She Let Me Get Away With This?: A Semi-RTW Honeymoon via UA, QR, EY and AF J
May 15, 2022, 9:33 am
#91
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It was a little on the choppy side when we arrived but we did get the chance to swim/snorkel off the back. Saw a couple of black tipped reef sharks (one while in the water and one from the deck), an Eagle ray and a pod of dolphins along with tons of fish.
May 16, 2022, 3:31 pm
#93
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May 16, 2022, 10:18 pm
#94
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
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Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Property Overview
After dropping off our bags and settling into our villa, it was time for our vacation to begin. Our first stop was the Island Kitchen, one of three restaurants on the property along with The Pearl and Hawker, to get some lunch. Island Kitchen is open all day and is also where breakfast is served each morning. We sat under the shade of the veranda right by the pool and started with drinks, a mojito for me and a mango daiquiri for her. I don’t remember what she ordered but for some reason I decided my first meal in paradise should be pasta carbonnara (???). I’m going to blame that on the jet lag.
What was I thinking?
After lunch, we took a stroll around the property and went over past the tennis courts to check out the fitness center. It was well appointed, given Westin brands itself as a healthy lifestyle hotel, but I only saw one person using it the entire time we were there. After walking through the fitness center, we went over to the spa to book massages for the next day. The spa is located in another overwater villa at the end of the island and had some great views.
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Tennis Court
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Gym
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Spa
From the spa, we headed back to the main part of the resort and went to Sunset Bar, located above Island Kitchen for ‘sundowners’. ‘Sundowners’ are discounted cocktails offered in the evenings along with a specialty cocktail that rotates daily. We sipped our cocktails and munched on some snack mix while we watched a gorgeous sunset over the water.
Having enjoyed our drinks and a great sunset, it was time for dinner. After talking with Athyk during check in, we decided it made sense to purchase the half-prepaid meal plan which included dinner. We elected not to do the fixed rate for lunch given the activities we had planned and because, with breakfast and dinner now included, I don’t really ever eat 3 full meals in a day.
For the first night, we had dinner at Hawker which is inspired by the street food of southeast Asia. Tonight, was a ‘Balinese Nights’ theme which deviated from the traditional menu on offer. For starters, we had the stir-fried prawns and the shredded, grilled duck breast. For the mains, I had the slow braise pork ribs and Mrs. WS93 had the mussels, prawns and octopus which was served like a soup. My main was also accompanied by a side of rice and some kind of prawn flavored crisp.
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Hawker Restaurant
Shredded, grilled duck breast
Stir fried prawns
Slow braised pork ribs and mussels, prawns and octopus
At this point the jet lag was catching up with us so we decided to skip dessert and head back to the room to get some sleep. The next morning, I let Mrs. WS93 sleep in, and I went out to the deck to enjoy my coffee and read with a fantastic view. It was at this point that I met our neighbor, Carlos the crab, who would make many appearances, some surprisingly, over the next few days.
Carlos
After the boss woke up, we headed off to breakfast at Island Kitchen. A hostess showed us to our table and then took us to the buffet area. All I can say about the buffet is wow. It was probably the largest hotel buffet I have ever seen and any Marriott Bonvoy Platinum member or above would be crazy not to select this for the benefit. The buffet had every item imaginable including, but not limited to, pastries, meats, cheeses, salad items, fruits, yogurts, juices and a serve yourself mimosa bar which I made excellent use of.
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Breakfast Buffet
From breakfast, we headed to the beach to catch some sun before heading to the spa for our 1:30pm appointment. We were quickly checked in and offered cool towels and a glass of water before heading back for our massages. Mrs. WS93 booked us a couples massage which was desperately needed as I tweaked my back picking her suitcase full of bricks up a day earlier. The room had two massage tables, another wall of glass overlooking the ocean and glass cutouts in the floor allowing you to see the water while being massaged.
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Spa
The massage took an hour and afterwards, we walked back to the room. Along the way, we checked out the complimentary snorkel gear provided by the hotel and took a dip in the water upon our return. While in the water we saw a 3-4’ reef shark and then, after getting out a pod of dolphins passed within 75 yards of our deck. A few minutes after that, some kind of ray swam by even closer (25 yards) to us. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any good photos of those, but it was cool getting to see them up close.
We showered and changed and then it was time to start our evening. We made reservations at The Pearl which offers a five course, set menu but first it was off to the Sunset Bar for a drink since we had some time to kill before our reservation. There was heavy cloud cover, so the sunset wasn’t very good, but it was still a good view.
15 minutes before our reservation we made our way over to the restaurant, an open-air structure located out on a pier. Initially, the hostess tried to seat us at the bar, but we opted to grab a drink and wait out on the uncovered portion of the patio for a table to become available. I had a boring vodka soda but Mrs. WS93 ordered something obscure that showed up in a box (???). She said that it was good though.
Right as it was beginning to rain, our table became ready, and we were both excited to see what was on the menu. The menu is below, and I’ll let the photos do the talking here.
As the third course was being served, the manager appeared out of nowhere with a bottle of champagne. I thought he was being nice and giving us a glass to celebrate our honeymoon, but he ended up leaving the whole bottle with us on ice and constantly topped our glasses off. By the end of the meal, we were stuffed full and quite buzzed, so we headed back to the room to sleep it off.
We awoke early to some dreary weather which was less than ideal as Mrs. WS93 had a dive scheduled for 9:00am. We headed off to breakfast early to give her time to eat and the same manager from the night before was working. He offered to check with the dive center while we ate to see if the weather was going to cancel it. Fortunately for her, it cleared up just enough for her to go out and I headed poolside with a book and a bucket of beer. She returned from the dive, and we split a pizza poolside and I even managed to swim a few laps in the pool.
That afternoon, we scheduled a cocktail making class and, after returning to the room to freshen up, found an invitation to the Marriott Bonvoy Mixer for later that night. The cocktail class was in the Sunset Bar and, unlike my trip to Grand Cayman where I met chicagoyeti at a wine tasting, we were the only two there. We had a great time making cocktails and our bartender even let Mrs. WS93 and I behind the bar to mix our own. After the class, we headed back to the room to freshen up before the mixer and found a nice surprise on the bed wishing us a happy honeymoon.
The mixer was your typical Marriott elite’s reception with wine, a few specialty cocktails and snacks on offer. That night, we had dinner at Island Kitchen and were treated to a music group that had been brought in from one of the neighboring islands that played traditional Maldivian music during dinner. Being in the middle of the ocean, I decided to have the scallops for dinner. Unfortunately, the scallops were a major letdown as they were cooked in some sort of shell with lots of cheese (???) and the shells were so hot it kept cooking the scallop long after it should have been done. The dish was borderline inedible, and I sent it back after a couple of bites. Fortunately, I had become quite full off of the passed appetizers at the mixer and didn’t order anything else.
Yikes!
On our final day on the island, I had coffee on the deck with Carlos while completing our verified to fly paperwork for our Etihad flight that evening. From there it was off for one final breakfast and a few mimosas from Island Kitchen. Upon returning from breakfast, Mrs. WS93 let out a bone chilling scream that made me jump what felt like was 10 feet in the air. Looking around, I realized Carlos had snuck into the villa that morning and was hanging out on our curtains. Using the coffee tray and an umbrella I was able to coax him down onto the tray and released him outside where he watched us curiously for the next hour or so.
Outside Carlos
Inside Carlos
Athyk, messaged me via WhatsApp to let us know that they would be at our room at 4:45pm to pick up our bags and handle the checkout. Our seaplane was due to depart at 5:45pm Westin time to get us to Male in time for our 8:05pm Etihad flight to Abu Dhabi (The Westin is an hour ahead of Male). Knowing our departure time was set, we headed back to the beach for one last bit of sun and sand. We had a drink and a late lunch on the beach before returning to the room to pack.
After packing up, Athyk messaged me saying that the seaplane would not be arriving until 6:15pm local time due to weather delays leaving Male so, at promptly 5:15pm he picked us up and drove us to the indoor reception area where we settled up the bill and completed all of the necessary check-out procedures. We stayed there for a little while until it was time to head down to the dock for our seaplane back to Male.
Until next time Westin
All in all, this was a wonderful hotel stay and the staff could not have been friendlier. I talked with a few of them at length and most were from India or Sri Lanka, and they came over on 6-month contracts. They were always available to help but weren’t overbearing. While it was never a problem for us, even fully booked nothing was ever crowded, it is worth noting that the hotel isn’t adults only so you may end up sharing the pool with a random kiddo or two. If our travels ever bring us back to the Maldives, I would look at staying at the Westin again!
What was I thinking?
After lunch, we took a stroll around the property and went over past the tennis courts to check out the fitness center. It was well appointed, given Westin brands itself as a healthy lifestyle hotel, but I only saw one person using it the entire time we were there. After walking through the fitness center, we went over to the spa to book massages for the next day. The spa is located in another overwater villa at the end of the island and had some great views.
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Tennis Court
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Gym
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Spa
From the spa, we headed back to the main part of the resort and went to Sunset Bar, located above Island Kitchen for ‘sundowners’. ‘Sundowners’ are discounted cocktails offered in the evenings along with a specialty cocktail that rotates daily. We sipped our cocktails and munched on some snack mix while we watched a gorgeous sunset over the water.
Having enjoyed our drinks and a great sunset, it was time for dinner. After talking with Athyk during check in, we decided it made sense to purchase the half-prepaid meal plan which included dinner. We elected not to do the fixed rate for lunch given the activities we had planned and because, with breakfast and dinner now included, I don’t really ever eat 3 full meals in a day.
For the first night, we had dinner at Hawker which is inspired by the street food of southeast Asia. Tonight, was a ‘Balinese Nights’ theme which deviated from the traditional menu on offer. For starters, we had the stir-fried prawns and the shredded, grilled duck breast. For the mains, I had the slow braise pork ribs and Mrs. WS93 had the mussels, prawns and octopus which was served like a soup. My main was also accompanied by a side of rice and some kind of prawn flavored crisp.
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Hawker Restaurant
Shredded, grilled duck breast
Stir fried prawns
Slow braised pork ribs and mussels, prawns and octopus
At this point the jet lag was catching up with us so we decided to skip dessert and head back to the room to get some sleep. The next morning, I let Mrs. WS93 sleep in, and I went out to the deck to enjoy my coffee and read with a fantastic view. It was at this point that I met our neighbor, Carlos the crab, who would make many appearances, some surprisingly, over the next few days.
Carlos
After the boss woke up, we headed off to breakfast at Island Kitchen. A hostess showed us to our table and then took us to the buffet area. All I can say about the buffet is wow. It was probably the largest hotel buffet I have ever seen and any Marriott Bonvoy Platinum member or above would be crazy not to select this for the benefit. The buffet had every item imaginable including, but not limited to, pastries, meats, cheeses, salad items, fruits, yogurts, juices and a serve yourself mimosa bar which I made excellent use of.
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Breakfast Buffet
From breakfast, we headed to the beach to catch some sun before heading to the spa for our 1:30pm appointment. We were quickly checked in and offered cool towels and a glass of water before heading back for our massages. Mrs. WS93 booked us a couples massage which was desperately needed as I tweaked my back picking her suitcase full of bricks up a day earlier. The room had two massage tables, another wall of glass overlooking the ocean and glass cutouts in the floor allowing you to see the water while being massaged.
Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort: Spa
The massage took an hour and afterwards, we walked back to the room. Along the way, we checked out the complimentary snorkel gear provided by the hotel and took a dip in the water upon our return. While in the water we saw a 3-4’ reef shark and then, after getting out a pod of dolphins passed within 75 yards of our deck. A few minutes after that, some kind of ray swam by even closer (25 yards) to us. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any good photos of those, but it was cool getting to see them up close.
We showered and changed and then it was time to start our evening. We made reservations at The Pearl which offers a five course, set menu but first it was off to the Sunset Bar for a drink since we had some time to kill before our reservation. There was heavy cloud cover, so the sunset wasn’t very good, but it was still a good view.
15 minutes before our reservation we made our way over to the restaurant, an open-air structure located out on a pier. Initially, the hostess tried to seat us at the bar, but we opted to grab a drink and wait out on the uncovered portion of the patio for a table to become available. I had a boring vodka soda but Mrs. WS93 ordered something obscure that showed up in a box (???). She said that it was good though.
Right as it was beginning to rain, our table became ready, and we were both excited to see what was on the menu. The menu is below, and I’ll let the photos do the talking here.
As the third course was being served, the manager appeared out of nowhere with a bottle of champagne. I thought he was being nice and giving us a glass to celebrate our honeymoon, but he ended up leaving the whole bottle with us on ice and constantly topped our glasses off. By the end of the meal, we were stuffed full and quite buzzed, so we headed back to the room to sleep it off.
We awoke early to some dreary weather which was less than ideal as Mrs. WS93 had a dive scheduled for 9:00am. We headed off to breakfast early to give her time to eat and the same manager from the night before was working. He offered to check with the dive center while we ate to see if the weather was going to cancel it. Fortunately for her, it cleared up just enough for her to go out and I headed poolside with a book and a bucket of beer. She returned from the dive, and we split a pizza poolside and I even managed to swim a few laps in the pool.
That afternoon, we scheduled a cocktail making class and, after returning to the room to freshen up, found an invitation to the Marriott Bonvoy Mixer for later that night. The cocktail class was in the Sunset Bar and, unlike my trip to Grand Cayman where I met chicagoyeti at a wine tasting, we were the only two there. We had a great time making cocktails and our bartender even let Mrs. WS93 and I behind the bar to mix our own. After the class, we headed back to the room to freshen up before the mixer and found a nice surprise on the bed wishing us a happy honeymoon.
The mixer was your typical Marriott elite’s reception with wine, a few specialty cocktails and snacks on offer. That night, we had dinner at Island Kitchen and were treated to a music group that had been brought in from one of the neighboring islands that played traditional Maldivian music during dinner. Being in the middle of the ocean, I decided to have the scallops for dinner. Unfortunately, the scallops were a major letdown as they were cooked in some sort of shell with lots of cheese (???) and the shells were so hot it kept cooking the scallop long after it should have been done. The dish was borderline inedible, and I sent it back after a couple of bites. Fortunately, I had become quite full off of the passed appetizers at the mixer and didn’t order anything else.
Yikes!
On our final day on the island, I had coffee on the deck with Carlos while completing our verified to fly paperwork for our Etihad flight that evening. From there it was off for one final breakfast and a few mimosas from Island Kitchen. Upon returning from breakfast, Mrs. WS93 let out a bone chilling scream that made me jump what felt like was 10 feet in the air. Looking around, I realized Carlos had snuck into the villa that morning and was hanging out on our curtains. Using the coffee tray and an umbrella I was able to coax him down onto the tray and released him outside where he watched us curiously for the next hour or so.
Outside Carlos
Inside Carlos
Athyk, messaged me via WhatsApp to let us know that they would be at our room at 4:45pm to pick up our bags and handle the checkout. Our seaplane was due to depart at 5:45pm Westin time to get us to Male in time for our 8:05pm Etihad flight to Abu Dhabi (The Westin is an hour ahead of Male). Knowing our departure time was set, we headed back to the beach for one last bit of sun and sand. We had a drink and a late lunch on the beach before returning to the room to pack.
After packing up, Athyk messaged me saying that the seaplane would not be arriving until 6:15pm local time due to weather delays leaving Male so, at promptly 5:15pm he picked us up and drove us to the indoor reception area where we settled up the bill and completed all of the necessary check-out procedures. We stayed there for a little while until it was time to head down to the dock for our seaplane back to Male.
Until next time Westin
All in all, this was a wonderful hotel stay and the staff could not have been friendlier. I talked with a few of them at length and most were from India or Sri Lanka, and they came over on 6-month contracts. They were always available to help but weren’t overbearing. While it was never a problem for us, even fully booked nothing was ever crowded, it is worth noting that the hotel isn’t adults only so you may end up sharing the pool with a random kiddo or two. If our travels ever bring us back to the Maldives, I would look at staying at the Westin again!
Last edited by wakesetter93; May 16, 2022 at 11:08 pm
May 17, 2022, 8:01 pm
#95
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,269
While I find these trip reports fascinating, especially yours wakesetter93 I always cringe at the per item charge for food and drink.
I'm not a huge fan of all-inclusive resorts, but have found, especially in the Maldives, this can save a considerable amount of cash....especially if you drink like i do
That is why I highly recommend the Veligandu Island Resort & Spa.
it's not the Westin or Ritz.....but there's no crabs hanging from the draps. (Plenty on the walk down to the water, but none in the room).
The trip looks amazing wakesetter93
I'm not a huge fan of all-inclusive resorts, but have found, especially in the Maldives, this can save a considerable amount of cash....especially if you drink like i do
That is why I highly recommend the Veligandu Island Resort & Spa.
it's not the Westin or Ritz.....but there's no crabs hanging from the draps. (Plenty on the walk down to the water, but none in the room).
The trip looks amazing wakesetter93
Last edited by RetiredATLATC; May 17, 2022 at 9:19 pm
May 17, 2022, 10:38 pm
#96
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,642
While I find these trip reports fascinating, especially yours wakesetter93 I always cringe at the per item charge for food and drink.
I'm not a huge fan of all-inclusive resorts, but have found, especially in the Maldives, this can save a considerable amount of cash....especially if you drink like i do
That is why I highly recommend the Veligandu Island Resort & Spa.
it's not the Westin or Ritz.....but there's no crabs hanging from the draps. (Plenty on the walk down to the water, but none in the room).
The trip looks amazing wakesetter93
I'm not a huge fan of all-inclusive resorts, but have found, especially in the Maldives, this can save a considerable amount of cash....especially if you drink like i do
That is why I highly recommend the Veligandu Island Resort & Spa.
it's not the Westin or Ritz.....but there's no crabs hanging from the draps. (Plenty on the walk down to the water, but none in the room).
The trip looks amazing wakesetter93
I found that the crabs on the drapes gave it a certain authenticity that can't be replicated elsewhere
May 17, 2022, 11:52 pm
#97
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA 1MM EXP, DL Diamond, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Ambassador (RIP SPG), Aeroplan 75K
Posts: 1,156
Agree re: prices for just about everything. At least here at the St. Regis what cracks me up is that water is complementary in the room, gym etc, however it is $14 at a meal.
The St. Regis has the half- board option (no package with drinks), but it doesn’t really make sense for plats and above given the free breakfast benefit. The cash value if you don’t eat at the main restaurant and off the set menu. Fortunately I used points for the flights / hotel as well to soften the blow. At least the spend will go towards AMB for another year
May 18, 2022, 8:39 am
#99
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
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Posts: 4,642
Awesome TR, and the Westin looks great!
Agree re: prices for just about everything. At least here at the St. Regis what cracks me up is that water is complementary in the room, gym etc, however it is $14 at a meal.
The St. Regis has the half- board option (no package with drinks), but it doesn’t really make sense for plats and above given the free breakfast benefit. The cash value if you don’t eat at the main restaurant and off the set menu. Fortunately I used points for the flights / hotel as well to soften the blow. At least the spend will go towards AMB for another year
Agree re: prices for just about everything. At least here at the St. Regis what cracks me up is that water is complementary in the room, gym etc, however it is $14 at a meal.
The St. Regis has the half- board option (no package with drinks), but it doesn’t really make sense for plats and above given the free breakfast benefit. The cash value if you don’t eat at the main restaurant and off the set menu. Fortunately I used points for the flights / hotel as well to soften the blow. At least the spend will go towards AMB for another year
We also used points for the hotel and flights (can't beat 70k AAdvantage miles PP to fly QSuites from the states to the Maldives) as well.
I found Carlos more interesting than Mrs. WS93 did (shocker) but he was climbing all over the place. Since the overwater villas are on piers he had to get up there somehow!
Last edited by wakesetter93; May 18, 2022 at 10:46 am
May 18, 2022, 10:29 pm
#101
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Posts: 4,642
Seaplane Transfer: Trans Maldivian Airways from the Westin Miriandhoo Resort
Trans Maldivian Airways Seaplane Transfer: Westin to Male
As I mentioned in a previous post, our scheduled departure time came and went due to some weather between us and Male. When a plane arrived, we headed down to the dock but found that this was a special seaplane that only flew for a couple of hotels exclusively, a group that was leaving at the same time as us was heading to another resort. I must say that the plane looked pretty snazzy in its white and gold scheme. After those pax boarded and the plane departed the weather started to pick up. Our plane arrived from Male and after a few pax were offloaded, they loaded our bags on the plane before inviting us to board.
Our ride to Male
Trans Maldivian Airways
TMA 27
WST-MLE (Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort - Male Velana International)
Seat: 5B (Economy)
DHC-6-300 (8Q-MAD)
Scheduled: 4:45p-5:15p
Actual: 5:30p-6:10p
The flight was completely full and Mrs. WS93 and I boarded last and took the bench seat in the last row. The weather was really starting to pick up and the waves were starting to whitecap out in the distance. Needless to say, I was eager to get off the ‘ground’ before the weather trapped us there. While on the dock I was talking with a family of ex-pats living in Abu Dhabi, they were on the same Etihad flight as us and told me that, on their way to the resort the weather was so bad they needed to divert and had to spend the night on another island before being transferred to the hotel the next day via boat. Not wanting to have a repeat of that going the opposite way I was relieved as we untied from the dock, fired the engines, and took off.
Tight legroom
Taxiing out
Once airborne we had some moderate bumps, as to be expected in a Twin Otter trying to skirt a storm and flew north before getting into clear skies and turning back south. The views were even better on the return, and we were treated to a sunset over Male on descent.
Views en route to MLE
After taxiing over to the seaplane terminal, we unloaded, and two members of the Westin concierge team were waiting with vans to transport us all over to the terminal. Our luggage followed along in a box van that met us at the curb outside of the departures hall. Our Westin concierge took us, along with the ex-pat family through the crowd waiting to go through the security checkpoint to get into the check-in area and in 5 minutes he deposited us at the Etihad check in counters.
TMA Seaplane Ramp
Made it to check-in
While our driver worked for the Westin and not Trans Maldivian, I have to make one more comment on the helpfulness of the Westin staff. While waiting to go through the security line an older gentleman, with a very young, high-maintenance girlfriend, realized that he had left the keys to his rental car in his pocket. The Westin concierge offered to return the keys for him so he wouldn’t have to miss his flight and suffer the wrath of his GF.
Flying on a seaplane with Trans Maldivian was a fun experience and our 30ish minute flights were just about perfect. However, they are small and loud, and I cannot imagine having to be on one for 1.5-2 hours like the folks going to the Four Seasons (I believe that’s the furthest they fly from Male).
As I mentioned in a previous post, our scheduled departure time came and went due to some weather between us and Male. When a plane arrived, we headed down to the dock but found that this was a special seaplane that only flew for a couple of hotels exclusively, a group that was leaving at the same time as us was heading to another resort. I must say that the plane looked pretty snazzy in its white and gold scheme. After those pax boarded and the plane departed the weather started to pick up. Our plane arrived from Male and after a few pax were offloaded, they loaded our bags on the plane before inviting us to board.
Our ride to Male
Trans Maldivian Airways
TMA 27
WST-MLE (Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort - Male Velana International)
Seat: 5B (Economy)
DHC-6-300 (8Q-MAD)
Scheduled: 4:45p-5:15p
Actual: 5:30p-6:10p
The flight was completely full and Mrs. WS93 and I boarded last and took the bench seat in the last row. The weather was really starting to pick up and the waves were starting to whitecap out in the distance. Needless to say, I was eager to get off the ‘ground’ before the weather trapped us there. While on the dock I was talking with a family of ex-pats living in Abu Dhabi, they were on the same Etihad flight as us and told me that, on their way to the resort the weather was so bad they needed to divert and had to spend the night on another island before being transferred to the hotel the next day via boat. Not wanting to have a repeat of that going the opposite way I was relieved as we untied from the dock, fired the engines, and took off.
Tight legroom
Taxiing out
Once airborne we had some moderate bumps, as to be expected in a Twin Otter trying to skirt a storm and flew north before getting into clear skies and turning back south. The views were even better on the return, and we were treated to a sunset over Male on descent.
Views en route to MLE
After taxiing over to the seaplane terminal, we unloaded, and two members of the Westin concierge team were waiting with vans to transport us all over to the terminal. Our luggage followed along in a box van that met us at the curb outside of the departures hall. Our Westin concierge took us, along with the ex-pat family through the crowd waiting to go through the security checkpoint to get into the check-in area and in 5 minutes he deposited us at the Etihad check in counters.
TMA Seaplane Ramp
Made it to check-in
While our driver worked for the Westin and not Trans Maldivian, I have to make one more comment on the helpfulness of the Westin staff. While waiting to go through the security line an older gentleman, with a very young, high-maintenance girlfriend, realized that he had left the keys to his rental car in his pocket. The Westin concierge offered to return the keys for him so he wouldn’t have to miss his flight and suffer the wrath of his GF.
Flying on a seaplane with Trans Maldivian was a fun experience and our 30ish minute flights were just about perfect. However, they are small and loud, and I cannot imagine having to be on one for 1.5-2 hours like the folks going to the Four Seasons (I believe that’s the furthest they fly from Male).
Last edited by wakesetter93; May 18, 2022 at 10:43 pm
May 21, 2022, 10:53 am
#102
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How big was Carlos the Crab? Also, how do you know that it was the same crab appearing all the time? Distinctive markings?
May 23, 2022, 9:23 pm
#103
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,642
Leeli Lounge: MLE
After arriving from the seaplane terminal, we were dropped off at the Etihad check-in counters and, after a quick docs check, we had our boarding passes and deposited our luggage. Check-in was a breeze as we had already done the Verified 2 Fly on the Etihad website so only a quick glance at our paperwork was necessary.
From there we headed upstairs to passport control, which was a mess, unless you were a Maldivian citizen. There were signs for All Passports, Maldivian Passports, Flight Crews and First/Business passengers though only the first two were staffed. We hopped in the regular line to wait but after seeing a few people with J boarding passes use the Maldivian line, we figured out that they were processing First/Business pax in that line as well. With this knowledge, we jumped over to that line where Passport control was a breeze. They didn’t even check our QR codes to leave the country which was similar to our experience on arrival. The security line was empty as most folks were tied up at passport control and soon, we were airside and headed for the Leeli Lounge.
MLE Passport Control
While I didn’t think we would have time to visit after seeing the passport line, we found ourselves airside with 30 minutes to spare so we decided to check it out. The lounge is located on the left side of the hallway, just past duty free. It essentially consists of two large rooms with a bunch of seats. There was also a business center with a few computers as well as a buffet with some self-serve drinks, food items and juices. As the Maldives Is a dry country, there was no alcohol on offer in the lounge.
Leeli Lounge: Entrance
Business Center
Self serve items
Lounge seating areas
We found a couple of empty seats and I grabbed a bottle of water and a coke while Mrs. WS93 somehow managed to find the cup noodles and decided that she needed to have that gourmet dining experience. While she made her cup noodles, I explored the rest of the lounge and found a couple of small, but clean restrooms and not much else.
We stayed in the lounge for 30 minutes and headed to the gate just before our flight began boarding. While the Leeli Lounge isn’t anything special, it beats waiting in the gate area. I definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to spend any time in the lounge area though as the offerings are minimal.
From there we headed upstairs to passport control, which was a mess, unless you were a Maldivian citizen. There were signs for All Passports, Maldivian Passports, Flight Crews and First/Business passengers though only the first two were staffed. We hopped in the regular line to wait but after seeing a few people with J boarding passes use the Maldivian line, we figured out that they were processing First/Business pax in that line as well. With this knowledge, we jumped over to that line where Passport control was a breeze. They didn’t even check our QR codes to leave the country which was similar to our experience on arrival. The security line was empty as most folks were tied up at passport control and soon, we were airside and headed for the Leeli Lounge.
MLE Passport Control
While I didn’t think we would have time to visit after seeing the passport line, we found ourselves airside with 30 minutes to spare so we decided to check it out. The lounge is located on the left side of the hallway, just past duty free. It essentially consists of two large rooms with a bunch of seats. There was also a business center with a few computers as well as a buffet with some self-serve drinks, food items and juices. As the Maldives Is a dry country, there was no alcohol on offer in the lounge.
Leeli Lounge: Entrance
Business Center
Self serve items
Lounge seating areas
We found a couple of empty seats and I grabbed a bottle of water and a coke while Mrs. WS93 somehow managed to find the cup noodles and decided that she needed to have that gourmet dining experience. While she made her cup noodles, I explored the rest of the lounge and found a couple of small, but clean restrooms and not much else.
We stayed in the lounge for 30 minutes and headed to the gate just before our flight began boarding. While the Leeli Lounge isn’t anything special, it beats waiting in the gate area. I definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to spend any time in the lounge area though as the offerings are minimal.
Last edited by wakesetter93; May 23, 2022 at 9:40 pm
May 25, 2022, 10:59 am
#105
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,642
Also, I know the TR is going slower than ususal, I've been home for a grand total of 2 days since we got back from our trip. Spending lots of time on airplanes this month!