MALDIVES FOR UNDERACHIEVERS

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MALDIVES FOR UNDERACHIEVERS

Postby herodotus » Fri Dec 11, 2009 6:30 pm

Hey all,

So after dragging my Lebanese girl to a lot of godforsaken places like Egypt and Syria, I now have to take her on a proper R 'n' R vacation. Does anyone know if it's feasible to holiday in the Maldives for 4-5 days at a resort that won't break the bank. I'm thinking a beach bungalow -- and by bungalow I mean a shack, not the kind of place where I have P. Diddy and Tom Cruise for neighbours. Budget wise I'm looking at a place that's no more $200-300 per night (even less would be great because I'm a real class act). Just need an atoll where we can chill out on the beach for a few days and sip a beer or two.

For seasoned BFCers, Maldives is up there with Disneyworld in terms of risk factor, but if anyone has ever passed over West Africa or Yemen for the sake of love can you help a fella out? Cheers.
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Re: MALDIVES FOR UNDERACHIEVERS

Postby Dr. V » Fri Dec 11, 2009 10:11 pm

I used to live in the Maldives (18 months in the time before the internet - feel sorry for me - living on a desert island is not all its cracked up to be)

Do a search, buy a package - the islands range from 2/3 star rustic (as in basic with desalinated cold water) to the luxurious. Some have several restaurants to eat in, others don't so in some cases there is no choice over the half / full board options. As a general rule the further you are from the airport the more basic the food. Lots of fish and rice.

Transport around the islands is difficult and expensive - better to book one island for your stay which in Maldivian terms will be short. There is no real independent transport from the airport to each island / resort - most packages have the transfers included. Depending on how far away it is there will be a choice of the slow boat, the fast / speed boat, the seaplane and there were (but I think they have since been banned) the old rusty Russian helicopters. If you get sea sick the islands a long way away are a bad idea, if you are in monsoon season the speedboat is a really really bad idea. There are independent taxi's to the capital Male which is not exactly your desert island girlfriend friendly fantasy - it might have relaxed somewhat but when I was there it was a) dry and b) wouldn't rent rooms to non married couples - plus there is no worthwhile beach.

Unless you pay extra you won't always get a sea view / beach hut / water bungalow - most of the islands have rooms in the centre of the island as well. How long it takes to walk around gives an indication of how large it is..... Each island has its own character and attracts a certain type of person - eg far from Male in the outer atols there is excellent diving so cheaper groups go, places with water bungalows are couples / anniversary etc - the price of the island also determines the other customers and as a general rule eating and drinking is expensive (you are trapped, can't bring anything in and can't get off the island unless you are on an organised tour)

I used to live on the Universal Islands (apart from a stint with the salt showers and another in abstract luxury) - they are a safe bet but on the commercial side
http://www.universalresorts.com/

Some of the Islands are also given over to particular tour operators -eg club med so they have themes / entertainment and food which suits the clientèle - fine if you don't mind being the only English speaker on Italian island = not so fine if you want to talk / meet people etc.

Its not the kind of place to be looking for local experience - you might get a guided tour of a local island, a tour of the capital city and a local fishing trip (read boat with piece of string) offered but that will be about the cultural highlights.

Think - on my holiday I will enjoy sun, sea, sand, sex, diving and possibly karaoke, drinking (often combined) and .... err repeat.

If you do a search Medevac posted some holiday snaps on the bfc a while ago.
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Re: MALDIVES FOR UNDERACHIEVERS

Postby Medevac » Sun Dec 13, 2009 10:42 am

http://www.embudu.com/

This is the place I was at, Embudu Village. From memory it was between $80-100 Per person) meals inclusive, so it's cheap and cheerful, perfect holiday if you just need to chill out. High maintenance Lebanese Princesses (you know the type) may not appreciate the low tech comfort however, but if you have one of the sane ones you'll be fine.

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