I’m not that good at writing, so I’ll keep it to bulleted points with ratings and short notes where applicable.
Background: This trip was based around cheap flights from MLE to DXB to JFK that Dan posted. We travelled in late August 2017, and spent 4 days in
Singapore, 5 days in
Maldives, and 3 days in
UAE.
Flights:• SIN to MLE non-stop with SilkAir
- Award Booking: 18.5k KrisFlyer Miles +68 SGD per ticket
- Originally there was no reward availability, but I was able to book a waitlist ticket on. About two weeks later, when availability had not yet opened up, I called Singapore and asked them if they were able to open up more availability. The answer was no of course, but they promised to have a supervisor look into it. A day later I received an email that availability had opened up. Looks like they are able to release inventory upon request.
• MLE to DXB to JFK (3 day stopover in Dubai) with Emirates Air
- $144.13 per ticket (Thank you, Dan!)
Hotel:• Constance Halaveli- 5/5
- Being Maldives, this was obviously an out of this world experience. Seaplane transfers were included in our hotel package, but unfortunately just as we took off a storm rolled in. We were forced to land on a different island, and after several hours waiting for the seas to calm, were taken by boat to our resort’s island. We had an Overwater Villa, and the service was incredible. They kept our food that we needed for the next leg of our trip frozen in the general freezer with no issues.
Food:• We schlepped along plenty of dry packaged food as well as frozen POM Meals. In retrospect, we should have taken the all-inclusive package. Our chef, Siddique, was incredibly accommodating. He let us have free reign in the kitchen, and arranged new pots, dishes, and utensils just for us. He even arranged for us to have a look at his fish, so that we could point out which ones were kosher and which spices and condiments he could/couldn’t use in preparation. He baked us bread and prepared salads and other delectable dishes to our liking. For Shabbos, they gave us exclusive use of one of the ovens in the kitchen, so that we could keep our food warm without the staff interfering.
Activities:• Snorkeling/SCUBA Diving
• Guided Tour of Male- 5/5
- This was provided by our resort for free. This was an eye-opening tour, which allowed us to see a country steeped in poverty while the rest of the world takes advantage of their incredible natural beauty. Being that Shariah law is the law of the land there and most people are devout Muslims, it did not exactly give us a ‘safe’ feeling, but I would still recommend a tour.
• Most resorts offer island excursions, but these are usually sold out by the time you check in, and need to be booked well in advance.