When I Imagine Maldives for 2 Years and Now I Put My Feet On This Island
I know the word Maldives in the first time when I was 13 in my junior high school, by the way I used to be a boy scout and become one of Indonesian scout ambassador for having jamboree in Ehima Matsuyama, Japan. Back on that years I have hundred of friends from across the globe and one of the participant is coming from Maldives.
Actually they were all a good friends and when I’m back to Indonesia I just forget about this beautiful countries for over than 10 years.
In 2009 I got married with the most gorgeous girl in this world and I surely know that my wife is freak about beach. Since I told her that I’m falling in love with her in 2005 she always happy if I took her to the beach just 30 minutes scooter ride from my home and once I develop my wedding photography business that she wondering how about if we go to Maldives for photo shooting!
That was insane!!
Totally I never think about that but in 2012 I just stuck to serve photography in Indonesia cause of the price war than I choose to move my market focus for overseas, shortly now I’ve been twice to Maldives both for photo shooting. Through this article I want to share to you about this magical island where you can put your feet in the white sand beach where the cute nemo fish is swimming right on your feet.
Introduction about Maldives
Maldives is a really small country in the south of Srilanka, so it means you can reach this country by book a direct flight to Maldives or sail with a boat from Srilanka.
Visa to Maldives
I highly suggest you to check Maldives Visa Requirement when you planning your trip, but overall Maldives government will give you 30 days of free visa, that’s quite enough for you right! even me…I can only afford for 2-3 days by today in Maldives.
Accommodation in Maldives
Some people choose to stay in Maldives in a budget and some other choose to stay in a luxury way, and choose the 2nd option. Once I touch down in Velana Airport (formerly knows as Ibrahim Naser) and get the boat to Male City, I’m truly surprise that I don’t see any of luxury resort just like what I see in NatGeo People, it just a small town with a lot of Maldivian riding their scooter without helmet and some of junction doesn’t have a traffic light.
So I choose Male City as my transit place before I depart to the resort where I booked in, here I can give share you the reviews of 1 cheap transit hotel in Male City and 2 luxury resort which is a 5 star place where I stay in and meet my cute friends, the Nemo.
- Lucky Hiya – for your transit hotel in Male City
- Lux South Ari Atoll – formerly known as Lux* Maldives
- Angsana Velavaru – a great place to stay too
The day when I fly to Maldives
I set my luggage for 2 days cause I’m so excited with it, of course I took my wife too to Maldives and she belong to my personal assistant for whole my photo shoot.
I live in a small town called Yogyakarta, I surely you to come and visit this city someday, and from here I have to fly to Singapore first than got a 1 night transit in Boon Lay where my brother live in and tomorrow I can fly to Maldives. At this time I use Jetradar to compare the flight rate than you may choose for having direct flight or 1-2 connecting flight to Maldives.
I arrived in Maldives around 2pm, get a standard immigration procedure and go check into my transit hotel. Due to Maldives aviation than all seaplane and speed boat to the resort have to stop at 4pm that would thunder storm in the sea that so dangerous. So if your flight landed after 4 pm than go to find a transit hotel around Hulhumale or Male City, both of this place is nearby the airport so tomorrow you able to go to the resort easily.
After check in and leave my luggage in Lucky Hiya, I walk to small restaurant to get lunch and let see how the food looks like. Overall it seems like an Indian cuisine, they serve Biryani rice, chicken curry, prata bread, and some vegetables. I spend about 100 rufiyaa on this lunch so may about USD10-12 for both of me and my wife. It’s quite cheap and the taste was so wonderful, you can bet on it for you meal.
I walk to the harbor in the evening and sightseeing around the city, truly fun and always wonderful to meet the locals, introduce who I am, and talk about their culture. Today I feel surprise too that the guy who I met in the restaurant told me that 100% of Maldivian are moslem so when the adzan shouting then some shops will close for 10-15 minutes and they will open their shops after praying….so wonderful!
It’s the day when I see the Paradise!
The sun is rising and I packed up my luggage and get tasty breakfast in Lucky Hiya, they serve me sausages, bean, toast of bread with butter and jam, and really fresh orange juice. The hotel staff was so friendly even they told me that my hotel manager from Lux* just called and told the her that I have to stand by in the harbor to catch my speedboat and domestic flight at 9pm.
I completed my check out procedure and walk about 10 minutes to the harbor and meet the Lux’s staff in the counter just outside the airport terminal building. Here I have to go the domestic flight check in counter and put my name on the list, personally I better use domestic flight speedboat than taking the seaplane, this double propeller is so noisy so I can’t enjoying my time.
Don’t miss the baby share feeding at 5pm, just sit in the wooden bride!
Before getting to Lux I have to reach the Maamigili island and get my connecting speedboat to Lux, overall I spend about 40 minutes from the Velana Airport – Maamigili – Lux* and once you arrive in the island, damn! all staff are so welcoming they sway their hands to all of us so we feel so comfort during our arrival.
Lux provide a private check in, so we can choose to go to the receptionist desk or let the hotel staff come to us where we sit under the wooden umbrella just next to the beach and I choose this way. The Staff come to me with a paper that consist of my data and for sure the cucumber juice for welcome drink….oohhh it was so fresh during the hot day, you should try this juice too.
Definitely will visit Maldives and stay in Lux again!
I surely suggest you to stay in Lux, definitely! They provide every single things that we need, just mentioned it and they will help you. Since my marriage couple stay in water villa so I can get there with a buggy and feel the paradise, I choose to stay in the beach villa which is cheaper but when I open my room door, I see the ocean through the door, that was wonderful too.
Thank you to read my story while travel to Maldives,
If you ever go to Maldives and want to share your story, just put your comment below! In case you want to say hi or ask something about Maldives to me, let me know too!
NOTE for my Photos – I uploading my Maldives travel photos in high resolution so in case you love it or wanna use it for your blog or commercial purposes than you can download it on Shutterstock
