Maldives: Best place to get locked down during Covid

After the start of the covid19 pandemic, many of us have become vacation deprived. Not just the vacations, we could not meet the families and relatives due to border restrictions. Before the covid19, I used to travel from Singapore to Chennai once a month to visit my family and friends. Now, not sure if we are in the post-pandemic era or not, I better say, in the pandemic era, it has been almost one year since I visited my home. Thanks to the Singapore government to relax the border rules, which encouraged me to visit my home in October 2021. After spending around 7 weeks in India, I did not want to return directly to Singapore since I thought the covid19 situation might go worse and I might get locked up on the island for one more year. Even my parents and relatives wanted a vacation badly. At the same time, I also knew there was huge uncertainty and risk involved in planning a trip for a group of 16, including kids 👶🏻 (from 3 years old) and elderly people 👴🏼 (up to 65 years old). But, I strongly believed that “Everyone needs a break from this covid19 restrictions”. Let’s breathe some fresh air and live a pre-pandemic life for some days. So, I decided to better use the opportunity when I am outside Singapore. I planned a family reunion at a private island resort in Maldives. We successfully 'executed' it in December and returned to Singapore (SG) safely. Here is my travel blog about our trip which you can use as a reference to plan your family trip.

Please visit the link below to see some of the videos recorded during our trip. In case you just want to know the summary of our experience, navigate to the TL;DR section at the bottom of the page.

If you wonder why Maldives? That too with kids and elderly parents? Is it not a honeymoon destination?

Ok, my answer is four-fold. Firstly, the private resorts in Maldives are safe and the covid19 spread was very less at the time of planning. Moreover, it is one of the few countries that is welcoming vaccinated tourists 💉without quarantine. Secondly, kids will be excited to see the marine animals which they have seen only in videos and books. Thirdly, the elderly people wanted a covid-free place to sit and enjoy the beautiful sunset while sipping a cup of coffee ☕️. They would be very glad to watch their grandchildren play on the beach and their children doing some water sports. Finally, Maldives is not just a honeymoon destination! Trust me. People of all ages can enjoy 😃. Moreover, my wife and I do not believe in the concept of honeymoon. We just love to travel!

All the details mentioned below are with reference to only our personal experience. Subject to change with time!

From India:

Before Departure:

1. We booked our stay in Holiday Inn Resort. There are some reasons to choose this resort. Firstly, the resort provides 2 free pre-departure PCR tests for each room. Secondly, you can get unlimited bottles of drinking water free of cost (not common in Maldives). At last, it takes less travel time to reach the resort.
2. We booked a Half-board package (breakfast & dinner included) instead of a Full-board (all three meals included without drinks). As per most of the reviews, travelers suggested taking half-board and ordering a la carte food for lunch. This will save some money.
3. We booked our flight tickets in Indigo from Chennai to Male via Kochi. For me and my wife, we booked our return tickets to SG in Singapore Airlines. For the rest of the family, we booked a direct Indigo flight for their return to Chennai.
4. According to Maldives tourist arrival requirements, we need to take the pre-departure PCR test 96 hours prior to our scheduled departure. So, three days before our departure, we called Apollo Diagnostics lab 24x7 (ICMR Approved) and fixed an appointment the next day for pre-departure RT-PCR home collection. On the next day, the person arrived promptly and collected the samples. Only infants aged less than 1-year old are exempted from the test. I know! it is painful for the kids to take. But, the person was considerate and the kids did not suffer any pain or discomfort.
5. Now comes the most stressful moment of the trip. We had to anxiously wait for our PCR test results. We booked the resort and flights. We finished all our shopping starting from the swim-dresses to sunscreen lotion. Then, the whole trip was at stake. It all depended on the PCR test result. Since it was a reunion, we won’t be happy to leave one family behind if someone in that family is tested positive. We were under stress. That’s one of the curses of this pandemic. However, to ease our tensions, we prepared ourselves to limit our outdoor activities and interactions for some days before the trip. I also had a couple of ART kits to check my infection status periodically. This gave a rough indication of the whole family’s covid status. So, we were also slightly confident. Finally, we got our results within 24 hours. We were tested negative.
6. We filled Maldives Health Declaration for arrival and took printouts of them.
7. On the day of departure, we ensured that we took some USD (accepted widely in Maldives), forex card, printouts of flight tickets, hotel booking, vaccination certificate, RT PCR test, and Maldives Health declaration.

At Chennai Airport: Our flight was at 8 in the morning. I don’t trust Ola or Uber nowadays. We scheduled our pickup by contacting a local travel agency. We arrived at the airport early expecting a delay due to documents verifications. As expected, the Indigo staff had some doubts if they could allow me and my wife to visit Maldives without quarantine before entering for SG. I had to show them the rules and convince them that we could travel. After 45 mins, we completed our check-in and boarded our flight.

At Kochi Airport: After touching down, we had to exit the domestic terminal and walk towards the international terminal, which is approximately 1 km away. I need to say this, it is one of the beautiful and clean airports in India. We had a simple South Indian breakfast leisurely since we had around 3 hours for transit. Next, we had to clear the immigration. It went smooth for all except my wife, who was asked many questions. It is a big pain to clear the security check when you carry so many gadgets like cameras, iPad, laptops, etc and the security guy is insisting you separate everything. Once we crossed the security check, we were set to board our next flight to Maldives.

Maldives:

On Arrival At Male Airport: The immigration was very smooth. You can sense that the country is welcoming tourists with open arms. We went to our resort’s counter at the airport and the staff at the counter took care of the luggage transfer. In the meantime, my brother withdrew some Maldivian rufiyaa from the ATM using his forex card. We couldn’t find an ATM to withdraw USD. We got onto the speedboat 🚤 to reach our resort. It was raining heavily and the sail was very bumpy 😵. People above 60 years old (with knee problems) could also easily manage to get in and out of the boat without much difficulty.

At The Resort: It took around 40 mins to reach the resort. The beautiful entrance gave us the holiday vibe! We were served the welcome drink🍹and a few of us didn’t like it. The staff explained to us the check-in procedure and allotted our rooms. We stayed in the Beach villa for 2 nights and the water villa for 1 night (an economical way to experience the luxurious water villa). He also fixed the appointment for the pre-departure RT-PCR test for our return to India and SG. As I mentioned already, the test was free of cost. The resort has a few buggies to transport people and luggage. Above all, you don’t need to wear a mask 😷at all except inside the indoor restaurant.

Beach Villa: The villas were allocated sequentially for our families. So, it was easy for us to meet and hang out outside our villas. The villa is fantastic and very clean. It has drinking water bottles, kettle, torchlights 🔦, dental kit, beach kit comprising of towels, bags, and beach slippers. Wi-Fi is free and the internet speed is good. Umbrellas ☂ are kept in the villa and also in the restaurant for ‘grab & use’ during rains. The bathroom 🚿 is a partially open type but you won’t lose your privacy. You can relax and enjoy your bath. You don’t need to carry the universal travel adapter if your gadgets’ chargers are of Indian or SG plug type. Both types of sockets are present in the resort. But, the excitement after seeing this luxury villa was short-lived. It was raining incessantly! The weather app also predicted rainy weather for the whole week, which is not suitable for water sports 😢

Tip: The villas 1–11 are closer to the restaurant and so it is easier to go to the restaurant and the pool every time. The villas with the numbers 50s are very far. The buggies are not easily available and we have to request their service at reception. Hope your luck is good when you check-in.

Surprisingly, the next day, things changed the other way. No rain! It was a bright sunny day 🌤 but with some drizzle in between. That’s ok.

Tip: Don’t trust the weather prediction. We traveled in December and the rainy season should be over by October.

Sports: The resort had an excellent sports facility. They provide you with snorkeling equipment 🤿 for free. As a part of the package, one snorkeling lesson and trip is free for us. The class was conducted in the swimming pool and it was useful for the beginners. Even our parents tried it and it was fun. The class was around 1 hour. If you know basic swimming 🏊🏼‍♂️, it will be much easier. After the class, some of us gave up, a few practiced it in the pool while a few already started to snorkel in the sea to explore the marine animals 🐠 🐙 🐢 🐚 around the island. But, be ready to tolerate the salty water which enters your mouth when you make some mistakes😩. The other water sports that one can do at the resort are surfing and diving. Since we enjoyed snorkeling, we continued exploring along the seashore. We did not go for a dolphin 🐬trip because the odds of seeing the dolphin are 50%. We did not want to risk our time and money. It is the same with turtles 🐢 and whales 🐳 trips. We would go for such trips only when we are sure of seeing it. Maybe, along Iceland’s coast 😉

Tip: We know that they will provide us the sanitized equipment. To be safe during covid19, we bought the equipment at Decathlon, India. Unfortunately, we were not comfortable with it and ended up using the resort’s equipment. But, other travelers in the resort had their equipment and used it for their snorkeling trips. I think they are experienced and they carry their equipment for all their trips. So, beginners, no need to buy any snorkeling equipment. If you still prefer to bring your equipment, ensure that you test it and verify whether you are comfortable with it.

The important thing is that you need to book the snorkeling lesson and the snorkeling trip in advance (one day before). The resorts have a limited slot for these activities. So, we booked our lessons and our trip since the trip slots were fast filling. But, after the class, only 5 of us were ready for the trip.

Snorkeling Trip: The resort staff took us to a nearby reef, 15 mins away in a speedboat. No kids and elders this time, only 5 people who felt comfortable jumping into the sea. Don’t worry, others did not miss the real fun and beauty! Continue reading. Now, we need to snorkel in the deep sea. Unlike the snorkeling along the shore, this was different. The color of the sea was dark and deep 😨. When we jumped into the sea, we didn’t perform well. Panic struck us and not the sharks! It took some time to calm ourselves down and move around to hunt for those rare marine animals. They are not available everywhere in the sea. We need to mauver around to find the reef slope. After reaching the spot, WOW! 🤩 the most beautiful fishes in the world will appear below you. They are not scared. You can swim along with the school of tiny fishes around you. We spotted starfish.

Tip: Have a light breakfast. Try out the snorkeling equipment before setting out for the trip. My personal experience is that not all equipment fits into your mouth and seal well around your eyes. The equipment that I used during the lesson was more fitting than that I used on the trip.

Over-Water Villa: After two nights, we moved to the Maldives’s famous villa style, Over-water villas with sunrise view. This place would be a perfect place for couples to enjoy their honeymoon. You can check the villa tour here. Having said that, it does not mean that the place is not enjoyable for the kids and the elders. The real joy is underneath the wooden villa. You will find a variety of amazing colorful marine life in the sea upon which you will be staying. Sounds cool, right! 😬 You don’t need to snorkel or swim to see them. The water is too shallow and clear that you can see the beautiful creatures from the villa only.

Some of us grabbed the snorkeling equipment and set out to discover more. We spotted octopus 🐙, stingrays, and many more species. There was one octopus, called mimicry octopus, which performed camouflage. You could see things that you only saw in the discovery or national geographic channel. All of us enjoyed watching them till sunset. The room had a nice speaker to relax listening to your favorite playlist.

Shark Snorkelling: The next day morning was bliss. Why? 👈An amazing sunrise bringing in the vibes for the day. The plan was to do shark snorkeling, which takes around 2.5 hours, and to check out the resort. If you are going to do snorkeling, the per-person cost is 120 USD. If someone is traveling just to see from the boat, then it is 60 USD. (This concession was given because we were the only group traveling in the boat). We were excited but the rough sea couldn’t add anything more to the seasickness. This was one of my toughest sails. Is it worth the effort?

Yes, Definitely. What you will experience is a lifetime experience. So, it’s ok to feel nausea or to vomit. Shark snorkeling was harder than our previous experiences. But, the past experiences helped us a bit. Once you reach the shiver, you can spot the Nurse sharks 🐳 all around your boat. It’s frightening initially. But, you will feel safe soon. It is even safer to jump into the ocean to swim along with them. We grabbed the courage and jumped. You are now one among them 😀. We felt exhausted after we completed our shark trip. We just had time to pack our bags and check out.

Before Departure to India: We received our RT PCR report, for which the test should be taken 72 hours prior to the scheduled departure as per the Indian Government regulations. (Kids under 5 years are exempted. Very kind Indian government.) My family filled Air suvidha form to enter India and Maldives Health declaration to depart from Maldives.

Before Departure to SG: My wife and I filled SG arrival card. We need to stay one more day in Hulhumale, Male since our flight was on the next day. We stayed in Murex beach and it was a decent cheap accommodation. One thing which we forgot to do is pre-booking of on-arrival PCR test at Changi airport. Please do this to avoid the hassle after arriving SG. Our HRs paid for the 7th-day test of SHN only and not for the on-arrival one.

At Male Airport: Once again, the security check and immigration process were very smooth. I did not even struggle to separate all my gadgets. I love Maldives Airport Management! Usually, the flights to India are delayed as we faced this in our onward trip to India. So, my relatives had to wait a bit longer to board their flight. For me and my wife, our Singapore airline flight was on time.

Return to India:

At Chennai Airport: There was no compulsory quarantine or on-arrival test in India. So, the group reached their home safely after 3 hours journey with a bunch of beautiful memories.

At Changi Airport: As usual, the processes at Changi are well defined and organized. Please expect a delay at the Immigration check since the automated lanes are halted due to the covid19 pandemic. Since we did not pre-book the on-arrival PCR test, we paid and booked our on-arrival test instantly. Not a big problem. After our document verification and our swab test, we took a taxi to reach our home to serve our SHN for 7 days (as per rules at that time).

At SG Home (SHN): For the next 7 days, we were resting at home and organizing our videos and pics. We could start our WFH from day 1 of SHN. We logged our health status through the FWMOMCare app at least three times a day. Keep a google reminder to help you abide by the rules. We got some random phone calls and WhatsApp video calls to check if we are following the rules. We got our 7th-day swab test appointment SMS within a couple of days after the start of SHN. We went to the dedicated center as specified in the SMS and gave our samples. OMG! this swab test was quite painful 😭. Even though you complete your 7 days SHN, you need to wait for the SMS mentioning that you are tested negative. We got our SMS at 8 AM on the 8th day morning.

TL;DR

Resort: I strongly recommend Holiday Inn resort. They offered a great service. Our overall experience was pleasant. The kids enjoyed themselves a lot in the kids’ play area. Tennis, badminton, basketball, and football courts can also be used for free. You will get some fantastic beach shots to share on your social media. You need to get permission from the resort management to use your drone. They allow you to take drone shots only from the entrance due to privacy concerns (Remember those partially open bathrooms)

Food: It was wise advice from the previous travelers to take half-board. The food was excellent and tasty. The buffet covered a wide variety of cuisines like Western, Continental, Chinese, Indian, and the local Maldivian cuisine. It was rich enough to supply your daily calorie requirements. Half-board and a simple ‘A la carte’ lunch are sufficient even though you are doing a lot of activities. Trust me. I am a person with high metabolism, who has a habit of eating 5 meals a day and working out a lot. The meal plan was sufficient to keep me active all day after doing so much snorkeling and swimming. Close to the restaurant, there is a bar/eat-out where you will get pizzas for 27 USD, which is more than enough for two. Most of the resorts in Maldives usually charge 7 USD for a 1-liter drinking water bottle. But, here, it is free and unlimited.

Budget: A trip to this wonderful place is a bit heavy on the wallet. But, it is worth it. If you book well in advance and for travel dates during an off-season time, you might get cheaper rates. Holiday Inn is a relatively cheaper one. The resorts which are far from the airport, provide you seaplane transport service to reduce the travel time. But, at the same time, they are costlier compared to speedboats. If you choose to go in speedboats instead of seaplanes to cut down the cost, then it will take long hours like 2.5–3 hours for some nice resorts. Moreover, you need to plan your flight timings such that you land before 3 pm since seaplanes operate till around 3 pm only(not sure about the time! please check with the resorts while booking).

Each family carried around 500 USD for our 3-day trip. We spent a max of 120 USD per person for the shark snorkeling trip. The other expense is lunch which depends on the individual. If you go a la carte, 15 USD per person. In the worst case, you will choose 40 USD for a buffet lunch. Alcohol is costly. Some souvenirs are around 10 USD. Overall, the trip expense for a couple is approx 350 USD, provided they do only shark snorkeling. One more thing, they do accept forex card payments.

Wi-Fi: The Wi-Fi is free and it has a wide coverage all over the island. The internet is fast enough to watch videos in good resolution. You can even “work from resort” 👨🏻‍💻

Language: I believe all people in Maldives know English. Some staffs at the resort speak Indian languages like Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu as they migrated for their work. So, language is not a concern.

Sports: If you have reef/shark snorkeling on your bucket list, then you should travel to Maldives. I repeat, “Worth it”. It is not the same beach, the same sunrise or sunset, the same marine animals you see elsewhere in the world. Unfortunately, flyboarding 🏂 was not available. I hope I can do it in the future.

Final Words: Don’t wait anymore. Plan your family reunion soon. The virus is not going to vanish any sooner. If you gonna wait for it to leave this earth, you might wait for years. So, better plan your travel and have some great family time in 2022. Stay vigilant and follow safe-distancing measures always.

Like you need to catch the wave for surfing, you need to time your travel between the Corona waves.