Maldivian Get-Away

Had heard about the pristine landscape of Maldives - so it was always on radar for a vacation. Residing in nearby Sri Lanka and the way Maldives managed the CoVID scenario encouraged me to head for a vacation in Jan, 2022 (4N/5D).

When I did my search for the hotel, I didn't compromise on the quality of hotel - the factors which contributed in choosing Cinnamon Velifushi was: 

• safety, security was critical as was travelling with our  baby of 9 months
• choosing to stay in the unique Water Villas, bang on the ocean
• this particular island had only this resort - which reduced our exposure 
• excellent service always makes vacation much more enjoyable. I was privy to the excellent service of Cinnamon Yala (will recount the experience in future Blog), so it made my choice easier

 Jan is the peak season in Maldives, so it's pretty important to book early - else you run out of options; for e.g. Water Villa wasn't available so we had to book the Sunset Water Villa. We had booked through the travel agent: Neoscapes Maldives and on googling found their rates comparable with any other online agents and much better than booking directly through Resorts' Webpage. Guess, the agents are accorded special discounts which as individuals we aren't privy to.

 

Travel:

Travelled with Srilankan. Both of us were fully vaccinated and got our certificates from MoH, Sri Lanka. We applied online and it was issued within a few hours. Pretty easy-peasy. Got our PCR tests 72hrs before. However, couldn't do online checking - Srilankan site always throwed an error. An online health declaration in the Imuga website (Maldives) is a must. Have to upload all data and snaps (pdf won't work) of the certificates.

On the day, reached airport 3 hours before - process was smooth as there weren't much of a crowd. The baby nursing room is under maintenance - faced some hassles in Colombo Airport.

Flight 🛫 was on time, and in-spite of Captain announcing delays due to congestion (Velana International Airport is a pretty small one and surprisingly has got a single runway), it landed pretty much on time. Male is half an hour behind IST (smart phone's automatically detects network and re-adjusts, however have to do manually if that doesn't work).

Immigration was pretty smooth and Tourist VISA is thankfully free and is granted for 30 days. As we were together with our baby, wasn't even asked to provide any documents, had uploaded everything in Imuga though!

As you come out, there are stalls of all leading resorts - attendants there guide you to the Trans Maldivian Airways counter for the sea-plane check in.

After we were checked in at the adjoining TMA Counters, and given boarding passes, we were whisked away in the comfortable TMA lounges, a 5-10mins drive from the International Airport. All this is applicable, if you booked a sea plane for travel. Other options are to book a speed boat (for nearby locations) / domestic airlines (if you've planned your holiday at a more far-off location). 

We had a fairly long wait of approx 4hours before our sea-plane took off; the flying schedule depends on the number of available passengers on that route - if your resort is popular and high traffic, it will lead to a shorter wait but chances of crowded resorts (every coin has two sides!). The flying experience is worthwhile, while you board the small aircrafts and fly at a relative low heights to view the majestic Maldives pass by. The landing is as adventurous as the take off and it's better to carry ear plugs as a deep humming sound of the propellers carry inside of the aircraft.

The disembarkation happens a small jetty out in the open sea, wherein a boat from the resort arrives to pick up - normally a 5mins journey. Do ensure that you keep your balance in the jetty - it's pretty small and  the ocean turbulence is present - they thankfully have handrails for support.

 

Experience:

Firstly, let me come to most important part of the Maldivian vacation, that is the opportunity to explore the vivid and glorious marine life. Thankfully, Maldives being an atoll based island - means there are corals aplenty - which are teeming with exotic fishes and crustaceans of all colours & sizes. You will find nurse sharks (harmless), huge Manta Rays, Turtles (I couldn't see) casually swimming off the beach. 

I snorkelled on 3 days and the view and experience is something which I will carry to my grave. If you haven't done it earlier, it's always better to start with a guide - remember, you'll be venturing in open oceanic waters and the currents are pretty strong even close to the beach. Dive & Sail @Cinnamon Velifushi have able ones and I was pleasantly guided by one Mr Saddam of Bangladesh - that we could converse in our mother tongues led to an instant connection. 

The last day I did on my own, with the stairs of the balcony leading me down to beautiful warm waters. Though aptly visible from above, the real glory under water can be witnessed after you put on the snorkelling masks. Beware of touching anything under water as corals are sharp and I bruised both my legs & hands before learning my lesson. Also, I used life jacket, not to take any unwarranted risks; and let me bust a notion: YOU DO NOT NEED TO KNOW SWIMMING TO SNORKEL - but it helps a great deal of you have some idea about floating / swimming - as then you know the breathing modus operandi under water. However, if you do not, it will take hardly one session to get a hang of it - so do not pass on the opportunity to get a peek into the majestic creations of Almighty. The first jolt of realising the vastness & the depth of the blue ocean makes your heart stop for a moment - and then you overcome the same, breathe in and live every moment - the feeling is indescribable!

 Beaches are white, sandy and just as if not more beautiful than you would have seen in the pictures - waters are ranging from greenish blue to dark blue... and is very salty. Sun's hot and glares with all its might. In the must carry list: shades, hat, sun-screen, comfortable cotton clothes (don't worry about fashion, here less is more), swimwear and comfortable slippers should be the only ones in your list.

Resort:

Coming to the resort's service standards: it's most impeccable. They ensured that the rooms are spacious, comfortable and are well stocked with all provisions required to enjoy. Other than the usual TV,  AC, Geyser, Bath-Tub, Electric Kettle, Fridge, Jacuzzi (uses Ocean's Water) they also had the sense to put in Life Jackets for you might be tempted to go for a swim down your balcony & Rain Coats as well for the occasional drizzle. We had booked full board, so were served buffets containing Indian, Sri Lankan, Continental, Lebanese, Maldivian delicacies, live counters and elaborate dessert spreads - food was satiating and it will be very difficult not to gain pounds during the vacay. It's all the more important to enjoy the morning sun in the beach with a run / exercise, play some beach volley and or just spend enough time in the water to snorkel to burn off the calories.

Anecdotes:

We had gone not only to break the routine of the monotonous CoVID life, but also to celebrate our Anniversary - and must say we had ourselves rejuvenated spending most of our times enjoying the great vibes in the resort island. Cinnamon Velifushi attended to each of our requests and ensured that even with a baby of 9 months - we didn't face a single hassle - especially on the food part.

The took care that we had a delicious cake and wished us with a beautiful decoration of the bed!

The exit PCR Tests were arranged by the resort ($65/pax) and the reports delivered the next day morning. It's also important to remember to upload the documents in Imuga Website during departure and upload in the SL Arrival Website to ensure seamless travel. Please ensure that you carry the print out / soft copy of the QR Code generated in the websites after successful process completion.

I had read up on the tipping etiquette prevalent there and carried change in USD - I am always of the believer that nothing's free in life & surely not a "differentiated service". However, let me clarify that the staff were absolutely professional and didn't show any inclination to receive tips.

All in all this chilled out, relaxing holiday reminded me of the saying: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away"!