Originally Posted by
PancakeGames
So this sounds amazing...although the price is now $2,000 per couple.
We will be snorkeling but not diving, doing some excursions and taking a few trips to the spa. For you (and anyone else), how would you rank the various excursions/activities/spa individually in terms of 'must' vs 'meh'?
day vs night snorkeling
traditional Maldivian fishing vs trolling fishing
dolphin cruise vs starlight cruise
equator excursion vs island picnic
Also, has anyone had success negotiating a flat rate for a package deal of pre-specified excursions/activities/spa treatments? They offer 10% off prior to arrival but the 10% 'service' charge basically cancels that out.
Thanks in advance!
Was there last month for 5 nights and it was phenomenal.
We did the guided snorkeling on the first day and I found it to be helpful. Our guide was excellent and gave us ideas of when and where to go. I wouldn't do any guided tours after that (although nighttime sounds fun). We snorkeled the reef a few times then moved to an OWB and then just hung around our room when snorkeling (which was more convenient).
I did the Maldivian fishing and it was a lot of fun. There were 3 guests and 5 crew who really took care of us. It is a lot of work (you drop the line almost 200 meters) to haul the line back up but worth it. When the fish hit, you have to be very fast. I lost a ton of bait to those smart fish. Ultimately, I caught 3 fish (you get to keep one that they will cook for you when you return). My red snapper was the best I've ever had (get it grilled). If you even kind of like fishing, I highly recommend it (we also saw some sharks attacking a ray which was kind of cool).
We did the dolphin cruise and saw at least 500 dolphins. It was crazy and every staff person said they don't usually see that. We sat in one area for quite a while while the bottle nose and spinners played off the bow. Highly recommended.
My wife had the HOONU Evvaru Ritual and said it was amazing and she would do it again (and again and again). Just don't go with a sun burn
The exfoliants can make it a bit painful.