Wanderworld

Finally, I got fed up with how outdated this blog is that I couldn’t resist doing something about it anymore.

Finally, I got bored enough with my daily activities that I actually have the urge to somehow revive this dying blog.

And finally, I get to share about my Maldives trip/second honeymoon which I never thought would actually be a reality.

So… I never actually thought the day would come that I would be able to set foot on Maldives’ elusive shores. We all know that the paradise seemed only reserved for the well-off and lucky ones. As it turned out, I was among the lucky ones who was just too reluctant to give up on one of my ultimate travel dreams.

How did I manage to pull it off? Mainly thanks to Air Asia’s seat sale during the time, through which I was able to book round-trip tickets for only Php 7,636.96 (per person). If it wasn’t for that seat sale, I wouldn’t have started seriously planning my Maldives vacation, though it was always at the back of my mind that that’s where I wanted to have our real/legit honeymoon.

Fact 1: Plane tickets to Maldives could cost as much as Php40,000 one-way. Fortunately, there’s the occasional seat sale of some airlines that give mere mortals like me the opportunity to finally visit the place.

Second reason is the fact that the Universe somehow made it happen that my friend Cat and her bf were also planning to go to Maldives around the same time that I was.

I was actually hell-bent on going by myself because my husband was initially reluctant to go due to the huge expenses (I had to convince my ever-practical husband several times to go with my honeymoon idea, but that’s a story for another day, lol), but when I found out that Cat and Benjie were all set, I decided to go with them. Good thing they were gracious enough to let someone like me barge in on their party, lol.

Anyway, thanks to my irresistible charm (haha) and convincing power, Joseph finally agreed to come and it seemed that he actually even enjoyed more than me during our trip. 😀

Facts you should know about Maldives (and our trip, specifically)

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I won’t really be giving tips here on how to travel to Maldives on a budget (if it isn’t obvious enough so far). However, I wrote about it for my previous job, which you can find here.

What I’ll share instead are loads of photos (haha, this blog is so useful, isn’t it?) and some reflections or things I learned about the place as I ramble my way through this post.

Fact 1.5: I almost cried tears of joy while on the way to our resort in Hulhumale from the airport. The sight of the vivid turquoise waters from the port was just so stunning, it made me realize that I was finally in the paradise I only used to dream about.

Fact 2: Even the water in Maldives ports are so clear; I don’t know how that’s even possible with all the boats coming to and from the pier. The clear waters in their ports actually resemble some of our nice beaches here lol.

Fact 3: It was so hot and humid in Maldives during our visit (late March 2018). It was actually way hotter than here in the Philippines, which made it a struggle to travel around all covered up. Which explains my next fact…

Fact 4: According to our travel companion, someone took a picture of my back in the public boat because I was wearing a tank top. I thought it was okay not to cover up while in the boat, but as it turned out, you still have to since Maldives is a conservative, Muslim country. Be forewarned then, and don’t do the same mistake I did! Always make sure your shoulders, cleavage, and legs are covered when in public places not meant for tourists alone.

Fact 5: There are beaches especially reserved for tourists in some of the islands in Maldives which are the only places where you can freely strip down to your bikinis. If you intend to swim in a public beach, you’re expected to cover up.

Take note: You can actually get arrested if you don’t follow the rule, so better safe than sorry even if you see other foreign tourists walking around in their skimpy shorts or topless (for males).

Fact 6: There’s nothing special about the tourist beach in Maafushi. In fact, it’s rocky in the shallow parts, so you’d have to endure walking over rocks (if you don’t have aqua shoes or slippers) to get to the decent part of the beach. The water’s not clear as well, which makes it below standard of a typical Maldives beach.

For those of you who don’t know, Maafushi is the best cheap place to stay in Maldives if you don’t have the money to book a room at the exclusive luxury resorts. Most budget tourists opt to stay here because it’s the local island that has the most number of cheap accommodations and other facilities for tourists.

Fact 7: Fulidhoo island in Maldives is definitely one of the must-see places in the Indian Ocean paradise. Like Maafushi, it’s also home to several cheap accommodations and guest houses; however, there are no other tourist facilities there unlike in Maafushi.

The upside though is Fulidhoo’s exceptional beauty–even from the boat you’ll see its pristine turquoise waters glistening vividly under the sun. The quality of the beach there is actually similar to those in exclusive, expensive resorts; it’s incredibly breathtaking you’d find it hard to leave.

If you don’t intend to stay in Fulidhoo island during your trip, you can visit it through an island hopping tour. It was included in the Vaavu atoll trip that we booked during our third day.

Fact 8: The cheapest water villa you can book in Maldives is at Paradise Island Resort–at least according to my friend Cat. 😀 The water villa there costs P42,000 per night.

Fact 8.5: We only stayed at Paradise Island Resort for one night, just to have a feel of the luxe life Maldives is famous for because as I mentioned, we’re just mere mortals. Joseph and I stayed at a beachfront accommodation, which cost P21,000 per night. @.@

Opinion: I believe it’s imperative that you stay in an exclusive resort for at least one night during your Maldives vacation. After all, you go there to see the water villas and the incomparable beauty of the beaches in exclusive resorts. If you don’t have enough money though, you can opt for a day tour to the private islands.

Fact 9: You can get stung by a sea urchin too even if you’re at an expensive resort in the Maldives if you’re “lucky” like me. Lol. It happened while we were looking for fishes in the other side of the resort.

That was only my second time to be stung by a sea urchin (my first time was in Koh Lipe, Thailand), but it was way worse than my first one that I had to go to the clinic to have it checked. Obviously, I survived, but I limped my way through the resort until the next morning. 😀

Fact 10: All the good things you hear about Maldives and its beaches are true; the country is a dream. Its clear, literally stunning waters teeming with marine life are what dreams are indeed made of. If you’re a beach bum like me, spending more than usual to get to this paradise is definitely worth it.