Honeymoon Favourites – Hotels and Resorts

During our extended Honeymoon we were fortunate, or sometimes unfortunate, to stay at over 70 different lodging accommodations over 270 nights. The accommodations ranged from basic camp sites with no services to luxury five star properties with all the services you could possibly imagine. Albeit there were many more four and five star hotels than basic camp sites but it's our Honeymoon so we had to splurge

This list is our top eight hotels/resorts factoring in location, value, amenities, food and service:

       1. Sheraton Full Moon Resort and Spa, Maldives

    The Sheraton is such an amazing place and was our true Honeymoon. It all starts just after you clear immigration and customs at the Male airport. Your boat drivers are there to meet you and escort you to the resorts speedboat where you are soon zoomed over to the private island that is the Sheraton. Our room, an private and freestanding Ocean Bure, came complete with our own plunge pool, unobstructed views of the ocean and sunrise, espresso machine, outdoor shower, magnificent bathroom including huge standalone tub and the most comfortable bed you could ever hope for. Especially after spending the previous 20 days in Nepal.

    When not enjoying our Ocean Suite we swam in the crystal blue waters of the Indian Ocan, snorkeled, went to the gym and took many-many photos. Some of which can be seen in our Paradise Part 1 and Part 2 articles. Finding a good meal was not a problem on this piece of paradise. There are several well-priced restaurants at the resort. We normally ate so much at the breakfast buffet that we couldn’t eat again until dinner. Having been travelling in Asia for a while I already, I loved the beef burger and fries. The Maldives are a dream destination for many, including us, and definitely lives up to the bill. We’re already talking about going back as soon as we can.

       2. Six Senses Hideaway Resort and Spa, Hua Hin, Thailand

    This was our first stay at a Six Senses property and boy were we impressed. Upon check-in your private butler escorts you to your suite where you’re given the grand tour which includes your private plunge pool, espresso maker (you can tell this does it for me), outdoor bath and shower, entertainment system and 24hr a day phone number for service. Whatever we needed at whatever time, we were instructed to call the butler service. The resort grounds are beautifully tended and stimulate your ultimate relaxation.  If your tired of your private pool you can visit the the large, ocean-facing, pool for the guests staying at the sister Evason property (both on the same grounds).

    The food at the Six Senses was second to none. Home-made ice cream from the bar and milkshake and smoothie concoctions that soothed your soul had us convinced already that we were in our own culinary heaven. It wasn’t until we tried the Beach, the resorts Italian  restaurant that we discovered true bliss. An ocean-view and fresh lemongrass set the stage for a true culinary delight. No matter what we ate, my favourite was the cannelloni,  we could tell the meal was prepared to the highest standards possible and used the best ingredients. If you prefer Thai, the resorts indoor/outdoor Thai restaurant serves amazing Thai dishes under the stars while you enjoy live music. We really loved this resort and hopefully will return to either it, or another Six Senses brand property. Click here to read more on our time at this resort.

       3. Hyatt Regency Sharm-El-Sheikh, Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt

    When I think about this place three words come to mind: service, service and service. The only Hyatt out of several to make our top list is situated in a beautiful location on the Red Sea. The staff here really know how to make you feel special in their attention to detail and overall hospitality. If snorkeling or diving is your thing then this is a must-visit. We loved this place so much we never left the resort and you can read our entire article about our visit here: Completely Spoiled inSharm-El-Sheikh

      4. Movenpick Dead Sea Resort and Spa, Dead Sea Area, Jordan

    Do yourself a favour and visit Jordan. The country in a whole is a great place to visit and one of our favourite in the world. Do yourself an even bigger favour and visit the Dead Sea while in Jordan, it’s an amazing experience and definitely one not to be missed. While at the Dead Sea give yourself a huge treat and stay at the Movenpick Dead Sea Resort and Spa.

    The resort is situated right on the Dead Sea and includes several great restaurants, a world-class spa (seriously world-class) and arguably is filled with some of the best ice cream in the world. In each and every eating establishment you can order any one of a range of dessert platters, ice cream coffee drinks or just plain ole’ ice cream if it suits your fancy. Pamela ended every breakfast buffet with freshly prepared pancakes topped with swiss chocolate ice cream. Heaven over and over again and all for about $130 USD a night.  Come for the Dead Sea and stay for the food and dessert, you won’t regret it.

      5. Le Meridien Chiang Rai, Chiang Rai, Thailand

    I'm sure there are some great places to stay in Chiang Rai but for our money the Le Meridien Chiang Rai is the place to be. The amenities, service and food are all impeccable. We felt like royalty staying at this property and would go back anytime. We loved the pickup/dropoff airport service and the rides into and out of town. The property can arrange escorted tours for you at really good prices or you can go out on your own and negotiate with your own guide/driver. Overall it was a great place to spend our time in Chiang Rai.

       6. Wadi Rum Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

    The only camp to make our list and to be honest we don’t know the proper name for the camp itself. Our group of five were the only visitors at this camp which looked like it could accommodate ten times that amount. We were treated to a four wheel drive tour before heading to camp to watch the sunset and dine on one of the best meals we’d had in a long time. The freshly cooked traditional meal was cooked in the ground and was just what the taste bud Dr. ordered. Despite being below freezing that night, we were warm in our blankets and treated to a morning breakfast and fire before heading off to explore the rest of this beautiful area of Jordan. Click here to read our post from Wadi Rum

      7. Nirvana Resort and Spa, Bang Bao, Koh Chang Island, Thailand

    Unfortunately for us it rained, more like poured, almost the whole time we visited the Thai island of Koh Chang. Fortunately for us we were staying at Nirvana to ride out the storm. The Balinese inspired resort boasts some great rooms complete with large bath, high ceilings and monkeys who try to break-in. The monkeys weren’t the best part but it was entertaining to watch them try to open our front door. Value is what gets this property on our list. It was off-season so we paid about $30 USD a night and for were given an awesome ocean-view room complete with an amazing cooked breakfast. Dinners at the resort were equally impressive albeit the menu was a little small. The property has built walking tracks around the headland where you can catch some amazing views while relaxing on the purpose built deck. The staff are great and the DVD library was definitely a blessing during all those rainy days.

       8. Tara Angkor Hotel, Siem Reap, Cambodia

    This four star property in Siem Reap was a last-minute decision as we decided to stay a couple extra nights in Cambodia. For approximately $40 USD a night we were treated to four star standards, a full breakfast each morning and two half hour massages. The in-house restaurant serves up some amazing dishes including a fish curry in a coconut that had to be one of my favourite dishes from the whole trip. After dinner you could venture into the bar where you could play a dart game for drinks. After many days of temple touring it was great to relax and indulge ourselves at the Tara Angkor.

Hopefully our experiences can help you out on your travels. A couple notes from the author; there are three different Thai hotels on this list which hopefully shows you how good Thai service can be and two of the eight are in Jordan, we loved Jordan. As always, we welcome your feedback.

We’ll definitely be coming up with our list of least-favourite hotels very soon, some of which may surprise you. 

Cheers for Now –

Pamela and Dave

Maldives, we did it and so can you.

We had always dreamed of going to the Maldives but were always afraid of the costs involved with such a trip. Growing-up in California my tropical vacation was Hawaii, Mexico or the occasional trip to the Caribbean. Since moving to Sydney we’ve gone to Fiji and Queensland for our tropical escapes. Don’t get me wrong, all these places are beautiful and amazing but they’re not the Maldives. From the moment we first caught sight of the atolls from the airplane window we’ve been hooked.

Our first sighting of the atolls from the air.

In retrospect we always presumed places like this were out of our price and vacation time range for most Americans. After spending a week here we can safely say that the costs weren’t as much as we thought they’d be and the time it takes to get here is not bad considering the reward at the end of the journey. This is especially true for something as important as your honeymoon. This article is just a little FYI on the logistics of our trip which will hopefully inspire you to start planning your own trip to the Maldives.

Twilight is a great time in the Maldives.

White sand beaches seamlessly merge with crystal blue water

Getting Here
Malé (MLE) is the capitol city and main entry point for the Republic of Maldives. Although the airport is technically on a neighboring island called Hulhulé which is about one kilometer away from Malé.  The airport here is supposedly unique as it’s home to the only runway in the world that both starts and ends in water. Getting here can be kind of rough depending on where you’re coming from in the world. There are many direct flights to Malé from Asia and the Middle East and some direct flights from Europe. Unfortunately for us coming from the US or Australia (where we're from) it means connecting at least once.

We were coming from Kathmandu, Nepal and thus had to fly to Delhi via Jet Airways then connect to Sri Lankan Airlines for a flight and overnight stay in Colombo, Sri Lanka. From Colombo we took the 60 minute Sri Lankan Airlines flight to Malé and were checked into our resort by 9am after an eye-wateringly fast speedboat ride from the airport. It was our first time flying Sri Lankan and we thought the service and quality were both very good.

It’s definitely possible to get one connection flights from the US and Australia but it’s best to book way ahead of time to cut down on long or multiple connections. We took a quick look at prices today (13-Oct) and the cheapest round-trip flights for dates of 11-Nov to 19-Nov, 2011 are coming in at $1450 USD from Los Angeles to Malé (2 Connections) and $1331 USD from Sydney, also with two connections. As you can see the prices aren’t too high, even searching less than a month out. Booking much farther in advance you should be able to book one-stop flights with Malaysian Airlines for a similar price.

Over Water Bungalows at the Sheraton Maldives

Staying Here

The Maldives are famous for the overwater bungalows and there are plenty here to choose from, even quite a few that won’t break the bank. If you’re planning to visit this place then our best advice would be to do plenty of shopping around well in advance.  Talk/chat/email to travel agents, especially agents here in the Maldives, and get several quotes before making a decision. When getting your quote also make sure you ask the agent to include the speedboat or seaplane transfer in the final price. If booking on your own you’ll need to make sure you confirm the transfer arrangements, and price, with the resort you’re staying with.  Resorts close to the airport will have a speedboat transfer, ours cost about $80USD pp/rtn, and resorts farther away will require a seaplane transfer which can cost up to $500USD pp depending on how far away the resort is from Male’

Our seven nights here were spent at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort and Spa which is located about 15 minutes by speedboat from Male’ airport. We were in our room within 40 minutes of landing at the airport, this was a big plus as we’d spent the previous night in the Colombo airport. Our particular room type was an Ocean Villa which sits right on the Indian Ocean and comes with a private plunge pool which was great because it's so hot here. The room was awesome and well worth the money, especially considering it’s our honeymoon. Of the 176 rooms here at the Sheraton there are 20 Ocean Villas which are more in the higher end of the price spectrum, but there are still 156 other rooms of different types and price ranges. Taking a quick glance at Kayak.com today we found rooms here at the Sheraton for about $220USD per night if you booked well in advance. Sometimes it can be hard to find a hotel room in Sydney for that price.

Eating Here
Once you get here you'll definitely need to eat and drink. We spent an average of two hundred dollars (US) a day on food but everyone is different and you may spend more or less depending on your taste. I (DW) personally don't drink alcohol so that saved us a ton of money right there. If budget is a big concern then look for places with breakfast included or consider a half-board plan that includes breakfast and dinner. We found we ate so much in the breakfast buffet that we weren't hungry for lunch and instead ate an early dinner. You can do some research ahead of time on the restaurants at the resort and factor that into your budget if the cost of food is a concern.

The Sheraton treated us to a romantic dinner on the beach. If coming for your honeymoon then check with your prospective resort to see if they offer a honeymoon bonus.

Playing Here
You're here and you've slept, ate and now you're ready to play. Many resorts will include complimentary water sports such as snorkelling, kayaking or sailing. Other resorts will charge for all of these activities and much more. If you're an avid snorkeller you'll want to find out if the resort has a house reef or if you need to book a snorkel tour to get out to a reef. We'd highly recommend booking a resort with snorkelling onsite, ours had free snorkelling but no reefs and a $50 USD pp charge for a two hour reef snorkel trip. If you're really into watersports and stay at a resort without a house reef then I'd plan on budgeting another $50 to $100 per day for activities. Of course your interests might be like ours and which include lounging around and doing a whole lot of nothing, in that case budget for a couple bottles of sunscreen and a hat. 

Wrapping this up, you've seen how you can you can get here, stay here, eat here and last play here. All for prices that aren't too incredibly high, at least they're lower than what we originally thought. I hope you can learn from our experiences when planning your Maldives vacation or honeymoon.

We loved it here so much that we’re already thinking about ending our year long honeymoon back here. Crazy, huh? Next time we might try someplace a little more isolated that requires a seaplane transfer, maybe the W Retreat and Spa as it looks amazing. In any case we’ll be sure to research and book well in advance to take advantage of cheaper hotel rates and flights.

Cheers for Now -

Pamela and Dave

Paradise - Part One

 

Endless ocean vistas with breathtaking sunrise and sunset opportunities . Private pool villas. White sand beaches  to yourself. The clearest water you’ve ever seen. Falling asleep to the sound of lapping waves. Bubble baths with plenty of room for two.  A hammock swaying in the wind. Candle-lit dinners in the sand.

Seriously, this place is that beautiful.

For Pamela and I any one of the above could mark a special occasion or unforgettable memory. Here in the Maldives we are lucky enough to get it all and more, a lot more. It has been a lifelong dream of both of ours to visit the Maldives. We both know our seven nights here will be the highlight of our 12 month honeymoon and we're enjoying every second of it.  Our stay is just half over but the reality of this place has surpassed even our best dreams.

Taking a twilight walk along the beach.

We're lucky enough to be staying at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort and Spa. The resort sits on a private island encircled by the beautiful Indian Ocean. Our room type is an Ocean Villa which comes complete with a very private plunge pool and deck backing right-up to the ocean. The deck faces East and the sunrise views are outstanding, definitely worth drawing the curtains to watch. Much more on the resort in part two of this article.

This is the view from our bed.

Our five days here have been filled with nothing but relaxing activities. Whether it’s lounging in or beside our pool, snorkeling around the island, eating excellent and sometimes exotic food, playing billiards in the bar or just strolling on the beach, we’ve done nothing but relax and take it easy. Although I think we have about another thousand pictures to go through before we leave on Friday.

Pamela in front of the over-water bungalows at our resort. Walking around the island can take a while as there are so many awesome picture opportunities.

The Shine Spa at our resort is on it's own island.  

Nuts and bolts about our experiences here (and getting here) will come in the next article. We just wanted to share some pics and a quick update from the Maldives. We feel so blessed and fortunate to be here and hope all our friends and family can one day experience this place. It’s been an amazing honeymoon with hopefully many more amazing things to follow.

Pamela decked out the very large free standing tub for a relaxing bath. She was in heaven!

Cheers for Now –

Pamela and Dave
Special Thanks - 
Thanks so much to our friend Justin Malcolm and the great crew here at Sheraton Maldives for helping us organize this amazing villa and making our stay so memorable. Also a special thank you to our parents for helping make this dream a reality.