[V-16]

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Hello V-16,

Thank you for bringing to us best of Maldives. I read you your entire travelogue in one session. Your write-up is interesting & photos are brilliant.

Yes even I am keeping Maldives on my radar to visit in future. It seems to be perfect holiday where one can just relax & do simply nothing (or everything he cannot do in his normal life).

Also can you please through some light on cost & expense part of the trip?

Thanks,

Thanks and You are welcome Jignesh.

Well, the cost depends on the hotel you choose, the time you choose would be more important as the costs escalate crazily during season times. I would budget a minimum of US$ 100 per night, per room including of breakfast, excluding taxes and service charges. This room could go up almost 3-4 times in peak season. I would suggest checking the deals one gets on various web sites and specialist agents who could conjure out a decent package.

Lets just say that the logistically it is impossible for this place to be cheap> each Hotel is an island itself generating its own electricity and its water treatment plant for converting sea water into drinking water. Also the basic things one needs have to be shipped or flown in. Something as basic as a can of coke as there are no roads that lead from island to island. Food and drink is very expensive. Be prepared to pay around US$ 25-50 per dish for lunch or dinner. a soft drink is between US$ 8-10 and an ice cream cone can set you back US$ 8-10 too. A bottle of drinking water is around the same. A coconut is 8-10 bucks (all prices in US$). You pay a GST and an added service charge on all items. A SPA treatment can start at 150$ upto 500$ for some fancy named stuff.

Extracurricular activities on some islands are free if you do nit want a guided tour. If you want to Kayak, Snorkel or Windsurf on your own, the equipment is free, if you want a guided tour or an instructor, its upwards of 100$ per hour. Diving is expensive and not free.

So carry your chocolates and usual stuff around from India but dont try to take any of the banned items or the customs will give you a rough time.

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Bought back memories for me too!! Did a business trip to Mali from Trivandrum in 1995 ( I think) 2 days, one of business and a day at a French resort, was not enough. Have been wanting to go back with family. Your T-log woke up that pang.

Thanks for sharing nice pictures and small details. The Food sounds inviting and so are the true blue sea pictures. Looks like just the place for a couple / family to chill out for a week.

--Ramky
======

Welcome Ramky. Yes its a great place to chill with the family. Its where one can spend some quality time and bond with the family and 3-4 days is a great period. I would not recommend more days as it gets boring and monotonous until you have a lot of bonding and chillaxing to do

[lancersfx]

Hey V16. Initially i thought my browser had gone nuts and never stoped loading.... but then i started reading and was glued for almost 2 hours on this single thread and the pics are so good. Thanks for sharing your experience. I plan to visit maldives this year and will get back to you with queries..

[V-16]

Anytime mate. Im glad you liked the pictures. Its actually such a beautiful place that its hard not to love it. A great place with the family. There are some deals currently available. I read in the DNA today regarding some deal being offered by Taj Vivanta. You may want to find out, just to keep yourself informed.

[KSM-Vtec]

Great TL Sir!!....lot of info and temptation generating stuff!!

[Durango Dude]

Great TL & Pics; guess it will be sometime before any one says Maldives Ahoy, due to the political uncertainty there.

[V-16]

Sad. Just while we're speaking about going there the country goes through a political coup and gets violent. I guess its hang on for a while now!

[mmmjgm]

Gogi bhai !!!!! kamaal kar ditta, awesome travelog, great pics and your patented narration style. :-)

FYI - that nose up down knob is a "trim tab" this is to minutely adjust the flying surfaces on a plane, the actual activation of rudders & ailerons is done by the stick (which pilots control the plane with). The trim tab adjusts the surfaces for the duration of the flight to compensate for minor variations in airspeed/windspeed & the loading of the plane. Much like our alignment but done on a per flight basis to keep the aircraft level in flight.

Excellent write up once again Gogi. Great one, inspires you to visit the place.

Regards

MM

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Awesome travelog praaji !

Originally Posted by V-16

As mentioned above in the picture, for the benefit of future travellers, one cant bring in Dogs or any kinds of pets or animals, Alcohol, Pork products, Idols for worship, Plants, Materials contrary to Islam, Chemicals and the usual stuff that is banned from any sane country like Drugs, Firearms, dangerous stuff etc.

I can understand other items in the list, but what is the reasoning behind plants, any idea ?

Originally Posted by V-16

These are essentially called Sweet Spots from where any guest can utilize the soft drinks, cold coffees, ice creams, water and ice all throughout the day and night. They also contains some body lotion, hand sanitizer, sun block, paper tissues and beach towels. These are unmanned kiosks and everything from here is at no charge.

Imagine such facility anywhere in India.

Spike

[Swanand Inamdar]

V-16: What a lovely TL!
The place looks absolutely lovely and so do the snaps!

Thanks for bringing back some lovely memories. Had been there on my honeymoon, and honestly, fell in love with Maldives at first sight!

BBQ on b'day is a novel idea indeed. Guaranteed satisfaction .

I have been suggesting everyone to visit Maldives at least once, and now this TL can be proof enough, as to why!

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

I can understand other items in the list, but what is the reasoning behind plants, any idea ?

Most countries ban plant/seeds and unprocessed eatables like fruites in baggage.

This is to contain any possible agricultural contamination (e.g. pests).

[V-16]

Thanks Guys!!

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

Awesome travelog praaji !
I can understand other items in the list, but what is the reasoning behind plants, any idea ?

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Most countries ban plant/seeds and unprocessed eatables like fruites in baggage.

This is to contain any possible agricultural contamination (e.g. pests).

Yes thats it i should think so. Being close to the sea, its very probable that the flora is restricted. To get in a pest that could play havoc with their eco system could spell doom for their flora. One country thats deadly strict about this is Australia.

[ksanjee]

NICE V-16!!!

I love Maldives. Have been there 4 times and can imagine going there again and again!! it is that GOOD...My son loves it..there is simply nothing else I have seen that comes close to it..Have been to Hawaii several times and to Andamans as well..but Maldives is amazing in its own right..

I took a couple of my friends with their families and they loved it....

I have not ridden on the sea plane - but will do next time. Bandos is great since it is only 10mins from Male and has an spectacular house reef. I will share some underwater pics some time...

TFS....

Krishna

[arup.misra]

Excellent travelogue paaji. Truly enjoyed reading it. You've helped me add an additional vote to Maldives for aniv.

BBQ idea is inspiring. Glad you have not patented it

[arunu]

Superrrrrr photolog Paaji.

I guess your adventure / thrill starts as soon as you land at Male. What a way to reach your own private island in SeaPlane ( had never heard of the term AixTaxi before ).

Also spending quality time with your dear ones is priceless. It surely looks like heaven on earth. The photos and narration is spellbinding and literally took us (readers) to the place virtually.
TFS.

[lejhoom]

Just happened to stumble on this thread.

Thank you very much for the beautiful photographs of the Maldives.

Sometimes I wonder if this place is not an enigma. Take for example, the list of prohibited items handed to you on board aircraft. The very fist itme, narcotics, is freely available in the islands. They are mostly brought by ships sailing from Pakistan and are available only to confirmed addicts!

The second item, pornographic material. The first time I saw some of those salacious magazines and videos were in the Maldives. Even resorts stock them. They are often smuggled into to inhabited islands and people just devour them. Even young teens are innured to it. Behind the simplistic veil a lot happens during dark. Foreigners are not privy to it. If you go through the news sites like minivannews.com, you get the trend.

Items three and four are of course anathema. Item number five is also will not be available. Alchohol is available easily. All resorts have a well-stocked wine cellar. Many islanders do drink, but under wraps. I personally know of an Indian doctor who was offered a bottle in one of the islands. Of course, it came in a Cock bottle, smuggled from a nearby resort. You must have noticed that alchohol is available at the Departure lounge of the Male airport. They are cheap and they are genuine. In fact, it is cheaper to buy it in Male than, say, at the Duty Free shop at Colmbo airport.

There used to be only two dogs in the entire Maldives. They were purportedly used to sniff narcotics at the airport. Sri Lankan were handling them.

Plants from other places do not survive there. As for animals, you may spot some cats. There was a bull in one of the islands in the Northern atolls and people used to flock there to see it. Most youngesters believe milk comes from Nido or Anchor (two milk powder brands commonly available there). For medicines, Maldivian authorities prohibit all combination drugs that you see commonly in India.

The last few items must be available now because we hear a lot of violence in this country.

If you have been to one resort, you've been to all. Most look similar but level of luxury changes.

Didn't you go snorkeling? It is one the best experiences in the Maldives. With practically no mud in the sea water (sand is actually made of corals, hence the blinding white sheen), one can see quite deep into it with all those incredible fish.

You get to see a lot of Italian food because it was Italians who pioneered tourism in the Maldives. The irony is that locals now do not prefer them as tourists because they are one of the most tight-fisted. They all prefer UK tourists.