Maldives - heaven on earth?
When the Maldives is hard not to hear. . . but as they say - it is better to see once. . . closed their eyes in anticipation of the cost of the tour, but decided to go. . . as it turned out, the price is not deadly. Usually we plan trips ourselves, but this time we turned to the Maldivian agency - and, in general, we did not regret it. We compared the cost of a trip through an agency and an independent purchase - it turned out cheaper through an agency. Plus, all transfers were organized - convenient! Aeroflot's direct flight to Male is not tiring. There we waited an hour or so - and a small plane belonging to the hotel took us to an island with an airport, from where it was another 12-15 minutes by boat to our Sun Island. Getting there by plane is very convenient, the views are wonderful. By the way, when we flew over the Maldives on a large plane, the beauty is indescribable, and the photos are not bad. Well, finally we are on Sun Island. If anyone does not know, in the Maldives one island = one hotel. We thought a little when choosing a hotel - on a small island, which can be circumnavigated in 15 minutes, or on a large one, where there are more people and, of course, more entertainment. . . Maldivian agent Irina S. recommended Sun Island (and it's hard to expect another, since the agency works with this hotel) - but I must say right away that we were VERY satisfied. And the people were somehow distributed around the island not particularly noticeably, only there was no need to rush to the beginning of dinner - wait 20 minutes so as not to interfere with the hungry. . . there was enough food for everyone! As for food, I will say - you could always find something for yourself, we had 3 meals a day and nothing, we were not tired, everyone was happy. Of course, somewhere there is always something better (fresh juice included in the breakfast price, more salads or fruits), but this is an island, you have to take everything! By the way, the hotel has a garden on the island, and they gave their own greens. I’ll also note right away - as you get to the island, you have to pay for everything! In the morning tea, coffee, juice - free of charge, and at lunch and dinner all drinks - for a fee (in the room they give 1 liter of water per day for free). All purchases are recorded on the account - and you can pay on the last evening. We read the comments that the bill includes all sorts of things (not yours), but we were fine with the bill. The beauty of a "big" island (other than natural beauty) is that there is so much to do. You can just wander around the island and watch the fish that swim up to the very shore for hours, which I did with pleasure (again, you sunbathe in passing). Bypassing half of the island along the beach (with photos) took about an hour and a half. It is also good to walk around the island itself, there are two gardens with orchids of various colors and shapes. In the evening, you could go to feed the stingrays - for this they give pieces of fish and stingrays "lick" with soft lips - but you still have to be careful, of course. At the other end of the island - shark feeding, here they throw fish into the water, there are also stingrays, big, funny and terribly noisy fighting among themselves! In addition to multi-colored slaves, two steel-blue manta rays sailed to the Italian restaurant in the evenings. . . their graceful movements are simply mesmerizing! What to do during the day, except for swimming, sunbathing and walking? There is a mini-golf course, by the way, we enjoyed it a lot - and, in general, inexpensively (remember that all entertainment on the island is also paid! ) - go through all the holes regardless of time costs about 8 dollars. Of course, guided tours are offered. The male half of the family went snorkeling, they returned delighted - in addition to the underwater beauties, they saw dolphins and whale sharks. All four went fishing. It was not lucky here - out of three boats, ours was in the most non-fishy place, although we caught a couple of red snappers and some colorful ones. . . but the other two teams pulled off well - but for all the fishermen, lucky and not so lucky, there was a barbecue in the evening, you could choose any one to your taste and it was cooked right there! Oh, there is nothing better than the freshest fish! SPA is present, of course, how not to go - everyone liked it, a pleasant institution. In general, we were very glad that we chose a large island. You can sing songs about the sea. . . water - 28, air - 31. . . This is in the middle of March, but in general - so all year round. Water of indescribable colors - aquamarine, turquoise. . . you go into the water - and nothing else is needed, here it is, happiness !! ! The fish swim right up to the shore, especially if you start feeding them with buns from the canteen - and as soon as they smell, a crowd immediately gathers, they take bread straight from their fingers. Rain, in my opinion, was once, not for long. There is a souvenir shop on the island ("there are no food items, everything can be bought only in bars"). By the way, it is very important to choose the right house! Upon arrival, they settle anywhere (that is, where there is a place). . . don't be shy to go check it out and if you don't like it, ask for a replacement. You can look around for a day, take a walk around the area and, having looked at a convenient place, ask to be relocated when the house is free (houses are designed for 4 people, half a house each. ) Standard rooms are located at a distance from the coast, deluxe - on the coast. In size and all other parameters - the same, but do not regret paying extra for a deluxe, you have to live on the beach, since you have already arrived here, there will be your own piece of the beach 15 meters from the threshold, and not drag yourself to the general one. There are also water villas. . . and although I had a dream to live in such a house (but not for the money that you have to pay for this pleasure : -) ! ), somehow this dream faded upon closer inspection. . . they don't have a beach. . . or down the stairs into the water - and then back, or lie on the veranda, or, again, to the common beach. . . Or maybe you need to live there to appreciate all the delights! We (after negotiations with the reception, at first we were settled in the farthest end of the island - and it’s hard to go to eat back and forth three times a day, although people rented bicycles, for $ 4.5 a day) moved, it seems to me, to the best the place is 3-4 minutes at a leisurely pace to the restaurant, and the beach is sandy, and in general along the coast you can find places where old reefs come out, it’s not very beautiful, and it’s not very convenient to enter the water. House number 174 or 176, I don’t remember something already. And further, about 200-300 meters from us, striped sandbags were dug along the coast to strengthen the coastline. . . it was not nice there. . . Our coast was called sea view, there is also a reef view - you can also choose a good place there, but this is farther from the main restaurant / reception, and not all the houses are on the coast there. . . but the beach is good, we went there for a walk. There is probably much more I could write. After all, there was something negative - for a couple of days all sorts of things washed ashore, not horror, of course, but compared to those days when the water was crystal clear, they were no longer happy. . . but the current is the current - where will it turn, and who throws plastic bottles into the ocean - aren't we ourselves? In general, we were VERY satisfied with the trip. We talked there with tourists who are not the first time in the Maldives, everyone likes Sun Island. You just have to be prepared that you still have to spend money there, that you can’t bring booze with you (although people manage to bring it, some out of principle, some out of an attempt to save money), that this is not a European level of service and 5 stars in the Maldives are not full 5 stars. . . but still: the Maldives is happiness! This is a small paradise and a delight to the soul. . . The main thing is to open your eyes and heart and have fun!
