4 nights in the Maldives
Travel – Riu Palace Maldivas – Accommodation – Food – Activities – Top Tips
I decided to treat Mr TRT to a special birthday trip away, and with the help of our travel agent, I booked a short all-inclusive trip to the Maldives. The travel agent was a little surprised when I said how long it would be for. Yes, 4 nights. Was it too far to go for such a short time?
Travel
It was our first time flying with Emirates and Manta Air.
We flew economy with Emirates from Manchester to Dubai, then Dubai to Male in the Maldives. As it was a long-haul flight I decided to book seats with extra leg room. I checked the seat plan and chose the seats by the emergency exit, so lots more extra space. Unfortunately, this can mean having to pay for the seat selection to ensure you get those seats.
The table and tv popped out of the seat armrest, which does mean looking downwards to watch the screen instead of directly in front of you. We felt this wasn’t a problem, as generally it is the position most people look at their phones and tablets and we didn’t have the issue of the seat in front reclining.
The seats I had chosen maybe had less privacy but that really wasn’t a negative for us. We also thought people might stand and wait for the toilet, but again this didn’t seem to be a problem, possibly due to the illuminated sign displaying when the toilet was available.
Not only did our screens have a good selection of entertainment but we could also choose to watch the view from the on board external cameras, especially during take-off and landing. Another useful option on the screen was the display of the time and gate information for connecting flights.
We were offered refreshments on the flight. For the main meal I had pre-ordered a low lactose option. I generally don’t do this, even though I am lactose intolerant, this is mainly due to the airlines not being able to provide a completely dairy free option, and they cannot not tell you what the meal will be. In the past I have had experiences of not enjoying or being able to eat that option. However, Emirates gave me the option to choose the main meal and it was a very nice.
As we knew our next gate information from the screens on our first flight and because it was only a short layover, on arriving into Dubai we were able to head straight to our next gate for the plane to Malé in the Maldives.
This flight was only four hours, so just enough time for a little sleep and some refreshments.
Once you land into Malé international airport, you collect your luggage and exit the arrivals hall, head outside and look for your hotel representative who will be stood by their desk displayed with your resort name . You then go with them to the domestic terminal, that is just next to the international terminal and there you will be either checked into your domestic flight or directed to your seaplane, depending on your booking.
We chose the domestic flight and speedboat to get to our resort. You can choose either the speedboat, the seaplane or domestic flight and speedboat. Your options can be limited depending on the time your international flight arrives and departs, as the seaplane can only operate in daylight hours and depending on where your resort is, the speedboat, even though it can operate 24 hours, can take a long time to get there. Your transfer will also rely on good weather, especially for a seaplane. Seaplanes may also do a number of resorts drop offs, so this could add time to your arrival in resort. We decided the better option for us was the domestic flight, which was only 45 mins and then a 30 min boat ride. This gave us the views of the Maldives from the air and the boat allowed us to experience the oceans beautiful turquoise waters and some of its wildlife.
The domestic flight lands at Dhaalu Airport and from there you take a short ride on a minibus to the boat. All your luggage is transported in a van behind the minibus. I would advise to keep all your personal belongings, such as passports, money, medication etc with you in your hand luggage or a small bag in the minibus. It makes it easier to have everything with you when you check in.
One thing to note when travelling to the Maldives and maybe to other places where you will arrive on a smaller plane, is that you may have a 30k luggage allowance on the international flights but the smaller flights or seaplanes have a smaller allowance. We had a 30k allowance on the international flight but on the domestic flight it was 20k in the hold and 5k in the cabin. So, we packed for the smaller amount. It is always best to check with your travel agent or airline regarding this.
Riu Palace Maldivas
Once you step off the boat or seaplane, you are greeted with a cooling towel to freshen up. There are two islands on Riu Maldives, Riu Atoll and Riu Palace. We were staying in an over water suite on the Riu Palace side. Whilst you check in with your host, you are offered a delicious drink and receive your all-inclusive wrist band and then taken on a buggy to your villa.
Accommodation – Suite options
There are different types of suites available. A junior with ocean view or beach access and overwater suites, with either a bathtub on the terrace or a private pool.
We chose the over water villa with a large outside bathtub and direct access to the ocean.
Food
Buffet breakfast and Lunch – I would highly recommend the buffet breakfast and lunch. There was an abundance of choice. The room was temperature controlled so everything stayed fresh and each station had chefs to assist you, if needed. The buffet restaurants were the largest of all the restaurants on the islands, so it never felt overcrowded.
If you are staying on the Palace side you can go to the Atoll buffet but this is not the case for the Atoll guests, so the Atoll buffet may get busier, especially if the Palace guests are going out on excursions or using the sports facilities and choose to eat over there before their activity.
Evening Meal – You can choose to either book (via the app) at one of the specialty restaurants or go to the main buffet restaurant. The specialised restaurants include, Japanese, fusion, a steakhouse or Italian.
We ate at Krystal (fusion), Yuhi (Japanese) and the steakhouse, and although we enjoyed the fusion and Japanese restaurants and the service, we agreed we didn’t need to go to the steakhouse restaurant as you could get similar food in the buffet and more choice.
We would have been happy to eat at the buffet every evening, as it had a variety of options, including themed nights.
Activities
Our trip was centered around relaxation and snorkelling but there are lots of activities available from yoga through to kayaking and jet skiing.
You can visit the spa or relax by the pool with its swim up bar and beautiful ocean views, just steps away from the beach. Maybe a daily trip to the gym is your thing.
Riu also offer day excursions, scuba diving and paddle boarding, plus there is a sports bar if you prefer to play pool or watch some sport.
If you are wanting to do any of the longer activities, we would recommend to book before your arrival to avoid disappointment. We booked two spa treatments once we arrived but the times available were limited.
Visa or Declarations
You will get a travel visa once you arrive in the Maldives, but you do need to visit IMUGA to fill in a traveller declaration form and this has to be done within 96 hours before your flight time for arrival. You also have to do it again before you leave the Maldives. Please note it is free to fill out this form. You will be given a QR code to keep on your phone. You will need to check your passport is valid and has the correct amount of time left on it to be able to enter the Maldives.
Please research about passports, declarations and restrictions on your government website, as travel and what is required can change and theirs should be up to date information.
There are other restrictions on bringing items such as alcohol and certain foods into the country so please do your research.
Top Tips:
When to visit – Do your research, think about the weather (rain, humidity and heat), what you want to do there – see certain marine life, surf or just relax in the sun. Do you want a quieter island or one with lots to do? We chose February, drier but also a busier season, but because our island was one of the smaller ones, it wasn’t as busy and felt more secluded.
Flights: For long-hall flights we would always try to reserve the extra leg room seats and we add this additional cost into our holiday budget before booking.
Listen to your travel agent – They are experts, they travel to these destinations to experience the trips and to familiarise themselves with the airlines and the places you will visit. Ask them questions and if they have any recommendations for you whilst you are there. We have had travel agents email us with lots of recommendations for food and activities.
Our travel agent advised us to think about a stopover in Dubai for a night or two, to break up the journey. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to do this but we wished we had listened to her and maybe adjusted our travel plans to spend a night or maybe two in Dubai, on the way there and back, as it was a very long way to travel.
Snorkel mask and water shoes – If you can fit these in your luggage, we recommend you take a snorkel mask and a pair of water shoes with you. It saves you having to borrow the snorkel equipment from the sports centre, which is on the Riu Atoll Island. So, if you are staying on the Palace side, or if you just want to go snorkelling from your overwater villa or on the beaches, you need to factor in going to collect the equipment.
We always take water shoes away, they protect you in the heat, especially if you are walking on hot sand and we also found they gave us good grip walking down the steps at the villa into the ocean.
They are also great to wear if you are going on rib boats or smaller boats to keep your main shoes dry in a dry bag. They are easy to pack, lightweight and don’t have to cost a lot.
Dry Bag – great to take on excursions, allowing you to keep your footwear or clothing dry. Lightweight to pack too.
Luggage weights – Check, check and check again. As mentioned above, our international flight had 30k hold luggage allowance, however, for our domestic flight it was 20k for the hold luggage. So, we had a maximum luggage allowance of 20k not 30k.
In answer to the title of this post, Is four nights enough time in the Maldives? I would say yes, it is, but be aware of the long travel days.
I would definitely recommend maybe adding the Maldives into a longer trip, adding in a stay over in a connecting country like Dubai or Singapore depending where you are travelling from.
Would we recommend The Maldives and Riu Palace? Definitely, the service, accommodation and food were great. The included activities give everyone something to do but you also have the option to pay an addition cost to experience so much more than just what the island offers.
The unforgettable memories you get from a trip like this, the colours and sounds of the Indian Ocean, the marine life, and the breath-taking views. Our travel agent said, “you won’t believe the beauty, even if you have seen pictures or videos” and they were right.
Until our next adventure x TRT
The Reviewing Traveller 