Maldives

[mozilla]

^^ talaga sis, mura ang singapore airlines, i've been studying this route, sa aking pag reresearch parang mas mura ang Malaysian Airlines if from KLIA to Maldives itself, yung sale ticks nila lumalabas na 12k per trip, though yung mock booking ko eh hanggang front pa lang, i dunno if may tax pa yun on top of that. the downside lang of Malaysian Airlines is that yung dating nya sa Male Airport eh gabi na, so i dont know if some hotels offer a ride going to the hotels around 11pm to 12pm.target ko ito next 2014. and i'm eyeing for the Holiday Inn Kandooma since, (sonce eto young partner ng hotels namin where im curently working right now) may possiblity na free lang accomodation namin, using the points as priority club member. (as one of the perks working in IHG hotels)

[nageinna]

^yes sis mas mura yung sa singapore airlines last time, through agency kami nagpabook kasi. though maliit lang naman difference. night time din arrival namin sis. i think most resorts, if not all, offer a ride naman papunta sa resort nila. kasi most ng resorts dun can only be reached via sea plane or speedboat. alam ng resorts mga schedules ng airlines sis. kaya for sure meron parin mag hahatid sa inyo niyan. kami arrival namin if i remember it right, 11pm na. lucky naman sis laking help ng free accomodation. sana matuloy ka next year. maganda sa maldives

[Girltalker2]

Parang lugi ata if single occupancy kasi super mahal ng rooms. kelangan at least 2-3 kayo para sulit.

Questions sa mga nakapunta na ---

1.  yung mga snorkeling gear and fins, how much ang rental?  per day ba? 

2.  for island hopping w snorkeling, separate na bayad pa ba yun aside from the bayad sa resort  na full board na?

3. in snorkeling, do you have a guide?  isip ko kasi kung mag isa ako pupunta, at least safe parin pag may kasamang magaling lumangoy.

[nageinna]

^1. sis depende sa resort, but dun sa resort na pinuntahan namin, no rental fee yung snorkeling gears nila. free to use siya.

2. pag may island hopping yes separate payment na yun. may schedule of activities sila everyday. this day eto lang available na activities, then tomorrow iba ulit.

3. walang guide snorkeling nila. except nalang if may kasamang island hoping, may life vest naman sila per room so ayun yung ginamit namin ni hubby nung nag snorkeling kami on our own. and we didnt need to go sa gitna ng dagat, may corals and fishes na kahit sa mababaw lang.

[Girltalker2]

^thanks sis.

how did you decide on the resort?  I am still reading travel reviews kasi, but I think I will also be constrained on what the travel agencies are offering.  Kasi naisip ko ayaw ko maghiwa hiwalay na booking, at baka ma miss ko ang travels. Gusto ko 1 package na, mahirap na maiwan.

you're the one that stayed in Velavaru right?  How come you did not take the all in package?  Or kahit all in package na sila, may bayad parin yung island hopping?

[hushlygreen]

my husband will be going there for work pero not permanent punta siya dun this may then balik ng june then july ulit. i'm planning to go there with him ng june. do you think ok naman ba yun? or should i change it to join him ng either may or july?

he'll be staying in male, so plan namin if ever to stay sa resort like 1-2 nights during his off days. any suggestions on which resort?

[Girltalker2]

^ sis anytime would be ok. maulan na raw ng june (ata) check mo nalang google, pero once naman na umulan daw eh mabilis din mawala yung ulan.

Regarding resorts, you try to think through what is your priority - rooms ba (accommodation, service, quiet time for honeymoon), beach, snorkeling, take seaplane/boat, etc. Tapos if you know na what you want, magsearch ka sa google ng suggested resorts at mga reviews.

Sa sobrang dami ng mga resorts, nakakalito talaga.  Pero pag matagal na hubby mo sa Male, I am sure he would know alin ang more value for money. Then you will be the one to let us know saan ang recommended!   

[mooncake and leaves]

And has anyone been to not so near neighboring countries like Seychelles and Mauritius? Parang
mas type ko yung Seychelles and Mauritius kasi.

not from me but from reviews and blogs, it seems like seychelles=maldives> mauritius. mauritius is not all that daw. Daw.

lee abamonte, that dude who has been to every country in the world says anse lazio (seychelles) is the best beach. chris guillebeau naman says it's muri beach in the south pacific.

however, i think now that comparisons achieve nothing. iba iba kasi talaga taste ng mga tao. also iba iba topography so the scenery won't be the same. mahirap icompare.

^^ one of my friends recently went to the maldives. they stayed in male then they just went on an island hopping trip. if you intend to stay at one of the resorts, just check tripadvisor for names then go from there. when i was considering a trip, i liked anantara dhigu.
jetsetter had a good deal kasi on it though rush sale and hindi applicable sa dates that i liked so i had to let it go.

[hushlygreen]

thanks for the advice! maglagay ako dito ng reviews after! ^_^

[Girltalker2]

not from me but from reviews and blogs, it seems like seychelles=maldives> mauritius. mauritius is not all that daw. Daw.

based on my limited reading, my impression in seychelles eh nice beaches.  pero kung corals and snorkeling pag uusapan, it's maldives.  that's why I am eyeing on maldives.

ang mauritius naman, again, my impression is nice beaches din pero ang set up is like bali whereby it is an island with several accommodation alternatives.  unlike for maldives, once you go to an island resort (and there are hundreds of them), yun na resort mo and di practical (mostly) to go stay in another accommodation/island.

[mooncake and leaves]

^ yeah. the comparison is in overall scenery and experience lang naman, in which case patas lang talaga. kaya din they always say not to compare because each island destination offers completely different things. the seychelles can't compare when it comes to diving because they have dangerous currents and as i recall, medyo shark infested. again, it all depends on what you seek.

[nageinna]

^thanks sis.

how did you decide on the resort?  I am still reading travel reviews kasi, but I think I will also be constrained on what the travel agencies are offering.  Kasi naisip ko ayaw ko maghiwa hiwalay na booking, at baka ma miss ko ang travels. Gusto ko 1 package na, mahirap na maiwan.

you're the one that stayed in Velavaru right?  How come you did not take the all in package?  Or kahit all in package na sila, may bayad parin yung island hopping?

hi sis sorry for the late reply, baros resort kami nagstay. we booked them via rajah travel and tours. all in package na. tripadvisor and other forum sites din ako nag rely for choosing baros.

all in package nila (for honeymoon to ha) includes
-hatid sundo sa airport
-accomodation
-buffet breakfast and dinner
-candle light dinner for two by the beach
-complimentary wine and chocolates upon arrival

if gusto mo mag avail ng additional activities nila like island hopping, dolphin sightseeing etc. may extra charge na. not sure lang if may other packages sila na may kasama nang island hopping etc. kasi puro honeymoon package nakikita ko that time.

[Girltalker2]

^ thanks sis for your comments. 

So how is it so far, planning for a next visit?  Super ganda nga ba na unbeatable sya kahit ng palawan?   

[Bumble]

Maldives is a paradise! We had our honeymoon there before. Try to book sa resort island na may coral reef mismo para mas enjoy ang snorkelling or diving.

[sweetarwen07]

hi sis sorry for the late reply, baros resort kami nagstay. we booked them via rajah travel and tours. all in package na. tripadvisor and other forum sites din ako nag rely for choosing baros.

all in package nila (for honeymoon to ha) includes
-hatid sundo sa airport
-accomodation
-buffet breakfast and dinner
-candle light dinner for two by the beach
-complimentary wine and chocolates upon arrival

if gusto mo mag avail ng additional activities nila like island hopping, dolphin sightseeing etc. may extra charge na. not sure lang if may other packages sila na may kasama nang island hopping etc. kasi puro honeymoon package nakikita ko that time.

sis, how much ang package nito all in all?

[nageinna]

^sis we spent almost $6000 for the honeymoon package.

[prettybarbie]

^ not bad at all...ilang days to sis? Pero with that amount of money i would rather go to Europe, but i know this is a different kind of experience so it's in my bucket list din

[hushlygreen]

May share lang ako... Natuklasan ko mas mura if you try to book ng manila-bangkok through PAL tapos bangkok-male through Srilankan Airlines. Yung nabook ko around 25k lang lumabas.

[charm0220]

Hi, can you recommend a reliable travel agency that offers Maldives packages?
Thank you.

[mwaah]

we also had our honeymoon in maldives last september a great experience and given a chance i want to visit it again for our first year anniversary.

i did all the bookings.  via pal and singapore airlines yung route namin and since gabi na yung dating sa male ng city hotel muna kami para di masayang yung 1 night and then the next day kami pumunta sa kurumba. i emailed the hotel directly to arrange our transfer.

i miss maldives!