Maldives in June - Experiences wanted!

[Boozy]

Hi everyone,
making an honest women of the other half and we're going to the Maldives in June - I had a look through the past posts but thought I'd start one of my own to see if there's any additional info out there.
Has anyone done the all inclusive side of things? if you go half board, are drinks very dear? has anyone been in June before?
Looking for suggestions on islands, fancy a water bungalow so any positives/negatives would be great,

over to you

[npope]

I went this year in Jan and it was the best holiday I have had, took my wife and three kids and they all loved it. All in is ok but I soon started paying for my beers as the local Lion beer was crap.

Have fun and learn to dive before you go.

Which Island are you going to?

[Boozy]

Well we're not really sure at the mo, Baros was a firm favourite but it's quite pricey, where did you go? how much were meals, beers, water etc?

[Puggit]

I've been in July - weather can be hit or miss in that it might rain occasionally. We had one full on rainy day, and the odd short sharp shower.

All inclusive can get very expensive, especially as it will be priced in dollars. Remember that everything has to be imported in to the country, and then is heavily marked up for rich tourists. In some islands it will be cheaper to upgrade to all inclusive after you arrive - do your homework!

[mouseymousey]

When I went I did the all inclusive thing. I still had to sign for all my drinks and at the end I saw the total bill, which of course I didn't actually have to pay. Suffice to say that when I go back I will certainly be going AI again!

Also, people told me to learn to dive before I went but I couldn't stand the idea of diving in England, or in some grotty swimming pool so I learnt whilst I was out there.

Highly recommended.

[snowy]

npope said:

I went this year in Jan and it was the best holiday I have had, took my wife and three kids and they all loved it. All in is ok but I soon started paying for my beers as the local Lion beer was crap.

Have fun and learn to dive before you go.

Which Island are you going to?

Out of interest, as i have two kids, which island did you go to?

[Puggit]

If one of you is asthmatic, ensure you have a doctor's note permitting you to dive.

[mitzy]

Nearly got there , but split up from the ex husband!

Looked nice in the book.

[blindswelledrat]

I went in June to this place:

http://www.kuredu.com/community/kuredu-island-live...

on the advice of another Pher.

It is brilliant. One of the bigger islands and strikes a nice balance between isolation and at least something to do.
I wouldnt recommend anything other than the Waterstilty houses though as the other accomodation on thier is less secluded.
But the water things are fantastic with little ladders leading you down into the reef where you snorkel with turtles and reef sharks among other things.

[Cara Van Man]

we went in 2002 in June for our honeymoon.

The only downside was the water was slightly cloudy due to the time of year.

On the upside it wasn't tooooo hot.

Amazing experience....we will be going back for our 10th anniversay hopefully,

[Soir]

Went to Maldives in May - best holiday I've ever had. I'd recommend going all inclusive, however as someone has mentioned it can be cheaper to upgrade to AI once you are there (check reviews) We upgraded to water suite after 1st week and wished we had done it from the start... truly amazing

enjoy!

[Boozy]

Soir said:

Went to Maldives in May - best holiday I've ever had. I'd recommend going all inclusive, however as someone has mentioned it can be cheaper to upgrade to AI once you are there (check reviews) We upgraded to water suite after 1st week and wished we had done it from the start... truly amazing

enjoy!

ahhh, so you can do this? I thought about this last night, upgrading once we're there, as we're going through a tour operator, I thought about paying for a nicer place when we got there, did it work out massively better value than upgrading before?

thanks for everyones help so far!

[Puggit]

Boozy said:

Soir said:

Went to Maldives in May - best holiday I've ever had. I'd recommend going all inclusive, however as someone has mentioned it can be cheaper to upgrade to AI once you are there (check reviews) We upgraded to water suite after 1st week and wished we had done it from the start... truly amazing

enjoy!

ahhh, so you can do this? I thought about this last night, upgrading once we're there, as we're going through a tour operator, I thought about paying for a nicer place when we got there, did it work out massively better value than upgrading before?

thanks for everyones help so far!

Like I said - do your homework! Some islands have forums where you can get this info from - most have webpages...

[Zod]

We had two weeks at Reethi Rah in October. It is not cheap, particularly as you can only go no meals or half-board and no drinks are included, but it is quite superb. The food in the three restaurants is great, particularly in the Japanese restaurant and, unusually for the Maldives, there is a well-stocked win cellar with wines that are expensive, but still cheaper than in London restaurants.

[beano500]

June is in the rainy season - don't let that put you off, just do your homework!

Under those conditions I, personally, wouldn't chose a water villa that time of year if I had a choice - you want sleepless nights for all the right reasons

On the positive side, there have got to be some bargains to be had - though make sure, whichever resort you choose, that there aren't bargains because that particular island decided to do all its maintenance and rebuilding because it was the expected quiet time!

Of the islands I have visited, Kuredu is good - has lots of activities - but is the nearest thing to Butlins on the Indian Ocean. There are far more tranquil places to go. Baros, Reethi Beach and Royal Island all instantly come to mind unless you are (pun intended) pushing the boat out for a Hilton or Four Seasons, et al, resort. Baros (IIRC) is run by a Swiss or German firm - means it runs like clockwork even if a tsunami hits Royal is one of the locally owned businesses and one of the ones that (used to) have a dedicated lounge in the seaplane departure hut - very pleasant. If you're at one of teh resorts that is only a speedboat ride away from the airport, you may want to check whether you're going to be under the airport flight path (Baros, at about 14 kilometres away is fine - you just notice a few planes but they don't really trouble you.

Make sure you have sufficient spending money for all the tips and the extras that you will want if not thrown in - you don't want to be penny pinching on a sunset trip or a snorkel tour when you've flown half way round the earth!

IMPORTANT TIP: depending on which island you are heading to, your main luggage MAY GO SEPARATELY (unless you travel on a dhoni for five or six hours to, say, Kuredu!!) This means you want some important things in your hand luggage that you take on a seaplane - sun factor, swimming costume, et cetera.

[mel]

I spent 2 years working a little to the south (mainly underwater) and used to ponce a lift on any flight we had going up whenever I got the chance, I can't really comment on any of the resorts but really don't worry about the weather at all, in 2 years I never managed to notice if we were in the rainy or not rainy seasson and can only actually remember one big tropical storm which would have been around feb' time. It really is a water resort though and the best sights are under the water. As others have said learn to dive before you go rather than waste 3 days of your holiday in a class room and swimming pool, however I fully understand the desire to not dive in the cold, dark murky waters of the UK so do a referral course where you get the time wasting classroom and swimming pool stuff signed off here and then just have a full days diving in the sea to get certified once you reach resort.

[Soir]

Boozy said:

Soir said:

Went to Maldives in May - best holiday I've ever had. I'd recommend going all inclusive, however as someone has mentioned it can be cheaper to upgrade to AI once you are there (check reviews) We upgraded to water suite after 1st week and wished we had done it from the start... truly amazing

enjoy!

ahhh, so you can do this? I thought about this last night, upgrading once we're there, as we're going through a tour operator, I thought about paying for a nicer place when we got there, did it work out massively better value than upgrading before?

thanks for everyones help so far!

I'd check on holiday forums what resorts do this - however it could be a gamble because the water villas could be fully booked once you arrive. For honeymoon, I'd probably pay the extra to guarantee it.

[RobM77]

My gf and I would love to go but I have a really bad phobia of spiders. Anyone seen one whilst there? I've wanted to go for years but it's always completely put me off. I love snorkeling, sun and beaches so it seems like the ideal destination for me. I've been trying to get my phobia sorted with various techniques but it isn't working

Oh, and before I sign off someone rightly mentioned asthma and diving. Check with other medical conditions too - IIRC there's a few you need a doctor's report on before you dive. PADI will be able to advise. Oh, and you can't dive before you fly - check the time limits on this too to avoid dissapointment.

[Zod]

I've been to the Maldives twice and not seen a single spider.

[RobM77]

Zod said:

I've been to the Maldives twice and not seen a single spider.

Thanks - that's what I want to hear!

I realise they're there, but if they're as rare as snakes are in the UK then I'm reasonably happy (I photograph animals as a hobby and still haven't managed a single snake in the UK!). What I don't want to happen is for me to not sleep for two weeks worrying about it.