Maldives

[eternity]

hi smurfy,

heehee, come to work early, feeling boring then access the forum to "chat" ah... think a lot of brides use this forum to take "time off" from work oso...

yap, i tried to ask my travel agent... for some resorts, she can onie quote the prices until April 04... she says the prices for Sept will probably be available earliest sometime next month... but i still need some time to do research, so by then think agents' pricing oso available already, then can do comparision lor...

me oso, next time when i moved to my new house, hubby will come home prob after 8pm... no choice lor, then i'll just cook dinner and wait for him to come back, then have dinner and watch tv together....

maybe you can try to find time during weekends lor... must enjoy life oso....

 

[smurfy]

eternity,

wow, u very good, can cook.. I dunno how to cook and am too lazy to learn.. hsework already make me very grumpy and tired, cannot imagine if I need to take care of dinner also..

oops.. think we're bit out of topic..

 

[lhuisian]

Hi girls

I'm new here ... jus joined this forum. I'm actually planning a trip to maldives. Checked out the simply loved Taj Exotica water villa... may i know who has been there? care to share ... is it really good.

Wanna compare and check out hilton as well but i believe hilton may be more ex than taj.

If anyone of you have been there ... can advise on 1) which travel agency did u book from 2)how many days and how much ... full or half board?

i check out anglo french travel agency and they are charging 2400 per person for 5 days 3 nits ... wanna see if anyone can get it cheaper else where

Thanks a lot

 

[eternity]

May Lee,

all those pix on Maldives are great right??

if you read back some previous postings, there are some information that you are looking for... some travel agency mentioned are Holiday Tours and Asia Euro...

i'm oso planning a trip to Maldives... haf previously seen quite a few adverts from Holiday Tours, think u can try to see if their packages... maybe after that you can come back here and update all??? thanks...

Holiday Tours & Travel Pte Ltd
15,Cairnhill Road #07-05,Cairnhill Place Singapore 229650
Tel: 67347091

 

[eternity]

hi smurfy,

yah, think better not divert away from the topic in this thread... i tried to "look" for you in the other threads and found that you were actually one of the few (together wif me) that contributed to the frustrating RED APPLE thread... maybe if you like to continue chatting, we can move there... think no one else uses that thread anymore... heehee...

 

[lhuisian]

Hi eternity ...

Hey thanks. Have jus emailed Holiday tours ... waiting for their reply.

When are you thinking of going? I'm going in the month of May 04 ... hehe

Thought of staying there for 4 nights ... i'm a sea babe ... meaning water baby ... hee hee In simple terms ... i simply loved the sea ... went to redang island (Malaysia) 2 years ago ... that place is fabulous too but a pity no water villas ...

cheerios

 

[smurfy]

hi eternity,

I started using "who's in the office and bored" instead. Think this thread is more appropriate for me..hahaha...

hi maylee,
i love the sea too.. quite like bintan when i went in 2002. Wish to go redang too but heard that journey is tedious cos no direct transport. is it true? Ya, i choose Maldives instead of Mauritius for honeymoon because of water villas too..

Can check out the packages and prices from this agency: www.airfares.com.sg

Not sure of their services tho cos i had never use them before.

 

[kelpy]

Hi all
SA tours offer the following:
Angsana Resort & Spa
Banyan Tree
Baros Holiday Resort
Full Moon Beach Resort
Kurumba Village
Laguna Beach Resort
Paradise Island Resort

Which would you recommend? Was considering Club Med initially but for their water villas got 100% surcharge which results in $3000 pax!!!

How?

 

[eternity]

hi may lee,

i'm planning to go for my honeymoon in sept...

although i know it may not be the best season to go in sept but both me and hubby really wanted to go there for honeymoon... both of us loved the sea too, we even went to pick up diving... but haf not been diving very regularly... difficult, since singapore has no good dive spots and going to malaysia often can be costly oso....

i went redang about 2 years back oso... it's a great place... didn't know diving then, but still enjoyed myself !!!

which resort are you planning to go?

can keep me in the loop on the Holiday Tours quote??? like to do a comparision with my usual travel agent and see if Holiday Tours give better offers... heehee...

mail to me at [email protected]


kelpy,
depends on what you looking for lor... comfort? value for money? have house reef? near snorkelling or diving spots?

from your list Angsana and Banyan are more the expensive but i believe the place is definitely beautiful.... you can visit the website of these places and see how the resorts look at and what facilities are available....

me still in progress on my research... do share on your choice...

 

[lhuisian]

Hi all

I got the rates for taj exotica (water villa) but this rate is valid only till 31 Mar 04.

water villa - 2178 per pax (5 day 3 nites)
deluxe water villa - 2318 per pax (5 day 3 nites)
Breakfast only.

Btw ... can anyone enlighten me ... i was told by one travel agency that monsoon for maldives is from july onwards to end of year.

But now I'm told by holiday tours that monsoon is from April to Sept ...

Gosh and i was planning to go in May 04 ...

 

[kelpy]

eternity,
basically, our idea for the honeymoon is to go all out. I mean it's a once in a lifetime thingy so y not just splurge and enjoy ourselves.
at the moment, clubmed looks good, the $3000/pax is for 4 nites and their water villas look great. however, if any of those listed are comparable in features but lower in price then y not?

the thing abt clubmed is that it's fullboard with activities. probably have to check with sa tours to chk if their package is fullboard...

 

[eternity]

May Lee,

so did u check with Holiday Tours when will the prices for beyond Mar be available?

from what i understand the monsoon will be from May-Nov... but maybe the rainfall for May still not very high since it's the start of the season..

kelpy,
yah i also want to go to the extend that my pockets will allow since it's for honeymoon... and after my honeymoon, i will probably not go there for a while... maybe until i strike lottery... but i never buy leh... hahaha...

$3000/pax for 4 nights seems to be a little on the high side... maybe it's the price for fullboard with activities...

 

[kelpy]

yeah it's fullboard with activities just like most club med tours.
that's y compared to banyan tree and the rest i still prefer this and that's the price for water villas!!!

 

[lhuisian]

Hi eternity,

From what i understand from Holiday tours ... the rates will be out end Mar 04 ... for those planning to go to maldives after April ...

As for me ... i guess i'll postpone my trip to next year Jan ... already going to maldives is going to burn a hole in my pocket ... I'm not going to pay tat amount and end up having to stay indoors because of rain ... and have my photos look grey and gloomy with cloudy skies ... *sigh ...

 

[pageup]

hi hi ladies,

Just came back from Maldives' Taj Exotica yesterday. It is a Paradise!!

As promised, here is the link to some of the photos taken during our trip.

http://photos.yahoo.com/sjhm_04

Enjoy.

 

[smurfy]

hi pageup,

Impressive..

Thanks!

 

[eternity]

hi pageup,

the pictures are beautifully taken... must be feeling in heaven when you are there right???

 

[clove]

girls, when is the best time to go to maldives?

is sep/oct a good time?

 

[smurfy]

Dec-Apr is the best time

 

[eternity]

lucky one,

yah, smurfy is rite...

sep/oct is definitely not the best time... coz of monsoon... but may not be as terrible as you think, may be just grey skies and drizzle here and there...

you can take a look at female's picture....
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=ke9z1v5.h0rey8p&x=0&y=-ue4it5

i'm going there for honeymoon in sept/oct oso... no choice, my wedding in sept mah...

 

[lhuisian]

wow cool pageup! Gosh ... it's lovely!

How did you manage to take the pix where there is this baby shark and a school of fishes ...?

Btw how long did you stay there and how much did you spend in all? Do you think 4 nights is enough?

cheers

 

[pageup]

Hi lhuisian,

The baby sharks and the school of fishes always hang around that same spot. So it isn't difficult to take a picture of them.

I think 4 nights is enough. We spend 5 nights there but by day 4, we find that we have completed whatever we wanted to do...
er.. we spend more than $5K...definitely not cheap, well, what to do, this is the peak season.

Taj exotica was only opened last year.. we suspect that the reason for why the price is cheaper as compare to hilton and four season is probably due to the resort is new. The price might go up when it gain more popularity.

By the way, you have to make booking early.. the resort is always fully booked around this time of the year.

 

[lhuisian]

Hi Pageup,

Wow so envious. I love the sea ... with the school of fishes and baby sharks always hanging around ... could you swim safely around them too?

I have allocated 5K too (for 2 persons) ... for 4 nights and to cover all meals ... actually kinda feel the pinch but gotta go at least once in a lifetime ... esp after seeing the wonderful photos

Also wanna go there to take some outdoor photos coz 4 years back when i took my wedding outdoor photos, the photos turn out sucky due to rain and grey skies ...

I could almost confirm and BOOK NOW for next year Jan 05 ... hahaha but don't think any agency open for booking now for next year ...

 

[pageup]

Hi lhuisian,

I think the price from Nov to Jan is the highest for taj exotica. Perhaps you need to adjust your budget a bit more. Not forgeting the meals and all other activities there are charge in US$. You can email to me at [email protected] and I will tell you a bit more. Not comfy to share too much on expenses in a public forum.

The marine life are very tame.. even the moray eel we saw won't attack people...
We went to somewhere in the middle of the lagoon which the locals call manta point, saw sea turtles, schools of dolphins and a few manta rays gliding past us with mouth wide open. That was magnificent sight!
The only pity is that our waterproof camera didn't work, all the pictures didn't turn out well

 

[eternity]

hi pageup,

does Taj has housereef that you can just "jump" into the waters near the shore and snorkel??

 

[pageup]

hi eternity,

think the shallow lagoon surronding taj exotica island is created by the barrier reef.
It is ok to snorkel around near the shore. In fact, the stingray, the schools of fishes and baby sharks are all spotted very close to the shore.

I attempt to snorkel among them.. but the 'siam' too fast for me to be very close to them

 

[eternity]

pageup.

oh, u mean they "siam" too fast.... i kept reading the sentence and thought wat was "the siam"... hahaha... today at work brain drained, so cannot think probably... now back at home, read at leisure and suddenly *tink* *tink*.... hahaha...

 

[pageup]

hi Eternity,

hahahaha...
I think I'm the real blur one... didn't realise about the typo.
I guess that what happens when we multi task.

 

[eternity]

pageup,

u know, at one point i thought you saying "see ham"... then i thought "see ham" won't run away leh.... hahahahahaha......

me doing "homework" now and see which resorts i want to go... but Taj is definitely on my list liao...

 

[female]

hey pageup,

siiighhhh. i want to go back after seeing your pictures. gorgeous! you even took a pix of the Taj's "pet" - i thot it was a stray till i realise its always the same one posing around

sooo envious abt the good weather. i wld love to the sea turtles & dolphins. did you see them while snorkeling or diving? and where? the point beyond the lagoon that the hotel calls the diving platform? we hardly went into the water becoz of the rain, so im curious to know if the water beyond the shallow lagoon can see good marine life.

so, what did you think of the deluxe lagoon villa vs lagoon villa?

 

[pageup]

hi female,

I read that the pet even got a name... Not sure if it is heeron or whatever.

I saw turtles while snorkelling and dolphins while going on sunset cruise. Even see a few manta rays gliding past us with mouth opened.

I think you refer to the pavillion in the middle of the lagoon. The resturant manager told us that they can arranged for a special dinner there at the price of US$350. I think it will be very romantic. Too bad, it is too pricey for us.

Like what you mentioned early, I think that lagoon villa is much better than deluxe lagoon villas. They look nice from helicopter view, but we feel they are too cramp.. They lack of the privacy that was offer by lagoon villa, esp the ones closer to the shore.. everybody can see the sundeck from the common pathway.

 

[momoechan]

hi ladies
i'm torn between maldives or mauritius for our honeymoon. i've seen lots of wonderful pix of maldives & would love to go there but had read that Nov may be a monsoon period for Maldives? is that so? will be a pity if i go there and can't enjoy the beautiful weather.

 

[laugh]

Hi Smurfy,
Saw ur nice photos that u shared on ur trip to Maldives in Fullmoon resort.

Planning to go in beg May (cos no flight seat available in Apr) & staying in Fullmoon water bungalow. Do u mind sharing more on the room & balcony facing (eg. how's the bathroom & viewing from balcony)? Thks!!

 

[pageup]

Hi Yvonne,

Nov will still be fine. The monsoon is around June to Sept.

Do a google search on 'maldive resorts', you should be able to find more info.

One of my friend who you know said maldives water look nicer than mauritus

Don't know how true is that, Wait till I get the chance to visit Mauritus myself...perhaps in a couple of years time.. hee hee

 

[momoechan]

hi pageup

nov still ok is it? that's good

maldives water better than mauritius? hee hee, that i believe, i think the pix taken at maldives look good too, like postcards. but i think there's abit of sightseeing stuff that can be done at mauritius.

so, now, have to decide whether we just want to 'nuah' for our honeymoon or do some sightseeing, depends on how bad our work schedule gets closer to our wedding

btw, this friend of urs whom i know must have gone to mauritius and compared her pix with urs right? that's why she knows the water in maldives is better? or did this lucky gal go to 2 places? lucky gal if she did

 

[joycelyn_chia]

hi i going honeymoon in maldives in june. anyone else going this period? still thinking between taj coral reef resort or thulhagiri resort. they r both 4star resort.. Taj coral reef is $1409(breafast only) per pax, ext is $189 per pax and Thulhagiri is $1374 per pax extension is $199 per pax, for 5D 3N (breakfastn dinner)..flying by SQ. recommended not to take those tat need to go by seaplane cos one night will then be waste on the plane n not the resort lor...

if u wan pic of the two mention resort feel free to email me [email protected]

 

[kikis]

Hi joycelyn,

kindly email me the pics as well...planning my trip for late Jun-July..

Thanks!

my email: [email protected]

 

[starfruit]

May :

Hey welcome to the forum. Was just checking this thread when i saw ur postings. Ur name is familiar. U sound like one of my school mate.

Would suggest u take the full board cos its really expensive to eat there. Full board does not include drinks. If u want to include wine and drink, u can go for the "All-inclusive" meal plan but it will be a lot mroe expensive. Since u will be on the island for 4 days, u will have to eat at the restaurant. Water is not cheap too cost about US 3 per bottle when we order at the resort (most of the stuff are priced under US dollars as its the preferred currency for tipping on the island. I would suggest if u can bring at least 2 full big bottles of mineral water when u arrive. U can also buy at the Male Airport which is cheaper as compared to the resorts. U won't be spening much on the island, nothing much to buy there as well, so most of ur money will go into ur trip package and diving .(if any)

Its a fantastic place, and trust me u won't regret spending the 5K, cos its really worth it.

 

[oraia]

hi girls,

me considering maldives as honeymoon spot. will be gg in mid dec. i heard tts a peak season, so any idea when we have to book our resort? and anyone knows when's the next natas fair?

heard also tt mineral/ drinking water there is exhorbitant, so does tt mean we have to lug mineral water there? hehehe.

thanks!

 

[laugh]

Hi Joycelyn,
Im planning to go in May but understand from the agency, the package price is not out yet leh! May I know which agency do you get your package from? Im thinking between, Taj Coral, Laguna & Baros.

 

[cc2]

Hi oraia,

I just came back from Maldives abt 1 mth back. Nice place.

The mineral water cost abt US$3-5 dollars depending on where u buy it. For my case, we each bring ard 4 bottles of mineral water to last us for one week! As our lugguage still got some space so we bought them in SG. Anyway, dun have to carry the lugguage from one place to another so it's okie for us!

 

[starfruit]

Hi oraja:

I would suggest what CC2 has done. that is to bring ur own is possible. Ur luggage should be quite empty cos its all light weight summer clothes. so if u can bring at least a few bottles to last u through ur holiday and u can save on buying water. I did my Maldives tour DIY so i didn't go through any travel agent. Bought my own travel ticks and comfimed my resort online.

 

[starfruit]

Hi Yvonne,

I did my Maldives honeymoon in Nov. Nov is suppose to be near the end of the monsoon season so the prices is considered "Mid" instead of low or high. It much cheaper to travel in NOv to maldives then dec.. when its "high" season. I spent 7 days and 5 nights there. I did encounter 2 day of rain and strong winds. The winds were quite scary cos i was staying on a water bungalow. But i think Nov is still a nice time to go. Hope this helps.

 

[eternity]

hi starfruit,

can i know which resort did u book your resort online?

 

[joycelyn_chia]

Hi i booked from Euroasia at park lane.. i am going in june and have confirm booking. In fact better book early cos most of the flights are full... I am goign to Taj coral..

Taj coral reef is $1409(breafast only) per pax, ext is $189 per pax and Thulhagiri is $1374 per pax extension is $199 per pax, for 5D 3N (breakfastn dinner)..flying by SQ. recommended not to take those tat need to go by seaplane cos one night will then be waste on the plane n not the resort lor...

 

[starfruit]

Hi Eternity,

I cannot remember the excat name of my resort, its.. something that ends with a "Fushi". let me check. My resort is quite far away from Male. I spent one night in Male before transfering to the seaplan at dawn the next morning. Seaplane cannot fly after sunset and as my SQ flight gets into Male late at night, I can only fly out the next morning. It was ok to stay in Male for one night cos its a very short night stay and the hotel is also not expensive. The experience on the sea plan is really amazing. U can an aerial view of the other islands and their resorts. Simply beautiful. I can share some photos of the seaplane if any of u all are keen.

BTW: Malaysian Airline flies to Male too but its not a daily flight, so u have to time ur arrival and departure on their flight schedule. I think they fly 3 times a week. Its cheaper compared to SQ.

 

[avril]

hi all,

Just wondering wat is the temperature like at Maldives? Same like here in SG?

 

[oraia]

hihi starfruit,

the resort u stayed in was soneva fushi? how is it? is it nice? i read in conde naste mag (i think) tt it's one of the top resorts...

hi cc 2 and starfruit

thanks for the advice, will def bring our own water... the USD for water is exhorbitant!!!

is it cheaper to book directly w the resort? seems more expensive...

 

[cc2]

Hi avril,

The temperature is almost the same in SG!

Hi Oraia,

I have bought a book from Maldives which has detailed information on the resorts in Maldives. According to the book, Soneva Fushi is one of the finest resorts in Maldives. The pics will make u drool but very ex too!

Depending on which resorts u r going, the one which I went. I book with a local travel agent as it's cheaper and different travel agents have different pricing too!

 

[oraia]

hi cc2,

thanks! really? ya yaa... i saw the pics really nice! they have a sister resort which is newer which has water bungalows i think. it's called soneva sili or gili or something strange like tt hehe.

how about hilton? any comments on hilton? the glass floor looks most enticing!! i'm sure it's also v ex.