Maldives- a concoction of blue and green!

Maldives- a concoction of blue and green!

A country gifted with the abundance of blue lagoons, white sand and marine treasure, Maldives lies silently at the southwest of India and Sri Lanka.

Fun Facts:

•  It is the smallest country in Asia (by area and population)
•  It is a 100% Muslim Sunni country
•   Everything purchased is subject to 10% service tax and 6% government service tax (GST)

We availed a package costing us BDT 90,000/- per pax ($1155 approx)

Package included:

•  Return Air Tickets Dhaka-Male-Dhaka
• 1 night accommodation at Hulhumale (Velima Beach) with breakfast

•  2 night accommodation at Fun Island Resort (Bodufinolhu Island) with breakfast + lunch + dinner
•  All airport transfers 

We travelled to Maldives for my honeymoon and our duration of stay was 4 days 3 nights. We went to Maldives from Bangladesh in Maldivian Airlines where there was a stopover at Chennai for an hour. Flight duration was roughly around 5 and half hours. Flights land at Male International Airport which is located on the island called Hulhule. If you have booked a resort, someone from the resort will stand at the arrival gates with your name but in many cases, you will not find anyone. As it happened to us, the best way to go about is to go to the counter of the resort at the airport or report at the information desk.

Note 1: Tourist SIM cards are available at a minimum of $11 which is not worth it if you are here for less than 6 days (all resorts have Wi-Fi).

Day 1

Velima Beach Hotel (facing the sea)

Velima Beach car took us back to the hotel in Hulhumale and we headed out instantly towards the ferry terminal via bus. Hulhumale is an artificial island built to take off population pressure of the capital city, Male and is the only island connected to the airport via road. There is only one bus route in Hulhumale then ends at the ferry terminal. Ferry fare is MVR 5.5 per person and is available from 6am to 2.30am (download Male-Hulhumale ferry schedule here).

Sad part is that there is no night life in Male after 12am. Restaurants close down completely and we found nothing open at night. A couple of hotel restaurants were open but nothing else. So we just had dinner and Shisha at a restaurant called Aioli and the food was great! We returned home with the same route.

Note 2: Please carry the address of your hotel or remember the bus stop number which is nearest to your hotel so that the bus driver can drop you off seeing the address

Day 2 & 3 (Fun Island)

Hulhumale Beach

Our transfer to Fun Island was scheduled for 9am so we took the opportunity to go around Hulhumale and what a brilliant idea it was to wake up at 6am and visit Hulhumale beach which is as blue as the pictures look. The streets are a beautiful grey and green with neatly located grocery shops, tiny 4 storied guest houses, cafes and residential quarters. We rented a buddy bicycle (100 MVR for an hour) and rode around the city. Restaurant options are limited and local cuisine for breakfast is similar to ours- sandwiches, roshi (like our rotis) and omelets.  A two person meal will cost around 100 MVR. Go around the town to experience the quaint and peaceful city life of Hulhumale.

Buddy bike

Hulhumale

The speed boat ride from the airport to Fun Island was exactly 45 minutes and each resort has their speed boats which are quite well maintained.

Prepare your mind to be blown away with the first sight of these resort islands. I cannot type the word “blue” enough times to describe the image on my mind. Our island was a 3-star resort with no swimming or water villa and was considerably small in size. The rooms are quite clean and nice but there was no hand shower in our room so we used the lobby washrooms. In 3-star resorts there is no room service usually as dinner and drinks are served in the restaurant and bars respectively.

Beach Front Room

Chilling by the beach

Entrance to Fun Island

Activities on the island included:

• Island Hopping to any other resort island or local island- $150 per pax for entire day’s tour with lunch and water
• Dolphin Cruise- $24 per pax with 50% refund if no dolphin is sighted
• Sunset Cruise- $84 per couple with a complimentary cocktail
• Diving- $100 per pax with full gear
• Snorkeling- $11 per pax (rent of full gear set)
• Water sports- Yacht ride, Jet Ski, Canoeing, Banana float rides, surfing, stand-paddle etc (ranging from $15-$300)
• Swimming in the beach from sunrise till sunset
• Water Polo
• Fishing
• Food & beverage:
• Breakfast, dinner and lunch were included in our package but you have to purchase water and any other beverages
• Cocktails range from $6 to $20
• Soft drinks are $4 per 500ml bottle or can
• Water is $3.5 per 500ml (yes, try to carry your own)
• Note 3: Purchase snacks and alcohol from the airport or from Hulhumale/Male and bring to island. You would be able to save around $50

Snorkeling

Beach next to the room

Canoeing

Day 4

Our return flight was in the evening so we took this chance to explore Male which most tourists miss out on. We kept our luggage at the airport ($5 per bag) and headed to Male via ferry (MVR 10 per pax). 

Local Mosque

Dockyard

Male is an absolutely delightful city in daylight and the stony paved roads give the city a European feel. We walked around for 6 hours to get an experience of the city life.

Seagull Ice Cream corner (A must try)

Some parts of the city are a little shabby but do check out the beautiful mosques and little restaurants at every lane. Every road is filled with shops and there is no pattern of category- everything is found everywhere.

Artificial Beach

 Do remember that there is no public transport in Male except taxis. Walking was the only option.

Note 3: Shops remain closed for 15 minutes during prayer times. 

On an ending note, I highly recommend Maldives as the ultiimate honeymoon destination. A sweet evidence of it was this particular Indian couple and I could guess from their interaction that two strangers got married without knowing anything about each other. They entered the resort walking side by side and they left with us, holding hands and sharing shy glances. When two lovers are placed at a location with nothing but the nature around- love is bound to happen :)