I came across this island resort, Biyadhoo, deal through Marks Travel and my husband and I just jumped. We both wanted to get certified in diving and knew that the Maldives is a superior place to dive. I read all the reviews on here and felt good about booking this holiday. However, as the vacation drew nearer, I was worried about the amount of rain vs sunshine we would have since it was one of the monsoon seasons.
Did it rain? Yes! A lot? No! This was one of the most wonderful vacations that we have had. Just as the other posts said, we had a 40 minute bumpy boat ride to the island. As soon as we arrived it started to pour. We ran to the Coconut bar, accepted a coconut drink and waited for our room assignment. We stayed on the 1st floor, which we liked since we could walk right out of the door and on to the beach. By the evening it had stopped raining. The week was cloudy off and on, but still could get some good sun. The last 2 days were perfect with full sun and a mild breeze.
We started our diving courses the second morning. We did the Open Water Padi course with Denis our instructor. It was always just the 3 of us so it was great to have that sort of private lesson feel. We spent 4 days doing...I came across this island resort, Biyadhoo, deal through Marks Travel and my husband and I just jumped. We both wanted to get certified in diving and knew that the Maldives is a superior place to dive. I read all the reviews on here and felt good about booking this holiday. However, as the vacation drew nearer, I was worried about the amount of rain vs sunshine we would have since it was one of the monsoon seasons.
Did it rain? Yes! A lot? No! This was one of the most wonderful vacations that we have had. Just as the other posts said, we had a 40 minute bumpy boat ride to the island. As soon as we arrived it started to pour. We ran to the Coconut bar, accepted a coconut drink and waited for our room assignment. We stayed on the 1st floor, which we liked since we could walk right out of the door and on to the beach. By the evening it had stopped raining. The week was cloudy off and on, but still could get some good sun. The last 2 days were perfect with full sun and a mild breeze.
We started our diving courses the second morning. We did the Open Water Padi course with Denis our instructor. It was always just the 3 of us so it was great to have that sort of private lesson feel. We spent 4 days doing the certification with the very last dive in the open water. The entire staff of the dive center were great! All friendly and most off all, patient with beginners like us.
Rooms: a little worn and outdated, but always clean and fresh. We never had any of those nice little flowers on our bed, which was disappointing, but not a deal breaker. The toilet paper was softer than what we have at home!
Food: some of the best food I've had. We are new to curry dishes and definitely had our fill on this trip. Breakfast was fresh fruit, pastries, and made to order eggs with beans, sausages, and juice/tea. Lunch and dinner always had: one meat curry, veggie curry, pasta, meat in gravy dish, fish dish, vegetable, salad, soup, bread, and desserts. The desserts were always delicious. Though the food was good, towards the end of the trip we really just wanted something simple like a ham sandwich for lunch. So one evening we ordered a hamburger and ate on the beach- that was $10/person.
Drinks: Since we were diving, we waited until we were finished with lessons to sign up for the All Inclusive plan, which was $35/day/person. Up to that time, we would have a few beers or cocktails after dinner, couple bottles of water during the day and my husband's cola for breakfast. Beers: $4.50 for large draft, Water: $3.50 for liter, Colas: $2.50, Mixed Drinks: $7-$10, wine: $3. The All Inclusive plan included water, wine, soft drinks, juices, draft beers, and a selection of mixed drinks and non-brand liquors. If you drink beer, wine, or whisky sours then the deal is good.
The beaches were beautiful and everything was very natural. There was no large beach full of chairs, but rather a beach here and there between the trees. You can walk several meters with the water up to your chest. Most everyone snorkeled just off the island where you can see bright fish, eels, turtles, rays, and even reef sharks. There is nothing extravagant about the island or the resort, but that is what we loved about it. In the evenings after dinner, there was not much to do other than hang out at the Coconut bar and chat with people. One evening there was some traditional Maldivian music. We made friends to play cards with in the evenings a few nights.
All of the staff were friendly and helpful as was our Kuoni rep, Mark. You won't need any money during the vacation as everything is billed to your room, but be sure to bring dollars to tip the room boy, server (same one every day), and bar staff. we spent about $80 in tips for the week for the 2 of us. Don't pass up the opportunity to visit this island before they convert it's untouched beauty to a 5 star, snub-nosed resort!More
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