Senja Green , HDB August 08 BTO


Happy mid autumn festival to all!
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Sinply> yup... Planning. But may not be this yr.. Hubby busy and not enough leave. Why leh? Need my help for anything? I did research a little bit on the resorts there. But becoz have not been there yet so cannot tell you exactly what it is like. Can try to help though. ;)
 
Haha.. Christine, no need any research on Maldives, just bring plenty of USD , credit cards, sunblock and lots of love will do. If you are taking SQ, you should be landing around 10pm plus.

Most resorts speedboat pick ups during the day only. So normally that will warrant a night at Male. Unless your chosen resort is far far away which warrant a seaplane transfer, that is another ballgame totally.

Best time and place to hunt for a package and flight is during NATAS fair. Look for SQ promos,and a land package with full board as Meals ARE expensive there, averaging USD60 per meal at the above average resorts...

IIRC, June - Nov are the low season there, flight snd land package are cheaper. The 5 star resorts are having like buy 3 nights, free 2 nights full board promos etc.

Alternatively, go for Club Med, hassle free, they will plan everything for you. You just go there and enjoy and swipe your cc. If you are planning to do some scuba diving at Club Med, they are at additional costs , not included in the "free" activities..
 
Sinplyme : The chosen unit not really good lor.. Imagine how many people had gone into the unit before the handover to HDB ? Although I'm pretty sure they may redo the unit before the handing over...

I guess its those lower units are chosen for obivous reasons.. Haha...
 
sinplyme> u shld be asking stonefish! Ha... very professional advice... ;)

stonefish> bring plenty of USD also must choose a worth it resort to spend it in mah.. But yup, SQ lands at night. So most likely when i go, first night at Male.. Will prob take a seaplane to somewhere far far away.. Ha...

Hmm.. full board worth while? Maybe can consider.. But full board always got to eat buffet like a bit sian. May opt for other restaurants. But well.. if the price diff for the top up to full board is not beri big (when there is promo), then we can consider. Anyway, we no rush lah.. coz i think maybe waiting for the next low season which is like next may before we head over.

No club med.. we dun want so many pple ard.. We like to laze ard in an ulu resort with no pple ard (at least no noisy crowds).. So yup... for now, it's saving up for the 'plenty of USD' time.

You seem very pro for maldives. You been there? Which resort? Share share leh... how's experience there?
 
Christine,

Haven been there, but just done abit of r eading up. Some full board, is not buffet, Just choose among the set meals in any of the restaurants at the Resort.

1 of my ex client's parent company owns a chain of resorts at Maldives, under the managing company name or UEL or something.. I think there is a Full Moon Island or resort which sounds ok.

Personally,If I go, I should be going on a liveonboard and dive around the different islands. Land stay is going to cost so much more than my dives, and I rather spend more on the diving part..
 
ha... my name not christine lah.. :P Anyway, i cannot be on a liveonboard coz i will prob end up puking like mad. Extremely prone to motion sickness. Most full boards are buffets. At least when i looked thru. The is a full moon (forgot the full name). I am more for the beach and spa and prob only snorkel a bit here and there. Ha.. so i guess cannot appreciate so much of the diving. But yup.. land cost is very expensive. So funny, sinplyme is the one asking but both of us end up chatting... Ha...
 
christie >> Why Maldives if you don't want crowded places? Can try Mauritius and Seychelles Islands as well. Price range seems to be almost the same (2k++).
 
I did check those out too... But got seduced by the marketing gimmicks and the luxurious villas in maldives. Dun seem to find water villas in mauritius. They have resorts by the beach... but no villas over water... Hmm.. Well.. i can also look those up again. Maldives is not too crowded if you dun choose those huge resorts with a lot of rooms (at least that is what i have been told by some forumers). But still far lah.. my husband is finding excuses to procrastinate my dream of touring the world.. How sad... Haha...
 
Christie oops, blur Liao . Actually the nearest water villa will be Sipadan water village , at kapalai island, tawau, Sabah . Mostly catered for the divers, but there are non divers there too .
 
thanks stonefish! I just checked that out too. But seems more like a diver's paradise? Dun seem to have much activities for the non-divers... Hmm... Some dun haf spa leh.. Ha... I am a picky person. Jialat... But looks really lovely.. I even went to find out abt the flights there. Ha..
 
hi all,

sorrie couldn't join in the discussion as I was in bkk over the weekend, or rather, from last thursday.

I am thinking of going there in Dec... hoping to stay in water villa, *cos never experience before mah...* christie, you have any short-lists of the water villa?

I am not thinking of Club Med cos we are there mainly for rest and relax, not for the activities... :p

what does liveonboard means?
 
sinplyme> liveonboard are those who stay in the boats instead of the resorts... Mainly are divers coz they can get to good diving spots and they cut down on accomodation costs.. Hmm.. Dun mind but got to ask what is ur budget like and how long u are planning to stay over there? What u intending to do over there? Spa? Special dinner by the beach? Coz all these make a big difference which resort to choose. See if u comfortable to share ur budget or not loh.. If not u can add me on fb and we can discuss there.
 
Christie , haha, the journey there is always a hassle. Air Asia used to have a flight direct from sin - tawau, started last sept, but can cancalled that route since feb this yr. Now it's back to flight from SIN to KK then a MAS flight from KK to tawau , then 2hrs land journey to jetty then 45 mins boat ride
 
Hi sinplyme, how's the weather at bkk ? The weather is hot & sunny now at DPS, haha, but in the comfort of my room overlooking a small padi field right now
 
stonefish >
what is DPS?
the weather's good back last week when i was there.

christie >
about 8k (or lesser) for a 4-5days stay + airtix... you think possible?
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sinplyme> I did a quick check for u (since i resting anyway)... cheapest plane tickets in dec amount to abt 2k for 2 on SQ. Depending on whether u are taking the seaplane or not. If you take the seaplane, its extra 1.1k (roughly abt there). Speedboat is abt 300 plus. In either case, i recommend u to stay the first night in male coz u will reach there very late. Makes no sense for u to go the resort and pay for one night when u arrive so late. I think some forumers stayed at relax inn male which is much cheaper but its those no frills kind. So depending on how well u can tahan the room for one night. The accomodation may be abt another $150-$200?

So if do a bit of calculation, by seaplane, total cost till now is abt $3.3k. If speedboat abt $2.5-2.6k. So you are left with abt $4.7k-$5.4k. Per meal set aside at least $150 for 2. I think what some forumers do is have a super heavy and late breakfast (buffet breakfast is usually included) then skip lunch and go for dinner. Bring cup noodles in case really get hungry in between? So assuming 4 nights, u will set aside another $600 (minimum) for meals. But hor.. since honeymoon, i recommend u splurge for one night for some romantic dinner in some deserted island.. Its super expensive though. Depending on the resort. I emailed some places to check and the prices can be like up to 300 USD a person.

With all that said, u shld be left with $4.1k-$4.8k. Not sure if you are a spa person. So do deduct out those expenses if you are. Estimated cost can be between $150-200 per massage.

I think its still do-able since u are not going there for too long. Think someone just came back frm hilton maldives. Prices seem very attractive. The lady was happy with the place. Though when i was talking to another forumer (who haf been there like thrice), he dun seem so enthu abt the place. But well.. the water villa is only $400 plus per night? So u still got sufficient funds!

I did look into velassaru (by speedboat but the water villa is a bit too exp), others highly recommend conrad (but its really really exp there, all the excursions, meals and spa prices are crazy).. Dun worry. I believe it is possible. U can go look thru these resorts and see how? Coz i'm not too sure what u plan to do there. So i just do a very rough calculation.

Personally, i was debating between conrad, angsana velavaru and hilton. Hilton mainly because the price is really very very good. I dun want to be bankrupt when i come back. But just feel unsure because of hints that it may not be tat good. But i think its individual.

Hopefully i managed to help. Oh yah.. i am like trying to recommend places that are a little bit more posh-like since i assume u may like more comfort during the honeymoon.

To the rest> sorry for the long post.. I am being naggy.. Ha..
 
Sinplyme->

Dps is the airport code for Bali .

With ur budget, it's more than adequate for a decent Maldives trip with spa, meals seaplane etc
 
stonefish> just the journey there already making my head spin.. though it looks like a mini paradise too. Too bad no direct flights into tawau. I think direct flights will put the place high up on my 'to-visit' list...
 
christie >
wow... thanks for the breakdown!
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you mentioned 400plus for the water villa... it's USD or SGD?
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what are the usual carriers that fly to Male International Airport?
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stonefish >
you in Bali now? holiday-ing..?
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sinplyme> i believe i used the website to convert it into SGD. But in any case, just check it out? I used agoda to check. But take note. Agoda dun seem to be the cheapest but the website is easy enough to use. USD is low now. So even if its in USD, the price shld still be within ur budget. But when u are there, prices are all in USD. U can shortlist a few resorts and email them for their spa, excursion and meal prices (they shld give u the special dinner prices too). They will get back to u within a couple of days. I did that the last time round becoz i planned to go in november. But last min change in plans.. So postponed to next yr.. With those prices u shld be able to choose one that is within ur budget. Oh yah.. try youtube. Ha.. some folks load videos of their stay there including how the room looks. ;) May give u a good idea...
 
christie >> Interesting breakdown! Makes me want to go to Maldives too. Hahaha...

stonefish >> Have fun in Bali!

sinply >> Happy planning! :D

My WTB and I decided to go lazy n just booked a tour for our honeymoon. Too much misc planning for wedding to do...
 
tomahawk >
i tried the link you gave (by UOB travel) and I thought it was good... just that the travel need to be completed by 22dec which is a tad rush for me.. since wedding is mid-dec.
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tomahawk> i was influenced by other maldives go-ers too! Ha.. they did the breakdown for me and tempted me.. So where u go for ur honeymoon? I also ended up with a tour for my honeymoon (though later on we did regret a little but well.. its over).. I agree that wedding prep work is more than enuff to handle. I chose the tour coz it worked out to be cheaper eventually. Cost cutting. Now kind of regretted. So i am making it up with another trip!!! (well.. that is the excuse i am using on my hubby.. Ha..) Anyway, i prefer to go on f&e trips most of the time. Like to use my free time to research on places.

stonefish> i wanted to go bali with my cousin in nov... but was scared of the rabies outbreak there. Do take care and avoid stray dogs ya... I ended up changing my travel plans to siem reap. Visiting the angkor wat.. Ha..
 
sinply >> Oh.. I didn't notice on that. When are you expecting to travel to Maldives?

christie >> Haven't go yet... Wedding's in Nov, but leaving 2 days after that. Going to Spain via one of the local tour agencies. Hope it turns out well... We'd prefer to go F&E too, but really too much to plan now. Also, we do not have much additional leaves to plan for allowance in case something happens like missing a train or overstaying a location during a F&E trip. For our honeymoon, we just want to stay stress free, and leave our planning to others for now. :p
 
Sinplyme> do check if you planning to spend Christmas there. May be much more exp. Just take note. That is what I heard.

Tomahawk> Spain sounds nice... Share when you get back? I understand the wedding stress. Just been thru it. Ha. My fren went f&e but paid someone to do all the itinerary planning and booking of hotel for her. Didn't know there were such services till she told us. They went switzerland.

Talking abt missing trains, I almost couldn't get back coz my flight back was overbooked. Thankfully some kind souls deferred their travel and I got a seat. Madness
 
tomahawk >
i'm expected to travel after 20Dec so to complete the travel by 22nd is a little hard.
Nevertheless, I will still email UOBTravel to find out the details and what other packages they have to offer...
christie >
as usual, it will always be expensive to travel during the peak period.
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die liao... now i have confirm my HM destination...
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christie >> Sure! Yeah there is such a service. But it is quite expensive to do so. Actually, I'm thinking of providing such a service for others myself. Low risk and pretty good gains. Though gotta be wary of difficult customers...

sinply >> I think UOBtravel is quite strict on such timelines. No harm emailing them n check though. Be focused n stick with your Maldives! Haha... Anyway, they are in the same ocean, so just anyhow pick one lo. :p
 
Tomahawk> I was just joking with my gf that we shld set up such a service too! Ha.. coz both of us like to research and plan trips. Good to merge interest with income...

Sinplyme> Haha.. i noe wat u are facing... A lot of nice honeymoon locations right? Got to fix on one lah. No choice. I think maldives is nice.. U go liao come back then can share with me mah! Ha.. Sigh.. wonder when i can go.. Was planning to go over during cny period next yr... but no air tickets!! Argh.. how miserable...
 
christie >> Yeah! Planning for trips is actually very fun.
CNY is usually a hot period to travel, so Maldives maybe crowded with chinese too. :p

sinply >> try to keep it simple and hassle free bah. In the worst case, get a travel agency to settle everything for you. If I'm not wrong, there will be another NATAS fair in November. Or there are many on going promotions via the agencies now if you look at the newspapers.
 
tomahawk> hmm... u made a good point.. i doubt i want to spend my cny with tons of chinese.. shudders.. But feel that cny long weekend nothing to do very sian. Trying to escape giving ang baos.. Ha..

sinply> if u dun want to plan, then try www.holidays-tours.com? but may be more exp. Maldives is quite simple.. so no worries.. only 3 more impt things to book.
1) Air ticket
2) Resort
3) Hotel at Male
Settle all these first, the rest can wait a bit..
 
Christie - ya used to have the direct fly for awhile, now no more

Sinply, was at Bali to attend a wedding and a short holiday. Back to reality now haha..

tomahaw ,Thanks. yup. Had fun. Had my shooting spree. Tons of photos to QC now...
 
christie >
shall further discuss this with htb first then decide... we might end up just saving up til next june for a grand europe trip *fingers-crossed*

stonefish >
just curious, was ur flight & accommodation paid for to bali?
 
Sinplyme> we are skipping Europe and doing Maldives first. Ha... Just the opposite. Got too scared of long flights after we got back from US. Now debating still though. Not sure which to choose. Coz USD and euro both down. I want to go for both!!! But no $$$. sad...
 
stonefish >> nice! how I wish I can fly away for the weekend for such a phototaking trip... Haha... But my arsenal of lens still not good enough for such a trip.
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sinply >> There will be many "pre-NATAs" deals which offer the same stuff. I booked my tour before the one in Sept and the agency promised that they won't deduct the price during NATAs. But my trip requires 15 to go, so maybe that's why... For Maldives, no tour guides are required, maybe 2 to go is sufficient, so the price will maintain around the same as long as it is non-peak.

Actually, 8k is enough for a decent Eurotrip. 10k+ to be luxurious. hehe... But avoid Mid Year (June - Aug I think) coz its very hot!
 
Sinplyme : My group all took Air Asia. The airfares for the 14 of us varies from $0 - $221. AA have the best flight timings. Jamie Yeo was on the same return flight.. Haha..

My accom, 1st night as we touch down at ard 12midnight, we went for tunes hotel at kuta area, I think ard S$50 or less, we paid for 1 towel and 12 hrs of aircon credits only. Budget hotel arm of AA. Very nice bed, small room, but comfy enough for a sleepover.

2nd night accom, a 2 bedroom villa , at the location of my fren's wedding, S$220 per room. Pte pool, and best of all, a very big and comfy jaccuzzi in the big n spacious room.

3 nights at Ubud, about S$300 in total.
So total accom was about $570.
Depends on the area you want to stay and the luxury level.

Not expensive for a weekend getaway. Fri last AA flight in, Mon last flight out... and there can be like 2 1/2 days to laze there, and only 1 day's leave needed. I will be back for more. I feel more comfortable area than phuket. At least the shop/stall staff are not as pushy as those in phuket
 
Tomahawk,

Large arsenal also no use there. Brought my entire arsenal to Bali

Canon body + 4 lenses, Sony body + 1 lens , Canon pt & shoot. Ended up, using the sony for 95% of my shots. Used the 5D only for the time lapsed shots. And my Canon workhorse lens failed me during the trip, causing me to miss my long exposure shots.

Probably because the canon know I am switching my system.. Haha. ditching canon and jumping ship...

Not supposed to be a shooting trip, was more of a wedding trip, just happen that most of my kakis are shooting too.
 
sinplyme> i might be going to maldives in dec!! Yay!!! My hb last min say he got 7 days of leave.. But can only go for short one like 4-5 nights. Happy enuff. Hehe... I was trying to convince him to go.. He seems to give up and might agree... Still persuading.. Suddenly my hopes are up and flying... Ha
 
stonefish >> Sounds good! I think I'll plan for a 3/4d getaway next year in Jan or something. Haven't got the chance to visit Bali. Haha... Sometimes the things you have work like this. U changing to Sony's system? Why so?

christie >> Just some more TLC and nice home cooked dinner and you'll get your Maldives. :p
 
tomahawk >
i agree with you, mid aug to sept/oct is good for Europe, i think. like the weather; sunny yet 'air-conditioned'.
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stonefish >
i see....


christie >
great for u!
I'm still pending for discussion. :x
 
Hows everybody doing?? Wah~~ everyone wants to go tour~~ Mauritius~ Maldives~~ Bali~~~ My dream holiday destinations!!
I juz came back from Guangzhou took AA which cost $220 for 2-way but delayed when i fly there and when i fly back coz i heard their technical team short of manpower (I prefer Tiger Airway) but nevertheless its great to enjoy our limited vacation .. shiok man~~ So relax~~
I tried the Dog meat, Snake meat, Beef, Kampong Chickens, Snails, Frogs, Eels, Geese, Pigeons, Pig's blood (Missed it eversince singapore banned it)~~ But i missed out on the famous Croc meat and owl+Mutton soup~~
Bought 4 pairs of LiNing sports shoes for S$180 where singapore sell S$150 for one pair~~ I also bought 2 Croc shoes for S$4/pair~~ Their souvenirs so many and so cute yet So Cheap~~
Why singapore everything so expensive here??

Wiwi/Chris/Sinny>> Honeymoons??
Toma/Stone>> Singaporebrides all want romantic and expensive place hor~~
Red Dot>> You enjoyed your Mid Autumn festival??
 
co2fan> welcome back!!! no wonder i was thinking how come u missing in action... wah... eat so much ah.. Haha.. looks like u enjoyed urself at guangzhou... ;) Singapore everything also import of coz expensive lah... Nowadaes i hardly shop much coz like all so expensive nothing to buy...

tomahawk> i am trying out ur method of TLC.. seems to work.. I think the idea of a home cooked dinner (by me) will backfire u noe. So i rather leave that to my MIL. Ha.. i will help him request for his fav dishes though... My hb seems to be in a brilliant mood these days. Easy target.. hehe

Sinplyme> try out tomahawk's advice while pending discussion? Ha.. maybe it works wonders on all grooms? Mine is last min one. Coz he gg work attachment, coming back end nov. Then realise he got 7 days leave that die die must clear by this yr.. So i mai tu liao.. Quickly aim his leave. :P Hopefully u can go too! Then we can plan for the same period of time.. ;)
 


Tomahawk, this is dedicated to you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbdCzVrARQk
Time lapse of Kuta, Bali


The following is my analysis of Canon, Nikon and Sony Full frame raw & hence my decision to jump ship.

Canon FF raw + L lens, very excellent in noise control. Cleanest among CNS. But colors and sharpness lose to Nikon FF + their good lens and Sony FF + Carl Zeiss. And Canon FF + L lens, expensive, and I feel overpriced

Nikon FF raw + good lens, very good in color retention and sharpness. Better than Canon. Comparable to Sony. Pricy too.

Sony FF raw + Carl Zeiss Lens , Sharpness & color on par with Nikon ( personally I feel better than Nikon ) and remember , Nikon's sensors are manufactured by Sony. Nikon new D7000, is using the same new sensor from Sony,( in the A55 DSLT which I am using ). Pentax is also using the new sensor on their new body.

Sony's dynamic range , is the winner among CNS. Sony body are inbuilt with IS/VR. And the old ( and cheap ) minolta lenses are usable too. So now, no matter what lenses I use, my setup is with IS/VR. Imagine how much that will cost if as a Canon/Nikon user, you want all your lenses to be IS/VR ?

Sony bodies are features packed. My A55 is GPS enabled, new xmor sensor, wireless flash commander inbuilt, IS/VR inbuilt ( Sony call Super Steady Shot , SSS ) , lighter weight, cheaper price for bodies, lenses etc. Even cheaper minolta lenses , flip out LCD screen, panoramic sweep, HD video etc...

CZ lens are not cheap. But if combined with Sony FF, A850 or A900, still cheaper than getting the C or N FF + good lenses.

Sony is out to grab mkt share, and hence, very competitive pricing.

I'm sold by the image quality of the Sony + CZ lens. Beats my 5D + L lens hands down. Pricing wise, very competitive, and reduced weight.

Canon n Nikon FF are good. Just that, I do not wish to be a Robert anymore and pay that much, when my needs can be satisfied by Sony, at a cheaper price, with more features some more. I just need to open my mindset.

Big camera = good photographer ?
Magnesium Alloy body ( heavy ) = Better camer ?
Plastic body = Toy ?
These are my old mindset which I ditched along with my canon stuff.
I just silence critics of Sony "Toy" cameras with my photos.

In fact, I Just got my A55 2 days before my Bali trip, and now, I'm using the camera like a fish in water. No issues with user interface. Very well planned out.

By the way, Canon still makes the best Point and shoot cameras, which I feel sony is seriously challenging with the mirrorless systems ( Nex 3 & Nex 5 ) and the TX 5 & 7.
 

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