top of page


Maldives - 04 Nights

 

The Maldives, a collection of over 1,000 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, is a true paradise on Earth. With pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and vibrant marine life, it offers the perfect escape for travelers seeking serenity and adventure. Indulge in luxury accommodations, dive into colorful coral reefs, and experience the unparalleled beauty of this tropical haven.


Since this was our first trip together, we decided to stretch our budget and spend more than average. We prefer spending the extra on the destination and the actual vacation rather than the flight. We opted to travel via Wizz Air from Abu Dhabi, since it is a budget airline. Tickets were dirt cheap, and we were able to spend the extra cash from our budget to get ourselves a Water Bungalow at Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon with the Full board. We decided to stay for 04 nights, took the help of Tripshark, a travel/holiday service from India, and booked our stay. 


Since Wizz Air arrives at Male in the evening, we spent a night at Male, and then transfer to Ellaidhoo the next morning via speedboat. There was a seaplane option, but to be honest it did not feel worth the money to us. 


Once we arrived at Ellaidhoo, we were in Paradise. White sand, crystal clear waters and fresh air took us over and it was heaven. Words cannot describe the feeling of just how beautiful Maldives is. We spent our days just relaxing on the beach, swimming in the ocean, watching dolphins swim by and snorkeling beyond the ocean walls. 


Even though we enjoyed our time here, after a couple of days we started wondering what to do… as you are literally on a tiny island. Of course, there is a lot to do but spending more than 03 or 04 days on an island is not our cup of tea, so the end of our trip came at the right time.

 

We enjoyed our trip and recommend Maldives as a relaxation getaway for a few days. 

​

Helpful Links

​

​

Getting There

​

We prefer spending a higher percentage of our budget on the destination and the actual vacation rather than the flight, and so opted to travel via Wizz Air from Abu Dhabi, since it is a budget airline. Compared to other airlines in the region with the same route, Wizz air was significantly cheaper.

​

For those that need to get to Abu Dhabi from Dubai, there is a shuttle which operates every hour from Ibn Battuta Mall bus station to AUH Airport. Since the travel duration is just 3 days, we travel light, and the journey is not as stressful as it sounds. This is how we travel via AUH Airport.

​

The flight duration was approximately 05 hours and 30 minutes, Abu Dhabi to Male. Long flight, but we spent it watching movies and playing games on my good old PSP. 

​

Once we landed, there were many kiosks and stands available for booking hotels on the spot, get sim cards, taxis, etc. We had already booked a hotel beforehand and they offered free transfers to and from the hotel. There is a landline available for tourists free of charge to make local calls, so we used that first to call the hotel and though we had to wait around 30 minutes, the process was pretty smooth and we were at our hotel in an hour. 

​

Accommodation

​

After comparing various water bungalow resorts, we decided with Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon with the Full board option. 4 – star hotel, with fantastic reviews, coupled with great price pulled us towards this choice.
 

Our criteria for choosing hotel were as below:
•    Water Bungalow
•    Not too far from Male
•    Full Board
•    Airport Transfer Included


Once our criteria were set, it was easy to end up with Ellaidhoo as we got fantastic value for money. Since Wizz Air arrives at Male in the evening, we spent a night at Male. A quick look through Agoda.com for a nice hotel with breakfast and airport transfer included, gave us Hotel Lonuveli, which was surprisingly cozy and very good. Located right next to the beach, the morning walk was nothing short of delightful. 

​

Talking about the Water Bungalow at Ellaidhoo, words cannot describe how beautiful the location was. And still is. The room was fantastic, the views while lying on your beach chair on the patio were mindblowing. And talk about having an epiphany while on the toilet. Open bathroom, being as big as some small hotel rooms, you can look at the blue sky or the nightly stars while doing your business. 

​

All days had slight variation of food menu for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. Needless to say we got our tummys full. They also planned a "date night" dinner for us specifically which was a fantastic surprise. 

​

All in all, I really recommend Ellaidhoo as a fantastic destination and the hospitality is just humbling. 

​

Itinerary

 

  • Day 1

    • Arrive at Male

    • Transfer to Lonuveli Hotel

    • Dinner at Hotel

    • Overnight in Male

​

  • Day 2

    • Breakfast at Hotel

    • Transfer to Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon Resort via speedboat

    • Lunch at Hotel

    • Dinner at Hotel

    • Overnight at Ellaidhoo

​

  • Day 3​

    • Breakfast at Hotel​​​​​

    • Tour of the island (took approximately an hour to walk the entire island)

    • Lunch at Hotel

    • Go for a swim at the beach with crystal clear waters

    • Dinner at Hotel

    • Overnight at Ellaidhoo

​

  • Day 4​

    • Breakfast at Hotel​

    • Another tour of the island, this time a bit more in depth. Managed to spot a school of Dolphins swimming around the island

    • Lunch at Hotel

    • Snorkling adventures beyond the border of the island, we got our own equipment and since I am a decent swimmer, my wife put on a life jacket and we set off. 

    • Dinner at Hotel

    • Overnight at Ellaidhoo

​

  • Day 5​

    • Breakfast at Hotel​

    • Transfer to Male via speedboat

    • Departure for Abu Dhabi

​

Cost

 

​Maldivian unit of currency is the rufiyaa. But all hotels accept dollars. Since we were not in the main city for long, we did not need to convert dollars. 

​

Below is the total cost of our trip. 

​

Final Thoughts, Tips and Advice

​

Ellaidhoo Maldives by CInnamon was nothing short of fantastic, although they are a 4 - star hotel, the experience was like a 5 - star. Amazing water bungalows and the hospitality was top notch. 

​

Some things to keep in mind

  • Sunscreen. High Quality, High SPF. 

  • Swimwear. Obviously. Unless you don't want to swim, which raises the question why do you want to go to Maldives.

  • Snorkeling equipment, if you opt not to rent from the hotel. 

  • First Aid Kit. Although the hotel will have emergency kits, it’s always good to have your emergency first aid & medication kit since you are literally on a small island. Don’t take any risks. 

  • Generally most hotels offer free transfers. If you are landing before 04:00 PM, and are heading directly to an island, you can grab the speedboat before departure. Transfers to islands are shut down after around 04:00 PM. So plan accordingly. 

  • If you arrive at night, you will have to spend a night at Male or HuluMale, there are abundance of hotels which you can pre-book or even book at the airport itself. 

  • Do not be overwhelmed if something goes wrong, either flight delays or miscommunications regarding hotel bookings. The airport is FILLED with tourists, and majority of the staff are there to help/guide such tourists as ourselves. Never did I think there would be an issue. 

​

​Overall we had a fantastic experience for our first holiday together, I cannot recommend Maldives enough for a relaxing getaway destination if all you want to do is be lazy on beaches with white sand, crystal clear waters and the occasional snorkeling adventures. 

​

Check out our other destinations! Click here. 

bottom of page