A Tale of Two Princess and Two Upgrades

“ON EARTH THERE IS NO HEAVEN..BUT THERE ARE PIECES OF IT”

It will not be a hyperbole in saying that Maldives is one such place on Earth. The small pieces of heaven are dispersed in the form of atolls, each having numerous coral islands. This blog post is about 5D/4N vacation in one of the island resorts in Maldives.

We wanted to choose first international travel destination for our daughter, Trariti, before she turns 1. We were little skeptical with long flying hours, managing Jet lag etc but luckily, we found another like-minded couple, Sumit and Vinita Dubey, who were also planning something similar for their daughter, Kainaat. Little bit of research and recommendations from family and friends helped us narrow down to Cinnamon Dhonveli Island Resort.

At the first glance, booking a vacation in Maldives looks daunting due to the abundance of choices and large variations in prices. Keep in mind that most of the islands have only one resort and the beach share is one of the highest in the world. Most of the resorts offer similar mesmerising views of the clear turquoise water and pamper you with affordable luxuries. They all offer plenty of water activities and half day tours to keep your vacation lively. Prices are mostly all inclusive, full board or half board, so it will be good to check that carefully. In my opinion, the far you move away from Male and Hulhule (Velana Intl Airport), higher the price you will have to pay for exclusivity and sea-plane transfer.

We took a red-eye flight from Bengaluru to Maldives (hopping Colombo) and a flight back through Mumbai.

Upon arrival we followed the instructions for speed boat transfer and reached resort by noon. After a brief orientation and island tour, we were pleasantly surprised by the views we were getting from our Water Bungalows. In my mind, Maldives had always conjured up images of pristine lonely beach and luxurious bungalows on the water. I must say that the room we checked in, did live up to my expectation. There was a sun deck opening towards the vast Indian Ocean and one can jump straight into the cold shallow water or just watch the colourful fishes passing by.

We were not completely sure of the safety Water Bungalows can offer to a curious toddler and so we had made only one night booking for the same. Soon we regretted our decision but were pleasantly surprised by the Cinnamon management who upgraded our Beach stay. Thats the tale of first upgrade!

The staff was super friendly and food was all around. Meals were mostly buffet and good spread even for vegetarians. At multiple occasions, we asked for custom food preparations for babies and the demand was met carefully and timely. During our stay, we were greeted with a beach side dinner and Cake to help us celebrate birthdays of our daughters. The entire experience and menu was well curated and only enhanced by the politeness of the serving staff.

We were little disappointed with the quality of drinks and liquor served as part of all-inclusive package. As Sumit was itching for a work detox and an overdue vacation, his disappointment superseded mine.

We booked one out of many short excursions planned by resort to go for Dolphin watching in a fishing boat. We were lucky enough to witness few Dolphins racing against our boats!

As the year 2019 was coming to an end, a gala dinner and live music was planned for all the vacationers. The smorgasbord buffet was a delight in itself to watch with cuisines all over the world. That definitely helped us say goodbye to 2019 in style.

As a group, we all decided to have at least two such trips in the coming year. So, are we living up to the commitment? Thats a story to be told in other blog post..

So whats up with the second upgrade? Nothing much. We were greeted with another Water Villa upgrade, which only enhanced the overall experience we have had. Sumit and Vinita were able to spot a small shark fish through the glass floor of the room, which can be called out as an added bonus though.

GB Hacks:

• A decent resort stay starts at 600-700 USD for a couple per night, all inclusive. Resorts having sea plane transfer tend to add a lot of cost further.
• Most of the activities are conducted from Male. So be prepared to add a 30-40 min speedboat ride in most of the activities.
• There are doctors available on resort islands who can aid you with basic consultation.
• Maldives visa is on arrival for Indians and one of the easiest to get.