The first time I came to Maldives was in 2012, staying in Centara. My experience staying in Centara had been an really enjoyable one and if it hasn't been a huge increase in their resort price, I would have chosen to stay in Centara again. This time, I have chosen to stay in Vilamendhoo, which is within my budget and I have read many good reviews online about it.

1st day

It was a 4hrs 35mins flight and Maldives is 3 hours behind Singapore. I arrived at Male at around 12noon and I proceeded to check in for the seaplane to the resort. The seaplane journey takes about 30 mins and it will be quite an interesting experience for those who have not taken it before as the plane will take off / land from the sea and throughout the flight, you will have a nice view from your seat as it fly past many resorts and coral islands.

This was where the trip starts to go south on my first day. First, I was told that the seaplane was facing some ‘technical issues’ and would be delayed until 3 pm. When I reached the resort, it was already about 4 pm and I was told by the resort staff that I needed to downgrade my room on my first day from Water Villa which I had booked, to Jacuzzi Beach Villa as the resort had been ‘overbooked’, and the room I paid for was not available until the next day. I was compensated for the difference in pricing, given USD100 voucher to dine in one of the ala carte restaurants, a bottle of red wine and a fruit platter for this inconvenience. Can’t say I was happy about it but I willingly accepted as I had no other choice and I really didn’t wanna spoil my holiday mood. Looking on the bright side, I get to experience staying in 2 different types of room during my stay. After I settled down in my room, it was already pretty late, so I just explored the island a little before heading for dinner.

This resort comes inclusive of all 3 meals in their buffet restaurant, which I find the food to be really nice. There was a good spread of India, Western and Chinese food and their menu changes on a daily basis. There is an option for you to dine in 2 of their other ala carte restaurants but that will be separately chargeable. When I booked the resort, I had opted for the ‘All Inclusive Plus’ package which, at an additional price of USD53/person/night, and I got to enjoy all beverages in all restaurants, most of the drinks in the mini-bar in your room, food from ‘afternoon tea’ at no additional charges, ‘all day - all night’.

After dinner, it was raining and a little cold that night. I decided to try the outdoor Jacuzzi and I love it! I love it so much that throughout the rest of my stay, I made use of the Jacuzzi at least twice every day. The Jacuzzi allows you to adjust your preferred temperature and is big enough to sit 3 persons. When it is not raining, you get to enjoy the night view of stars in the sky while you are in the Jacuzzi. When it rains, it is nice to have the raindrop falling on your face, while your body hides in the warm of the Jacuzzi.

If you have opted for the ‘All Inclusive Plus’ package, they will deliver a bottle of Champagne in an ice bucket to your room on your first night of stay. I popped the Champagne, took a few sips and reconfirmed the fact that I do not like alcohol.

As the Beach Villa faces the beach, naturally there will be some insects. I found some big ants and cockroach outside the doorstep of my room. Just a point to note if you are someone like me who "does not enjoy' the company of cockroaches/insects.

The 'Jacuzzi Beach Villa' which I stayed in on my first day on the island

2nd day

It was another cloudy/drizzling day. Breakfast starts from 7 am - 10 am, every day. The spread of food was pretty standard. I was told that my room was ready and switched room early in the morning. The Water Villa was a world of difference! Your room directly faces the coral reefs ocean and there is a direct staircase to the coral reefs from your room. The room looks abit bigger than the Beach Villa and there are no insects/cockroaches.

Went for snorkeling from the Villa. The sea directly below the Beach Villa was shallow and filled with sand and some dead corals. You will have to swim a short distance out (about 50-100m) to actually see more corals and fishes. The water was extremely clear and even though it was raining, visibility underwater was very good. Unfortunately, I saw that most of the corals were near to dying. I later found out from one of the divers working in the resort that this is due to the effect of global warming, especially after April 2016. Seeing the effect of global warming first hand, I made a promise to myself to commit in playing my part in saving the earth from now on.

Lunch starts from 12.30 pm to 2 pm, every day. Again, the spread of food was pretty standard, but the quality was decent.

After lunch, I decided to explore the activities that were available in the resort. There were many activities for you to explore. From whale shark snorkeling, to scuba diving, to water sports and even excursions. Most of these require additional charges. If you have included 'All Inclusive Plus', you will be able to sign up for the 'Sunset cruise' for free. I signed up for this and the 'Turtle snorkeling', which costed USD25/pax. For their snorkeling activities, you are required to bring your own snorkeling equipment and fins, both of which can be rented from their diving center. USD6/day for the snorkeling equipment and USD6/day for fins.

For dinner, I went to their 'Asian Wok' restaurant as I had the USD100 credits given by the resort to utilize. Apparently, every Friday is a 'Thai night' at the restaurant, and there is an additional menu option of a 3-course set menu at USD28/pax. The food was nice and compared to their regular buffet restaurant, this was more classy. Price was a little on the high side and the cost of each item ranges between USD10 - USD20. But the biggest attraction was the ambiance. Their outdoor seats gave you a direct view of the ocean and every so often, fishes/sharks will swim below you. I recommend to bring some bread so you can feed the fishes while you dine or while waiting for your food to be served.

The view from the Water Villa where I stayed

Just outside my room, reef sharks chasing a pool of small fishes

3rd Day

Other than the usual breakfast, lunch, dinner at the buffet restaurant, today I decided to try their massage. All guests are given a 15 mins free trial massage, and USD10 off if you sign up for their 1 hour massage. If you do sign up for their 1 hour massage, you can combine the 15 mins to make it 75 mins. The catch is, you need to consume this within the first 2 days of your stay and you have to book your massage session between 10 am - 2 pm. Personally, I find this clause too restrictive. Especially as their massage is quite popular and even if you book at least a day in advance, a lot of the slots would have already been taken. That being said, their massage is really good. Probably the best massage I've ever had. I was escorted to a room facing the ocean. And when you lay down for the massage, you will be facing a glass panel which you can view the ocean below you as you enjoy the massage. The masseur is very professional and the massage relax both your body and mind. Can't really describe anything more than this in words, but I do strongly encourage anyone to try this.

Today was the day when I had booked the 'Sunset cruise'. In total, there were 22 of us who signed up for this activity. We set off at 5 pm and the tour took approximately 1 hr 30 mins. Other than to view the sunset from out in the ocean, another objective of the cruise is to search for dolphins. Sunset was really beautiful on that day and we were lucky to see and come close with a few groups of dolphins.

It had been raining and cloudy for the first 2 days. Today was the first day when there was clear sky. And when in Maldives, a clear sky at night is something to look forward to. Maldives has the best stars view I have ever seen. On this night, I saw a total of 7 shooting stars (And made 7 wishes).

4th Day

Went for the 'turtle snorkeling excursion' in the morning. There were 10 of us who signed up for this and it took about 15 mins of boat ride to the coral island where turtles can be found. We were constantly warned not to swim too close or touch the turtles as this may stress them up and attack you. In total, I saw 4 turtles. It was a short but enjoyable 1 hr 30 mins trip. The experience of swimming close to turtles - priceless.

This was the last full day I was staying in Maldives, and the one last activity I wanted to try was Kayaking. There are both single and double kayaks available for rental. Kayaking one round around the island at a relaxing pace would take you approximately 45 mins. It was a very relaxing way to get close to the fishes and corals, and to have a nice view around the island.

I skipped past the lunch hour and as I had the 'All Inclusive Plus', I did not need to worry about missing the meal hours as I was still able to dine at the 'Bonthi Bar' restaurant which serves noodles, sandwiches, finger food and drinks, 24/7. The noodle in the menu was instant noodles but taste was good.

A typical lunch in the buffet restaurant

5th Day

With an extremely reluctant feeling, today marked the end of my vacation and the day I left Maldives, Vilamendhoo Island Resort. The resort receptionist had gotten from me the timing and details of my return international flight and had helped to book the seaplane and planned the time when I need to check out from the resort.

In conclusion

I did not expect to enjoy this much in this vacation. I really regretted not staying longer. If I had a couple more days, I would have loved to spend my time in Maldives in a more relaxing pace, and maybe try the fishing excursion, the whale sharks snorkeling and even diving.

In addition, seeing most of the corals in dying state was really shocking. When I previously visited Maldives in 2012, the corals I saw was beautiful and colourful. Seeing this first hand, I was more than convinced that we need to act now. If you are reading this, hope you would consider doing your part in saving earth as well.

My recommendations

Except from within the restaurants, WiFi is available throughout the resort. But on the first night of my stay in Beach Villa, the WiFi in my room was extremely weak and unusable. The WiFi when I stayed in Water Villa on the other hand was extremely strong. Using the resort internet constantly requires you to key in the ID and password which occasionally has some issues when I log in. I recommend at least 1 of you to purchase a pre-paid data SIM card just in case. It will come in handy.
From Singapore, there are no telcos that has a collaboration with Male’s telco for data plan bundle deals. Thus, data plan usable will be base on ‘pay-per-use’ which is unbelievably expensive. I recommend getting a pre-paid data SIM. I purchased mine from ‘Changi Recommends’ and it costed me just SGD28 for 15GB of data usage.
Having stayed in both Beach and Water Villa, I highly recommend the Water Villa.
Bring 1-2 loaf of bread. Although not all, most of the fishes eat bread and feeding the fishes as you snorkel makes it extra enjoyable.
I do not drink alcohol and it would be subjective on whether I would recommend adding the ‘All Inclusive Plus’ package. At the end of the day, I don’t think I’ve consumed more than what I had paid for the additional of USD53/night for ‘All Inclusive Plus’. But not having to worry for the price tag and having to drink almost everything on the menu does take one less thing off your mind. I could say, if you drink alcohol, opt for it. I asked one of the waiter and he said about 95% of the customers opted for this. Other benefits of ‘All Inclusive Plus’ package includes a free ride on ‘Sunset Cruise’, Kayaks rental, etc.
Bring an underwater camera, or simply, a GoPro camera. In my opinion, this is a MUST!