Originally Posted by
JC5280
A few questions for those of you who are there or who have been there.
- Is the majority of the island sand? As in, Are flip flops and sandals the preferred shoe to wear vs running shoes or boat shoes?
- I saw a review on TripAdvisor that they took part in a coffee making and a cocktail making class. Did anyone experience any of that? They also had a pic of a branded Le Meridien canvas tote, which looks like it comes from a store or gift shop there.
- How dark do the rooms get with all of the windows? Would you recommend bringing an eye shade?
- Is there anything else beyond the standard beach resort packing list you wish you had brought?
- Did you have a long wait at the Male airport on your way back? My business class booking was significantly cheaper to book the 11pm flight to Doha, so I am a bit curious of any creative recommendations to pass the time in Male. We are pretty well traveled and usually can't sit still for too long. ha ha
The two of us (Bonvoy Lifetime titanium) are known to indulge in cocktails while on vacation, so thinking the all-inclusive is a good route for us. We currently have a Sunrise Overwater Villa booked.
Recently arrived and below are points we either didn’t notice in our reading and planning. Hope other find these nuanced points helpful.
- Plenty of drinking water. We saved water bottled from the flight etc not knowing what to expect - drinking water included and refreshed at request.
- Universal outlets. Between universal outlets and usb ports at the airports etc - charging isnt a big problem. We overpacked with a variety of power banks and such. You can go lighter.
- All the mentions of snacks and food along the way (for instance in the lounge while waiting for the sea plane) - rather poor. All forms white bread. If you try to eat healthier, ignore mentions of food along the way or you will be disappointed. (Oh, and lunch at Merdien was defined by staff as a selection of as “comfort foods” option's) burgers and such) for those considering meal plans.)
- First time flying Qatar…quickly jumped to the top of the list as preferred airlines. Meals were also good.
- Silverware.
We read there is a coffee maker, cups and spoons which is true. We ALSO pleasantly surprised to find two cloth napkins and a metal fork and knife in each. So we packed our own plastics (for some of our own food) but don’t need them.
update - there was a plate of fruit upon arrival, which was the reason for the silverware. We moved to a second reservation, no fruit and no silverware.
- No need for a GPS. The entire island is small and an easy walk. (and yes, that was a joke, we didn't pack a special gps.)
- Outdoor plumbing - only a single toilet inside the beach bungalow. Showers and sinks (in the beach villas, at least this one) are great AND fully outside with high walls. Anyone who has spent more that 20 minutes on Google Earth will know that if daylight can see in, it is captured by Google. So while there are high walls to provide a feeling of privacy, understand that if you are showering you (all of you) will likely also be part of the Google information troves.
- room gets pretty dark when pulling all the curtains closed. Heavy curtains, blackouts. Small sliver of light at gaps. (Update - hard to keep the sliver of light put where the two curtains meet - consider bringing a few binder clips.)
- crazy long waits. 9 hours at doha. About 3 for sea plane. Factor in recovery time, especially if you do not sleep well traveling.
- staff are fantastic.
- upon entry Male expects a QR code to enter. We had no knowledge of this or what it was about. We were sent out to use a desktop on a card table to fill out a long application asking for everything - including vaccine info and dates - the works. Apparently if you actually fill out all the “required” fields the application will not progress so a gate agent went and removed our vaccine info, other data and QR code generated where we took photos and returned to passport processing..
- we are now in over water accommodations loving the view and water access and we are missing the comfy outdoor sofa from the beach bungalow. Nighclub beats heard in the distance. Cowboy shutter doors to the closet, well, they need to go.
- sounds of waves from the beach bungalow blend as white noise, while the continual slosh of water from the over water villa sounds like you are sitting in a canoe 24-7.
- nice to see marine life in the morning. This morning we were visited by a turtle, needlefish, a different longish fish and a reef shark.
- snorkeling? Happy resort provides great, less to pack and the gear is actually decent. That said, snorkeling is so so. Amazing accommodations for snorkeling, launching right from your private back deck, however marine life seems basic. If you are here primarily to snorkel, understand snorkel options are limited. What visits in the morning is more interesting than what you’ll actually find at each of their marked snorkeling locations.