Really? Aw thanks! That's an amazing thing to hear!!

It's actually not that bad, I will go into more details at the end for those who are interested.

No problem, I've learned quite a lot from FT as well. 200,000 miles is for the both of us. Like I said earlier, I will go into more details later to give you guys an idea and for those who want to do their own trip.

I highly recommend it, it is something you only do once-in-a-lifetime, or twice.:cool:

Considering we only eat two meals a day and there was a good variety on the breakfast menu, I think it probably will take us the week before we get sick of the menu. On top of that we brought our own little snacks so it's not that bad.

The beach villas are nice they are very close to the vicinity and everything else. However we still felt like we missed something for not staying in the Water villa, which we will definitely do next time. On the other hand the walk to the water villa is quite long.

Thank you!

BTW, I suppose in your case, I will be ORDcubsFan. :)

Awesome TR with fantastic photos!

Not to distract from your TR, but I think the beach villas are the best part of the PH. Water Villas are great but I prefer them with pools (so you can go for a dip at night easily), which PH does not offer. So, IMO, you stayed in what they offer best!

You did very well for this trip (and the report!) and I'd enjoy hearing how you broke out the costs to stay at the PH.

Wow, great TR - you have made me want to go to the Maldives and I don't even like resort/swimming holidays!

Thanks~

Wow! Really? I am glad I got the best deal though. I guess I will have to go there with Mrs. again soon to find out the rest~

Haha, we felt the same before taking this trip. We are the mobile type, not used to sitting around either. But it really is an out-of-this-world experience.

12. Park Hyatt Maldives (III), Malé

Day 4

Feb 10, 2013. Happy Lunar New Year! The year of snake.

We woke up at around 7:10, and for some odd reason, we decide to take a morning walk, instead of going straight back to sleep. :cool: And surely enough, early birds get the worms. We caught the first light of the new year, and it was beyond words. Off to a great start of the new year I suppose. But also our last day in paradise. Sigh~ we will miss this place greatly.

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At 7:25, The first light of the year of snake. Or as the year of "little dragon", to put it more eloquently.

We had one final round of morning swim in the main pool, followed by breakfast, and a final walk about on the island. Boy, where did the time go? It was as if we just checked in the day before, and could barely hid our broad smile when we saw the island, let alone the excitement when we first entered our villa. Wow!

It is worth mentioning that during breakfast, all the Asian guests received a starter plate with dim sum, instead of the aforementioned tuna wrap, to coincide with the New Year. What a nice touch!

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Dim sum breakfast: shumai and steamed pork buns, with freshly pressed green apple juice.

At around noon, the staff came in to the villa, checked for the iPad, took our luggage, loaded them onto the electric buggy, and after one final check, we said goodbye to our home for the past 4 days. It was the first time we were saddened when leaving our hotel. It felt like something so wonderful was taken away from us, against our wishes.

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The Dhoni, where we checked in 4 days ago.

Checking out was a breeze, after I signed over the bill, I handed them a few written postcards, of which they mailed for us, we walked to the the Dusk Jetty, and ready for our goodbyes. A few staffs were there to see us off, but our host, the Tajikistan girl was on break that day, and we were told she is off the premises. Bummer~

After shaking our hands one-by-one, as our boat slowly coasted away from the jetty, the staff waved at us enthusiastically. Maybe they knew we had a great time, or maybe they knew we'd be back? Whatever the reason was, I felt the gesture was genuine. After all, who wouldn't? If you get to live here and enjoy paradise, that is.

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Goodbye!

As we sped away from the island, I had to control myself from asking the crew to turn around. As the island disappearing from the horizon, we knew we had done something right, and this trip will go down in our memories as one of the best yet. It was like... sipping a glass of well-aged wine, the memorable after taste was all that mattered.

Malé

Before you knew it, after we reluctantly got off the boat and a quick plane ride, we were back in Malé.

Days ago, I tried to book a submarine tour, but the website wasn't working properly, so I turned to the hotel front desk for help. Last night, during the BBQ, our host informed us that she personally took over the task to book the trip, but it was full. I was impressed! All I had to do, was inform the front desk what I wanted, and the request past down smoothly. I wasn't expecting our host to call every hour, nor was I expecting our concierge in Malé airport doing the same either!

Turned out, our guy in Malé knows the tour manager, and they had a hotline going. If there's any last minute bug outs, we will know. :cool: Instead of letting us wandering into the main island alone, they even provided us a guide at no cost. On top of that, seeing how hot it is, he went into the lounge and grabbed us some ice cold water, we were being pampered for sure!

We boarded a "slow" ferry and soon headed to the main island. The cost was 15 Maldivian dollars/$1US. Seeing how we didn't have any Maldivian money, our guide took care of it without hesitation. ^

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The Presidential Jetty by the airport. Fancy!

While walking around the island, he regularly checked with the tour operator. Turned out his real job is in the airport administration, and has a wide network connection. There were people kept coming up to say hi as we walked on.:eek:

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Street of Malé. It was a Sunday, but Sunday is their Monday as they are off on Friday and Saturday. Interesting.

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The Presidential Palace.

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Part of the Maldivian military. Notice how clear the water is, even in the port?

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The Presidential Jetty, on the main island. With bunch of Chinese taking photos. The canon was a left over from the Portuguese, once dominating the island in the mid 15th century.

As we walked along the port, our guide told us due to the size of the island, one can walk from any point A to any point B on the island for only 15 minutes! And unlike some other guides, his purpose is meet people from all over the world, make some friends, and get off work for a few hours. Ha! And on top of that, he doesn't work for commission, so that's another plus.

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Local market. Some unknown fruits.

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Local fish market. Industrialized hauling is not allowed, everything is caught the old fashion way.

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Friday Mosque

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The 1988 terrorist attack memorial by the ministry of defense. The only part of the building, where photography is allowed. The hole was the result of bombing.

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Sultan Park. A park and the National Museum.

As you can see, there's not much growing on the grounds of the park. The nation suffered greatly from the 2004 tsunami, and the highest natural point in the nation is only 7ft above sea level while the tallest man-made building is only 15 stories. I sure hope things like that will never happen again.

After the tsunami, China poured in a great deal of aids and money to help out. And that is why, outside the museum, a plaque proudly displayed "China Aid" was featured. The exhibition inside the museum was haphazard, with clothes from different sultans, 10th century Muslim artifacts, ancient Buddhist items, and other historical souvenirs. We stayed in there longer than we should, because the building was A/Ced.

At our request, we went to a local eatery wanting some real Maldivian food for our late lunch. We ordered a fish and soup combo. It was so-so, tasted like a hybrid of Thai and Indian. But I guess it still beats the variety of Chinese food being brought out to the tourists. Our food alone cost $29, yes, it was even more overpriced than the resort.

Afterward, we strolled back to the Sultan Park, and walked past a mosque within the complex. It was built with ivory, and according to our guide, 1000 years ago.

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We were granted photos otherwise forbidden, again because of our guide.

The weather in Malé was hot, hot, HOT! Unlike the resort, it was hard to get a breeze. At some points we were just in awe as we saw plenty of school children getting off school in their cumbersome uniforms without breaking a sweat. I was already sweating like a pig!

At close to 6pm, with no last-minute submarine cancellations in sight, we decided to head back to the airport, shower, eat and relax before boarding our flight at 11:30pm to Singapore.

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Our last Maldivian sunset. We took the speedboat back. Cost was only $2, and only took 3 minutes instead of 10.

Despite how hot it was walking around the streets of Malé, we still had a great time. Our guide was friendly, informative, told us about a great deal of history, their lives, and what happened since the change of power and how their current situation is. It was one of the best guided tour I've been on. I guess what really made the difference, not just because of his attitude, but that he didn't "force" us to buy souvenirs and such. He treated us as friends.

With his special access and connections, he got us into the lounge for free and made sure everything is ok before he left. Against his wishes, we gave him a $30 tip (the Hyatt concierge suggested that $5-10 is enough, and we later found out some of the locals only make $5 a month). However, 90 minutes before departure, he emerged again, and led us through the airport, skipped the long queue, and got us to the custom checks, otherwise would take us 30 minutes. What did we do to deserve such top notch hospitality?

After the security and customs was the shopping section. Sad to say, we both thought they could of done much much better with the souvenirs. Instead, they all looked kind of cheap, with the majority of them came from massive production in a Chinese factory. Otherwise, there was a great selection of tea products, all from Sri Lanka. We would of be happy if there were some local hand crafted goods.

At around 11pm, we walked the airport tarmac for one final time. Onto a SQ333 we go. This has been an amazing and unforgettable 4 days in our lives. We will be back!

Next up, Singapore.

13. Singapore

The flight from MLE to SIN was uneventful. That said, we slept most of the way, and skipped the meal. We arrived in SIN at 7 in the morning. But really, it's only 4am in MLE. So, what do you do, arriving so early and still tired?

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Silver Kris Lounge in Terminal 3.

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Open space, quiet, and comfy lounge.

We spent the next 6 hours there catching up on some much needed ZzZzZzs, as it was quiet in the morning, and population is small. We found a quiet corner without having to fight for it, and best of all, the wonderful SQ crew brought out blankets and pillows for us! Hours later, we headed to town for a few hours before we fly again.

On our way to the Singapore Flyer, I noticed how clean the highway is. Not a single plastic bag, or empty bottles. Me being there for the first time, I was impressed, as Mrs. said "I told you so~."

We stopped for some Ya-Kun toast, toast with butter and condensed milk, simple and yummy, and finished with some sling tea. With our hunger taken cared of, it's time to fly, the Singapore Flyer, that is.

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The famous food stall.

We boarded the Flyer after only 10 minutes of waiting, not bad! Sadly, weather again went back to "crappy mode", as it was most of the trip. But luckily, it wasn't raining, yet, and we managed to get some decent shots and views in. The "flight" took about 30 minutes, and most of the passengers in our car were pleasant and civil. We had a great time up there, as a few local friendlies helped us get some photos in, vise-and-versa.

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Gardens by the Bay.

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Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino and The Art and Science Museum.

Originally, our itineraries in this part of the trip include 2 nights in the Marina Bay Sands, enjoying the famous infinity pool, Singaporean hospitality, and one night in the Intercontinental Bangkok, with a Valentines Day dinner in Hotel Lebua (featured prominently in The Hangover II). And to top it off, TG A380 from BKK to HKG:o.

A few days before the commencement of the trip, we sliced this part of the trip, and decided to take it easy and enjoy a "slower life" in HKG. It turned out to be the right decision. We didn't know how exhausted we were, both physically and mentally, but very very happy and satisfied.

So, we walked parts of the F1 circuit, slowly made our way to the Sands hotel and worked our way to the sky park. But boy, the line was long! And soon after, a heavy monsoon pretty much killed all the moods, and drenched those poor souls at the top:D. We decided to head back to the airport, and have some real Singapore cuisine.

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Bah Kut Teh (ribs simmered in herbs), Laksa, and Lychee soda.

Along with spicy crabs, it was a meal deserved to be repeated and mentioned. Yum! What a way to close out the trip.

After a shower in the lounge, we headed to the gate, and along the way, it was a plane spotter's dream. Aside from the retired SQ 744, and the Concorde, you pretty much get everything you can, from the A380 to a Gulfstream V.

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SQ772, our ride back to HKG.

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One day, seat 3C/D will be ours!

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QF744. I saw my first ever jumbo jet on Oct 1, 1986. It was a CI 747-200 in TPE. 27 years later, the 747 is still my favorite. So glad they got a new lease of life in 747-8!

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Noticed that LH A388?

Although it was only a 2-cabin configuration, with only 4 of us in business class, we might as well called it First Class! You can just imagine how the attentive services we got, and it really came a full circle as Mrs. caught me staring at the SQ girls. IMHO, SQ, CX and EY have some of the prettiest flight attendants in the world! I must apologize to my fellow FTers, I didn't know what hit me, but I DID NOT TAKE ANY photos of them! :mad:

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Sunset over Malaysia.

Being still partially full from the laksa, Mrs. and I shared a set dinner - grilled cod. It tasted better than the cod we got from UA942, and this time, Mrs. loved it. We finished the dinner with ice cream, cheese plate, and some special New-Year edition fruits.

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Nothing out of the ordinary. But I loved the thoughtfulness and the presentation.

If I only raised my lens a few degree higher...(know what I mean?:D)

3.5 hours later, we arrived in HKG at 10:40pm, and we were granted a visit to the cockpit. The (co)pilots were very friendly, allowed us to take some pictures. At their requests, I decided to keep those photos private.

As we parked at gate 501, we were whisked away in a bus, and given a fitting sent off by the SQ girls, "Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Flyhen, thanks for flying with us and enjoy your stay in Hong Kong." That, really left a great after taste. I am definitely flying SQ again! And there you have it, we were home, safe and sound. HKG!

Next up, HKG and wrap up.

The "snowballs" look amazing. Thanks for sharing.

Yes. They tasted good as well. Fattening, but tasty.

14. Hong Kong, Conclusion

After 11 days, 10 flights, 8 countries, 11 cities, 3 continents, 6 time zones and 14,000 miles flown, we are back to Hong Kong, my other home. When we both set foot in the apartment, I told myself, we did it! Both of us had this exhausting but satisfied smile. It was our first ever splurge using miles and points. And it was addicting, fulfilling, and awe-inspiring. We know, this will be the first of many trips from now on. Whoo~

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We did it!

This trip was far from being smooth sailing, but it was a memorable one, filled with excitements and unpredictable elements to say the least...

I remembered loosing one glove while descending from the submit of Eiffel Tower, and spent the rest of the afternoon having a cold hand until I got my replacement.

I remembered being on the verge of freaking out when my BMW sent me to "Cargo City Süd" in Frankfurt, with 8 cars angrily honking at us screaming German obscenities while we didn't know which way to turn, and our flight was leaving for ZRH in 40 minutes.

I remembered how I panicked while jumping off the train, seconds from moving, and went into a frenzied mode searching for my iPad mini in Köln. And subsequently, how we had a run of our lives, and managed to be the last two aboard the plane seconds before they closed the door.

I also remembered how we were running around blind in IST, not knowing where to go, and we came so close to burn our miles to route ourselves via Dubai/Abu Dhabi, forgoing the Maldives before going back to Hong Kong, thinking it just wasn't meant to be.

But what we remembered the most, was that somehow, thru persistence and believing in ourselves, things have their funny ways of working themselves out. Insurance took care of the iPad mini, and United changed the tickets for us, and gave us a $200 compensation voucher, each.

On top of that, deciding to stay in Park Hyatt Maldives for one extra night was the best decision I've made this trip, instead of spending one night in the main island in a budget hotel. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Malé, the island has its distinct features and worthy of a visit for sure. But we just loved the paradise too much to leave.;)

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View from the Tosca (The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong).

We enjoyed a nice 5-course Italian lunch at the Tosca the day before Valentines, as the day itself was fully booked, as we were busy planning on much bigger things (hence the trip report):D. Instead, we enjoyed a quiet Valentines afternoon in a tucked-away Viennese Cafe. It's one of those kept secrets you have to really know the place to know its existence. Being away from the main roads, it's quiet, and offered a unique experience with a friendly Austrian owner. It's one of my favorite spots in Hong Kong.

A few days later, we were at HKG again, boarding a flight back to where we came from. It was a quiet, low-key, but a fitting end to our otherwise out-of-this-world experience.

We are already getting ideas on when and where to go next - Tahiti!

And on this note, Mrs. and I appreciate you taking time to read this report and come along with us on this trip, and we hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!:cool:

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CX A333 taking off. We can't wait for our next trip.

Additional Info & Costs
Now to answer the inquiries from earlier on how much $$ and points/miles made this happen...

Airfares:
60k miles/person from ORD -...-MLE in business class + $145/person
40k miles/person from MLE - SIN - HKG in economy/business class + $24/person
Transfer from MLE to Park Hyatt: $483/person (the largest expenses during our trip:eek:)

Lodging:
All Park Hyatts were paid using points (including one comped night in Park Hyatt Maldives, courtesy of a super nice phone agent!).

Together with other lodgings and transportation + food + activities + others, our out of pocket expenses for this trip was around $2300 USD.

Just for fun, we did look up how much would it cost if we were to pay for everything with cash with no points involved -- close to $40,000 usd! :D

Comments? Inputs? Anything else? Be it here in the thread or on Flickr, we look forward to hearing from the rest of you.

You can see all the trip photos here.

Until next time and thanks for reading! ^

:)

THANK YOU for sharing! An amazing trip report! Just curious what kind of plane did you fly from IST-MLE? We are doing RTW and spending 6 night in the Maldives in November! I absolutely can't wait!

You are welcome. I'd be super excited if I were you as well. I assume you will be staying in Park Hyatt as well?

No, we are staying at Komandoo Island Resort. Celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary with my wife. No kids, hopefully just pure bliss!

Congrats on your upcoming anniversary. That's definitely NOT a place for kids. There were a few families there during our stay, and the common sight was that patents were all zonked out of their minds lying there sunbathing, while the poor kids were left alone either swimming in the main pool or building sand castle on their own. You can tell they had nothing better to do. Poor kids.