We proceeded to immigration where we were one of the first to get through. Once that was completed, there is a small scanner for all the carry on bags before the carousels to grab any checked luggage. Our bags showed up relatively quickly, and with nothing to declare we walked out to see a St. Regis sign on an iPad. We were then escorted to the Transmaldivian Airways counter to check-in where our bags were tagged and weighed. Just a short walk away, we hopped into a van with the A/C on blast, Wi-Fi, and cold towels on offer
And then off to the lounges by the seaplane terminal
Their waiting area is called the great room, which has TVs, cold AC, and refreshments while you wait to board the sea plane. Payment details and any check-in details are mostly taken care of here so that it's just off to relax once you arrive at the resort
The menu
The relatively simple spread
The wait for the sea plane boarding was agonizing. After 20 hours of flying, we were hoping the sea plane would be scheduled so that we would arrive relatively early considering our Emirates inbound landed before 10AM. But finally, we were called to exit the lounge for the short drive to the terminal area
Transmaldivian Airways operates the largest fleet of sea planes in the world, with pilots that fly in flip flops
The breathtaking views and turquoise water
Our plane had to drop off some guests at a nearby resort first. What we hadn't anticipated though, was needing to get off the plane so that it could refuel
And then we were back in the air
We landed at the St. Regis about mid-afternoon where we were immediately greeted by our butler and presented with a set of fresh coconuts
Once done, we were given a tour of the island on a buggy, with the butler pointing out notable facilities and times of availability. This ended with a stop at our overwater villa where the basic features of the room were gone over. I was just ready to relax and take in the views
Some welcoming sweets
Mini bar
Bed and living area
Bathroom
Tub with a view
Rain shower
Closet
The majority of the room functions could be controlled by an iPad. This ranged from setting the thermostat, to turning on the TV, and ordering room service
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Internet speeds were a bit on the slow side, but I guess that's understandable for a remote island
Outside area with private plunge pool
Our butler had preemptively booked us dinner at Alba, one of the restaurants that also hosts the breakfast buffet. Since we had just gotten in and wanted to get our son in bed, we opted to have a quick pizza at Crust. Ironically, we ended up sitting in the Alba dining area
Looking towards the beach and The Whale Bar
Drinks
...and pizzas
Once we were done with the meal, we hurriedly went back to our villa to get some sleep. In fact, baby ChongL was so tired we couldn't entertain him enough to keep him awake, and he fell asleep in Mrs. ChongL's arms as we were finishing up dinner. I had a good few hours of sleep, but as we all know, jet lag inevitably strikes, and I chose to waste the time away by setting up my tripod and trying some astrophotography out on the deck
And then I climbed back into bed and caught a few more hours of sleep until sunrise
The breakfast buffet opened at 7:00 AM, and we were one of the first guests who stepped inside. As a loyalty member, this was my chosen benefit, which included a large buffet spread with a la carte options
Cold options with cheeses, cured meats, and other antipasti
Hot options, starting with a noodle bar. The rest of the selection varied slightly day by day, with different ingredients for the curries and types of stir fry
Ice cream
Cereals
Fruits and smoothies
Buffet selection. Those are beef sausages pictured there. For those who worry, there was also a variation by day to include pork and chicken sausages. And yes, normal pork based bacon is available a la carte
A la carte options, starting with the lobster and crab omelette with caviar
Ending my first breakfast with some taro ice cream
For most of the rest of the morning and early afternoon, we hung out inside the villa, still catching up on rest. This would end up being a common theme where we used our pool occasionally, or dipped into the ocean to do some short snorkeling stints. Our butler would come by with small bites and afternoon tea every day, starting with some red velvet muffins and fruit
We went to happy hour afterwards at The Whale Bar, intending to stay to watch the champagne sabering ceremony
Some small snacks
My Bloody Mary served in a shell
And then at 6PM, the procession began for the sabering
We ordered the lobster popcorn to whet our appetite
Sunset views
DJ spinning up some tunes
Baby ChongL drumming with some spoons
As the sun slowly dips under the horizon
Our dinner reservation at Orientale was coming up, so we left the bar and had a buggy ride over to the restaurant
Next up: The rest of dinner and a few more days in the Maldives. I had to split this post up since I hit an image limit