Help! 1st time flyer to Maldives (well, to anywhere really)

JAM1376

Hi

Just had to post! We went to the Maldives for our honeymoon in october 06. We stayed at Kuredu island resort and had an amazing time. As already said, take casual clothes, mossie repellant (we found the best one to use was some 'cactus juice' they sold on the island...and I usually get bitten a lot!) and no shoes! Snorkelling with Green back turtles before breakfast will make it a first holiday to remember for ever!!

We tipped our waiter (you were allocated one for the fortnight) on the last day and left some for the room cleaner people after the first week and then again after the second week. Can't really remember how much but if its 5-10 US dollars its nothing to us but a lot to them. Not sure exactly how much we gave though-was honeymoon so we may have been more generous! Also tipped in the spa both times we used it..you may get different people a second time.

If you can afford it, go and have a fantastic time....we are going back for our 5th wedding anniversary I hope!!

Disab_2

Relax... Maldives is amazing, very beautfiul, very relaxing and extremely easy for the first time holiday maker and perfect if you and your partner are lovey dovey! You will be well looked after wherever you go. Everything like transfers should be sorted by your tour operator and the resort staff will look after you. Maldives is definitely a hassle free destination and apart from sunburn and mossie bites there should be very little for you to worry about. If you can afford to fly with emirates rather than with the charter airlines then do, the flight will be a lot more comfortable and less likely to be delayed.

Be warned, the sun is strong in Maldives so if you have fair skin, it might be worth buying a rasher vest. This is basically a t-shirt you can swim in and completely blocks the sun out. You can get one when you get there but it would be cheaper to buy one online.

Don't worry about your friends horror stories, going on holiday abroad is going to be fun. I lived in Maldives for a while and I never heard a single horror story from the holiday makers. Have fun.

i_love_it

Maldives are beautiful Islands.
Pros;
Getting a speedboat or seaplane transfer from the airport.
Completely Idilic & Romantic
Spectacular beaches & marine life
You must snorkel or dive, even if it is first time.
Take a boat trip for the sunset & see dolphins in there natural habitat swim over to the boat and show off.
Pure relaxation. read a couple of books you've had for years!
A cultural experience to leave europe.
Local Spending is in US dollars, giving you good value right now.
Fantastic curries & international cuisine.
Great massage and holistic spa treatments.
Cons;
11hour flight, through the night
+5 hour time difference
Sand flies, nothing deters them
Mosquitoes are deet proof there, take all the protection you can, them tiny beasts will eat you more than anywhere else (my own experience, with scars)
Limited nightlife, non exsistant sight seeing, there is nothing more than a fish market in male the capital, though the islands through boat trips will blow you away with beauty.
You'll get up early, eat well and relax.

On the other hand,
as you are going in july, greece & her Islands
Santorini is a must without your children.

Pros;
4 hours flying
+2 hour time zone
Greece has a short season, july is perfect.
Holidaying on a live volcano with the most surreal lanscape
Endless possibilies for exploration
History, sunsets, romantic dinners, varied night life, spectacular views
Visit other islands (if you find time)
Not child friendly due the rocky volcanic beaches, sea is like ink
Blow your budget on a cliffe side accom in ioa or fira for pure luxury,
Or simply stay in kamari all round organised resort toward upmarket.
Greek hospitality
Delicious food,
I could go on & on.....
cons;
Mosquitoes reside there too, they do respond to deet repelant.
Very hot in july
Euro strong, so may seem pricey when there.

conclusion (mine) ha ha
Flying to far flung places is seen as exotic and prestigeous, but greece is our very own carribean or indian ocean, yet with so much more to offer.....

If you get the travel bug after your first hol. put these places on your list, but as your first hol without the kids is in our summer time, go to santorini, its worlds appart from falaraki rhodes (incase that has put you off greece)
as are many of th islands, including rhodes if you steer clear of the notorius larger lowt resorts.......

luci

Have you booked yet Jock? What have you decided on?

Don't let a bunch of envious people who have never travelled before scare you with stories of something they know nothing about. I'm sure that once you have a taste for going abroad you will get the bug and want to go every year.

There is a post HERE which tells you what to expect when you check in for your flight. It may seem basic stuff to the seasoned traveller, but it must be daunting going for your first time.

The Maldives sound like a great place to go, but be prepared to be a little disappointed on future holidays with setting you sights so high.

Have a great time whatever you do.

Bex45

Hi Jock,
We have been to the Maldives 3 times (different islands) and have never been disappointed. But as others have said, it does depend what you're looking for in a holiday. We've always been Dec-March sort of time when it's cold and miserable here, and a tropical island seems like paradise! As others have said, if you're going June/July, you could find great weather and beautiful destinations much closer to home in Europe.
Tipping - we always tip the waiter at the end of the stay (I think $10 a week is recommended) and a bit less for the room cleaners. The workers live at the resorts and don't see their families for ages, I think, and they do a great job.

swiss69

If you are planning on phoning the kids alot when you are away then the Maldives may not be the best choice as the cost could be astronomical. A 9 minute call to the Uk by mobile from the Caribbean cost us £17!!!

I think the worst thing will undoubtably be the flight. 11 hours is a marathon on a flight especially at night time. Sleeping on a flight is not as easy as it sounds!

Disab_2

If you do plan on phoning the kids a lot, do a day trip to male' and pick up a Diragghu SIM for your mobile. The sim is around £4 and international calls are fairly cheap. To UK costs around 20p a minute with the local SIM.

dmg24

Disab wrote: »

If you do plan on phoning the kids a lot, do a day trip to male' and pick up a Diragghu SIM for your mobile. The sim is around £4 and international calls are fairly cheap. To UK costs around 20p a minute with the local SIM.

However the trip to Male is likely to cost you £20+ which kind of negates the savings on the sim! x

JockMcSprock

Hi folks,

Thanks for all the rest of the advice everyone. My computer packed in and I have not been able to get online for a fortnight!!!! We managed to book
2 weeks in July through 'First Choice' to Club Faru, Maldives. I've had a look on Trip Advisor and the reports from there are amazing. A web site well worth looking on if you need any advice too. I have scoured the internet since looking for a decent holiday. My partner has been absolutely everywhere else in the world and thinks I deserve a decent holiday and I know you can get somewhere just a cheap and just as lovely in Europe but going to the Maldives should please both of us. If I then get the travelling bug then next year we take the kids too.

With First Choice we get a free trip to Male and I could pick up a sim card for the cheaper calls there (that will save the twenty pounds trip fee).

We are travelling through the night and I fully intend going to the doctor and getting something to help me sleep. I am sure he will oblige when he finds out it's my first flight, either that or I will just have a few drinks on the plane (Just to settle the nerves, of course!)

I would never be disappointed with anywhere I go.

Thanks Again Folks x Any other Advice is more than welcome.