peak period so expect to pay at least 2x the price as compare to low season. S$8k is surprisingly good enough for at least 5-6nites stay in most of the resorts that you've listed here, with full board and transfers, and providing USD stays low and SQ flight rates stays at SGD2k for 2 returns.

Club med kani is probably no brainer, you will not go wrong with this resorts. It got everything you need, and it's a all inclusive resort. For S$8k, most likely you can only stay in normal rooms. IF you wanna stay in a beach or water villa, then you need to reduce your stays period.

For vilamenhoo and Chaaya(There are 3 chaaya in Maldives, , 1)Chaaya Island Dhonveli 2)Chaaya Reef Ellaidhoo 3)Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Huraa (from nearest to airport to furthest).
S$8k good enough for 5 nites in the water villa, and leaving you about S$1k for excursion,water sports and spa. I've tried all 3 Chaaya resorts and vilamenhoo, I'm able to get quote during Jan 2012 period. For vilamendhoo Jan needs a 6 nites min stay, making it more ex....Still early... can slowly discuss...

 

[dreayh]

Wu: I'm planning for my honeymoon next year October. I like Veligandu and Chaaya Lagoon, and asked around on Tripadvisor and all of the replies are favorable towards Veli. How did you like Chaaya Lagoon and Vilamendhoo? Thanks! Did you book with a travel agent, directly with the resort or via online sites like Agoda.com etc? Appreciate your feedback, you seem to know alot about the Maldives!

 

[ryo]

Hi Andrea,

Congrats on your upcoming big day and HM!!

Wow... next year Oct... a long way but good to plan ahead. It's unlikely there's be rates for next year Oct, but it's good to start choosing your ideal resorts.
Veligandu is traditionally visited by Europeans, I think mostly Uk folks. Recently I believe they have just renovated the entire resort. This is one of the resort I'd always consider going...not too many rooms and they do have nice sand banks...

As for Chaaya Lagoon and Vliamendhoo, I'm not too familiar with it, but it's unlikely to go wrong with both...The beauty of the island is already a plus point. It might be lacking in terms of "luxury", i.e. better amenities in the room, better deco, swimming pool in resort/villa etc. If you have a higher budget, Veligandu might be a better choice, since it's newer(recently renovated), with a swimming pool, jacuzzi in rooms(most) etc.....

I normally will booked from Impex travel(www.mal-dives.com), as I find that their rates is lower than local agent. Agoda rates is not fantastic. I found Agoda's rates for Hilton Irufushi and Zitahli Resorts & Spa Kuda-Funafaru are reasonable only, other resorts, rates are higher.
Most direct booking with resorts, rates are higher but for some hotel chain like Hilton, starwood group etc will give you points(booking from agent will not have points).

Oct 2012 is a long way to go, and yearly, there could be more than 10 new resorts being build. You're flooded with lots of choices... take your time to choose.

If you have more budget, Do check out these 5 stars resorts as well(more upmarket):- Conrad group(hilton irufushi,The beach house,Conrad), Coco palm bodu hithi, The Regent,Zitahli(2 resorts), Angsana Velavaru, Six sense Laamu, Anantara veli/dhigu/kihavah, islandhideaway, Banyan tree Vabbinfaru.

There are also lovely 4stars resort such as:- Mirihi, Komandoo, Vilu reefs, Angsana Ihuru, Filitheyo.

you can also think about what are you gonna do there, as for some island, beach are nicer, coral reefs are nicer(for snorkeler), more water sports choices, more excursion choices etc....different island resort will offer different niche..

Larger resorts will be able to offer more but off cos will be more crowded.

 

[dreayh]

Thanks Wu! Yeah, I enjoy researching for resorts! When did Veligandu renovate? I read that its Vilamendhoo that just underwent renovation last year...when did you visit Veli? HOw did you like it?

 

[ryo]

Hi Andrea,

Glad u like researching for resorts... it's fun isn't it

Never been to Veligandu, just did some research and read up only.

I went to Maldives in 2005,2006,2008 and 2011 recently... to Conrad,Mirihi, W, and coco palm bodu hithi respectively. Call me a Maldives freak.
For luxury resort, I like Conrad n W. You can also look at Mirihi(My personal favourite), only 36 rooms. In my humble opinion, Mirihi is the resort that feels more like Maldives, with nicer beach, good house reef and most impt, no crowds. It's a simple resort so basically not much facilities and water sports...and no TV.... as we talk, their rates is creeping up every year.

Hmm... Veligandu, I remember they talk about it about 2008 during my trip planning. Saw their website again recently and the island looks newer. Thus I guess it's like about 2year old.

Now after looking at Veligandu and Vilamendhoo website, they look the same and seems like they belong to the same group(CCR).
http://www.veliganduisland.com/island/links.aspx

For Vilamendhoo... there's a total of 184 rooms. Abit excessive. I always like small island with less rooms though. Though the island is pretty big, but when saw it's littered with villas makes me uncomfortable. Maybe that's me.

 

[dreayh]

Wow, thats so cool that you've been there sooo many times! And stayed at luxury resorts!

Veli and Vila look almost the same, but the walls of Veli is the normal white walls and Vila is the wooden type walls, which makes the room a bit dark in my opinion. Oh yes, I just saw that Veli has 76 villas and Vila has 184! The map of Vila really does show villas all over the island! Didn't really factor that into consideration until you mentioned it!

 

[ryo]

Hi Andrea,

Some of these resort are surprisingly affordable. for example during 2005 right after tsunami,newly renovated Conrad beach villa cost me only USD150++ per room/nite... so it's the matter of finding affordable rates.

I always go during low season(Mid May~mid July), the room rates are lower and some are even cheaper than a 4 stars (high season)resort's room.
The sad part is most resort now are getting more ex, yearly increment. This year is pretty affordable due to the USD exchange rates. hopefully USD will be kept low and room rates don't inflat too much next year.

I actually like wooden internal than painted wall... it looks more cosy at night, and morning it still got the warm feeling. Yes indeed Veli got less rooms and the layout of the resort makes it less crowded.

Anyway the Spa that operates in these resort, Duniye Spa is quite famous. I have a few session when I'm in Mirihi, they do have very good technique and very experience. Most of the staff are from Bali... Do try out if you're choosing Veli and Vila.

I also think their package is one of the most affordable when compare to high end resort.

 

[rahrah]

Hihi Wu,

Thanks Thanks!

You know so much about maldives!

I searched for Chaaya Island Dhonveli. How was your stay there and at Vilamendhoo? Was it good? I think we will mainly want to be snorkelling there, and just relax. So a good in house reef will be a plus point!

We are thinking of a few nigths at water villa, and a few nights at standard rooms to save cost.

Thanks for checking the quote for us! My HTB finds the resorts expensive. Actually me too! But I really want to go maldives. It is my dream honeymoon destination. Hee. So dont know how how, and if should just go ahead.

Do you have other suggestions of resorts suitable that are of good value and generally good reviews?

Other resorts that we are thinking of are Velureef, Filitheyo and Kurumba. I just realised that all the resorts that i have mentioned actually exceeded the 8k budget.

 

[ryo]

Hi rahrah,

Once you've been there once, you'll know almost everything about Maldives, plus alittle bit of read up.

I've not been to those resort that you'd mentioned, just did some read up online, and google for their info and photos, thus my view about those resort are really subjective.
I was at Coco Palm Bodu Hithi exactly 1 month ago... it's a relaxing trip.

Ah I see... u like snorkeling. I've been to 4 resorts, conrad, W resort, Mirihi and Coco palm bodu hithi, and I can only advised you on these resort regards to the house reef. Both W and Mirihi have beautiful,healthy and long stretch of house reefs. Marine lifes are plentiful, including sharks, turtles, all kind of fishes(parrot fish, trigger fish, goat fish.... u name it they have), and rays(eagle ray, dolphin ray, stingray etc...).

I also can based on photos(aerial photos) from the internet. These are some resorts that have nice house reef... Madoogali, Angsana ihuru, robinson club, lily beach, angaga, W, Mirihi.

A resort with nice house reefs is a plus point also becos you don't have to spent money for a snorkeling trip which cost USD40-80 per pax.

Yes indeed Maldives resorts are rather expensive, especially during high season. Choose wisely and some resort might cost less than some Malaysia,thailand or bali resorts(if u don't factor in the SQ flight there). SQ flight is another killer, getting more n more ex for a 4.25hrs flight to Maldives.
Another good reason to go Maldives is that the time seems to stand still. Thus a S$8k trip seems to be more worth it than going to a guided tour that time flies.

Yes you can consider Vilureef, Filitheyo..... as for Kurumba, I don't quite like, due to the proximity to the airport and the resort's feel/design.

It really depends on how many days you are planning to go. I think S$8k are pretty good amount for those resort I mentioned in my earlier thread to you, for a 5 nites stay, with SQ flight return, all transfer and full board meal, and leaving some money left for other activities.

My favorite resort is still Mirihi Resort(tripadvisors 2010 travelers choice award winner).... but it's getting very ex.. especially high season rates(>USD600 per nite per room).
you can take a look at their website:- www.mirihi.com.

How much budget are you willing to folk out? I can then roughly work backwards to give you a nightly room rates so that you can have a better idea. Just take a rule of thumb, SQ return for 2 is at least S$2k-2.5k(unless they have promo). A seaplane transfer in Maldives can cost from USD300~400 per pax return, Speedboat is half of seaplane. If you choose bed, and breakfast(not fullboard), try to allocate about USD100 for 2 person for meal per day. Excursion/spa/seasports, try to allocate about USD100 per day.

 

[dreayh]

Wu! How did you fly to the Maldives those times? The timings aren't very favorable...(i know its still a long time from now, but I can't help researching! I"m more excited for Maldives than for my wedding!), anyways, it seems the flights from SG to Male either consist of a long layover somewhere or pay really expensive for a direct SQ flight. I would prefer to reach Maldives in the morning and be transfered to the resort directly rather than having to spend a night in Male. Veligandu's seaplane transfers operate up till 3.30pm (from what I saw in Agoda).

 

[ryo]

Hi Andrea,

Till recently SQ then add in 3 morning flights to Male per week, reaching Maldives at about 1110hrs. Previously they have only daily nite flights to Male, reaching Maldives at about 2200hrs.
If not for my kiddo, I would choose night flight. The reason is that I would like to maximize my stay in the resort, by staying overnite in Male and transferring to the resort early in the next morning. It's abit troublesome transferring to Male for the overnite stay but it's not really complicated. The boat transfer to capital island of male often took me less than 30mins. Check in hotel, bath, sleep and move off as early as 5am the next day for the seaplane flight, reaching the resort as early as 8am Male time(resort time is 9am, +1hr).
The nite flight back from Male to Singapore also got advantage, as I'll always ask for late check out(as late as 3pm).
For morning SQ flight to male, even speedboat transfer to nearby resort, we check into the resort close to 2pm,wasting half day and noon flight back to Singapore, we had to checkout the resort as early as 9am. Some resort further away need to check out as early as 7am due to seaplane timing.

Thus there's pro n cons for different SQ flight.

There are Srilankan and malaysia airline but transfer in colombo and KL is really troublesome and tiring. I think there's another flight from BKK by bangkok airway.
I would recommend SQ flight to save you from the trouble of transfer flights and waiting time.

Try to look out for special promo from SQ. The cheapest I got during 2005 is S$498 nett per pax and the recent one a month ago is S$618 nett per pax. The normal rates should be about S$900 ~ S$1250.

I'm not sure about veligandu seaplane timing, but I still see seaplane flying off from a resort as late as 4-5pm. BEst to have later seaplane flight so that you don't waste too much time in the Male airport as you might get bored... as there's really nothing much there(unlike major airport that you can shop around and plenty of places to rest).

I can see why you are excited... it is exciting to visit Maldives. I'm also excited and can't wait to visit Maldives again.

Take your time and pick a resort of your choice... as there's plenty of nice resort for your to choose.

 

[rahrah]

Hi Wu,

Our budget is around $8K, including the airtickets.

We were initially thinking of $6K, but realised that it is really hard? since we are going during the peak season.

Thanks Wu!

Mirihi is really nice! But expensive for us! Hee. Maybe can save up for next time (if got the opportunity to go second time). Hee.

Went snorelling once at Phuket, and I enjoyed it! Haha.

So thinking of doing that again during honeymoon. Looking forward to it! So cool! You mean we can walk out to the reefs and see sharks and turtles? My HTB cant really swim, but he will still be able to participate in the snorkelling/ activities?

 

[ryo]

Hi rahrah,

Ok. S$8k is still quite a healthy amount for your year end trip. Those resorts that you've mention, I believe you can do it within S$8k, inclusive of SQ flights for 2, transfer by speedboat/seaplane, 5 nites resort stay(full board)with a combination of split room stay(beach and water), and leave about S$1k for stuff such as excursion, spa, and some sea sports activities.

Yes indeed Mirihi is a resort that suit your needs, especially snorkeling. Their house reefs is just below the water villa and a feet away from the beach. its getting more n more popular due to the good review from tripadvisor and also becos it's really a niche resort( 100%Maldives resort as what I would claim).

YEs indeed. there's plenty of sealife there in Maldives and sharks(mostly baby ones) and turtles are really common. for example, There's even resident turtles there in Mirihi's house reef and W-resort. I believe most resort with healthy reefs should have turtles. other fish life such as clown fishes(Nemo) and other big fishes as manta ray, dolphin ray, eagle ray, stingray are always seen there too. Excursion such as sunset cruises you might be able to see dolphins or Whale sharks.

If your hubby couldn't really swim, it'll help to do more swimming here in Singapore before your trip. Have a better feel first.
When u r there in MAldives, just remember to get a life jacket, snorkeling sets and most important of all, a flipper. It'll help your hubby to move around the water more easily.

oh.. do check out SQ website. I believe they have discounted fares on selected date till early next year. Think fare is S$758 nett per pax return!!

 

[rahrah]

Hi Wu,

Okie!

Looking forward to the sealife there! It sounds really exciting.

We checked the flights previously, about 2K plus for 2 of us. Will go check again to see if got discounted fares. Hee. Thanks!

My HTB saw the list of resorts that I mentioned previously, and thinks it is on the pricy side.. so we are still exploring. But which do you think are the ones we should really consider from the list I have mentioned? Having such a hard time deciding, so would like to hear from you too.

Btw, wanting to book through impex. How does the booking goes? I wanted to check the availability of the rooms, but noticed for almost all the resorts that the availablity is usually under the "zero room, but wait list available". Should I just go ahead and book? I read about overbooking, and one of my friends did experience that too, so i am worried. How can I ensure that my room is confirmed, and we are ready to go?

 

[ryo]

Hi rahrah,

Yes indeed the sealife is abundant there... choose wisely and you've sealife nearer to the beach.

I did a quick check for ya on SQ flight, pick a date departing SG on 10th Jan and back on 17th Jan 2012. The rate is S$1497 nett return for 2.
When is your intended date of departure?

For the resorts rate, year end rates are always pricey for almost all resort, a no choice situation where you r competing with alot of tourist coming out from Europe,US, China, Korea and even Russia. They are all trying to escape from their cold winter back home.

Firstly, to manage needs and preference, you can play around with the following things. i.e with a fixed budget, you can either choose a higher end resort/rooms but stay for less nites. But I always try to encourage to stay more nites than a higher end resort. Rain is a problem and unpredictable in MAldives. you don't want to get caught in a rain for days and staying there like only 3-4 nites will spoilt the mood.

The transfer in MAldives also plays a big part in your budget. Transfer to a resort is either by seaplane or domestic flight and/or speed boat. Flight cost is roughly 2X of speed boat. Thus if you choose a resort that transfer uses speedboat transfer, you can use the excess money for another nite stay or on other stuff.

Another thing for u to consider is meals. Food in Maldives can be really ex. A buffet dinner can cost as much as USD88++ per pax. Meals classification in a resort can be All- inclusive,full board,half board or breakfast. I would suggest just choose only breakfast(inclusive in the room rates) if you folks are not big eater. For me, I'll bring a box of food, including biscuit, noodles, can tuna, milo/coffee etc as lunch/teabreak... thus skipping lunch and saving the money. The reason is I always go for late breakfast and I can't really eat lunch. Follow by I'll have a earlier dinner. In between that I'll have my own food in the rooms. This method can save alot of money and can be use on other activities. Not only me does that.. alot of tourist actually don't eat lunch over there.

I have 1 recommendation for you... check out Angsana Ihuru. IT's a small island with nice beach and superb house reefs. However only beach villas are available, no water villas. I did a quick check for u and here's the breakdown, using USD1 - SGD1.23 rates.

10th Jan ~ 17th Jan
1)SQ flight for 2 - S$1497 nett
2)7 nites stay in Angsana Ihuru, speed boat return, bed n breakfast for 2, deluxe beach villa - S$4728.

Total:- S$6225(with a budget of S$8k you still got almost S$1.8k left for other stuff, which is alot.

Impex booking goes like this... submit you request online, they'll then request you to fill up a credit card form. Submit other document such as passport and signature page, credit card scan document etc. One payment is done, they will issue u with a voucher. Print and use that voucher and submit it to the resort when u are there.
TO prevent overbooking, I'll double confirm my booking with impex and write direct to the resort for confirmation. Bring all email exchange with you when u are there. Furthermore, do get yourself the correct travel insurance. That might help for future claim.

The rule of thumb... try to choose a resort that are reasonable famous... it should reduce risk of double booking issue.

 

[rahrah]

Hi Wu,

Thanks for doing the rough calculations for us!

And also the advices! Really appreciate it. It really helps.

The food sounds really expensive!

Okie. I let my HTB know and see what he says. He was actually thinking of getting an all inclusive pacakage so that we dont have to keep worrying about the additional cost incurred. Will probably do a rough calculations first. But your idea sounds good Hee.

Will go look at Angsana Ihuru. We are planning to fly on the 15th Jan, and probably coming back on the 21st Jan.

For the booking, does that mean that you will write to the resort that you have booked a room via impex, and confirm with them they have received the booking?

This is the first time we are planning for a holiday, so abit blur on what needs to be done. Hee.

 

[bliss_girl]

Hi Wu,

Sorry for the late reply.. Was planning what to do for our trip.. Yeap, I've confirmed my booking with Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, staying there for 4 nights, full board meals.. =D Think I'll forgo para sailing this time round.. So I can find an excuse to go there again?! Haha.. My HTB and I have planned the following activities..

1st day - Reach at 11:10 (maldives time), night fishing from 18:30 to 20:30..
2nd day - Snorkelling, snorkelling and Snorkelling.. And photoshooting~
3rd day - Local island visit from 14:30 to 17:00.. In-villa dining..
4th day - Male excursion from 14:00 to 18:00.. Think we'll have to ask them to arrange for our transfer to airport direct after this excursion..
In between, we will just go for our massage session which is included in our pacakge.. We're given 2 sessions per pax per day.. And I think the rest of the time we'll just slackkkkk by the beach and enjoy the awesome scenary.. ^^ Hope we did not miss out any must-do-things in our plan..

Btw, do you happen to have any idea what is Male excursion? ;P

 

[loveforever]

Hi wu, may i know when is the best time to go to maldives? I mean their low season. Thanks alot.

 

[ryo]

Hi rahrah,

No problem... glad to help out.
Anyway, All inclusive include all 3 meals and drinks/liquor... Some resort will only have inclusive plan that u cannot such as Clubmed... and during peak period for some other resort that you've chosen. My opinion is that if you're not big eater, just go for breakfast or half board(breakfast + dinner). that will save alot for something else.

The day you chosen SQ rate is S$2047 nett for 2. The next date Cheaper rates at S$1497 are from 12-20Jan, 13-20Jan, 15-20jan. Play around the SQ schedule calendar and it can save you some money.

Yes indeed. once Impex confirm your booking. Write to that resort direct for another confirmation on your booking. Sometimes they don't necessary will come from Impex. Impex might have so-called co-broke with another agent for booking. Just confirm with the resort your booking is confirm and ask them for assurance that got rooms and no double booking.

Don't worry... after your 1st time planning.. the rest of the holiday booking will be easy, especially Maldives.

 

[ryo]

Hi Bliss Girl,

Congrats!!

yeah... anytime u can do parasailing again.

indeed. Excuse for next trip and must be in MAldives.

I think that's quite norm for must do things in Maldives. Unless u wanna to try sucba diving. They do have intro to scuba there... just a short course and some house reef dive. Perhaps u can try.

Other stuff u can try:-
1)Private BBQ dining by the beach/pavilion?
2)Sunset/sunrise sailing, perhaps catamaran cruise
3)Snorkeling trip

FOr local island visit and Male trip, my thinking it's probably not necessary. The reason I give is that, you've spent so much for the resort, should spent more time in the resort. That's why it's call a resort, escape from anything else...

Then again, there's nothing much to see in another island(where local stays) and Male. Male(capital) island is just beside the airport island, and 10mins boat ride away(USD1 per pax per trip). If you're coming back SQ nite flight, can go there anytime... but again, I don't find any interesting things over there. Unless your stay is longer, than worth spending a couple of hours for Male trip. Further more they gonna charge you a couple of hundred dollars for the trip and bring you go some destination shop to buy things... which I find can DIY instead. Just my opinion lah.

Skip those 2 trips and spend more couple time on the beautiful Banyan tree.

 

[ryo]

HI Loveforever,

Traditional low season is from Mid May ~ July. I normally will go during the 1st week of July. So far rates are the lowest and I always got pretty good sunshine and weather. Sea will be slightly choppy during these period though.
Some resort the rates stays low till end October from Mid May onwards.
However, this trend might not last long, as now, there's alot of Chinese tourist... and they are going in big numbers and will soon be the number 1. I'm not sure whether this will affect the so call low season thingy and cause the rates to rise across all season.

 

[bliss_girl]

Yeap, they are charging us at USD50 per pax for the excursion.. Hee.. Our return flight is the night flight at 23:25.. So we were thinking if we go for the Male excursion after we check out.. The timing will be just right? We don't know what to plan after we check out.. Haha..

Have you tried Catamaran before? It's included under 1 of the items in the activity list.. But we have got no idea what is that all about.. Need to attend Catamaran course or something is it? Hmmm~~~

If we have more time and money, we want to learn scuba diving in Malaysia from a SG diving instructor company before we fly to Maldives.. But we are busy with our wedding prep till sept.. Our wedding is in sept.. So seems a bit tough and it goes outtttt of our plan.. =X

 

[ryo]

Hi Bliss_girl,

I see... so it's during your last day for the Male excursion. Normal check out time is 12pm... then normal stuff like final payment, waiting for the speedboat, reach airport and store your belonging, the timing is just right.. about 2pm.
I think if there's someone to accompany you along in Male, then it should be pretty safe. Likely they'll bring u to the fish market, presidential palace, walk about and shop(probably at their destinated one)... else there's really nothing much to do over at Male. IF u are into street photography.. then it's a good place though.

The Catamaran there is a small sailboat with 2 hulls, able to seat a 2-3 people. ALong with a skipper. I never try b4 but saw them in action. Can try lah.... in Singapore, unlikely u have the chance to sail in the beautiful sea of Maldives.

Dun have to go thru the course, captain will be provided.

Yes... go for scuba course in Malaysia, get your OW license. It just need a weekend and a couple of days during the weekend for theory. Try not to get too Tan for your wedding though.

Else, if u are still unsure about diving and busy, can just go for the intro-dive course from Banyan. It'll probably take half a day. Replace this with the island visit trip... as I think it's more meaningful... diving in Maldives is an experience.


Have a nice weekend folks.

 

[dreayh]

Wu! I saw on Impex travel that Veligandu has Fullboard and AI options, whereas on Veli's website states only AI. Its about US$500 difference for FB and AI. What do you think about FB and AI? HTB and I don't really drink alcohol, and don't pig out too much, but AI has complimentary 1 time snorkeling/excursions etc. So I"m not sure which would be more worth it for us.

 

[ryo]

Hi Andrea,

Hahha... me too. I don't eat much..thus bed n breakfast is my choice. I had never took up Fullboard/All inclusive. If you don't drink alcohol or wine, then I don't think it's necessary to take up AI.
I only drink coke and I brought 12cans there.... together with many sachets of different flavored drinks....enough for the entire stay.

Their AI plans are as in the link below.
http://www.veliganduisland.com/all-inclusive-plans/all-inclusive.aspx

It also includes 1 sunset cruise, 1 excursion(I think Island excursion), 1/2hr snorkeling and windsurfing lesson and free use of kayaks/wind surfing and other sports. Really depends on whether u will utilized all these extras.

perhaps u can use these USD500 for spa and other stuff?

Ala carte Sunset cruise will cost about USD50-80 per pax, depends on what type(i.e include finger food, wine, drinks, yatch/dhoni etc). Should not cost more. The excursion might be around that rates also. Kayaks rental might be around USD5-10 for half hour.... Thus if you planning to windsurf and kayaks alot, drink alot of wine/drinks... then perhaps the USD500 is worth it.
Then again you might consider spending the USD500 to extend a nite stay there too?

 

[dreayh]

Yeah, I thought Veli only has AI, so I was surprised that Impex offers Fullboard. Why is that?
AI includes free use of the fitness centers, badminton courts etc, I wonder if they will charge us to use their facilities if we just went on FB?
The thing is if we decide to go on AI, we will definitely eat more, drink more and spend kayak more to get our monies worth. Haha.
Where do you usually go to book your tickets? Online or travel agent?

 

[ryo]

Hi Andrea,

There are contract between resort and agent. Sometimes they do have promo for different country.. so it all goes down between them. Have to double confirm with Impex as well.. as they might not have update their website.

Normally, fitness centers, badminton and other such land sports should be free one... Thus, need to check with Impex or Veli on this. Some resort even have no charge for non-motorized sea sports.

Hahaa... but seriously, it's quite difficult to drink more and kayak more to make the USD500 worth while. Imagine if they offer Bed n Breakfast rates for another USD500-1000 saving... thats really good money for extended stays or spent on other thingy. For me, a small eater, a dinner with 1 pizza(just nice to feed 2) plus some small finger food, I'm already full and it cost less than USD50...
Quite a number of resort now offers AI to earn money... and force small eater to pay for it... really dun like. Traditionally only special period, such as new year/Xmas or during some peak period they'll enforce AI.

For SQ ticket u meant? I always book online... so that I can select my seats and even meals straight away, it's pretty convenient. However, do be careful... SQ website booking system after their recent website revamp, alot of hiccups... sometime your seating arrangement and other info cannot be updated. Need to call them up for confirmation. Hope they have solve the issue.

 

[rahrah]

Hi Wu,

Sorry for the late reply. Thanks so much! It really helps! Okie okie. We can only leave after the 14th Jan, and need to be back by CNY so less dates to play around with. We are deciding between filitheyo and velu reef now, but am thinking of going with filitheyo.

Btw, I wrote in to ask for the quotation, and realised that the quotation is different from the one obtained from the website. So I wrote in again to ask, and they gave us an email and ask us to email to them our details for the booking instead. Is that the normal way of doing the booking with impex? Because my htb is abit worried. And also when I was researching about filitheyo, i chance upon agoda, and apparently the rooms are sold out during the period that we are thinking of going. So i am abit scared about going ahead with impex though they said that rooms are available. I am really worried about the whole overbooking issue, and it is my first time doing all these, and it is honeymoon! Are they both the same? Or shld I just go ahead and book, then like what you have suggested, email the hotel and ask after the booking? Haha. I feel like a worrier.

 

[ryo]

Hi rahrah,

How different are the Quotation? Is the quote that they gave you higher?
Do you know who is the person that you've contacted?

Let me see if I can help out. kindly leave down your preferred date, length of stay, meal plans. I'll check out the rates for you from Impex. I knew one of the staff there and she had help me alot for my past 3 trips booking without any hiccups.

So far I got no issue with Impex, and as for the booking issue, I find that Agoda do not have a full range of resort for Maldives and at time they have sold out rooms. What I understand is probably due to allocation issue(i.e Resort allocates certain amount of rooms to each agent).

Overbooking does happened but once you have confirmation from both the agent and resort, the chances is low.

Not to worry too much... I'll help you as much as I can.

In the meantime, if u have facebook... do join the group called Fly-me-to-Maldives. Quite a number of Maldives lover and the old forumer here in the thread are there to help out those who wanna to visit Maldives.

Cheers!

Wu

 

[rahrah]

Hi Wu,

The difference is about USD 30 (Haha, now then I realised when you asked me the difference. The difference seems much more when I saw the quotation. Opps.). Anyway, I emailed the support to check for availability and the person who has been replying me is Azza. They quoted USD 4788 through email, which is lower than the website. I actually wanted to book through the website a few days ago, then realised the difference in prices, then emailed them to check, and was told to email to another email with the quotation given and details. My HTB and I were deciding whether to just book through the email given or the website (which seems to be the way to go about for booking).

Can I email you or FB inbox you the details instead?

Thanks so much for your help Wu! I feel so much more assured now. Okie! I will go join the group!

Thanks!

 

[ryo]

Hi rahrah,

Is the quote from Impex or direct from Filtheyo?

May I know the USD4788 is All inclusive plan or full board. They do have a promo for stay between 1st Nov 2011 ~ 30th April 2012. You'll receive USD150 for the period of stay.

 

[rahrah]

Hi Wu,

The quote is from impex. And USD 4788 is all inclusive. I noticed the promo and the minimum stay is 7 days. But when i asked for the quotation with the promo, it was much higher than my 6 nights one even though one night was USD 150. Dont know why. The difference was about USD 300+.

 

[ling2112]

Hi,
I have a maldives bridal package to let go at $200 off. If you are thinking of going there for pre-wedding honeymoon. You may wanna kill two birds with one stone.

Paid $1500 deposit (Total: $3388)

Actual day gown (open choice including designer's) - 3 pcs
Actual day groom pants and suit - 2 pcs
Actual day morning and evening makeup + hairdo
Actual day accessories + bride hand bouquet (fresh flowers)
Corsages X 6
Actual day 2 father suit and 2 mother's gown (if suitable, OTR)
Actual day 1 bridesmaid gown and 1 best man suit
Bridal car decoation
Following car ribbons X 4 or more (if needed)
Free trial makeup/ROM
Free ROM gown + hand bouquet + suit

Pre-wedding shoot
Studio makeup + hairdo + all accessories
Studio gown X 3 - can be different from AD
Studio suit X 3 - can be different from AD
Studio fresh flower deco
Photoshoot outdoor (2 locations, 2 outfit)
Wedding album (12"X15", 40 poses, 26 pages, crystal cover)
Softcopy for selected photos
5R mini album
Canvas portrait 20"X24" + frame
Free studio family photo (table top, 8R)
*** If PS taken at maldives + additional 10 poses + additional 1 gown

PLUS more additional perks...

PM me if interested.

 

[ryo]

Hi rahrah,

I see... hmm... my humble opinion is just to go with half board(they only offer up to half board, no Bed/breakfast) will do. Breakfast and dinner shld be sufficient. Full board is inclusive of lunch, but no one really eat lunch over there, as most will have late breakfast. Bring some titbits, munchies there, or order finger food in the after just to fill ur stomach. All inclusive is all 3 meals plus drinks(gas/alcohol).... if u don't drink alot, I would suggest to bring your own drinks such as coke or other soft drinks, pack drinks, or powdered drinks..... this will infact save you alot of unnecessary money.

Thus if u just go with half board, 7 nites, it'll cost you only USD4433 nett with additional USD150 off... and extra spending money of about USD350 plus the USD150 plus additional nites.

For me, if there's just bed n breakfast, I'll choose it becos you can even save more by just eating adequately with ala carte menu.

 

[missyyee]

Maldives has always been the place my partner and I wanted to go and we had decided it for our honeymoon venue next May/June.

But there are so many different packages out there that it's so complicating! I hope you guys can advise me!

My partner and I prefer something fuss-free, thus opting for a full board package. We're looking into 4 nights, will that be too much?

Our budget is around 6K for the both of us.

Advices please!

 

[ryo]

Hi MissyYee,

COngrats on your upcoming honeymoon... Maldives will be a fabulous choice destination.

Maldives should be in the category of free and easy packages, no tour guide and you don't need one when u are on a small resort.

May/June is low season, thus you can save lots of money for the accommodation alone... and use those money on other things.

If you're to DIY this tour yourself(booking flight and resort separately), then it's time for you to go through and research on the 100 overs resorts. SQ flight to Maldives can be easily booked by yourself online(Singaporeair.com.sg).

For SQ flight to Maldives, there's 2x2 flight time.
To:- Maldives(Male)
1)morning flight-reach Male 11am OR
2)nite flight-reach Male 10pm
Back:- SGP(Changi)
1)late nite- reach SGP morning 7am
2)Noon flight -reach SGP evening 8pm)

Transfer to Resort by 2 means, Seaplane/Domestic flight OR speedboat, depending on how far is the resort from the airport island.

Basically most resort offers 2 main types of accommodation, Water or land villas. Normally Water villa is more expensive.

Meals plan there are Bed/breakfast, half board, full board and All inclusive.

For a 6k budget, I think it's good enough for a 4 to max 5 nites stay.

Perhaps you can let me know what are your requirements, ie. Villa type, like to try out seaplane flight?, good snorkeling house reef, quiet or vibrant resort etc....

 

[missyyee]

Oh my, Wu, u are so helpful! Looks like u're becoming a help desk here.

I really appreciate it.

Actually, we are straight forward (i.e. lazy ) people so we prefer to have a package which includes air tix and accommodation. But of course, we are open to alternatives for unique experience too!

A seaplane flight will be a great experience! I guess snorkeling will be nice cos we don't dive. Resort wise, as long it's near to the beach. Water villa is very attractive but, the extra money can go to spa etc.

 

[ryo]

Hi MissyYee,

No issue... most willing to help out.

hahaa... help desk...

Same here.... me also lazy... and Maldives is a perfect place for "Lazy" folks like us. dont have to think about waking up early, tour bus, shopping... etc.

Usually local agent do have package deal that includes airtix. However, their rates are usually higher and hidden charges such as the taxes. Normally, I'll do DIY, and it's pretty straight forward too. I'll try my best to booked both SQ tix and the resort within a day. I usually request the agent to find out on the resort's availability(try to choose a few just in case it's overbooked), then I'll booked the SQ tix online... and choose my seating straight away.

Seaplane flight is another cost you'll need to consider. It's normally about USD350~400++ return for 1 pax. so it's taking up alot of the budget.

To be frank, 6K budget is not alot, due to inflation... but luckily USD is weak, else, the accom will cost you even more. A choice you can is nearby island resort by speedboat, and used the extra money(if u initially wants seaplane filght) to stay for another day or use it on spa and other excursion stuff. Next, just opt for bed and breakfast will do, as full board is normally much more expensive, if u don't intend to eat alot there. I always skip lunch and go Ala Carte for dinner, I'll share a Pizza for me and my wife, which is sufficient enough... and it'll cost abt USD20~35. A full board will set u off about USD200 or more for 2 per day. Another trick is just booked bed/breakfast... and while u are there and u like the buffet spread, u can upgrade ur meal plans there.

A couple of resort(by speedboat) you might want to consider based on your budget. Indicative rates for 4 nites stay, Bed breakfast, speedboat transfer for 2, nett(1USD ~ S$1.24) rates
1)Baros - Deluxe Villa(beach) ~ S$2.5
2)Angsana Ihuru - beach front villa ~ S$3k
3)Anantara Veli - Over water Bungalow ~ S$3k
4)Anantara Dhigu - sunrise beachfrt villa ~ S$3.2k

4nites stay, half board (breakfast/dinner),Seaplane transfer for 2, nett rates resort:-

1)Filitheyo - superior villa(half board) ~ S$2K
2)Vilu reef - beach villa ~ S$2.33k

For the above resort 2 resorts, add like about S$400~ 600 more, you can do a split room stay of 2 nites beach villa and 2 nites water villa to enjoy the best of both world. Another forum friend(rahrah) is going for such option.

play around with your budget and can do wonders... you can allocated budget for the cheapest room and spent on spa/excursion/food and perhaps stay longer in Maldives, OR opt for better resort/rooms and spent less on other things. For me, I'll always go with longer stay.. to enjoy Maldives a bit longer.

 

[missyyee]

yes, thankfully the USD is weak currently. Thus thinking to sort out my honeymoon issues.

Looks like I'll give seaplane flight a miss cos that is quite a bit of money! And I can use this money for more food/activities!

Getting to stay at 2 different types of resorts will be great. But my partner prefers to stay at one site.

I've just briefly went through the 4 resorts you recommended. All looks fantastic! Anyone which you guys recommend?

 

[ryo]

Hi MissyYee,

The 2 resorts that I've recommended that needed seaplane transfer are pretty affordable too.. still cheaper than those 4 that goes by speedboat. Worth considering if u wanna to enjoy "once in a lifetime"... and it includes half board, i.e. dinner too.

If you are thinking about speed boat transfer option, go for either Baros(beach villa) or Anantara veli(water villa). The best one among here for good snorkeling experience with good house reef would be Angsana Ihuru.

SQ rates for next year around the period that u mention is about cheapest(sweat deals) S$925 nett per pax. Normally if u wait till next year about march~April time frame, SQ might have a promo rates (judging from their yearly promo event), starting from about S$600+ ~ 700+. That's abt S$200-300 saving per pax.

Another thing u might want to consider is SQ flight timing. If u wanna to maximize ur stay at the resort, opt for nite flight(SQ452) there, stay one nite in the capital island Male, then transfer to the resort next morning. Flight back, opt for late nite flight(SQ451), and reach SGP in the morning 7am. This will effectively allows u to stay in the resort for up to another 9-10hrs.
Pros:-
- if rooms available u can check in as early as 9am.(ask for early boat transfer to resort)
- last day there, ask for late checkout, sometimes they allowed as late as 3pm.

Cons:-
- SQ flights combo usually more ex.
- Over nite stay in Male during 1st nite
- Last day, u might reach airport as early as 3-4pm. That's another 4-5 hrs wait before u can SQ flight checkin.

Morning flight(SQ462) there to Maldives will reach Maldives at abt 11am, and checkin probably at about 1pm. Flight back (SQ461) at 1230pm, and reaching SGP at about 8pm. This option is good if u want hassle free of overnite stay and waiting in the airport during your last day flight back.

Pros:-
-SQ Flight combo normally cheaper during some day
-1st day, once touch down, straight to the resort for checkin
-last day, checkout resort and checkin to SQ flight almost without waiting long

Cons:-
- lost about 3-4 hrs resort time 1st day, almost half day gone.
- last day, u might need to check out as early as 8-9am, right after breakfast. Sianz!!

Beware. Most local agent if u booked thru them and when they offer say 5D3N(speed boat transfer resort), look carefully at the contract whether it's a SQ nite flight there. If it is, then literally, your first nite is gone becos SQ flight reach there at abt 10pm, and by the time u check in, it's probably 11-12pm, you're left with only 2N effectively.
Secondly the things i dun like is the hidden charges like SQ fuel surcharges and taxes are not included. This makes the package looks cheap but dun forget, the taxes is probably 50% of the nett rates.

Hope it;s not too lengthy for u to read.... this are just some tricks and loop hole I'd learned from my trips there. Cheers!

 

[rahrah]

Hi Wu,

Thanks for your advice!

I was actually thinking of half board too because i am really a small eater. But my future mother in law got abit upset when she heard that we wanted to bring our own drinks and biscuits. Haiz.

Impex was supposed to reply me today to confirm availilablity today, but they didnt get back to me in the end. I was thinking maybe just go ahead and send in the booking? then see how it goes?

 

[ryo]

Good morning rahrah,

Hahhaa... why your MIL upset leh? quite a number of them does that over there..

Nobody wants to drink a coke that cost USD5++ per can or bottle water at USD10++. Pratically not many ppl(unless they already pay for it) eat lunch as breakfast, or rather brunch is really good enough. Afternoon if u are hungry just order some finger food or ala carte in room dining.

The reason for just choosing bed/breakfast or even just half board is you might not eat that much of buffet and it's just simply a waste of money. Secondly it cost more than ordering from ala carte menu whereby you're free to order what u would want to it. You can always upgrade there to full board if u like the food. So its wise to take a look before u decide while u are there.

its fun to enjoy those food that u bring over there with ur hubby, in your villa, just some couple time.

I read a news regarding filitheyo owning govt rental money and the finance ministry is asking to sell the resort. I'm not sure what are the implication but perhaps you would like to consider vilu reef instead. below is the link.

http://minivannews.com/travelandarts/finance-ministry-asked-to-sell-resorts-with-outstanding-rent-payments-24238

 

[rahrah]

Hi Wu,

Haha. She said it is honeymoon, and already paid so much to go maldives... so doesnt find it okie to bring biscuits and drinks even though we found it okie, and can save $$. I though it quite fun too.

I normally take 2 meals a day also.

Oh dear!

I just submitted the reservation yesterday to impex after much pressure!

Okie. Thanks for the news, Wu! Maybe I will try and go see if I can switch resort to vilu reef instead after i talk to my HTB.

Thanks!