Originally Posted by
shingu79
Condescend much? You almost make it sound like, if you don't like it, suck it up and just stay home.
So if I don't travel to Maldives at least few times a year, that makes me any less a traveler?
Anyways, I wasn't trying to scapegoat StR for the way TMA runs their business, but I was venting at a certain predicament that clearly isn't an isolated issue, which you yourself have mentioned.
You will have a myriad of travelers out to Maldives, whether they are seasoned travelers to Maldives or novice. But I believe the brunt of TMA's actions or inactions will fall squarely on the hotel
that arranged the transport....whether it be sea plane or a taxi or what have you, since THEY'VE arranged it and THEY clearly have some sort of business relationship with the company. The hotel is the agent, de facto, and
they are clearly responsible to a degree.
Usually, if this wasn't a case of monopoly, the lodged complaints would force the hotel to choose a different provider.
But clearly it is a monopoly and the hotel is at the mercy of TMA....
So allow me to vent a bit and give warning to others...Many may be prepared...but many may not.
But if it gets bad enough, maybe someone or some group of hotel will invest in a similar transport and give TMA a run for their money....
I'm just saying...
I believe I offered a good dose of reality. I don't like it any more than anyone else, but it's the reality for every hotel in the Maldives that isn't close enough to Male to transfer via speedboat.
Whether everyone wants to accept it or not, it is a fact that everyone who wants to go to a resort in the Maldives will either have to deal with Trans Maldiviian Airways or stay at a resort within speedboat range of Male. That isn't condescending; that's the simple truth of the matter. Every more distant luxury resort other than Cheval Blanc Randheli has to deal with TMA. And TMA will do what it wants when the operations get muddled because of bad weather or unusual circumstances.
Most of us will never experience the problems with TMA described herein because there won't be the same inclement weather or some other unusual or unforeseen circumstances that cause such nightmare scenarios. But they happen. And when they do, we all need to recognize that we aren't in Kansas any more. It's the Maldives, not the USA or Europe. Too many people seem to forget that. If one doesn't want to deal with that sort of remote but possible mishap, then the Maldives may be a poor choice of destination.