Thread by @zubaidah_x

✨ZUBZZ IN MALDIVES!✨

A (long) review thread!

Maldives is a “country” consisting of a chain of coral Islands in the Indian Ocean.

The international airport is in Male,which has some nice & affordable hotels but if you really want to experience Maldives with the beaches & clear water, you need to go to the other islands.

Their currency is the Maldivian Rufiyaa (1000MVR = ¢390±), but the resorts charge in $.

On arrival, when you’re done with immigration you need to find your hotel/resort’s stall and sort out your transportation.

Transportation is either via sea plane which takes 15 minutes or speed boat which takes 45.

My resort charged $150pp for speedboat transfer and $400pp for seaplane.
Apparently those are the general prices (a little more or less depending on the island you’re going to).

I stayed at Summer Island Maldives, a 4 star resort in North Male Atoll.

There are 7 accommodation types which come with half board (breakfast & dinner) & full board (breakfast, lunch & dinner) packages.

*There is a green tax of $6 extra per night*

1. Garden - $336 hb, $338 fb

2. Superior Beach - $336 hb, $338 fb

3. Superior Vista - $471 hb, $511 fb

4. Superior Bungalow - $336 hb, $376 fb

5. Premium Beach Villa - $461 hb, $501 fb

6. Water Villa - $536 h , $576 fb

7. The Summer House - $1604 hb, $1644 fb

I got a water villa, a room built literally over water. It was absolutely worth the price! From the glass “window” in the ground that let me see the fishes underneath me to the beautiful beautiful clear blue ocean right outside my door, everything was perfect.

Even the bathtub came with a view. From my room I got a very clear view of the horizon where two seas seem to meet and not mix (you can see the colour differences very clearly).

The right word would be serene - It was completely booked but so quiet.

I got a half board package, which meant my room came with breakfast & dinner.
I wish they had mentioned earlier, but for packages, you can not take the food to your room, you need to eat in the restaurant (where the food is set up buffet style).

Everything is charged in dollars here, so the food is relatively expensive, but all the prices were Ghana Standard.

I got the
•Sunrise Breakfast - $20
•Eggs Benedict - $14.
•Seafood Platter - 60
•Wine (a bottle) - $55
•Lamb chops - $27

I’m always a little nervous about food when I’m going into different territories, b/c the tastes tend to REALLY differ sometimes.

I was so relieved by how good this was.
Everything off the in Villa menu was delicious. The lamb was a little hard, but the flavour was amazing

I had the dinner buffet but I wasnt a fan of the fried rice & sushi + there were no options for protein which surprised me.
The panna cotta was the best I have EVER had though.

A breakfast buffet was set up for those of us who had to leave early but it was very limited.

There are a number of activities available, mostly centred around water sports like fishing, diving courses, kayaking etc.
You can also go on an excursion around the island or get a massage at the spa.

Generally it’s a super romantic,very relaxing holiday destination.
I had a good time solo b/c I currently (subject to change) prefer traveling alone but I dont doubt it might have been a little more fun with a group or partner.

Also, stay for max 2-3 days.
You’ll be bored after.

Most (if not all) resorts are on their own islands, so movement from place to place isnt really a thing. You’ll have to hire a speedboat to get to the next resort, and they may refuse you entry if you’re not a guest.

Go with dollars, because they

a. wont accept cedi and

b. change euro at a pretty bad rate.

If you’re going alone, get a book or your laptop for the night time because there’s zero to do between 7pm-6:00am. Also, it’s very safe, or at least it was at my resort.

Travel time from Accra to their airport is around 11 hours & flights from Accra are EXPENSIVE, the cheapest I’ve seen is around ¢10,500 for an economy ticket (It is an expensive holiday,but not unaffordable. Do your research & you’ll definitely find a package within your budget)

Ghanaians don’t need a visa, but you will need to fill out a health declaration form to get your visa on arrival, and again when you’re exiting the country. Very important, DONT FORGET!

(See the form on zubzz.com/blog/Maldives)

You also need a vaccination card and a PCR test.

So here’s the thing.

Even though I was given the option to have one or the other for my return flight (I received an email from the airline stating that), I was asked for both and I would have been denied boarding if I didn’t have them. So please don’t cut corners, have both.

The immigration queues are LONG!

That applies to both arrival and departure so please get to the airport for departure early. I’m not kidding, it took me 1 hour and 26 minutes to get to the front of the line.

There is supposed to be wifi at arrivals, where you input you number and get a code but guess whose code never came, even after multiple tries.

My roaming data wouldn’t work so the only thing to do was go upstairs, order food ($15!) and use their wifi (tip for future use)

They’re 5 hours ahead of Ghana by the way. So 12:00pm here, 5:00pm there.

And it gets really dark fast It’s literally pitch black over the water.
The walk (run) from my room to the reception at 5am the day I was leaving is one I’m glad no one saw.

Also, their airport isn’t very clean, and the bathrooms are a little gross. Use the one at your hotel before you leave or wait till you’re inside the departure area.

So those are the basics.
Read the full post + extra details on

Zubzz.com/blog/maldives

Aaand follow my IG🥰

Instagram.com/zubaidah.x

The room rates are PER NIGHT.

LAST THING. If you request it, your resort will organize a PCR test for you before you leave. Results take about 12 hours.
It was $80 at mine, it should be within the same price range at the other resorts. When you book your hotel, ask about that.