Prior to this trip, I already flew with Air Asia heaps of times - twice going to the Philippines, once to Malaysia, Vietnam and Hong Kong so I wasn't worried that it might cause some mishaps because it's the latest destination of the airline and therefore a new route for the pilots. Flight had a minimal turbulence and overall it was smooth. The moment we stepped out of the airport we felt the scorching sun it felt like 40 degrees albeit it was only high 20s. It was so burning my Body Shop lip balm melted a bit but we ignored the painful heat when, across the airport, we spotted the first view of our Maldives water. It was so clear you wouldn't believe what your eyes were seeing! Everyone just had to capture the moment because it was so picturesque we had to pinch ourselves to know that all these were real.
I was using an iPhone 5 camera and it didn't quite capture
the tranquility I saw)
It was Thursday around 3PM local time when we got there, and my travel mates, who are mostly budget travelers and travel bloggers, arranged everything for us. Our first stop was Maafushi Island in Kaafu atoll (in the south atoll, south of Male - the busiest city and capital of Maldives) - it is about 2.5 hours away from the airport and we took a (public) ferry to get to the island. Maafushi is one of approximately 200 inhabited islands and it's home to 100,000 out of the 300,000 locals in Maldives so it's a good location if you want to have a little immersion in the life and culture of the Maldivians. We stayed at Arena Beach Hotel and Spa for the price of Arena Lodge because the Lodge cannot accommodate our big group of 13 - so it's like a free upgrade for us since there's a difference of about USD$100/night between the hotel and the lodge. We stayed on the island for 3 days doing nothing but appreciate the turquoise coloured water, it is so clear you can see everything underwater. Our first night was spent discussing our activities and the expenses that accompanied them. The group came from 3 different countries so it was the first meeting to go over our plan for the next 6 days. On our second day we went to the Sexy Beach which is about 25 minutes away from Maafushi on a speedboat. Sexy Beach is a sandbank, it is surrounded by turquoise water that changes into a deep blue one 500 metres away from the sand bank. It is also a diving site for divers of all levels - some of us did scuba diving while the rest did either snorkeling or sunbathing.
.
Sexy Beach - there is no shade since it's only a sandbank so make sure you bring your own beach umbrella and a very strong sunscreen (I used Banana Boat, SPF50+)
The following day we went to the Picnic Island - it's a small uninhabited island, also 20 minutes away from Maafushi via speedboat, that was set up with toilets, rooms and eating facilities so, as the name suggests, you can have a picnic there after swimming and exploring the island. You won't have to worry about a thing, you just need to relax, enjoy the island and when your stomach growls, barbeque lunch will be served. The lunch is part of our tour package (see below for the expenses) however don't expect pork or beef because Maldives is a 100% Muslim country. We only had fish and chicken during our stay on Maafushi and we only got to eat pork and beef when we were already on a private island because they aren't as strict as the local islands (and they know majority of the tourists prefer bacon for brekky and steak for dinner). They also don't serve alcohol on the local island so if you're a big booze drinker, your trip to Maldives will be a perfect detox time.
 |
| East of Picnic Island - the side that has the best beach |
Front of Picnic Island - the stretch of coconut
and other tropical trees provide protection
against the sun
We left Maafushi Island on our fourth day to experience a prime resort on a private island. We arranged our (speed) boat transfer with Arena because theirs is much cheaper compared to Fihalhohi Island Resort's rate. We also made some sort of "bonding" with Arena's manager Nadeem (thanks to our mum travel mate - Suzette) so most of the rates that we got during our Maafushi stay were pretty reasonable. Fihalhohi Island is further south of Maafushi though it is still on the Kaafu atoll and about an hour and 15 minutes away from Maafushi on a speedboat. The local time in the island is one hour advanced than the local time in Maafushi and Male but I find it strange that the time on my iPhone didn't update (it usually automatically updates when I'm in a place with a different timezone). Fihalhohi is one of the reasons why Maldives is perceived by many as a luxurious holiday destination. Everything was just pristine - white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, water bungalow, green vegetation of the island, numerous water sports/activities, house reef, wide range of international cuisine, tranquility, peace of mind, booze (yes there's booze!!! but you have to pay USD$6 for a bottle of Corona + 10% service charge and 8% GST, so I suggest you stick to your detox), it's the perfect destination if you want to forget your stress at work or if you want a time off from the social media - wifi is USD$6 per hour so no matter how addicted you are to Facebook and Instagram you'll have no choice but to take some time off from them (unless you're willing to be ripped off). We didn't do any water sports/activities in Fihalhohi, we did everything on the local island because 1.) it's cheaper 2.) we wanted to spend more time just exploring Fihalhohi 3.) we wanted to use all the facilities - they have foosball/garlando, table tennis, basketball court (I didn't use this one), library, badminton, beach volleyball (I just ended up watching cos they were so competitive) and 4.) we were tired during our first 3 days all we wanted was to relax. At night since you cannot really do much aside from scoffing everything on the international buffet, they'd play a movie on a white wide screen at the Fisherman's Bar so you can watch while having a few drinks and desserts. We only stayed in Fihalhohi for one night but I think it's enough to see the entire island in a day.
Water Bungalow - Fihalhohi Island Resort
Grabbed this picture from a mate, check his website www.jonas.ph
A walk to remember
Water Bungalow
Fihalhohi Island
Beach Volleyball in Fihalhohi
We checked out at 1130 AM local the next day but stayed there 'til arvo, we arranged our boat transfer to the airport (though we were going to Hulhumale Island) with Arena in Maafushi because they gave us a good rate of USD$31 each compared to the $70 rate if we arranged it with Fihalhohi. The speedboat ride up north to Hulhule Island, where the international airport is, took us only one hour but it was a bumpy ride, good thing I didn't take lunch otherwise I would have thrown it all out. We arranged a one night stay at an inn near the airport so from there, a van from UI Inn picked us up but for some reason they took us to Airport Comfort Inn - I presumed the latter is a sister inn of the former and like the Arena Lodge, UI also couldn't accommodate our big group. I didn't like this inn, for USD$81 I thought it was expensive considering aircon wasn't working properly, the toilet bowl releases a foul smell every time we flush it (and it's not just our bathroom! I asked the other guys and theirs were the same) and the bed wasn't comfortable at all. I didn't bother complaining as I knew we'd only be there for less than 20 hours and we spent even less time because on our last night we squeezed in a short trip to Male just to see what their city's like and to have a look if we can get some cheap souvenirs. Maldives' shirts of any design costs between USD$10-30, fridge magnets are $5 cheapest and all the others are more than $10. I couldn't be bothered looking as I was really tired and I don't normally wear souvenir shirts anyway so I just sat down while everyone else was busy looking for souvenir stuff. I ended up buying some souvenirs though when we were already at the airport the following day, Duty Free offers the same kinds of souvenirs that we saw from the shops at Male - the shirts are, of course, more expensive than Male but I found the rest cheaper at Duty Free and with better quality. I got a (very cute) notebook with a front cover design of sea shells and Maldives written under it for $5. I saw similar ones in shops at Male for $8 (cheapest) but smaller and the pages/leaves are of poor quality; the one closest to what I have is $20 - which for me is a total rip off! I also bought a sea shell bracelet for $10 - this is, by far, better than those I've seen in Male. This was the only shopping I did in Maldives; while shopping is always a top priority every time I go overseas, I knew it'd be different in Maldives. No one would go to Maldives to shop, one would go there to see an amazing layout of atolls and enjoy the islands with the most pristine white sand and surrounded by the crystal clearest turquoise lagoons. It's the most picturesque scenery I've ever seen in my life. It's the closest to the dictionary definition of paradise; a paradise that's called the Maldives.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE TRAVELING TO MALDIVES:
1.) Bed Tax - I don't know about you but I have stayed at hotels in 7 other countries and I never encountered bed tax. It is added on the total room price. Most of the time we book through Agoda because we earn points and can use them on future bookings
2.) Maldives: a Muslim country - I already mentioned that they don't serve pork, beef and alcohol on local islands but also note that there is a "swimmers code" in some areas (mostly local). I find them more strict than other Muslim countries like Malaysia
3.) Sun Protection - while it is already understood that whenever one goes on a holiday, bringing sunscreen is a MUST I still feel I have to reiterate it because Maldives is the hottest place I've ever been to. Summer in Australia can get to 40 degrees sometimes but the heat is nothing compared to what I've experienced there. It was only 20+ degrees but it was really burning! I wore a Billabong rash guard but I still got burnt
4.) Safety/First Aid - I thought it was a standard protocol that all boats should carry (enough) life vests for the passengers? All of our boat rides (except the public ferry) to and from the islands didn't have a life vest at all. Also, the Picnic Island does not have first aid kit. My boyfriend cut his toe from a rock on the shore (it had the same colour as the sand and the brightness of the sun made it so hard to see it), we asked for some medical assistance because it didn't stop bleeding however they didn't have any on the island. We ended up going back to Maafushi (the local island) to get assistance at the local health centre. (The locals were really nice though, while we were waiting for a boat to get us to Maafushi, a local man climbed up a coconut tree and got some coconuts for us - their coconuts are smaller than that of the Philippines and Thailand but they were so good!! The juice, the meat, yum!
EXPENSES (everything in USD)
Day 1 to 3 accommodation - USD$150 ($50/night full board - including breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Day 1: KL Breakfast (Marrybrown), Maccas soft serve, frozen cola - $9.09
KL Groceries (water, custard buns, etc.- we didn't want to get hungry!) - $10
Transfer from airport to port of Male - free (c/o Arena Beach Hotel and Spa)
Port of Male to Maafushi Island via a public ferry - S2
Grocery at a small convenience store (pringles, coke, etc.) - $5
Day 2: Scuba Diving (Maafushi Dive) $75 ($80 normally but we asked for a discount =))
Snorkeling including gears and boat ride to Sexy island - $15 (Sexy island is also the diving site so if you're doing the scuba diving then snorkeling after you no longer need to pay $15)
Day 3: Picnic Island entrance - $11
Boat transfer and BBQ lunch (c/o Arena) - $24 (normally $35 but we haggled again)
Day 4: Boat transfer to Fihalhohi (c/o Arena) - $18
One night accommodation - $248.07 (AUD268.87) $124 if two in a room- half board - including breakfast and dinner (though we got a complimentary buffet lunch when we arrived)
Wi-fi (yes I had to!) - $6.48 (including GST and SC)
Booze (a pitcher of beer, Midori Sprite, Blue Lagoon) - $38.35 (got a 40% off from a complimentary voucher for the Blue Lagoon drink)
Magnum Almond Ice cream - $3.5
Day 5: UI Inn accommodation - $81 - $40.5 each (we stayed at Airport Comfort Inn instead, not very comfortable I tell you)
Transfer from Fihalhohi to the airport - $31 with Arena ($70 if you booked with Fihalhohi)
Transfer from airport to Hulhule Island (and back to the airport the next day) - $3.50
Bus ride from our place to the local port going to Male (3 Rufiyaa each way) - $.39 round trip
Ferry to Male ($5.5 one way) - $11
Burger King (Hungry Jack's) burger meal - $11
Another meal (Highway Restaurant in Hulhumale) - $5.50
Dinner (Sea House Restaurant in Male) - $15
Groceries (water) - $.50
Day 6: Burger King double cheeseburger meal - $13.50
Duty Free Souvenirs - $15
Other stuff: in-flight drink/airport food $5.45
Famous Amos cookies - $7
Tune Hotel accommodation (we arrived 10PM in Kuala Lumpur from Male and our flight to Sydney was 9am the following day) - $55.36, $27.68 each
Total: USD$663.44, AUD$719.08, PHP29,854.4 - if you'll do scuba diving
USD $603.44, AUD$654.05, PHP27,154.41 - if you'll do snorkeling
* doesn't include flights
Has anyone been to Maldives for this cheap? =)
against the sun
We left Maafushi Island on our fourth day to experience a prime resort on a private island. We arranged our (speed) boat transfer with Arena because theirs is much cheaper compared to Fihalhohi Island Resort's rate. We also made some sort of "bonding" with Arena's manager Nadeem (thanks to our mum travel mate - Suzette) so most of the rates that we got during our Maafushi stay were pretty reasonable. Fihalhohi Island is further south of Maafushi though it is still on the Kaafu atoll and about an hour and 15 minutes away from Maafushi on a speedboat. The local time in the island is one hour advanced than the local time in Maafushi and Male but I find it strange that the time on my iPhone didn't update (it usually automatically updates when I'm in a place with a different timezone). Fihalhohi is one of the reasons why Maldives is perceived by many as a luxurious holiday destination. Everything was just pristine - white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, water bungalow, green vegetation of the island, numerous water sports/activities, house reef, wide range of international cuisine, tranquility, peace of mind, booze (yes there's booze!!! but you have to pay USD$6 for a bottle of Corona + 10% service charge and 8% GST, so I suggest you stick to your detox), it's the perfect destination if you want to forget your stress at work or if you want a time off from the social media - wifi is USD$6 per hour so no matter how addicted you are to Facebook and Instagram you'll have no choice but to take some time off from them (unless you're willing to be ripped off). We didn't do any water sports/activities in Fihalhohi, we did everything on the local island because 1.) it's cheaper 2.) we wanted to spend more time just exploring Fihalhohi 3.) we wanted to use all the facilities - they have foosball/garlando, table tennis, basketball court (I didn't use this one), library, badminton, beach volleyball (I just ended up watching cos they were so competitive) and 4.) we were tired during our first 3 days all we wanted was to relax. At night since you cannot really do much aside from scoffing everything on the international buffet, they'd play a movie on a white wide screen at the Fisherman's Bar so you can watch while having a few drinks and desserts. We only stayed in Fihalhohi for one night but I think it's enough to see the entire island in a day.
Grabbed this picture from a mate, check his website www.jonas.ph
 |
| North of Fihalhohi |
A walk to remember
Water Bungalow
Fihalhohi Island
We checked out at 1130 AM local the next day but stayed there 'til arvo, we arranged our boat transfer to the airport (though we were going to Hulhumale Island) with Arena in Maafushi because they gave us a good rate of USD$31 each compared to the $70 rate if we arranged it with Fihalhohi. The speedboat ride up north to Hulhule Island, where the international airport is, took us only one hour but it was a bumpy ride, good thing I didn't take lunch otherwise I would have thrown it all out. We arranged a one night stay at an inn near the airport so from there, a van from UI Inn picked us up but for some reason they took us to Airport Comfort Inn - I presumed the latter is a sister inn of the former and like the Arena Lodge, UI also couldn't accommodate our big group. I didn't like this inn, for USD$81 I thought it was expensive considering aircon wasn't working properly, the toilet bowl releases a foul smell every time we flush it (and it's not just our bathroom! I asked the other guys and theirs were the same) and the bed wasn't comfortable at all. I didn't bother complaining as I knew we'd only be there for less than 20 hours and we spent even less time because on our last night we squeezed in a short trip to Male just to see what their city's like and to have a look if we can get some cheap souvenirs. Maldives' shirts of any design costs between USD$10-30, fridge magnets are $5 cheapest and all the others are more than $10. I couldn't be bothered looking as I was really tired and I don't normally wear souvenir shirts anyway so I just sat down while everyone else was busy looking for souvenir stuff. I ended up buying some souvenirs though when we were already at the airport the following day, Duty Free offers the same kinds of souvenirs that we saw from the shops at Male - the shirts are, of course, more expensive than Male but I found the rest cheaper at Duty Free and with better quality. I got a (very cute) notebook with a front cover design of sea shells and Maldives written under it for $5. I saw similar ones in shops at Male for $8 (cheapest) but smaller and the pages/leaves are of poor quality; the one closest to what I have is $20 - which for me is a total rip off! I also bought a sea shell bracelet for $10 - this is, by far, better than those I've seen in Male. This was the only shopping I did in Maldives; while shopping is always a top priority every time I go overseas, I knew it'd be different in Maldives. No one would go to Maldives to shop, one would go there to see an amazing layout of atolls and enjoy the islands with the most pristine white sand and surrounded by the crystal clearest turquoise lagoons. It's the most picturesque scenery I've ever seen in my life. It's the closest to the dictionary definition of paradise; a paradise that's called the Maldives.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE TRAVELING TO MALDIVES:
1.) Bed Tax - I don't know about you but I have stayed at hotels in 7 other countries and I never encountered bed tax. It is added on the total room price. Most of the time we book through Agoda because we earn points and can use them on future bookings
2.) Maldives: a Muslim country - I already mentioned that they don't serve pork, beef and alcohol on local islands but also note that there is a "swimmers code" in some areas (mostly local). I find them more strict than other Muslim countries like Malaysia
3.) Sun Protection - while it is already understood that whenever one goes on a holiday, bringing sunscreen is a MUST I still feel I have to reiterate it because Maldives is the hottest place I've ever been to. Summer in Australia can get to 40 degrees sometimes but the heat is nothing compared to what I've experienced there. It was only 20+ degrees but it was really burning! I wore a Billabong rash guard but I still got burnt
4.) Safety/First Aid - I thought it was a standard protocol that all boats should carry (enough) life vests for the passengers? All of our boat rides (except the public ferry) to and from the islands didn't have a life vest at all. Also, the Picnic Island does not have first aid kit. My boyfriend cut his toe from a rock on the shore (it had the same colour as the sand and the brightness of the sun made it so hard to see it), we asked for some medical assistance because it didn't stop bleeding however they didn't have any on the island. We ended up going back to Maafushi (the local island) to get assistance at the local health centre. (The locals were really nice though, while we were waiting for a boat to get us to Maafushi, a local man climbed up a coconut tree and got some coconuts for us - their coconuts are smaller than that of the Philippines and Thailand but they were so good!! The juice, the meat, yum!
EXPENSES (everything in USD)
Day 1 to 3 accommodation - USD$150 ($50/night full board - including breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Day 1: KL Breakfast (Marrybrown), Maccas soft serve, frozen cola - $9.09
KL Groceries (water, custard buns, etc.- we didn't want to get hungry!) - $10
Transfer from airport to port of Male - free (c/o Arena Beach Hotel and Spa)
Port of Male to Maafushi Island via a public ferry - S2
Grocery at a small convenience store (pringles, coke, etc.) - $5
Day 2: Scuba Diving (Maafushi Dive) $75 ($80 normally but we asked for a discount =))
Snorkeling including gears and boat ride to Sexy island - $15 (Sexy island is also the diving site so if you're doing the scuba diving then snorkeling after you no longer need to pay $15)
Day 3: Picnic Island entrance - $11
Boat transfer and BBQ lunch (c/o Arena) - $24 (normally $35 but we haggled again)
Day 4: Boat transfer to Fihalhohi (c/o Arena) - $18
One night accommodation - $248.07 (AUD268.87) $124 if two in a room- half board - including breakfast and dinner (though we got a complimentary buffet lunch when we arrived)
Wi-fi (yes I had to!) - $6.48 (including GST and SC)
Booze (a pitcher of beer, Midori Sprite, Blue Lagoon) - $38.35 (got a 40% off from a complimentary voucher for the Blue Lagoon drink)
Magnum Almond Ice cream - $3.5
Day 5: UI Inn accommodation - $81 - $40.5 each (we stayed at Airport Comfort Inn instead, not very comfortable I tell you)
Transfer from Fihalhohi to the airport - $31 with Arena ($70 if you booked with Fihalhohi)
Transfer from airport to Hulhule Island (and back to the airport the next day) - $3.50
Bus ride from our place to the local port going to Male (3 Rufiyaa each way) - $.39 round trip
Ferry to Male ($5.5 one way) - $11
Burger King (Hungry Jack's) burger meal - $11
Another meal (Highway Restaurant in Hulhumale) - $5.50
Dinner (Sea House Restaurant in Male) - $15
Groceries (water) - $.50
Day 6: Burger King double cheeseburger meal - $13.50
Duty Free Souvenirs - $15
Other stuff: in-flight drink/airport food $5.45
Famous Amos cookies - $7
Tune Hotel accommodation (we arrived 10PM in Kuala Lumpur from Male and our flight to Sydney was 9am the following day) - $55.36, $27.68 each
Total: USD$663.44, AUD$719.08, PHP29,854.4 - if you'll do scuba diving
USD $603.44, AUD$654.05, PHP27,154.41 - if you'll do snorkeling
* doesn't include flights
Has anyone been to Maldives for this cheap? =)
