Planning for the trip
Always have dreamt of visiting this place. And when it was coming true, the feeling was surreal. So to make sure to not miss a single thing out of this place, I started researching about the place, hotels, commuting ways etc. A lot of planning has been put on this trip to make it a success.
And as this trip has been planned all by the DIY( Do it Yourself) method, this is the sole reason why am I writing so many articles and sharing so many pictures and reels from the same tour.
So here is a full fledged planner for the dream destination which can help fellow travelers for their next trip to the country.
Maldives is one of those countries which provides visa on arrival on Indian Passport. Hence we don't have to worry about the same and we can only concentrate on planning our itinerary for the trip.
Before even you start the making the schedule, decide upon the budget for the entire tour/head. Maldives has its own currency as Rufiyaa, however they make all the transactions in US dollars. Hence making it an expensive country to travel to. However this can be overcomed if we make a fixed budget for the same with little bit of buffer margin to it for the miscellaneous activities that we can indulge in.
Budget for the T
We had decided on a fixed budget per person and that was Rs. 1.5lakh. This budget included flight tickets, hotel stays and meals which costed upto Rs. 1 lakh.
Rs. 50k we had kept it as the miscellaneous amount for the other activities and the little bit of shopping that we can do on our respective islands.
How the Journey started?
Maldives has direct flight from many cities of India such as Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and many more. I chose to book from the Mumbai airport
And whenever visiting an international airport, make sure you check the duty free area of the airport for some amazing tax free products of high quality.
While we were waiting for our boarding time to start, there was alot to roam around at the airport. So a 4-5hrs layover, wouldn't mind on this airport. From Mumbai, we had a 1 hour layover at Colombo Airport (Srilanka), as we were flying by the Srilankan Airways.
While we were waiting for our boarding time to start, there was alot to roam around at the airport. So a 4-5hrs layover, wouldn't mind on this airport. From Mumbai, we had a 1 hour layover at Colombo Airport (Srilanka), as we were flying by the Srilankan Airways.
As Maldives, being an island country, once we touch down Male International Airport (also known as Velana international Airport), we have to either board a sea plane or a speed boat till the resort, which has to be pre booked while we are booking the resort.
After Reaching the Resort
The Resort consists of a variety of rooms. Out of which The Water Villa and the Beach Villa are the most famous ones. So we planned to experience staying in both the villas. Hence for the first two days we stayed in Water Villa and the last day we were at a beach villa with a private pool.
Day 1 At the resort :
After a sleepless night, spending the entire night at an airport first and then in flight for almost 5hrs, was a bit tiresome. So the first that had to be done was to get some sleep as soon as we check in our villa.
And once we had enough sleep we went on an exploring mode. Explored all the restaurants present in the hotel and enquired about the activities that we can indulge in for the rest 3 days of our stay.
And the first activity that I wanted to do was Scuba Diving (my 1st tick in the bucket list)
The cost for the entire package of Diving and Snorkeling was around 350 US Dollar and the duration for the same was 4 hours.
Day 2
Day 2 was a crucial one for me, as I was getting ready to dive deep into the Indian Ocean and see those little creatures in the water.
The diving instructor had given me a time of 9am.
Day 3
On the 3rd day, we had to move in to the beach villa.
So Day 3 followed with a relaxing spa session.
After a relaxing spa session, its time to have some delicious cuisines. And just when we came to know about an Indian restaurant on the island.
While returning back to the Male Airport, we chose to go by the speed boat. So speed boat doesn't take you directly to the Airport. It first takes you to a domestic airport from the resort and then you have to catch a domestic flight till the Male Airport.
This place and the people around me made this tour more and more memorable. A beach destination with crystal clear waters around, with some surreal experiences, is all we dream for. And this destination gave that all.
Here is everything that I experienced on this tour.
Maldives has been given the tag of a very famous honeymoon destination. However I decided to go to this beautiful island country with my parents. And I would definitely vouch for it that it was the best decision I had ever taken in terms of travelling.
We had booked for the sea plane from the Male Airport till our resort (The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi).
Trans Maldivian Airways is the largest sea plane network currently active on the Maldivian Islands.
Before we board the plane, we are taken to a lounge area by a mini bus to wait until the boarding time of the plane starts.
A Room Tour for the Water Villa
This is one experience that you will cherish for a lifetime and would want to do it again.
Day 2 went by a flick. After Scuba diving, we were free to roam around the resort and I decided to go by the beach.
Day 4
Its time to leave this beautiful country, with a promise to return back soon.
