Maldives Master Thread

[elya]

How crazy would a trip to MLE be with an infant?

I am considering flying through on my way home (NYC) from Israel.

[noturbizniss]

If you don't care for an OWB then what are you flyng 35 hours for?

The beach villas at the Conrad look gorgeous and huge, but you make a valid point. Where else can I get beach villas like that? Big, your own beach and private pool?

[Emkay]

The beach villas at the Conrad look gorgeous and huge, but you make a valid point. Where else can I get beach villas like that? Big, your own beach and private pool?

Belize for one

[noturbizniss]

Belize for one

No destination guide for it? Any points hotels?

[CS91]

No destination guide for it? Any points hotels?

Pretty sure there's a Hilton there. If I remember correctly, friend of mine said he stayed at one there.

[Emkay]

No destination guide for it? Any points hotels?

Revenue. Can get your own island for the price of a Villa in MLE.
Wouldn't say its luxury but there is a pretty decent option on Airbnb. Even better with the current 100 off 400 and if you locked in 50% off with amex

[noturbizniss]

Revenue. Can get your own island for the price of a Villa in MLE.
Wouldn't say its luxury but there is a pretty decent option on Airbnb. Even better with the current 100 off 400 and if you locked in 50% off with amex

So doesn't compare to

[Emkay]

So doesn't compare to

There are some that do

[CS91]

For those of you that have been in MLE for Shabbos, how did you figure out the Zmanim? When I put in "North Huvadhoo" or "Gaafu Alifu Atoll" into MyZmanim, nothing comes up.

[Dan]

Use coordinates.

[CS91]

Use coordinates.

Put them into MyZmanim and nothing comes up.

[Dan]

Try http://www.chabad.org/calendar/zmanim_cdo/aid/143790/jewish/Halachic-Times-Zmanim.htm

[CS91]

Try http://www.chabad.org/calendar/zmanim_cdo/aid/143790/jewish/Halachic-Times-Zmanim.htm

Chabad FTW 

Shabbos starts at 7:03pm – I'll take it!

[noturbizniss]

Chabad FTW 

Shabbos starts at 7:03pm – I'll take it!

Looking forward to the tr! Which hotel you going to?

[CS91]

Looking forward to the tr! Which hotel you going to?

PH MLE. Plan on kicking off the TR by posting Part 1 (Planning etc. – aka the most boring part) either tomorrow night or Wednesday morning before my flight.

[noturbizniss]

PH MLE. Plan on kicking off the TR by posting Part 1 (Planning etc. – aka the most boring part) either tomorrow night or Wednesday morning before my flight.

Looking forward. Don't just mle or other places? Owb?

[CS91]

Looking forward. Don't just mle or other places? Owb?

Just going to MLE. Booked in regular Beach Villa as of now, though others say that Diamonds get upgraded to Pool Villas if there is availability (which there is). I'm gonna try to convince them to give me a complimentary upgrade to an OWB for at least one night, but if that doesn't work, I'll probably just pay the difference for one for one night.

[Wheelerdealer]

Have a safe trip tommorow

[eliteflyer]

Figured I would move this over from the Award booking thread with a few updates on planning:
Further Revised for trip in late May:

I think we may manage to knock out any restorative benefits of the Maldives by the time we are done ferrying our kids back from Toronto!

NYC-YYZ - TBD Friday or Sunday - Paid/award reservation for 4 passengers (including the twins) ticketed separately

[(90K AA x2)
AMERICAN AIRLINES OPERATED BY TRANS STATES AS AMERICAN EAGLE    4168    YYZ Toronto    Sunday
03:55 PM    LGA New York    
05:34 PM    Economy

Overnight at home in Brooklyn

ETIHAD AIRWAYS    102    JFK-AUH     Monday
3:00 PM    AUH Abu Dhabi   
12:00 PM+1    First    380
 
Overnight in AUH Hyatt Capital Gate reserved using Anniversary Night Award from a Diamond account with status expiring before trip;
or Rosewood Abu Dhabi booked for $80 all in (including breakfast and flexible rate) using MakemyTrip 50% off promotion

ETIHAD AIRWAYS    278    AUH -MLE   Wednesday
09:05 AM   
02:40 PM    Business    320]
 
Option 1 4 nights in MLE Park Hyatt Award Reserved on points from a Diamond Account with status expiring before trip

Option 2
4 nights booked through Amex FHR for $505 per night at the Shangri La Villingili with fourth night free, including two massages and breakfast. ($1898 all in plus 1.5 hour flight $450 per person)

[90K AAx2
ETIHAD AIRWAYS    279    MLE -AUH    Sunday
07:40 PM       
11:00 PM    Business    320
 
ETIHAD AIRWAYS    101    AUH -JFK   Monday
09:30 AM       
03:45 PM    First    777 (Jetihad)

AMERICAN AIRLINES OPERATED BY REPUBLIC AIRLINES AS AMERICAN EAGLE    4441    LGA New York    Tuesday
06:00 PM    YYZ Toronto    
07:39 PM    U    N/A ]

Overnight in Thornhill, pack up the kids.

[250 DLx4
DELTA 6182* YYZ-JFK FIRST (G)   
6:00am-7:50am]

Drop the kids off at home and head to work!

Ticketed!!!! except I decided to drop the first YYZ-LGA leg to get one more night with our kids and book a paid ticket on Monday morning to New York to catch EY103 (extra costs are not too bad when factoring the chauffer service and saved taxes as one way flights from YYZ are only about $100).

 As mentioned in another thread, I had issues ticketing and ultimately, Mrs. Eliteflyer is only confirmed in J/Y on EY 103/278 (ticket got canceled by the timer as I was ticketing, so got my seats, but not hers) Options include:

1) calling every day to check if one seat opens up (EY103 has four more seats in F; 278 is wide open in J)...and if it doesn't, graciously let Mrs. Elitelfyer take the Apt. Based on past trends, there's a good chance space will not open at all, and past the devaluation date if it does.

2) confirm Mrs. Eliteflyer on EY 101 which has one seat in F currently available for an award (but is otherwise wide open). The risk is that we would end up traveling on separate flights, something I'm sure Mrs. Eliteflyer would not like,  particularly into the Middle East. Plus, it's Jetihad and we lose the day in AUH (while still having to overnight).

3) book JFK-CLT-IAD and take the two available F seats out of IAD on the 787.  The downside here is 1) that makes an already long travel day 6-7 hours longer; 2) overnight in AUH is only about 13 hours vs. getting a day in to see something if we arrive at noon from JFK and 3) it's not the 380. Pro is that I would be able to lock in F pricing before March 22, guarantee we're in the same cabin and leverage the higher possibility of a schedule change.

Any other angles I should be considering? Open to suggestions.

[AJK]

1) Better hope there is no delay on your YYZ-LGA flight as you won't be protected.
2) Personally, there is no way I'd choose option 2. Second best is option 1, though still not palatable. I've done the whole Mrs. AJK in higher cabin than me (though not intentionally), and while not terrible, was not nearly as fun. For us, though, I'd absolutely do option 3 and hope A380 opened, allowing free change even after 3/22.  However, for you, considering how arduous the trip is already, I ain't about to recommend NYC-ANOTHER STOP-IAD-AUH-MLE. I'd book a non-stop cash ticket from NYC-IAD and lock you both in F now. Problem with doing that, of course, is no A380 and no possibility to change. But thems the breaks when you didn't lock it down originally