Category: Travel

  • Maldives on a budget: Part 6 – Rihiveli Resort

    Maldives on a budget: Part 6 – Rihiveli Resort

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Rihiveli, Rihiveli… where to begin. I’ll begin with our arrival. I questioned for quite some time whether it’d be worth it to fork out the cash for a resort on a private island. The thing is, I’m no spend thrift… anyone that’s ever seen my shoe collection knows that I’m not afraid of spending money (not always a good thing…). I place a very strong value on the money I spend, though, and have a strong allergy to overpaying for things that simply aren’t worth it. I was determined with this trip to not go crazy with the budget (like I usually do for hols like this), but decided that I couldn’t justify a trip to the Maldives without at least a teeny splurge at the ‘best French resort in the Maldives’. A bit of history about the Rihiveli resort and why we chose this as our splurge. The original owner (who is French) saved some Maldivian soldiers in a shipwreck and as a thank you, was granted a resort license for 10 years by the Maldivian government. The concept of Rihiveli is meant to be entirely eco-friendly, and everything is designed to respect the local environment. The place is relatively small with only 48 bungalows, and definitely feels like the peaceful haven it was designed to be. Each bungalow (ours was ‘Bismass’) has its own hammock (albeit not the typical Maldivian ones!) and beach chairs, and you’re provided with gigantic lush beach towels. Our bungalow was located on the back of the island, near the restaurant and I have to say we got really lucky! It felt deserted and the other bungalows were spaced far enough out that it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

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    The first thing to keep in mind is that the arrival to any private island resort can cost an arm and a leg, as transfers from the airport are usually arranged directly by the resort and are either speedboats or seaplanes. Since we were traveling to other islands before our final stop in Rihiveli, logistically this proved to be quite challenging to get there without having to go all the way back to the airport and then getting a boat all the way back to Rihiveli. I’m no logistical expert but I knew that made no sense, both in terms of time and cost. When Ahmed at the (amazing) Raakani hotel in Guraidhoo agreed to help us sort a speedboat to Rihiveli for a very reasonable fare, we jumped at the chance and found ourselves…yet again on our favorite little blue dingy. It got the job done though and as we got to the jetty at Rihiveli we could tell the welcome staff could barely hold in their laughter at the sight of our tiny little barely afloat boat. But instead of paying $250 to get there, we paid $38 so I had a nice little chuckle to myself and hopped off the boat ready to see if this whole private island stuff was worth it. Hint: it was. it totally was, in every way.

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    The first thing you’ll notice when you get to Rihiveli is that the place is beautiful, everything about it is beautiful. The water is clean and clear and warm, the sand is somehow magically always freshly raked, and each bungalow is simple yet luxurious enough. The sunrise view from our Bungalow was one of the best we’d seen in the Maldives, and being alone first thing in the morning watching the sun come up through the clouds… I had definitely stopped thinking about anything else other than the total beauty of my surroundings by this point, and the thought of heading back home to London was the furthest thing from my mind. Vacation objective = accomplished.

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    Our first day there was spent exploring the island, taking the free kayak out to explore the two islands that also belong to Rihiveli. They have snorkeling trips twice a day, free water sports like kayaks, snorkeling gear, surf and paddle boards, and even catamarans…! All for free, and accessible to anyone at any time. The group activities are posted right outside the Water Sports Center, and there’s enough to keep even the most activate vacationers happy.

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    There are two food options on the resort, either the restaurant (which is ridiculously expensive at something like $130 for two) or the bar. We never tested the restaurant and opted for the bar food as it was delicious and much more reasonably priced. The food was very good and the drinks were cold and cheap, so no regrets there! It’s also the only place you can even have a remote chance of getting a wifi signal, and is overall a place to hang as there’s a pool table and some other games and is generally just the lounge area of the resort if you want to relax.

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    There was a happy hour every evening we were there on the huge beach out front, where certain cocktails were served at the open air bar pictured below, and we could sip drinks while watching the sunset.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The grounds were immaculate, and the overall vibe at Rihiveli was just… to chill.

    We only stayed at the resort for three nights, but it was totally worth both the logistical headache to get there without paying a fortune, and the cost of the resort itself. Like I mentioned, we wanted that resort feeling without paying the resort money. After hours and hours of research, Rihiveli sounded like a great option. At only £178/night (plus tax, of course) we definitely got what we were looking for. And no Maldivian trip report is complete without sharing a few shots of this bird which we saw everywhere: the Grey Heron.

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    I haven’t found any other resort in the Maldives that can offer such a setting at such a reasonable price. If you don’t opt for the meal plan which in our opinion was not worth it, then you can have a very reasonable vacation in a truly mind blowing setting. If you’re like us and want to mix it up, then including Rihiveli as the luxury leg of your trip is a great option, and you almost certainly won’t be disappointed.

    Part 1: The Basics

    Part 2: Maafushi

    Part 3: Gulhi

    Part 4: Fulidhoo

    Part 5: Guraidhoo

    Part 6: Rihiveli Resort

    Or view everything on one page: Maldives on a budget – full series

  • Maldives on a budget: Part 5 – Guraidhoo

    Maldives on a budget: Part 5 – Guraidhoo

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Like I mentioned in part 4, me and Jonathan were pretty fed up with Fulidhoo; we weren’t overly impressed with the people, the Kinaan Retreat was good on paper but in reality was kind of annoying with the hideous smell in the bathroom and the noisy guests (the hotel was full during our stay) so we decided to gtfo and packed our bags with the quickness and checked out. Kinaan staff graciously did not charge us for the night we cancelled, and I called around (a lot) to track down a hotel that would a) come pick us up from Maafushi — where the ferry would drop us off — for a reasonable price b) arrange our speedboat transfer to the Rihiveli Resort, which was our next destination. I left this one up to universe, and the first hotel on Guraidhoo that answered the phone was Raakani Villas & Spa.

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    The owner answered straight away, and after I explained our situation, he immediately jumped into action and said he’d sort it out and to call him back in five minutes. When I did, he had already managed everything and simply needed to know what time he should have his boat in Maafushi waiting for us. Off to a great start with this hotel… that I didn’t even have a reservation in! Not only did we not have a room booked, I hadn’t even looked at the hotel’s photos, amenities, or reviews (turns out they don’t have any yet…) and just went for it. The Maldives had put us into such an easy going mood that we were pretty much up for anything. Turns out that sometimes just going with the flow, even when it’s totally unplanned, can sometimes really work out: we absolutely love this place!! The hotel we loved immediately, but the island took a while to grow on us, but I’ll get to that later.

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    There was a pretty heavy storm during our ferry ride over to Maafushi, and when we arrived, the jetty was empty (unlike when we arrived into Maafushi the first time and all of the guest houses were waiting for their customers), and there definitely was no speedboat like we had arranged with the Raakani owner. So, we said goodbye to Arora and Mundy (our friends that we met at the Thundi Guest House on Fulidhoo) who were also on the same ferry, and waited. And waited. And then, I started to worry. I started realizing that I spoke to some guy on the phone who said that he’ll send a speedboat to pick us up, I don’t know his name, I don’t have a reservation in his hotel, and all I have is a cell phone number.

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    Right when panic mode was at 100% and I was pulling out my cell to call the number, my phone rang and it was the owner of the hotel letting me know that they guys had some difficulties because of the storm (duh of course they did because they only had a tiny boat…) but they’re on their way and will be there soon. When they finally arrived 15 minutes later, I understood what he meant: this was the smallest boat I’ve ever been in and I’m still not quite sure how we made it with all of our luggage, and four people on the boat, without sinking!

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    But made it, we did and I was so happy to be alive after the ten minute journey that I forgot to worry about the fact that I had no idea where we were going to stay and whether the hotel would be awful.

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    In the end, we loved it, even though the Island of Guraidhoo itself wasn’t necessarily mega impressive. So we decided to book an extra night at Raakani to just relax and hang out. The staff were sincerely some of the nicest people I’ve come across in all of my travels, and I am totally without a doubt sure that’s why we stayed and why we enjoyed our time there so much. While there was no beach directly out front the hotel, there was definitely an incredible view, where we saw fish jumping out of the water in the hundreds and birds swooping in to grab them.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Guraidhoo is a special place for a few reasons which I’ll try to capture in this post, but honestly you have to experience it to understand. The island itself is supposed to be bigger than the other islands in terms of population but it felt tiny. I must have seen about twenty local residents, and even fewer tourists. The population is supposed to be 1800 people but honestly, we really only saw about twenty locals out and about… no exaggeration. Then again maybe they were on vacation themselves on other nicer islands…! Not ones to be defeated, we hopped on a kayak to go explore the island from the water and that’s when things got real: this place you guys… that water… can you see how blue it is!?

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    This is when we realized that on a 14-day trip, taking a few days off on an island that didn’t have a perfectly curated beach was no big deal. One of the things about the Maldives in general is that there’s not much to do other than swim, laze on a beach, and relax. But because we couldn’t really do that in Guraidhoo, we explored. We walked around the island. We checked out the nearby mini-island connected to Guraidhoo by foot bridge. We wandered around and tinkered about the local shops. We hung out at the Raakani. We read. We relaxed. We just enjoyed ourselves with no pressure to do anything other than just…chill. Notice a common theme here?

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    One of the things that I spent time researching prior to our trip was the availability and niceness of the tourist bikini beaches that each island had to offer. I was all about doing a budget trip but not at the expense of seeing gorgeous white sand beaches and getting that paradise vibe. Guraidhoo does not have one of those gorgeous bikini beaches like the other islands, but paradise it still manages to be. The view from the Raakani hotel is breathtaking as you look out onto the sea from the top floor balcony, and the sun shines gloriously into the windows of the door throughout the day.

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    When we went exploring on our kayak, we went all around the island, goofing around, playing in the mini-waves, and paddling around to the Holiday Inn which is very close (pretty much on Guraidhoo itself). Then in a moment of pure wonder we stumbled upon…A BEACH!! A white side, little stretch of sand, but a beach all the same! Because we arrived late in the day, when we originally explored the tide was low and the ‘beach’ area looked absolutely gross. All the water had receded, and all was left was muddy, rocky, pools of grimy looking water. So we never came back, not realizing the transformation that the area would take if we came just a little bit earlier, and went a little bit farther. I didn’t take many photos, and even this one doesn’t do it justice but you get the idea. A real, sandy white beach right on that tiny little unsuspecting island of Guraidhoo. So they officially have everything it takes to be a true ‘beach vacation’ destination.

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    I’m not gonna lie, Gulhi, Fulidhoo and even Maafushi all had nicer beaches than Guraidhoo. But… if you have enough time to go exploring and you happen to be within easy reach of Guraidhoo, then I recommend it. No, you probably won’t spend a 2-week holiday here, but it’s worth a pit spot for sure. If only to stay at the Raakani hotel, and enjoy their view, their ridiculously kind and generous staff, and their gorgeously designed rooms. We felt refreshed and invigorated when we hopped on our familiar tiny boat on our way to Rihiveli, and that is exactly what makes for a perfect vacation destination.

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    As for lodging, I can say without a doubt that Raakani has the best location on the island (though there are some nice stretches of sand on the opposite side, they aren’t maintained yet and when the water recedes it looks pretty ugly). I’m all about reserving hotels on booking.com, both for ease and assurance that I will probably not get scammed if I carefully read reviews. We booked directly with the Raakani hotel however and we got a much better rate, and I felt better giving all our cash to the hotel instead of giving a cut to booking.

    This unexpected destination on our itinerary was such a lucky outcome, that we definitely did not regret. If you’re like us and want to break up the monotony of your eat-beach-sleep routine with a bit more adventure, then Guraidhoo is for you.

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    Part 1: The Basics

    Part 2: Maafushi

    Part 3: Gulhi

    Part 4: Fulidhoo

    Part 5: Guraidhoo

    Part 6: Rihiveli Resort

    Or view everything on one page: Maldives on a budget – full series

  • Maldives on a budget: Part 4 – Fulidhoo

    Maldives on a budget: Part 4 – Fulidhoo

    **Updated April 2018**

    Budget-friendly trip to the Maldives? Yes, it’s possible! Check out this 6-part budget Maldives budget-friendly trip report and itinerary, so you can see how we were able to visit five islands on the cheap.


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    The ferry from Maafushi to Fulidhoo takes about two hours, but it goes by quickly enough. You ferry past several resorts on your way, so you can catch a glimpse of some of the famous water villas of the luxurious resorts. As the ferry pulls up to the Fulidhoo jetty, you will definitely have a ‘whoa this is crazy beautiful!!!’ moment: the water is bluer than blue, and island is dotted with palm trees, and the guest host staff are all waiting to welcome us to their gorgeous island. I heard the phrase ‘postcard beautiful’ many times from other tourists and that’s the best way to describe it. This place feels like paradise…because it is.

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    The ocean is calm and shallow (which is how I like it, but if you want waves, you’re out of luck), and the sand is lush and doesn’t get too hot. Unlike Gulhi’s bikini beach, this one is on a slant, which makes it a bit tough to find a good comfy spot. There are two parts to the beach, and plenty of room for the small number of tourists on the island. I’m a notorious water-phobe, but if you can’t swim in the ocean off of Fulidhoo’s beach, then I’m convinced you can’t swim anywhere. The temperature is just right to cool you off, it’s totally clear and transparent, and it doesn’t get deep for several meters away from the beach (hmm maybe more than 100?), so you can really just float around and relax.

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    The palm trees make for a picture-perfect setting… and then you realize that the view of the sunset from the beach is insanely beautiful, and you realize that you’ve actually found a tiny bit of heaven on Earth. So yeah, Fulidhoo’s tourist beach is nice.

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    The people in Fulidhoo seem slightly more reserved than Gulhi, but our Hello’s and Good morning’s were always met in kind, and as tourists we felt both welcome and valued by the locals. With a  population between 200-400, it goes without saying that everyone knew who we were, and everyone knows each other. Fulidhoo is crazy small, but if you’re looking to get away from everything and …just chill, then this is it. As a matter of fact, the Maldivians are definitely down with just chillin’ as evidenced by these hammock-chairs that you will see everywhere, on every island in the Maldives. They look a bit uncomfortable tbh, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how relaxing they are!

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    The excursions were a bit disappointing as it seems that lots of the coral is impacted by the unfortunate worldwide phenomenon of coral bleaching, so not much to see in terms of fish. We went to ‘shark point’ though and that was insane and made the trip worth it, from that alone! We took a speedboat about 20 minutes out, to a shark feeding point near one of the resorts and yes… everyone jumped out of the boat and swam with sharks to snorkel and watch them feed. A surreal experience not for the faint of heart, but very, very cool. The sharks are apparently the ‘friendly kind’ (“like the Maldivian people, the sharks here are very polite”, according to our Orchid Island host in Gulhi lol). So they posed no risk and were about the size of small dolphins. But still… swimming with sharks, y’all!

    The island, much like the other inhabited islands, felt very much under construction, often littered with trash and construction materials, and with lots of half-built hotels or houses.

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    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    We stayed in the Thundi Guest House and were pleasantly surprised, both by the chill vibe at the hotel as well as the reserved but nice owner. In the spirit of ‘crescendo itineraries’ (starting with more modest hotels and activities, ending on a high note slightly more lavish) that I tend to do, Thundi was definitely a step up as far as the facilities go. A short walk from the jetty, the guest house has three rooms, and a serene outdoor seating area where we would have breakfast and dinner each day. We were half-board, so didn’t have to bother with finding food on the island if we didn’t feel like it. This place has a definite backpacker vibe, was very laid-back, and the other guests were lovely and the first time we really spoke much to any other tourists during our time in the Maldives so far. The communal-style (gorgeous wood) picnic table was great and our co-tenants were fab. The breakfast options were Maldivian-standards (continental or local options) and very filling. The dinner though, is where this place shines. Seated outside in the small courtyard, each group (again, only three rooms) had their own table and the food was brought out in a very family-style sharing setup. We had rice, noodles (‘spaghetti’), salad (cole slaw) and grilled fish, followed by a fruit plate. On Friday we got lucky and got to partake in a complimentary beach side dinner, followed by traditional Maldivian music and dancing. Y’all…it was absolutely amazing and something that J and I won’t soon forget.

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    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The Thundi Guest House was only available for some of the days we needed, so we moved after a few days to the Kinan Retreat. Off to a rocky start, our hotel room wasn’t great so we had to move (freezing cold water in the shower), and the new room was smelly and didn’t feel as nice. The staff doesn’t have a strong level of English so communication was difficult, and the place is closer to the Island’s Mosque, so we heard the call to prayer throughout the day much louder than at Thundi Guest House. They don’t provide shower gel, shampoo, or anything really other than the room and towels. That’s the bad. The good… the hotel felt brand new, slightly more upscale in general, and has a nice and airy seating area in the front part of the hotel, looking onto the beach. The view definitely saves this place, and the sound of the ocean’s gentle waves tumbling onto the beach were an unexpected and fab bonus. I’m glad we experienced both the Thundi Guest House and Kinan Retreat on Fulidhoo, though, as they both offer totally different experiences. Thundi’s guests seemed very laid-back and younger, whereas Kinan’s guests are either groups of a few people or families with children.

    There were a few (two, to be exact) general stores on the island which we ended up visiting every day to stock up drinks and mosquito repellent when we ran out. They sell basic snacks like cookies and candy bars as well as instant noodles, soda and water, and other random stuff. We kept going in there hoping a delivery with more options to choose from miraculously arrived, but alas it never did, so we continued to buy faux pringles, nuts, and cranberry soda.

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    We originally planned to spend six days on Fulidhoo but after a few days there we got pretty sick of it (which feels weird to get sick of such an amazing place), so we cancelled the last night in our hotel and hopped on the Ferry back to Maafushi. We didn’t really have a plan of where to go, but I spent 30 minutes calling around to various hotels on islands near Maafushi until I found one that would come pick us up from Maafushi by boat, and take us to our next island Rihiveli, for a reasonable price (ie, less than the $400 everyone else seemed to be charging). And like some of the best experiences in life, totally unexpectedly, we found ourselves on a tiny dingy heading away from Maafushi to Guraidhoo. And I am so glad that we need, but not for the reasons that you’re probably thinking.

    All in all, our time on the four inhabited ‘local islands’ was everything that I’d hoped it would be. Anyone (well, rich people) can pay for an amazing vacation in the Maldives at any of the private resorts. And yes, these resorts are incredible (like, for real). But curated beauty is not the same as the authentic, lived-in beauty that you’ll find on these local islands. Not everything is clean, they don’t really know how to handle tourists (yet…), and none of the hotels are particularly nice, especially if you’re used to luxury (or even average) accommodations. The food gets boring and monotonous after a few days, and there’s not much to do. But… you live a few days in their world, understanding just a little bit more about the Maldivian way of life. They couldn’t care less about the so-called ‘important’ project at work that your life is focused on 99% of the time, and after a few days, you won’t either. So if you get the feeling that this trip changed me…you’re right. Difficult to put the sense of reassuring nothingness that you feel on these islands into words, but keep reading to hear how the rest of the trip went! Hint: everything was amazing, in every way.

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    Part 1: The Basics

    Part 2: Maafushi

    Part 3: Gulhi

    Part 4: Fulidhoo

    Part 5: Guraidhoo

    Part 6: Rihiveli Resort

    Or view everything on one page: Maldives on a budget – full series

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  • Maldives on a budget: Part 3 – Gulhi

    Maldives on a budget: Part 3 – Gulhi

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    Gulhi… I’m not sure why, but this place really made me feel some kind of way. There was very little information available on the various islands, so the decision-making process was straightforward: can we get to the island with relative ease, are there decent and affordable housing options, and is there a bikini beach. Gulhi seemed to tick all the boxes, so it made its way onto our itinerary. The lead up to this trip for me was a bit frantic as I was working pretty much up until a few hours before our flight, so I didn’t have much time to liaise with our hotels, advise of arrival times etc. We opted to take a speedboat from Maafushi to get to Gulhi and it was worth it, quick and cheap and we weren’t constrained to follow the ferry timetable.

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    Because each island is so small and there aren’t exactly droves of tourists arriving each day, you really need to let your Guest House or Resort know when you’ll be arriving, because they usually need to make arrangements to meet you at the jetty, or at least be at the guest house when you arrive on the island. I didn’t do any of that though *and* we took a speedboat instead of the scheduled ferry so we arrived several hours earlier than our hosts were expecting. When we got to Gulhi people near the jetty looked surprised to see us and asked where we were going. We told them the name of our guest house and they grabbed their cell phones and called our hotel to tell them to come meet us. Within seconds a young guy arrived with a wheelbarrow, grabbed our bags and led us to the Orchid Island Lodge only a few meters away from where our boat dropped us off. After Maafushi, Gulhi seemed deserted and ‘touristy’ is not a word one could ever use to describe the place. Oh boy… so this is what a remote island with a population of around 500 people is like!

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    I’m not particularly sentimental, but a very marked feeling of sadness washed over me as we waived goodbye to our hosts from our speedboat, when we left Gulhi heading to our next island. This place is special. I’m not sure if it was the sincere niceness of the locals we met, or the absolute stunning beauty of the beaches, or simply the absolute calm and relaxation that we experienced there, but this place has something and whatever it was, it was exactly what I needed.

    The island itself is not particularly nice, there are lots of half-built buildings (presumably destined to be more tourist guest houses and hotels), and there’s a bit of trash around the island that takes away from its natural beauty. The beach is stunning though and there’s decent snorkeling without swimming very far from shore.

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    The restaurant options in Gulhi were definitely limited *but* the food there was the best of the three inhabited islands that we visited. If you love rice and noodles, or noodles and rice…or more rice, then you are in luck: nasi or bami goreng are always on the menu and it was delicious everywhere we tasted in Gulhi. And very, very cheap. The idea that food is expensive in the Maldives definitely applies to certain places, but Gulhi is probably where we spent the least money on food. One of our fave spots was the Surfista Cafe, which offered up a menu with a decent amount of options all at reasonable prices.

    Our hotel: Orchid Island Lodge – to say that the hotel is not fancy is an understatement. It’s probably one of the least-nice rooms I’ve in fact ever stayed in. It’s humid, the bathroom is more of a wet room, the bed was hard, the ceiling fan was loud, there was damp around the moldings, the furniture was falling apart in places. But I didn’t care. At all. My experience in Gulhi and the authentic niceness of our hosts and of the people on the island made up for it. They organized a snorkeling trip for us which turned nothing short of magical when around 15-20 dolphins showed up to the party and played around the boat. It.was.so.cool!!


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    Our days on this island were simple, and we didn’t have to think about much other than to just go with the flow. Ideally placed about 50 meters from the Bikini Beach, there’s only one other hotel which seemed closer (which is pretty much right on the beach). If you’re looking for luxury, then this ain’t it. If you’re on Gulhi Island to begin with, though, then you probably aren’t! The tourist beach in Gulhi was wide with fine grain white sand, and the water is warm and calm. There were tons of fish to explore right off the beach, and there were maybe 10-15 people on the entire beach at its busiest times.

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    We were provided with beach towels at the hotel, and they have allocated plastic beach chairs for guest use. The Guest House has three rooms, so never feels crowded. The internet connection as OK, though we relied on it very little since we had tons of data on our cell phones.

    Access to the bikini beach was very easy and only a few minutes away from each hotel on Gulhi, and the beach is surrounded by a barrier so as to prevent the locals from seeing our bikini’d bodies.

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    Breakfast was eggs, sausage (chicken hot dogs lol), toast with jam/butter/nutella, fruit, coffee and juice. If you visit the Maldives for a few weeks like we did, then you will grow to hate this breakfast after about Day 5 of eating the same thing every day, so I’d suggest you mix it up and swap out the eggs/sausage for a piece of fruit and toast.

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    The hosts though, are what made this place special. They are just so incredibly attentive, helped us with everything we needed, spoke great English so communication was easy, and were just…lovely people. Objectively, Fulidhoo is probably more beautiful (ok, it is) but in Gulhi, we had the best of both worlds: gorgeous beach *and* amazing people.

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    Part 1: The Basics

    Part 2: Maafushi

    Part 3: Gulhi

    Part 4: Fulidhoo

    Part 5: Guraidhoo

    Part 6: Rihiveli Resort

    Or view everything on one page: Maldives on a budget – full series

  • Maldives on a budget: Part 2 – Maafushi

    Maldives on a budget: Part 2 – Maafushi

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    First days: arrival and Maafushi

    The Malé International Airport is very small, despite servicing international flights, but border control is a smooth process. We couldn’t be bothered to make our way by ferry to Maafushi as this would have required a taxi and a short shuttle ferry, then a long wait (we arrived in the morning but the ferry leaves at 3pm) and it takes two hours to reach Maafushi. So we went with a speedboat transfer (for $50 for both of us) with iCom that we found by going to the information desk right in the airport. The ferry option would have been much cheaper (around $4 for two of us), but with the hassle and wasted time, it just didn’t seem worth it. Though if you are on a very tight budget this is definitely a viable option, details for which can be found on this helpful blog post: Expat of the World.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Our first impression of the Maldives after arriving at the airport was Maafushi, and we were not disappointed. The island felt small but relatively busy (relatively being the key word), and there were a decent amount of tourists, and lots (erm…relatively) of options for food. There’s also a Booze Cruise about 2-3 minutes away by speedboat, which was surprisingly amusing, and drink prices were more than reasonable ($5/beer). This is where we spent NYE, on a party boat off the coast of Maafushi sipping canned beer watching the fireworks on the surroundng islands. Then, watching the locals and tourists get down on the dance floor, trying not to slide around on the rocking boat. It was memorable, to say the least. Maafushi was the only inhabited island where we were able to get alcohol nearby, so if that’s your thing, then just ask in your hotel and they’ll explain how to get to the Party Boat.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The bikini beach is too small for the number of tourists (then again we were there over the NYE holiday so perhaps more people than usual), so we went to the other side of the bikini beach (near Arena hotel). My research tells me that there was recently construction on the bikini beach so perhaps the side we were on has recently been developed. In any case, it was empty so we opted for that. It had more rocks and the water wasn’t as nice, but relaxing after a long day of travel was all we needed anyway.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Not as nice, the beach sand isn’t smooth, a bit dirty etc, but was enough for us. I would definitely *not* recommend Maafushi for the entire duration of a Maldives trip, which is what we almost did. There are so many other options on other islands within the same price range, and easily accessible, that it would be a shame to spend the majority of your time there. The people in Maafushi were really lovely and even though we were only there for a few days, we had a distinct feeling of belonging; folks regularly said ‘hello’ to us when we were out and about, and we felt particularly welcome. But for us, Maafushi definitely did not have that Maldivian paradise vibe and we certainly didn’t come that far for a crowded beach and expensive not-great food.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    I came across a few blogs and forums of people saying that Maafushi is a good budget destination if you’re looking to keep costs low and still enjoy the magic of the Maldives. I really cannot agree with that advice, and I’m glad I didn’t take it when planning our trip. The other inhabited islands that are accessible by ferry have much more to offer in terms of natural beauty, great people, and an overall authentic Maldivian experience.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Don’t get me wrong, Maafushi is nothing to turn one’s nose up at, but if you’ve already made it to the Maldives, then keep going… there are lots of other equally (if not more) affordable Islands than Maafushi (like Gulhi and Fulhidoo), with far less tourists and much more beautiful beaches. The advantage of Maafushi lies primarily in how easy it is to get there, as we know transport between islands can be costly. My recommendation would be to view Maafushi as a (gorgeous still) hub, as you make your way to other smaller islands.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maafushi is a hub and one of the bigger islands in terms of amenities, so you have several stores to stock up on the basics like sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and sweet & savory snacks, and drinks. Don’t expect to do any shopping though, we’re talking bare essentials. There are several water sport options in the hotels and guest houses, but they seemed more expensive than the other smaller islands. The food options are primarily the restaurants attached to each hotel/guest house, except for ‘Hot Bites’ which was pretty nasty so that does not come with my recommendation! Food in Maafushi was overall disappointing, with the exception of Velana which was surprisingly reasonably priced for semi fancy food.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    We stayed in the Crystal Sands hotel, and it was fairly basic and clean. To be fair it was one of the nicest guest houses we stayed in and it felt quite modern and new (relatively), and the staff was really nice (special shout out to Jack Sparrow).

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    There are lots of places to choose from in Maafushi and the island is small so no matter where you are, you’re not far from most things, including the beach. It should be noted that there is a prison on one side of Maafushi and that is not the nice side of the island; the sewage drains into the water over there, there’s an abundance of trash, and the beach is generally not maintained at all…and it smells bad. So I would avoid hotels over there! Crystal Sands is ideally located, though, and a good deal for what we paid as it included breakfast in our rate and they have a roof terrace that you can relax on if you don’t want to be bothered with the swarms at the beach.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maafushi is a great location to spend a day or two in if you’re in the Maldives for an extended period of time. Otherwise, for a short trip I would definitely recommend skipping it and heading to one of the other nearby islands, like Gulhi.

    Part 1: The Basics

    Part 2: Maafushi

    Part 3: Gulhi

    Part 4: Fulidhoo

    Part 5: Guraidhoo

    Part 6: Rihiveli Resort

    Or view everything on one page: Maldives on a budget – full series

  • Maldives on a budget: Part 1 – The Basics

    Maldives on a budget: Part 1 – The Basics

    **Updated April 2018**

    Budget-friendly trip to the Maldives? Yes, it’s possible! Check out this 6-part budget Maldives budget-friendly trip report and itinerary, so you can see how we were able to visit five islands on the cheap.


    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    One of the common themes of 2016 was how crappy the year was, and how everyone just couldn’t wait for it to be over. I’m not gonna lie, I found myself in that same vibe, feeling like 2016 was the longest, hardest, most tumultuous and sleep-deprived year I’ve had in… years. My life of gallivanting around the globe traveling for pleasure, turned into getting fully stuck in at work, traveling all the time (for work..), spending long hours in the office or glued to my laptop, and having little time to make dinner at all, let alone blog about making dinner. Without pausing to slow down, take it easy and just …chill, in I don’t even know how long, one Saturday after working on some project deliverable for who knows how many hours, I decided that it was time for a break. A real break. Not the kind of vacation that I usually plan: short, a mix of city adventure and a bit of relaxing, maximizing my time but heading back home so I’m not away too long missing the excitement of being back at work (see? ‘excitement of being back at work’ — I had pretty much gone crazy).

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    In the most perfect, serendipitous moment, I checked my email and noticed a promo for ‘Summer sun vacations’ – I clicked the link, saw that I could use my British Airways miles, and booked the tickets to the Maldives for 31 December – 14 January, all in about ten minutes. (Un)Surprisingly, I am not a last-minute vacation planner, so I almost immediately had buyer’s remorse when I realized that I knew literally nothing about the Maldives. Shock #1: hotels are expensive as all hell. Like, really, really expensive. Shock #2: it’s a Muslim country and unless you’re going to a resort island (read: a £££ private island), then there’s no alcohol allowed (gasp) and tourists have to use designated beaches if they want to swim in a bikini, otherwise you have to be fully clothed. Right. I started thinking my mega airfare deal was a huge mistake, but decided to just go with it and started the hunt for hotels and to settle on an itinerary.

    There is not a lot of information available for independent tourists planning a trip to the Maldives (ie, not through a travel agent and heading to a private resort), so I relied heavily on other blogs, travel articles and forums to find information and hoped for the best when we arrived. This multi-post series will hopefully provide other travelers with insight into how to plan a two week trip, including all of the information that I found along the way, and would have been useful to know prior to our trip. So keep reading for more details and of course, the photos!

    The basics: what you need to know

    Like I mentioned, travel planning for a trip to the Maldives is a challenge due to the lack of resources available online compared to other popular beach destinations like Thailand or Indonesia. Travel has only been open to the local inhabited islands for less than ten years, and it can definitely be said that the infrastructure for mass travel is not in place (and thank goodness for that). If you will be planning a trip to any of the inhabited islands, then here are a few things to keep in mind:

    1. Money matters: the local currency is the Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf) but U.S. Dollars are accepted everywhere. We did not bring enough cash and paid for it in exchange and ATM usage fees. Many places didn’t accept credit cards, some islands don’t even have an ATM, so having enough cash is a necessity.
    2. Tourism Taxes were a pain in the butt, but are a fact of life for tourists in the Maldives. We regularly heard other tourists saying they’d gotten ‘ripped off’ by guest houses or in shops, but that was because they didn’t know about the heavy taxes imposed on tourists. There are several different taxes and one-off fees, but it all adds up to being taxed to about 22% of your hotel stay in most cases. That’s right, on our $1000 bill for the Rihiveli resort, about $220 of that was tourist taxes and fees. Just imagine how that adds up at more expense resorts…!
    3. Internet and phone usage was tough because my cell phone’s data roaming did not work at all in the Maldives which was a pretty big shock (my Lonely Planet suggested that roaming would work fine, and we had four cell phones with us, each with different providers and none of them roamed. ever). Getting by without any data would have been challenging as we constantly found ourselves having to look things up online. Luckily, there are phone shops in the airport where you can purchase SIM cards (make sure your phones are unlocked before you leave home). For $32 each, we got two-week plans with a certain amount of texts, phone minutes and 15Gb of data. Yes, 15Gb of data.
    4. Getting around is probably one of the trickiest aspects of visiting the Maldives, especially if you want to visit more than one island and don’t want to have to sell a kidney to pay for it. The ferries are amazing though and we found them easy to figure out and for the price ($1 or $2, usually) was the best option for us when the timetables fit with our itinerary. The MTCC website will be your best friend if you want to use the ferry system there.
    5. The mosquitos are no joke and I have never gotten so many bites as I did in the Maldives. They are always around, day and night, and they are ravenous little monsters. They will get you through your clothes on the tiniest little patch of skin that didn’t get enough bug spray. I foolishly didn’t bring enough of my usual mosquito spray (Lifesystems Exped+) and ran out after a few days, but we were able to get by using the local products sold in the shops.
    6. I knew the weather would be beautiful but I really didn’t know what to expect in terms of rain. We were there for the first two weeks of January and the weather was stable around 28 degrees each day, with plenty of sunshine. It rained a few days out of the trip (one day is was particularly torrential). The early mornings and evenings were cool, and I was glad to have packed my big blanket-like scarf.
    7. The beaches were the biggest unknown for me, as I wasn’t sure if I’d actually be able to sunbathe without being completely covered. I kept reading about these so-called ‘bikini beaches’ but didn’t know what that meant or if each island had one. Indeed, every island that we visited had a designated beach area for tourists where women could wear bikinis, as well as an island beach where we had to be covered.
    8. The only Muslim country that I had visited prior to the Maldives is Morocco (one day I will post about that absolutely awful experience), so I wasn’t sure what to expect as a woman traveler in the Maldives. I knew that most women would be fully covered and that tourists were obviously expected to respect the local culture and religion, ie modest clothing when not at the designated tourist beaches. But how strict would it be, and how covered was covered? Our guesthouse hosts were very helpful and explained that Jonathan shouldn’t walk around bare chested, and I shouldn’t walk around the village in my bikini. So all in all, I’d say it wasn’t very strict. We were told that I could be in shorts and a t-shirt without offending the locals, and I never got any stares or disapproving looks. If the seemingly-conservative laws are putting you off visiting and you’re worried that you’ll be uncomfortable or offending the locals, I’d say don’t worry about it. Our days were spent at the beach and I was perfectly happy in jeans and long sleeve t-shirts in the evenings to fend off those damn mosquitoes anyway! All of the (few) tourists we saw were in shorts/t-shirts or tank tops, and bare shoulders for women were fine.
    9. Excursions and activities were expensive pretty much everywhere we went, but there are ways to keep costs down, like bringing your own snorkeling gear and exploring local reefs on your own for free! The gear we saw for rent or for free from hotels was often old and damaged.
    10. Islands are expensive because so many things are imported, especially food and snacks. Most of the guesthouses and hotels included free breakfast, but I’d recommend bringing some snacks from home that you can bring with you to the beach. Eating in restaurants for every lunch & dinner gets old real fast and those $10 meals add up quickly for two people over a two week period of time. I stocked up on chocolate bars, sweets and savory snacks in London which added a bit of variety to our daily meals.

    Before you start reading about our experiences on the five islands that we visited, you might be wondering how much all of this cost us. For our 14-day trip to the Maldives, visiting five different islands and enjoying almost everything that they had to offer, we spent around £1,800 for accommodation and approximately £800 on speed boats/ferries/taxis, food, activities and anything else other than hotels basically. We used air miles for our non-stop tickets from London to Male so only paid taxes of around £500. So for £3,100 total we had a pretty lush vacation in the Maldives, experiencing both sides of the tourism industry: the luxurious private resorts and the more down-to-earth local inhabited islands. The main thing that we learned is that you can totally do the Maldives on the cheap if you want, and you’ll still get that Maldivian paradise experience. We could have spent much, much less on hotels and reduced that cost by at least half, and also spent way less money on food (we spent around £300 at Rihiveli alone, in three days…). Fourteen days is a pretty big trip and if I had to do again, I’d probably stay for around 8 or 9 days instead. Excluding airfare, when looking at hotels and costs, I reckon that a daily budget for two people of around £75-100 is totally do-able, including housing and food. You should then factor in additional expenses like snorkeling trips, which range from £50-£100. For the stunning beauty of the place, it’s worth it, many times over.

    The Maldives are not a budget destination but the idea that you have to spend a fortune is definitely a myth, if you just do a little bit of research.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    I’ve created separate posts for each island that we visited as there is just so much to say and so many photos to share. Links to the other posts in this series are below. Enjoy <3

    Part 1: The Basics

    Part 2: Maafushi

    Part 3: Gulhi

    Part 4: Fulidhoo

    Part 5: Guraidhoo

    Part 6: Rihiveli Resort

    Or view everything on one page: Maldives on a budget – full series

     

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

     

  • Maldives on a budget: Full series

    Maldives on a budget: Full series

    **Updated March 2018**

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    One of the common themes of 2016 was how crappy the year was, and how everyone just couldn’t wait for it to be over. I’m not gonna lie, I found myself in that same vibe, feeling like 2016 was the longest, hardest, most tumultuous and sleep-deprived year I’ve had in… years. My life of gallivanting around the globe traveling for pleasure, turned into getting fully stuck in at work, traveling all the time (for work..), spending long hours in the office or glued to my laptop, and having little time to make dinner at all, let alone blog about making dinner. Without pausing to slow down, take it easy and just …chill, in I don’t even know how long, one Saturday after working on some project deliverable for who knows how many hours, I decided that it was time for a break. A real break. Not the kind of vacation that I usually plan: short, a mix of city adventure and a bit of relaxing, maximizing my time but heading back home so I’m not away too long missing the excitement of being back at work (see? ‘excitement of being back at work’ — I had pretty much gone crazy).

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    In the most perfect, serendipitous moment, I checked my email and noticed a promo for ‘Summer sun vacations’ – I clicked the link, saw that I could use my British Airways miles, and booked the tickets the the Maldives for 31 December – 14 January, all in about ten minutes. (Un)Surprisingly, I am not a last-minute vacation planner, so I almost immediately had buyers remorse when I realized that I knew literally nothing about the Maldives. Shock #1: hotels are expensive as all hell. Like, really, really expensive. Shock #2: it’s a Muslim country and unless you’re going to a resort island (read: a £££ private island), then there’s no alcohol allowed (gasp) and tourists have to use designated beaches if they want to swim in a bikini, otherwise you have to be fully clothed. Right. I started thinking my mega airfare deal was a huge mistake, but decided to just go with it and started the hunt for hotels and to settle on an itinerary.

    There is not a lot of information available for independent tourists planning a trip to the Maldives (ie, not through a travel agent and heading to a private resort), so I relied heavily on other blogs, travel articles and forums to find information and hoped for the best when we arrived. This multi-post series will hopefully provide other travelers with insight onto how to plan a two week trip, including all of the information that found along the way, and would have been useful to know prior to our trip. So keep reading for more details and of course, the photos!

    The basics: what you need to know

    Like I mentioned, travel planning for a trip to the Maldives is a challenge due to the lack of resources available online compared to other popular beach destinations like Thailand or Indonesia. Travel has only been open to the local inhabited islands for less than ten years, and it can definitely be said that the infrastructure for mass travel is not in place (and thank goodness for that). If you will be planning a trip to any of the inhabited islands, then here are a few things to keep in mind:

    1. Money matters: the local currency is the Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf) but U.S. Dollars are accepted everywhere. We did not bring enough cash and paid for it in exchange and ATM usage fees. Many places didn’t accept credit cards, some islands don’t even have an ATM, so having enough cash is a necessity.
    2. Tourism Taxes were a pain in the butt, but are a fact of life for tourists in the Maldives. We regularly heard other tourists saying they’d gotten ‘ripped off’ by guest houses or in shops, but that was because they didn’t know about the heavy taxes imposed on tourists. There are several different taxes and one-off fees, but it all adds up to being taxed to about 22% of your hotel stay in most cases. That’s right, on our $1000 bill for the Rihiveli resort, about $220 of that was tourist taxes and fees. Just imagine what that adds up at more expense resorts…!
    3. Internet and phone usage was tough because my cell phone’s data roaming did not work at all in the Maldives which was a pretty big shock (my Lonely Planet suggested that roaming would work fine, and we had four cell phones with us each with different providers and none of them roamed. ever). Getting by without any data would have been challenging as we constantly found ourselves having to look things up. Luckily, there are phone shops in the airport where you can purchase SIM cards (make sure your phones are unlocked before you leave home). For $32 each, we got two-week plans with a certain amount of texts, phone minutes and 15Gb of data. Yes, 15Gb of data.
    4. Getting around is probably one of the trickiest aspects of visiting the Maldives, especially if you want to visit more than one island and don’t want to have to sell a kidney to pay for it. The ferries are amazing though and we found them easy to figure out and for the price ($1 or $2, usually) was the best option for us when the timetables fit with our itinerary. The MTCC website will be your best friend if you want to use the ferry system there.
    5. The mosquitos are no joke and I have never gotten so many bites as I did in the Maldives. They are always around, day and night, and they are ravenous little monsters. They will get you through your clothes on the tiniest little patch of skin that didn’t get enough bug spray. I foolishly didn’t bring enough of my usual mosquito spray (Lifesystems Exped+) and ran out after a few days, but we were able to get by using the local products sold in the shops.
    6. I knew the weather would be beautiful but I really didn’t know what to expect in terms of rain. We were there for the first two weeks of January and the weather was stable around 28 degrees each day, with plenty of sunshine. It rained a few days out of the trip (one day is was particularly torrential). The early mornings and evenings were cool, and I was glad to have packed my big blanket-like scarf.
    7. The beaches were the biggest unknown for me, as I wasn’t sure if I’d actually be able to sunbathe without being completely covered. I kept reading about these so-called ‘bikini beaches’ but didn’t know what that meant or if each island had one. Indeed, every island that we visited had a designated beach area for tourists where women could wear bikinis, as well as an island beach where we had to be covered.
    8. The only Muslim country that I had visited prior to the Maldives is Morocco (one day I will post about that absolutely awful experience), so I wasn’t sure what to expect as a woman traveler in the Maldives. I knew that most women would be fully covered and that tourists were obviously expected to respect the local culture and religion, ie modest clothing when not at the designated tourist beaches. But how strict would it be, and how covered was covered? Our guesthouse hosts were very helpful an explained that Jonathan shouldn’t walk around bare chested, and I shouldn’t walk around the village in my bikini. So all in all, I’d say it wasn’t very strict. We were told that I could be in shorts and a t-shirt without offending the locals, and I never got any stares or disapproving looks. If the seemingly-conservative laws are putting you off visiting and you’re worried that you’ll be uncomfortable or offending the locals, I’d say don’t worry about it. Our days were spent at the beach and I was perfectly happy in jeans and long sleeve t-shirts in the evenings to fend off those damn mosquitoes anyway! All of the (few) tourists we saw were in shorts/t-shirts or tank tops, and bare shoulders for women were fine.
    9. Excursions and activities were expensive pretty much everywhere we went, but there are ways to keep costs down, like bringing your own snorkeling gear and exploring local reefs on your own for free! The gear we saw for rent or for free from hotels was often old and damaged.
    10. Islands are expensive because so many things are important, especially food and snacks. Most of the guesthouses and hotels included free breakfast, but I’d recommend bringing some snacks from home that you can bring with you to the beach. Eating in restaurants for every lunch & dinner gets old real fast and those $10 meals add up quickly for two people over a two week period of time. I stocked up on chocolate bars, sweets and savory snacks in London which added a bit of variety to our daily meals.

    Before you start reading about our experiences on the five islands that we visited, you might be wondering how much all of this cost us. For our 14-day trip to the Maldives, visiting five different islands and enjoying almost everything that they had to offer, we spent around £1,800 for accommodation and approximately £800 on speed boats/ferries/taxis, food, activities and anything else other than hotels basically. We used air miles for our non-stop tickets from London to Male so only paid taxes of around £500. So for £3,100 total we had a pretty lush vacation in the Maldives, experiencing both sides of the tourism industry: the luxurious private resorts and the more down-to-earth local inhabited islands. The main thing that we learned is that you can totally do the Maldives on the cheap if you want, and you’ll still get that Maldivian paradise experience. We could have spent much, much less on hotels and reduced that cost by at least half, and also spent way less money on food (we spent around £300 at Rihiveli alone, in three days…). Fourteen days is a pretty big trip and if I had to do again, I’d probably stay for around 8 or 9 days instead. Excluding airfare, when looking at hotels and costs, I reckon that a daily budget for two people of around £75-100 is totally do-able, including housing and food. You should then factor in additional expenses like snorkeling trips, which range from £50-£100. For the stunning beauty of the place, it’s worth it, many times over.

    The Maldives are not a budget destination but the idea that you have to spend a fortune is definitely a myth, if you just do a little bit of research.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    I’ve created separate posts for each island that we visited as there is just so much to say and so many photos to share. Links to the other posts in this series are below. Enjoy <3

    Part 2: Maafushi

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    First days: arrival and Maafushi

    The Malé International Airport is very small, despite servicing international flights, but border control is a smooth process. We couldn’t be bothered to make our way by ferry to Maafushi as this would have required a taxi and a short shuttle ferry, then a long wait (we arrived in the morning but the ferry leaves at 3pm) and it takes two hours to reach Maafushi. So we went with a speedboat transfer (for $50 for both of us) with iCom that we found by going to the information desk right in the airport. The ferry option would have been much cheaper (around $4 for two of us), but with the hassle and wasted time, it just didn’t seem worth it. Though if you are on a very tight budget this is definitely a viable option, details for which can be found on this helpful blog post: Expat of the World.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Our first impression of the Maldives after arriving at the airport was Maafushi, and we were not disappointed. The island felt small but relatively busy (relatively being the key word), and there were a decent amount of tourists, and lots (erm…relatively) of options for food. There’s also a Booze Cruise about 2-3 minutes away by speedboat, which was surprisingly amusing, and drink prices were more than reasonable ($5/beer). This is where we spent NYE, on a party boat off the coast of Maafushi sipping canned beer watching the fireworks on the surroundng islands. Then, watching the locals and tourists get down on the dance floor, trying not to slide around on the rocking boat. It was memorable, to say the least. Maafushi was the only inhabited island where we were able to get alcohol nearby, so if that’s your thing, then just ask in your hotel and they’ll explain how to get to the Party Boat.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The bikini beach is too small for the number of tourists (then again we were there over the NYE holiday so perhaps more people than usual), so we went to the other side of the bikini beach (near Arena hotel). My research tells me that that was recently construction on the bikini beach so perhaps the side we were on has recently been developed. In any case, it was empty so we opted for that. It had more rocks and the water wasn’t as nice, but for relaxing after a long day of travel was all we needed anyway.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Not as nice, the beach sand isn’t smooth, a bit dirty etc, but was enough for us. I would definitely *not* recommend Maafushi for the entire duration of a Maldives trip, which is what we almost did. There are so many other options on other islands within the same price range, and easily accessible, that it would be a shame to spend the majority of your time there. The people in Maafushi were really lovely and even though we were only there for a few days, we had a distinct feeling of belonging; folks regularly said ‘hello’ to us when we were out and about, and we felt particularly welcome. But for us, Maafushi definitely did not have that Maldivian paradise vibe and we certainly didn’t come that far for a crowded beach and expensive not-great food.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    I came across a few blogs and forums of people saying that Maafushi is a good budget destination if you’re looking to keep costs low and still enjoy the magic of the Maldives. I really cannot agree with that advice, and I’m glad I didn’t take it when planning our trip. The other inhabited islands that are accessible by ferry have much more to offer in terms of natural beauty, great people, and an overall authentic Maldivian experience.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Don’t get me wrong, Maafushi is nothing to turn one’s nose up at, but if you’ve already made it to the Maldives, then keep going… there are lots of other equally (if not more) affordable Islands than Maafushi (like Gulhi and Fulhidoo), with far less tourists and much more beautiful beaches. The advantage of Maafushi lies primarily in how easy it is to get there, as we know transport between islands can be costly. My recommendation would be to view Maafushi as a (gorgeous still) hub, as you make your way to other smaller islands.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maafushi is a hub and one of the bigger islands in terms of amenities, so you have several stores to stock up on the basics like sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and sweet & savory snacks, and drinks. Don’t expect to do any shopping though, we’re talking bare essentials. There are several water sport options in the hotels and guest houses, but they seemed more expensive than the other smaller islands. The food options are primarily the restaurants attached to each hotel/guest house, except for ‘Hot Bites’ which was pretty nasty so that does not come with my recommendation! Food in Maafushi was overall disappointing, with the exception of Velana which was surprisingly reasonably priced for semi fancy food.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    We stayed in the Crystal Sands hotel, and it was fairly basic and clean. To be fair it was one of the nicest guest houses we stayed in as felt quite modern and new (relatively), and the staff was really nice (special shout out to Jack Sparrow).

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    There are lots of places to choose from in Maafushi and the island is small so no matter where you are, you’re not far from most things, including the beach. It should be noted that there is a prison on one side of Maafushi and that is not the nice side of the island; the sewage drains into the water over there, there’s an abundance of trash, and the beach is generally not maintained at all…and it smells bad. So I would avoid hotels over there! Crystal Sands is ideally located, though, and a good deal for what we paid as it included breakfast in our rate and they have a roof terrace that you can relax on if you don’t want to be bothered with the swarms at the beach.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maafushi is a great location to spend a day or two in if you’re in the Maldives for an extended period of time. Otherwise, for a short trip I would definitely recommend skipping it and heading to one of the other nearby islands, like Gulhi.

    Part 3: Gulhi

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Gulhi… I’m not sure why, but this place really made me feel some kind of way. There was very little information available on the various islands, so the decision-making process was straightforward: can we get to the island with relative ease, are there decent and affordable housing options, and is there a bikini beach. Gulhi seemed to tick all the boxes, so it made its way onto our itinerary. The lead up to this trip for me was a bit frantic as I was working pretty much up until a few hours before our flight, so I didn’t have much time to liaise with our hotels, advise of arrival times etc. We opted to take a speedboat from Maafushi to get to Gulhi and it was worth it, quick and cheap and we weren’t constrained to follow the ferry timetable.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Because each island is so small and there aren’t exactly droves of tourists arriving each day, you really need to let your Guest House or Resort know when you’ll be arriving, because they usually need to make arrangements to meet you at the jetty, or at least be at the guest house when you arrive on the island. I didn’t do any of that though *and* we took a speedboat instead of the scheduled ferry so we arrived several hours earlier than our hosts were expecting. When we got to Gulhi people near the jetty looked surprised to see us and asked where we were going. We told them the name of our guest house and they grabbed their cell phones and called our hotel to tell them to come meet us. Within seconds a young guy arrived with a wheelbarrow, grabbed our bags and led us to the Orchid Island Lodge only a few meters away from where our boat dropped us off. After Maafushi, Gulhi seemed deserted and ‘touristy’ is not a word one could ever use to describe the place. Oh boy… so this is what a remote island with a population of around 500 people is like!

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    I’m not particularly sentimental, but a very distinct feeling of sadness washed over me as we waived goodbye to our hosts from our speedboat taking us to Gulhi. This place is special. I’m not sure if it was the sincere niceness of the locals we met, or the absolute stunning beauty of the beaches, or simply the absolute calm and relaxation that we experienced there, but this place has something and whatever it was, it was exactly what I needed.

    The island itself is not particularly nice, there are lots of half-built buildings (presumably destined to be more tourist guest houses and hotels), and there’s a bit of trash around the island that takes away from its natural beauty. The beach is stunning though and there’s decent snorkeling without swimming very far from shore.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The restaurant options in Gulhi were definitely limited *but* the food there was the best of the three inhabited islands that we visited. If you love rice and noodles, or noodles and rice…or more rice, then you are in luck: nasi or bami goreng are always on the menu and it was delicious everywhere we tasted in Gulhi. And very, very cheap. The idea that food is expensive in the Maldives definitely applies to certain places, but Gulhi is probably where we spent the least money on food. One of our fave spots was the Surfista Cafe, which offered up a menu with a decent amount of options all at reasonable prices.

    Our hotel: Orchid Island Lodge – to say that the hotel is not fancy is an understatement. It’s probably one of the least-nice rooms I’ve in fact ever stayed in. It’s humid, the bathroom is more of a wet room, the bed was hard, the ceiling fan was loud, there was damp around the moldings, the furniture was falling apart in places. But I didn’t care. At all. My experience in Gulhi and the authentic niceness of our hosts and of the people on the island made up for it. They organized a snorkeling trip for us which turned nothing short of magical when around 15-20 dolphins showed up to the party and played around the boat. It.was.so.cool!!


    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.comMaldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Our days on this island were simple, and we didn’t have to think about much other than to just go with the flow. Ideally placed about 50 meters from the Bikini Beach, there’s only one other hotel which seemed closer (which is pretty much right on the beach). If you’re looking for luxury, then this ain’t it. If you’re on Gulhi Island to begin with, though, you probably aren’t though! The tourist beach in Gulhi was wide with fine grain white sand, and the water is warm and calm. There were tons of fish to explore right off the beach, and there were maybe 10-15 people on the entire beach at its busiest times.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    We were provided with beach towels at the hotel, and they have allocated plastic beach chairs for guest use. The Guest House has three rooms, so never feels crowded. The internet connection as OK, though we relied on it very little since we had tons of data on our cell phones.

    Access to the bikini beach was very easy and only a few minutes away from each hotel on Gulhi, and the beach is surrounded by a barrier so as to prevent the locals from seeing.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Breakfast was eggs, sausage (chicken hot dogs lol), toast with jam/butter/nutella, fruit, coffee and juice. If you visit the Maldives for a few weeks like we did, then you will grow to hate this breakfast after about Day 5 of eating the same thing every day, so I’d suggest you mix it up and swap out the eggs/sausage for a piece of fruit and toast.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The hosts though, are what made this place special. They are just so incredibly attentive, helped us with everything we needed, spoke great English so communication was easy, and were just…lovely people. Objectively, Fulidhoo is probably more beautiful (ok, it is) but in Gulhi, we had the best of both worlds: gorgeous beach *and* amazing people.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

     

    Part 4: Fulidhoo

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The ferry from Maafushi to Fulidhoo takes about two hours, but it goes by quickly enough. You ferry past several resorts on your way, so you can catch a glimpse of some of the famous water villas of the luxurious resorts. As the ferry pulls up to the Fulidhoo jetty, you will definitely have a ‘whoa this is crazy beautiful!!!’ moment: the water is bluer than blue, and island is dotted with palm trees, and the guest host staff are all waiting to welcome us to their gorgeous island. I heard the phrase ‘postcard beautiful’ many times from other tourists and that’s the best way to describe it. This place feels like paradise…because it is.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The ocean is calm and shallow (which is how I like it, but if you want waves, you’re out of luck), and the sand is lush and doesn’t get too hot. Unlike Gulhi’s bikini beach, this one is on a slant, which makes it a bit tough to find a good comfy spot. There are two parts to the beach, and plenty of room for the small number of tourists on the island. I’m a notorious water-phobe, but if you can’t swim in the ocean off of Fulidhoo’s beach, then I’m convinced you can’t swim anywhere. The temperature is just right to cool you off, it’s totally clear and transparent, and it doesn’t get deep for several meters away from the beach (hmm maybe more than 100?), so you can really just float around and relax.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The palm trees make for a picture-perfect setting… and then you realize that the view of the sunset from the beach is insanely beautiful, and you realize that you’ve actually found a tiny bit of heaven on Earth. So yeah, Fulidhoo’s tourist beach is nice.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The people in Fulidhoo seem slightly more reserved than Gulhi, but our Hello’s and Good morning’s were always met in kind, and as tourists we felt both welcome and valued by the locals. With a  population between 200-400, it goes without saying that everyone knew who we were, and everyone knows each other. Fulidhoo is crazy small, but if you’re looking to get away from everything and …just chill, then this is it. As a matter of fact, the Maldivians are definitely down with just chillin’ as evidenced by these hammock-chairs that you will see everywhere, on every island in the Maldives. They look a bit uncomfortable tbh, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how relaxing they are!

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.comMaldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The excursions were a bit disappointing as it seems that lots of the coral is impacted by the unfortunate worldwide phenomenon of coral bleaching, so not much to see in terms of fish. We went to ‘shark point’ though and that was insane and made the trip worth it, from that alone! We took a speedboat about 20 minutes out, to a shark feeding point near one of the resorts and yes… everyone jumped out of the boat and swam with sharks to snorkel and watch them feed. A surreal experience not for the faint of heart, but very, very cool. The sharks are apparently the ‘friendly kind’ (“like the Maldivian people, the sharks here are very polite”, according to our Orchid Island host in Gulhi lol). So they posed no risk and were about the size of small dolphins. But still… swimming with sharks, y’all!

    The island, much like the other inhabited islands, felt very much under construction, often littered with trash and construction materials, and with lots of half-built hotels or houses.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    We stayed in the Thundi Guest House and were pleasantly surprised, both by the chill vibe at the hotel as well as the reserved but nice owner. In the spirit of ‘crescendo itineraries’ (starting with more modest hotels and activities, ending on a high note slightly more lavish) that I tend to do, Thundi was definitely a step up as far as the facilities go. A short walk from the jetty, the guest house has three rooms, and a serene outdoor seating area where we would have breakfast and dinner each day. We were half-board, so didn’t have to bother with finding food on the island if we didn’t feel like it. This place has a definite backpacker vibe, was very laid-back, and the other guests were lovely and the first time we really spoke much to any other tourists during our time in the Maldives so far. The communal-style (gorgeous wood) picnic table was great and our co-tenants were fab. The breakfast options were Maldivian-standards (continental or local options) and very filling. The dinner though, is where this place shines. Seated outside in the small courtyard, each group (again, only three rooms) had their own table and the food was brought out in a very family-style sharing setup. We had rice, noodles (‘spaghetti’), salad (cole slaw) and grilled fish, followed by a fruit plate. On Friday we got lucky and got to partake in a complimentary beach side dinner, followed by traditional Maldivian music and dancing. Y’all…it was absolutely amazing and something that J and I won’t soon forget.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The Thundi Guest House was only available for some of the days we needed, so we moved after a few days to the Kinan Retreat. Off to a rocky start, our hotel room wasn’t great so we had to move (freezing cold water in the shower), and the new room was smelly and didn’t feel as nice. The staff doesn’t have a strong level of English so communication was difficult, and the place is closer to the Island’s Mosque, so we heard the call to prayer throughout the day much louder than at Thundi Guest House. They don’t provide shower gel, shampoo, or anything really other than the room and towels. That’s the bad. The good… the hotel felt brand new, slightly more upscale in general, and has a nice and airy seating area in the front part of the hotel, looking onto the beach. The view definitely saves this place, and the sound of the ocean’s gentle waves tumbling onto the beach were an unexpected and fab bonus. I’m glad we experienced both the Thundi Guest House and Kinan Retreat on Fulidhoo, though, as they both offer totally different experiences. Thundi’s guests seemed very laid-back and younger, whereas Kinan’s guests are either groups of a few people or families with children.

    There were a few (two, to be exact) general stores on the island which we ended up visiting every day to stock up drinks and mosquito repellent when we ran out. They sell basic snacks like cookies and candy bars as well as instant noodles, soda and water, and other random stuff. We kept going in there hoping a delivery with more options to choose from miraculously arrived, but alas it never did, so we continued to buy faux pringles, nuts, and cranberry soda.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    We originally planned to spend six days on Fulidhoo but after a few days there we got pretty sick of it (which feels weird to get sick of such an amazing place), so we cancelled the last night in our hotel and hopped on the Ferry back to Maafushi. We didn’t really have a plan of where to go, but I spent 30 minutes calling around to various hotels on islands near Maafushi until I found one that would come pick us up from Maafushi by boat, and take us to our next island Rihiveli, for a reasonable price (ie, less than the $400 everyone else seemed to be charging). And like some of the best experiences in life, totally unexpectedly, we found ourselves on a tiny dingy heading away from Maafushi to Guraidhoo. And I am so glad that we need, but not for the reasons that you’re probably thinking. Keep reading part 5 to hear about it!

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    Part 5: Guraidhoo

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Like I mentioned in part 4, me and Jonathan were pretty fed up with Fulidhoo; we weren’t overly impressed with the people, the Kinaan Retreat was good on paper but in reality was kind of annoying with the hideous smell in the bathroom and the noisy guests (the hotel was full during our stay) so we decided to gtfo and packed our bags with the quickness and checked out. Kinaan staff graciously did not charge us for the night we cancelled, and I called around (a lot) to track down a hotel that would a) come pick us up from Maafushi — where the ferry would drop us off — for a reasonable price b) arrange our speedboat transfer to the Rihiveli Resort, which was our next destination. I left this one up to universe, and the first hotel on Guraidhoo that answered the phone was Raakani Villas & Spa.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The owner answered straight away, and after I explained our situation, he immediately jumped into action and said he’d sort it out and to call him back in five minutes. When I did, he had already managed everything and simply needed to know what time he should have his boat in Maafushi waiting for us. Off to a great start with this hotel… that I didn’t even have a reservation in! Not only did we not have a room booked, I hadn’t even looked at the hotel’s photos, amenities, or reviews (turns out they don’t have any yet…) and just went for it. The Maldives had put us into such an easy going mood that we were pretty much up for anything. Turns out that sometimes just going with the flow, even when it’s totally unplanned, can sometimes really work out: we absolutely love this place!! The hotel we loved immediately, but the island took a while to grow on us, but I’ll get to that later.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    There was a pretty heavy storm during our ferry ride over to Maafushi, and when we arrived, the jetty was empty (unlike when we arrived into Maafushi the first time and all of the guest houses were waiting for there customers), and there definitely was no speedboat like we had arranged with the Raakani owner. So, we said goodbye to Arora and Mundy (our friends that we met at the Thundi Guest House on Fulidhoo) who were also on the same ferry, and waited. And waited. And then, I started to worry. I started realizing that I spoke to some guy on the phone who said that he’ll send a speedboat to pick us up, I don’t know his name, I don’t have a reservation in his hotel, and all I have is a cell phone number.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Right when panic mode was at 100% and I was pulling out my cell to call the number, my phone rang and it was the owner of the hotel letting me know that they guys had some difficulties because of the storm (duh of course they did because they only had a tiny boat…) but they’re on their way and will be there soon. When they finally arrived 15 minutes later, I understood what he meant: this was the smallest boat I’ve ever been in and I’m still not quite sure how we made it with all of our luggage, and four people on the boat, without sinking!

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    But made it, we did and I was so happy to be alive after the ten minute journey that I forgot to worry about the fact that I had no idea where we were going to stay and whether the hotel would be awful.

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    In the end, we loved it, even though the Island of Guraidhoo itself wasn’t necessarily mega impressive. So we decided to book an extra night at Raakani to just relax and hang out. The staff were sincerely some of the nicest people I’ve come across in all of my travels, and I am totally without a doubt sure that’s why we stayed and why we enjoyed our time there so much. While there was no beach directly out front the hotel, there was definitely an incredible view, where we saw fish jumping out of the water in the hundreds and birds swooping in to grab them.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Guraidhoo is a special place for a few reasons which I’ll try to capture in this post, but honestly you have to experience it to understand. The island itself is supposed to be bigger than the other islands in terms of population but it felt tiny. I must have seen about twenty local residents, and even fewer tourists. The population is supposed to be 1800 people but honestly, we really only saw about twenty locals out and about… no exaggeration. Then again maybe they were on vacation themselves on other nicer islands…! Not ones to be defeated, we hopped on a kayak to go explore the island from the water and that’s when things got real: this place you guys… that water… can you see how blue it is!?

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    This is when we realized that on a 14-day trip, taking a few days off on an island that didn’t have a perfectly curated beach was no big deal. One of the things about the Maldives in general is that there’s not much to do other than swim, laze on a beach, and relax. But because we couldn’t really do that in Guraidhoo, we explored. We walked around the island. We checked out the nearby mini-island connected to Guraidhoo by foot bridge. We wandered around and tinkered about the local shops. We hung out at the Raakani. We read. We relaxed. We just enjoyed ourselves with no pressure to do anything other than just…chill. Notice a common theme here?

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    One of the things that I spent time researching prior to our trip was the availability and niceness of the tourist bikini beaches that each island had to offer. I was all about doing a budget trip but not at the expense of seeing gorgeous white sand beaches and getting that paradise vibe. Guraidhoo does not have one of those gorgeous bikini beaches like the other islands, but paradise it still manages to be. The view from the Raakani hotel is breathtaking as you look out onto the sea from the top floor balcony, and the sun shines gloriously into the windows of the door throughout the day.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    When we went exploring on our kayak, we went all around the island, goofing around, playing in the mini-waves, and paddling around to the Holiday Inn which is very close (pretty much on Guraidhoo itself). Then in a moment of pure wonder we stumbled upon…A BEACH!! A white side, little stretch of sand, but a beach all the same! Because we arrived late in the day, when we originally explored the tide was low and the ‘beach’ area looked absolutely gross. All the water had receded, and all was left was muddy, rocky, pools of grimy looking water. So we never came back, not realizing the transformation that the area would take if we came just a little bit earlier, and went a little bit farther. I didn’t take many photos, and even this one doesn’t do it justice but you get the idea. A real, sandy white beach right on that tiny little unsuspecting island of Guraidhoo. So they officially have everything it takes to be a true ‘beach vacation’ destination.

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    I’m not gonna like, Gulhi, Fulidhoo and even Maafushi all had nicer beaches than Guraidhoo. But… if you have enough time to go exploring and you happen to be within easy reach of Guraidhoo, then I recommend it. No, you probably won’t spend a 2-week holiday here, but it’s worth a pit spot for sure. If only to stay at the Raakani hotel, and enjoy their view, their ridiculously kind and generous staff, and their gorgeously designed rooms. We felt refreshed and invigorated when we hopped on our familiar tiny boat on our way to Rihiveli, and that is exactly what makes for a perfect vacation destination.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    As for lodging, I can say without a doubt that Raakani has the best location on the island (though there are some nice stretches of sand on the opposite side, they aren’t maintained yet and when the water recedes it looks pretty ugly). I’m all about reserving hotels on booking.com, both for ease and assurance that I will probably not get scammed if I carefully read reviews. We booked directly with the Raakani hotel however and we got a much better rate, and I felt better giving all our cash to the hotel instead of giving a cut to booking.

    This unexpected destination on our itinerary was such a lucky outcome, that we definitely did not regret. If you’re like us and want to break up the monotony of your eat-beach-sleep routine with a bit more adventure, then Guraidhoo is for you.

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    Part 6: Rihiveli Resort

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Rihiveli, Rihiveli… where to begin. I’ll begin with our arrival. I questioned for quite some time whether it’d be worth it to fork out the cash for a resort on a private island. The thing is, I’m no spend thrift… anyone that’s ever seen my shoe collection knows that I’m not afraid of spending money (not always a good thing…). I place a very strong value on the money I spend, though, and have a strong allergy to overpaying for things that simply aren’t worth it. I was determined with this trip to not go crazy with the budget (like I usually do for hols like this), but decided that I couldn’t justify a trip to the Maldives without at least a teeny splurge at the ‘best French resort in the Maldives’. A bit of history about the Rihiveli resort and why we chose this as our splurge. The original owner (who is French) saved some Maldivian soldiers in a shipwreck and as a thank you, was granted a resort license for 10 years by the Maldivian government. The concept of Rihiveli is meant to be entirely eco-friendly, and everything is designed to respect the local environment. The place is relatively small with only 48 bungalows, and definitely feels like the peaceful haven it was designed to be. Each bungalow (Ours was ‘Bismass’) has its own hammock (albeit now the typical Maldivian ones!) and beach chairs, and you’re provided with gigantic lush beach towels. Our bungalow was located on the back of the island, near the restaurant and I have to say we got really lucky! It felt deserted the other bungalows were spaced far enough out that it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.comMaldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The first thing to keep in mind is that the arrival to any private island resort can cost an arm and a leg, as transfers from the airport are usually arranged directly by the resort and are either speedboats of seaplanes. Since we were traveling to other islands before our final stop in Rihiveli, logistically this proved to be quite challenging to get there without having to go all the way back to the airport and then getting a boat all the way back to Rihiveli. I’m no logistical expert but I knew that made no sense, but in terms of time and cost. When Ahmed at the (amazing) Raakani hotel in Guraidhoo agreed to help us sort a speedboat to Rihiveli for a very reasonable fare, we just at the choice and found ourselves…yet again on our favorite little blue dingy. It got the job done though and as we got to the jetty at Rihiveli we could tell the welcome staff could barely hold in their laughter at the sight of our tiny little barely afloat boat. But instead of paying $250 to get there, we paid £38 so I had a nice little chuckle to myself and hopped off the boat ready to see if this whole private island stuff is worth it. Hint: it is. it totally is, in every way.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.comMaldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The first thing you’ll notice when you get to Rihiveli is that the place is beautiful, everything about it is beautiful. The water is clean and clear and warm, the sand is somehow magically always freshly raked, and each bungalow is simple yet luxurious enough. The sunrise view from our Bungalow was one of the best we’d seen in the Maldives, and being alone first thing in the morning watching the sun come up through the clouds… I had definitely stopped thinking about anything else other than the total beauty of my surroundings by this point, and the thought of heading back home to London was the furthest thing from my mind. Vacation objective = accomplished.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    Our first day there was spent exploring the island, taking the free kayak out to explore the two islands that also belong to Rihiveli. They have snorkeling trips twice a day, free water sports like kayaks, snorkeling gear, surf and paddle boards, and even catamarans…! All for free, and accessible to anyone at any time. The group activities are posted right outside the Water Sports Center, and there’s enough to keep even the most activate vacationers happy.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.comMaldives on a budget | seefoodplay.comMaldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    There are two food options on the resort, either the restaurant (which is ridiculously expensive at something like $130 for two) or the bar. We never tested the restaurant and opted for the bar food as it was delicious and much more reasonably priced. The food was very good and the drinks were cold and cheap, so no regrets there! It’s also the only place you can even have a remote chance of getting a wifi signal, and is overall a place to hang as there’s a pool table and some other games and is generally just the lounge area of the resort if you want to relax.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.comMaldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    There was a happy hour every evening we were there on the huge beach out front, where certain cocktails were served on the outdoors bar pictured below, and we could sip drinks while watching the sunset.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.comMaldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    The grounds were immaculate, and the overall vibe at Rihiveli was just… to chill.

    We only stayed at the resort for three nights, but it was totally worth both the logistical headache to get there without paying a fortune, and the cost of the resort itself. Like I mentioned, we wanted that resort feeling without paying the resort money. After hours and hours of research, Rihiveli sounded like a great option. At only £178/night (plus tax, of course) we definitely got what we were looking for. And no Maldivian trip report is complete without sharing a few shots of this bird which we saw everywhere: the Grey Heron.

    Maldives on a budget | seefoodplay.comMaldives on a budget | seefoodplay.com

    I haven’t found any other resort in the Maldives that can offer such a setting at such a reasonable price. If you don’t opt for the meal plan which in our opinion was not worth it, then you can have a very reasonable vacation in a truly mind blowing setting. If you’re like us and what to mix it up, then including Rihiveli as the luxury leg of your trip, then you almost certainly won’t be disappointed.

    Part 1: The Basics

    Part 2: Maafushi

    Part 3: Gulhi

    Part 4: Fulidhoo

    Part 5: Guraidhoo

    Part 6: Rihiveli Resort

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  • New Year’s Eve 2016: Milan & Bergamo (Northern Italy)

    New Year’s Eve 2016: Milan & Bergamo (Northern Italy)

    **Updated March 2018**


    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    This post has been in my ‘drafts’ folder for so long, mainly because there’s just so much to say that it was tough to finally sit down and put together this post. Simply put, I already knew that I love Italy, but I now love Italy in the Winter! ❄ ☃ Milan is a great cold weather winter travel destination: less tourists, great food, super cosy. So, if you are wondering if we loved our New Year’s trip to Northern Italy, then the answer is a resounding yes. If you want to know why, then keep reading!

    Jonathan and I were looking to get away for a weekend during the holidays, to a destination that wouldn’t be too far away or expensive, since we were in money-saving-mode (for another personal project which I’ll write about very soon).

    As usual I used all of my cheap flight search tips and tricks and came up with a short list of destinations, primarily based on available flight times and price. I’m always down for a trip to Italy and hadn’t been to Milan in ages, so…Milan with Vueling Airlines was the winner. Off we went for four nights in Northern Italy (31 December – 4 January) for NYE 2016!

    Day 1: December 31st (Milan, Italy)

    We arrived pretty early (around 10am), so came straight into the City and dropped off our bags at our hotel. The hotel wasn’t central, but it was right across from the Buonarroti metro station, which is just a few stops away from lots of major tourist spots. The hotel was a bit old and somewhat dated, but for the convenient location, great price (£143 for two nights), and friendly staff, it was more than decent. The room was comfy, there was a cute reading area, and we got great sleep while we were there.

    Hotel Tiziano
    Via Tiziano, 6, 20145 Milano, Italy
    Phone: +39 02 469 9035

    Despite the early wake-up, I was in tourist-mode and ready to make the most of this trip (as opposed to our usually  very laid-back travel style…), so we headed right towards the Duomo area. Pretty much right away, we realized that we were very under-dressed and were freezing our asses off…! It was hovering around 1 degree celsius, and we were coooold. We aren’t winter travels pros, and it was clear that we could have been more prepared. Walking around for more than 15 minutes straight was out of the question, so we ended up inside the covered Gallery shopping area, right across from the Cathedral. If you want to hit up some of the luxury shops in Milan, then this is definitely the place to be! All of the major brands are there, and it’s quite beautiful, especially during the holidays with all of the Christmas decorations.

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    Even though it was freezing and we couldn’t take full advantage of just wandering around, the Christmas decorations and decorated Christmas tree in the shopping area were gorgeous. There were of course tons of tourists, since it was during the holidays but really the whole atmosphere was festive and felt like the holidays — everything we were hoping for. We stopped into this very chic spot for a sneaky hot chocolate and brekkie for me. Let’s just say: one of us complained the whole time about how expensive it was, and one of us reveled in the absolute luxury of it all. I’ll let you guess which one was me and which one was Jonathan 😉 Savini’s is absolutely lush and if you want to splash out on a a hot chocolate or cappuccino while touring the city during the colder months, then this place makes it almost worth the cold.

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    Restaurant Savini
    Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
    Via Ugo Foscolo, 5
    20121 Milano – Italy

    At this point, I was on the brink of frostbite, so we headed back towards the hotel and did some pre-game shopping of prosecco and other aperitivo supplies. We listened to music, had a hotel-room picnic, then headed back out into the cold to go see what Milan had to offer for NYE. I’m not going to beat around the bush: the evening was whack. lame. not fun. eventless. Now I am sure that there are fun parties in clubs around town, but we weren’t really looking for that vibe. We wanted to be out in the major spots, reveling with the locals, and drinking prosecco in the streets. What we ended up doing was going to the over-crowded square in front of the Duomo, watching small groups set off dangerously-close fireworks, followed by the most anti-climactic NYE countdown I’ve ever seen. All while we were serenaded by the loud Italian rock band that was on the nearby stage. We tried to have a good time, but it just wasn’t happening so we hopped on a bus and went back to the hotel. Jonathan and I both agreed that Milan for NYE was a let-down. Luckily, things really got better after Day 1!

    Day 2: January 1st (Milan, Italy)

    We weren’t exactly out partying all night, so we woke up pretty early and went out exploring. Lots of things were closed due to the holiday, so we headed to the Navigli neighborhood which was vibrant and lively. We walked around before getting too cold and hungry before finally settling on an amazing little restaurant which was just about to close… glad we got a table because it was delicious!

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    Once we warmed up, we wandered around the canal area, enjoyed more Christmas decorations and the overall festive vibe. It was an interesting area to hang out it, and the sun was finally shining a bit so we didn’t feel as frozen. Well, we were less frozen.

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    Once we’d wandered around long enough, we headed back to our ‘hood and were ready for dinner. It was late and New Year’s Day, so we of course struggled to find anything open. After googling/tripadvisoring/calling a bunch of places only to get busy signals or voicemails, we decided to venture out and just look for something open. I should point out that the Buonarroti neighborhood is fairly residential, so I think we really got lucky finding the Donati restaurant. They were open (it was after 10pm at this point) and the food was sooo good. The service was excellent, and the place was just perfect and cozy for a cold winter night, especially since our hotel was right down the street. The food of course was fantastic: Jonathan had seafood pasta, and I (of course) had spaghetti pomodoro.

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    Ristorante Donati Milano
    Viale Cassiodoro, 4, Milano MI, Italy
    Phone: +39 02 4331 9047

    Practical information:

    Getting around Milan is very easy using the Metro & bus system, taxis and Ubers. We took the metro from the Milan Malpensa airport into town very easily, and were able to navigate around with just a downloaded metro map on my phone. We are big fans of Uber and taxis, but we were trying to keep travel costs as low as possible, so we took full advantage of Milan’s metro system. You can view a map of the Milan metro system here. The tickets can be purchased from machines with “ATM” written on them, and sometimes you can pay by debit/credit card, but most of the time you’ll need to use cash. Here is a great guide explaining in detail how the Milan Metro works: http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/how-to-use-the-milan-metro.html

    Day 3: January 2nd (Bergamo, Italy)

    Up early (yet again), this time to pick up the rental car (to my delight: a red Fiat 500L), we then headed about 40 minutes outside of Milan to our next destination: Bergamo. We chose the Devero Hotel mainly because it wasn’t too far from everything we wanted to visit, and it was listed at a great price (£138 for two nights). Turns out, we absolutely loved this place! It seemed to cater mostly to business travels, which is probably why the place was so empty (over the holidays), and we definitely made the most of our time there. This place was perfect as a base for exploring the area: free parking, a lush cocktail bar, a fantastic restaurant, nice and cozy, and there was even a spa. Needless to say, we loved it! The only downside is that it was very hard to find if you’re using a GPS; the address of the hotel takes you to another place (nearby, but 5 or so minutes away).

    Hotel Devero (Largo Kennedy 1, 20040 Cavenago di Brianza, Italy)

    Slightly better address:

    Via dei Chiosi, 5
    20873 Cavenago di Brianza MB, Italy
    GPS coordinates: 45.580321, 9.416177

    Once we checked-in to the hotel, we headed straight back out for lunch to the adorable Bergamo area. This was by far the highlight of the trip for me: the village in the winter was spectacular and even magical, and we got lucky because it snowed! It was the perfect atmosphere for a wonderful lunch at the amazing La Tana restaurant. You know how sometimes it’s cold and snowy, and all you want is a nice, hearty meal in the North of Italy in a cozy spot with a fireplace? Well the next time that urge comes over you, drop everything and go here! This place is perfection. We had several courses but the highlights were these handmade ravioli and the bresaola (pictured below).

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    La Tana  
    Via S. Lorenzo, 25, Bergamo BG, Italy
    Phone: +39 035 213137

    After lunch we braved the cold and took in the sights and it was well worth it! The downside is that it was really too cold to truly enjoy because we didn’t have warm enough coats and boots, so we only stayed for a few hours before going back to the car. The scenery really was magical though and I would come back (with warmer clothes) in winter in a heartbeat.

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    The village was lovely, there weren’t many tourists, and we were able to just wander around and take it all in. We came by car, but it should be noted that the touristy bit is a protected zone and only authorized vehicles can go inside. If you miss the signs indicating Zona Traffico Limitato (ZTL), then you might be in for an upleasant surprise in the form of a fine! No need to worry though – there’s parking all along the perimeter.

    After a long and cold day out touristing in Bergamo, we spent the evening at the hotel bar and restaurant: margaritas, margaritas (the pizza), then dinner at the Hotel’s restaurant: Dodici 24. All amazing. We ended up eating in the hotel’s restaurant a few times, mostly because it was convenient but also because it was really (really) good. We were pretty chill at this point and just wanted good food in a comfy setting.

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    Day 4: January 3rd (Bergamo and Varenna, Italy)

    After breakfast we made our way to towards Italy’s Lake District and I just have to say: this was such a highlight of the trip!! The drive was gorgeous and again, a great time to visit the region as there were very few tourists and the weather made the area beautiful and everything seemed a bit mysterious. I had doubts about going during this time of the year but I can’t recommend it enough. Even though it rained, snowed, was dark early and even cloudy, it didn’t make me love it any less.

    We stopped in Varenna to look out over Lake Como and the views were absolutely stunning. There was just so much charm in each little village we stopped in. You know how you go to a place and you want to go mega tourist and take photos of literally everything?? That’s how I felt here and the 300 photos I took are proof…!

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    Day 5: January 4th (Milan, Italy)

    We had a 9am flight back to Paris, so our 5th and last day in Milan was just returning the rental car and heading to the airport. The stress of getting gas before returning our rental car was no joke though, so if you find yourself in our position, take heed: the station doesn’t open until 7am (despite having automatic pumps) and you can only pay with an Italian debit card or cash. If you need gas early, best to fill up the night before!

    Even the flight home left us feeling totally charmed: gorgeous winter morning with stunning views over the mountains.

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

    All in all, this was definitely one of the most memorable long weekends I’ve ever had. Maybe because it lived up to everything I hoped it would, despite the mediocre NYE in Milan. Northern Italy is gorgeous in the winter and if you rent a car and just go exploring, you certainly won’t be disappointed. Granted, you won’t find the vibrant colors of summer, but you’ll see a different side of the usually-touristy Italy. So bundle up and take advantage of those off-season airfare and hotel deals – I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as we did!

    New Years Eve 2016: Northern Italy - Milan & Bergamo: | seefoodplay.com

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  • Restaurant review: Picture (London)

    Restaurant review: Picture (London)

    Restaurant review of Picture - London | seefoodplay.com

    A couple of months ago I made an online restaurant reservation using Opentable and although the reservation was fine, I immediately regretted giving them my main email address because I was getting multiple emails daily advertising new restaurants, deals, and special promotions. Right when I was about to click the “unsubscribe” link, one of the restaurants on the mailing caught my eye… probably because it started with “free cocktail…” so I took the bait and clicked. After all, I’m always down to try out a new restaurant especially since we are still getting our bearings in London.

    The Tripadvisor reviews looked promising, and the deal seemed pretty good at £35/person for a six course meal (not to mention the free cocktail 😉), so I went for it. Spam email marketing for the win!

    After a 35-minute Uber ride across town, and despite the fact though we arrived 10 minutes late, the hostess was friendly and welcoming as she led us to the perfect little table in the back corner of the room.

    The dining area is quite small and the tables are relatively close together, but we were pleasantly surprised with the atmosphere, which was comfortably cosy, not too loud (which seems rare in London restaurants…) and was perfect for a casual yet romantic dinner.

    I should point out that I usually stay as far away as possible from “tasting” menus because I’m really not an adventurer when it comes to food, and there are a few things that we don’t eat at all, no exceptions (like pork). But we threw caution to the wind and settled in for Picture’s tasting menu.

    The courses were as follows:

    1. Winter vegetable velouté
    2. Roast butternut squash, aubergine, quinoa, yogurt
    3. Caramelized onion ravioli (substitution)
    4. Grilled sea bream, cauliflower, olive, capers
    5. 28 day agend beef, sweet potato, salsify and curly kale
    6. Chocolate mousse, poire williams, milk jam and amaranth popcorn
      +cheese plate for me (because desserts ain’t really my thing)

    Restaurant review of Picture - London | seefoodplay.com

    Once we were seated, our waitress promptly brought over the free cocktails that got us in the door to begin with. It was an elderflower bellini (I think!) and it was absolutely perfect. I would have ordered a second one, if we hadn’t already pre-gamed at home with Jonathan’s famous margaritas, followed by a round of Ti punch. Hey, it was Saturday night… don’t judge.

    Restaurant review of Picture - London | seefoodplay.com

    When the velouté came out I knew we were in good hands at Picture: it was flavorful and rich, with a roasted garlic and nutty flavor which immediately set the tone for the meal, and tasted exactly as an autumn soup should.

    Restaurant review of Picture - London | seefoodplay.com

    The next courses were brought out in just the right pace by the extremely attentive wait staff. The roast butternut squash followed the velouté and it was pretty good, though probably my least favorite of the six courses. The yogurt sauce was divine though and gave it a much-needed flavor boost, so we both cleaned our plates.

    With the next course, though, things got real. The only substitution we made was for the smoked pork, and we were glad we did! The substitution was homemade ravioli with caremlized onions and it was easily my favorite part of the meal. As soon as I took the first bite, I knew this was going to be the highlight of my night for me. Caramelized onions are often nauseating after only a few bites, but these were perfectly balanced and added just enough flavor, without totally taking over the dish. That sauce, though, was the real highlight. It was creamy and flavorful, perfectly accompanying each forkful of the light and fluffy ravioli.

    Restaurant review of Picture - London | seefoodplay.com

    The sea bream was perfect as well: perfectly cooked, served with the right amount of sauce and veggies. This course was very, very nice but not mind-blowingly incredible. I think the bar was just too high after that ravioli…! Top marks for presentation, though, which was gorgeous!

    Restaurant review of Picture - London | seefoodplay.com

    The last savory course was the 28 day aged beef (bavette) and here’s where things get tricky. First of all, I reallllly don’t like bavette because it’s often tough and doesn’t have that buttery texture of ribeye or filet. Jonathan, however, loves bavette. When this course arrived I thought this would be without a doubt our favorite course: the meat was perfectly rare served with sides that I love. And I did love it – it was tender and the flavors all came together nicely, which was the perfect way to round out the meal. Jonathan, on the other hand *hated* it! He didn’t like the texture, didn’t like the flavor and was all around pretty disappointed. I can only think it was because the beef did have a particular flavor (not sure if it was the meat itself or from the grill) but that’s exactly what I liked about it.

    Restaurant review of Picture - London | seefoodplay.com

    The last course was the dessert (or cheese plate for me) and it was fab– chocolate mouse, which was not-too-rich but nice and creamy, and the cheese board was just the right quantity and the three cheeses were lovely. The only complaint would be the crackers: neither of us liked them, and a piece of bread would have really been much nicer.

    Restaurant review of Picture - London | seefoodplay.com

    Both of us enjoyed a nice glass of wine with our meals: Jonathan went with a Montepulciano but I went with a Sancerre. Needless to say, I had wine-envy (like I do every time I go for a white instead of a red…) but both were fine.

    So for around £100 total for two people, we had two welcome cocktails, two six course tasting menus, two glasses of wine and an extra cheese plate. All in all, it was a great deal. The food was beautifully put together and it felt like a dining experience as opposed to just a regular night out to eat. The atmosphere at Picture feels cosy and just a little bit fancy, without feeling pretentious or snooty. While this would be a great choice for a slightly-casual romantic evening out, I wouldn’t necessarily go here for a romantic special occasion (like an anniversary) as the tables are probably a little too close together for that. The other diners weren’t really dressed up, so it didn’t have that “celebration” feel to it. If you’re looking for a more understated dining experience with a an impressive and fancy meal, however, then this is your place!

    The waitstaff were absolutely perfect, too: they were unobtrusive yet always seemed to swoop in and out with great timing for each course, were multilingual (Jonathan got to practice his French 😊) and gave great recommendations for the wine.

    All in all, Jonathan and I both agreed that we loved Picture and thought each course was seasonal, innovative and well-balanced. The quantities were perfect, which tasting menus often struggle with, and the price was definitely right at £35/person. Don’t hesitate to check them out to see for yourself — you won’t be disappointed!

    Picture Restaurant
    110 Great Portland St.
    London, W1W 6PQ
    Tel// 0207 637 7892
    Email// info@picturerestaurant.co.uk

    Online reservations

    Monday – Saturday 12pm – 2:30pm / 6pm – 10:30pm
    Sundays Closed

  • Venice: trip report

    Venice: trip report

    Venice trip report | seefoodplay.com

    This trip report has been in the making for quite some time because there’s just so much to say about this amazing place! Earlier today, I was going through photos from our Italian Adventures in 2014 and came across the most-recent trip: Venice in August. Seeing all the gorgeous colors and reminiscing over the delicious food… I knew it was time to publish our trip details!

    Jonathan and I decided to head to Italy to celebrate our 1-year anniversary for a couple of reasons: First, um hello… Italy!? That’s reason enough. Second, Italy is where we jetted off to right after the wedding on our “mini-honeymoon” (because our Hawaiian adventure wasn’t until February) and Third: Um… Italy. Needs no real reason — just go! We are obsessed with Italy and go pretty much whenever we can. Venice wasn’t really an immediate choice, though, because I’m always pushing for us to head to Tuscany where the weather is gorgeous, the food is amazing and the wine is some of the best in the world. Ultimately though, we decided on a destination that neither of us has ever visited, but that we’ve always dreamt of seeing some day. So we booked the tickets months in advance, and counted down the days until it was time to head to Venice for our anniversary weekend getaway!

    Overall opinion: Venice was much more magical and unique that I expected it to be. I’ve always wanted to visit, but didn’t really know what to expect other than lots of bridges and canals. We don’t usually travel in high season in Europe, but since we got married in August, we didn’t really have a choice since we wanted to be away to celebrate our anniversary. So, end-August in packed Venice it was! There were moments when we felt like sheep being herded through the major tourist spots, but other times when we felt like we were in an almost-abandoned city. The major roads were crowded pretty much all day, but as soon as you tucked into a smaller path a little off the main streets, it was almost like being in a totally different city. Venice is, to say the least, a very mysterious-feeling place. We knew there’d be tons of water but it really is a city floating on the sea, and it leaves you with a certain sense of wonder.

    Venice trip report | seefoodplay.com

    If you can only make it to Venice during peak tourist season, don’t let that put you off – it was manageable and it’s easy enough to find a few secluded spots to enjoy the city. I can imagine it must be more enjoyable to go during the shoulder seasons (June or September), don’t hesitate if you’ve only got time off in August. We’ll go back during the off-season next year and I’ll be sure to let you know how it compares 😉

    What to eat: Perhaps I should preface this by saying that we love, love…like really looove Italian food. We are in Italy often enough to really appreciate a good pizza or a fabulous plate of pasta, so we were really looking forward to discovering what Venice had to offer. Overall I have to say, we weren’t really wowed by what we ate during our trip. It might have to do with the fact that there were so many tourists that the quality suffered, as restaurants tried to turn as much profit as possible. I mean… it was still Italy, so the food was still very good, just not great (with the exception of one place).

    Venice trip report | seefoodplay.com

    Where to stay: We were in town for a total of 3 nights/4 days, and decided to spend the first two nights in San Marco and the second night (for our actual anniversary) on one of the nearby islands. There were a few reasons for this, but mainly it was because we arrived around midnight on Friday night, so wanted someplace we could easily get to late at night, directly from the airport.

    Our first two nights were reserved at the Ca’ dei Dogi hotel, and overall we had a pleasant stay there. I wanted to love this place, but it didn’t totally live up to our expectations. We only had a few requirements for our first place, but they were surprisingly hard to meet. We needed a place with a late check-in (because of our post-midnight arrival time), we wanted something easy to access from the airport after midnight, and we wanted something modern-ish and not the typical kitschy old Italian hotel room.

    The Tripadvisor reviews for this place are pretty incredible: 5-stars with over 500 reviews. Maybe that gave me unrealistic expectations? We chose the apartment on a higher-level floor because we thought we might cook (we didn’t) and because it seemed like an overall better deal than other room options, in terms of size. The apartments are not actually a part of the hotel, but right next door (I think? It wasn’t quite clear, but they have separate entrances). The apartment itself was nice and was indeed very modern – they were recently remodelled. The mattress was terribly uncomfortable, though, and we couldn’t wait to get out of there and into the bed at the next hotel: the Marriott. We had to buy extra shower gel and shampoo, as they only provided tiny little packets, which weren’t nearly enough. Lastly, because our apartment’s windows were on the street-side, we were waken up pretty early with people milling about on the street below, accordion players, and general street noise. Definitely a down-side. The location of the Ca’ dei Dogi was fantastic and was an excellent base for our first two days of touring the city, so no complaints there. We didn’t really know which area to choose, but being so close to the San Marco and San Zaccaria water bus stops turned out to be extremely convenient. Many of the reviews boasted very helpful hotel owners, but upon arrival, the receptionist was a young guy who knew pretty much nothing about the area, and was even unable to help us find anything that might be open for a snack. It turns out, there’s a small pizza joint literally 3-4 minutes away that’s open all night, but we only found it after wandering around searching for food for about an hour. The next day the owners mentioned that if we needed tips, to make sure to ask them and not the night staff. So, keep that in mind if you have questions! Overall, the owners truly were really nice and the apartment itself is nice, clean and modern, but I probably wouldn’t stay here again. I get the feeling that hotel offerings in Venice must be hit or miss, given the extremely high Tripadvisor rating this place has. Or maybe we were just unlucky?

    Ca’ dei Dogi

    Price: €208/night
    http://www.cadeidogi.it/
    Corte San Scolastica 4242 Castello
    30122 Venezia, Italy

    What we were really excited about, however, was our stay at the recently-opened (March 2015) JW Marriott hotel, located on a private Island about a 20-minute boat ride away from San Marco. The hotel is set on a 16-hectare plot on the Isola delle Rose, which makes for an extremely relaxing and peaceful getaway from the bustle of tourist-packed Venice. The complimentary private ferry from San Marco to the hotel is very easy, and timetables are conveniently located at the San Marco dock, at the hotel itself, as well as on their website. The rooms were extremely modern and decorated with neutral colors, and were adequately appointed with complimentary bottled water and fancy shower supplies. The rooms had the highest of high ceilings, which really made the room feel extra spacious and luxurious. The bed was fantastic, as you would expect from a Marriott, and we thoroughly enjoyed our one night spent here. The grounds are gorgeous, and you can definitely spend time hanging out there – enjoying the two pools, the rooftop terrace, the restaurants, and overall relaxing vibe on this cute little Island. There were a few issues, though, specifically with regards to the complimentary breakfast: it was absolute chaos! Seriously I’ve never seen a hotel breakfast so poorly managed. There was a major line of people waiting for tables, and people overflowed into the lobby seating area, scattered throughout with plates of food wherever they could get a seat. The breakfast staff were not the friendliest, although to their defense, I’m sure they were pretty stressed out given the mayhem. The breakfast itself was pretty good, though, and the champagne for mimosas made up for the initial stress of trying to actually get a table. Also, the made-to-order omelettes did not disappoint!

    Dining: We didn’t try out the supposedly-amazing Dopolavoro Dining Room, but instead went for the Cucina Daily Restaurant for dinner during our stay. The restaurant itself is in the main part of the hotel, and ultimately feels very casual and not cosy or really romantic at all. The lights were beaming down on me (literally, to the point that they made my forehead feel like it was getting a sunburn) and the ambiance suffered as a result. My food was far from memorable (literally, I don’t remember what it was) but I do recall that I was pretty disappointed. It was some sort of chicken dish, which was nice but not amazing. Jonthan’s food was pretty good, though again, no memory of what he had either…! I wouldn’t recommend the Cucina Daily Restaurant for dinner if romance is what you’re after, though lunch might be okay. If you’re going for romance, really, keep on moving – this ain’t it. We also tested the Sagra Poolside Bar, which was pretty cool. On the top floor of the hotel, you have a pretty sweet view over Venice in the distance. Even in the August heat, a nice breeze was blowing keeping us cool as we sipped our champagne and mojitos. The only downside was that wasps were in full-effect when we were there, and almost everyone spent their time swatting them away or uncomfortably sitting still hoping they didn’t attack. Incidently, only one of the waiters ended up getting stung, but it wasn’t reassuring so we quickly finished our drinks and got outta there. Without the wasps, the experience would have been fantastically perfect. Overall, the bar is lovely, the service was nice, and the little olives and snacks served with drinks were a welcome treat, and the overall experience was quite memorable.

    We really enjoyed our stay at the JW Marriott in Venice and if we could get a good deal next time, we would probably consider booking another stay with them. You really get decent value for your money (a great night’s sleep, a classy room, lots of on-site dining options, friendly staff…), and a few nice touches (like complimentary macarons and fresh fruit, as well as a Happy Anniversary welcome message) made our stay feel special… like we were celebrating something! At a nightly rate of €294, it wasn’t cheap but worth the splurge.

    JW Marriott Venice Resort

    Price: €294/night
    http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/vcejw-jw-marriott-venice-resort-and-spa/
    Isola delle Rose, Laguna di San Marco, Venezia 30133
    Telephone: +390412968111

    What to do: Venice is a city that is really meant to be explored and discovered, bit by bit. I think it’s a bit of a shame to try to “hit the major” spots there, because there’s so much to take in that you can easily get lost in ticking things off your muss-see list without actually taking in the pure grandeur of your surroundings. In that spirit, we just happened upon the Canal Grande, the Ponte di Rialto, and the Palazzo Ducale. Yes, they’re amazing, yes you need to see them if you are lucky enough to spend time in Venice, but no, you don’t need an extensive itinerary. We wandered around for hours on end, just exploring and getting lost. Now I should point out that I’m not usually that type of traveller, and I don’t usually enjoy walking aimlessly, but Venice is special and it makes you just want to get lost discovering all of the tiny little streets.

    Venice trip report | seefoodplay.com Venice trip report | seefoodplay.com Venice trip report | seefoodplay.com

    The only thing that we hesitated with was going to the Lido since we only had a few days in town, and we are so glad we decided to dedicate an afternoon out on the Lido di Venezia. It’s a city beach, so you can’t really expect to feel like you’re in the Carribean, but we absolutely loved it! The atmosphere is pretty chill – lots of sun beds and umbrellas for rent, but we just plopped our towels down in the sand near a rock, grabbed drinks from a nearby bar, and lounged around relaxing in the sun. Getting across from San Marco couldn’t have been easier; we just hopped on a water bus, using our multi-day pass. If we go back, I’d probably get up early each day to do the tourist thing, then spend the afternoons over there! City-break perfect for August, really. If you’re around when the weather’s nice and are hesitant like we were – just go for it!

    How to get around: Getting into Venice itself was very easy, despite arriving pretty late, around midnight. The airport is very small, so just look for a ticket booth selling water taxi tickets and grab a timetable. You can also take a private taxi, but research suggests the price is about 3-4x more than the Alilaguna water bus. The private taxi might be worth it if you arrive by day, as that must make a pretty impressive first glimpse of the city. By night, however, it just doesn’t seem worth it. One thing to note: the walk from the arrivals terminal to the water bus/taxi area is a decent distance, and took us around 10 minutes. Comfy shoes are a must!

    Venice trip report | seefoodplay.com

    We hesitated about 2 seconds before deciding that we would forego the whole Venetian gondola ride experience. They were extremely expensive (well over €100) and didn’t seem all that charming, to be honest. We might give it a try on another trip in the future, if we come back during a less touristy season. In the heat of summer, though, they just seemed like a super gimmicky tourist trip.

    Instead, we opted for the Water buses (vaporetti) which were awesome! You have the option of getting single tickets, or day passes, depending on how long you’ll stay and how often you plan to use them. We went with the 3-day passes, which were pretty convenient: we just hopped on whenever we were tired of walking, or wanted to visit an area of town a bit farther away. To be fair, we never really figured out the different routes and never really understood if were were on the best water bus for our destination, but it all worked out in the end. These ended up being an excellent value for our money, as we rode them a bunch of times, sometimes with no particular destination in mind – just to take in the gorgeous views. We often took lines 1 and 2, which took us right through the center of Venice.

    Venice trip report | seefoodplay.com

    When we weren’t water bussing around, we were able to navigate using our basic map and from time to time good ole Google maps on our phones. Venice is definitely not your average city and finding streets can sometimes be quite challenging. Things might look simple on a map, only to find that there’s a canal — with no bridge — instead of a street, so no way to get across to your destination. This happened to us a few times, but overall, we were happy to wander and get lost, so it wasn’t an issue for us.

    What to eat: Like I’ve already mentioned, we were not wooed with the food in Venice. Many of the places just screamed tourist trap, and not many places really pulled us in. Granted we didn’t spend ages researching, though we never do and it always works out… not so much, in Venice. My trip planning is usually around picking an area to base ourselves in, looking up a few can’t-miss things to see and do, and that’s pretty much it. Restaurants are tricky because if you only base your choices on Tripadvisor top ranking spots, then you miss out lots of other smaller unknown places, which are often just as good (or better). So we usually just wander around a bit, then find a place that looks good then double-check reviews just to make sure there are no “Worst place I’ve ever eaten” or “Stay away – horrible staff” comments. Well, this method didn’t realllly work that well in Venice, because most places seemed to have extremely mixed reviews, and the ones we picked were not really amazing. That said, we did stumble upon a few real gems, so all in all it did work out. If you’ve got any recommendations for Venice eats, then please send them my way because I would love to go back and get a second taste of what’s to offer.

    Venice trip report | seefoodplay.com

    Osteria Oliva Nera

    This place was a bit tough in terms of getting a table, but we were lucky in that we were able to get in right before the kitchen closed. Lucky us — the food was downright delicious! I ordered the lasagna, which is something I pretty much never order in restaurants because I only like my own (yes, I’m that much of a lasagna snob, even in Italy) but the owner mentioned that it was her own homemade recipe and that it might just change my mind. So I took her advice and I’m so glad I did. It was unlike any lasagna I’ve ever had, but in oh-so-good a way! Rich, full of buttery flavour, and complex… it was lasagna perfection. My lasagna recipe is very tomatoey (like most of my pasta recipes) and this one was a bit more creamy which I don’t usually like, but this was a game changer. I’ll be trying to recreate this very soon, so keep an eye out for that. Of course we also had perfectly-paired wine, and we shared a pretty gigantic piece of grilled lamb with roast potatoes. This place is not one to be missed if you’re in Venice, so don’t hesitate on this one. If you want to avoid disappointment, it’s probably best to book a table in advance – you won’t regret it.

    Castello 3417/3447 – Venice

    Open from Thursday to Tuesday (Closed on Wednesdays)

    From 6.30pm to 10pm
    Tel: +39 041.52.22.170

    Osteria Leon Bianco

    After walking around for over an hour looking for another restaurant that we simply could not find (seriously, even after asking people for directions several times), we were pretty starved and a little annoyed with trying to find a place for lunch, so we kind of just decided to try this place since it was open and had free tables. Now, I was already preparing myself for a mediocre meal; the place looked dead empty and the outside façade is a bit… uninviting. Once we got inside, however, we realized that you really can’t judge this place by the outside: they have an absolutely gorgeous charming little courtyard in the back. So we had lunch away from the busy square crowded with tourists, in a calm little oasis in a private garden. We had lovely cocktails to start, then had two big plates of pasta. My choice wasn’t extraordinary: spaghetti pomodorro, and if I’m being honest, was frankly disappointing. Jonathan’s seafood pasta looked divine, though, and he said it was excellent. Everything else besides my poor choice of pasta was above average, so this place gets a spot on my list of recommendations. Other tables had ordered various meats and they all seemed better than my pasta, so I’m willing to bet I just got unlucky. Check it out for yourself!

    Tripadvisor reviews

    S. Marco 4153 | Salizada S. Luca, Venice, Italy
    +39 041 522 1180

    Upupa Ristorante

    It was our last day in Venice, and we were really craving good pizza at this point. We ended up taking the water bus to the other side of town, then walked around visiting the area near the “Ghetto” until lunch time. Almost as if we were subconsciously guided by the Pizza deities, we found ourselves on a quaint little square near the Jewish museum and a pizzeria. After my standard quality check on Tripadvisor, I started to have serious doubts because the reviews were mixed as usual but a few mentioned the service was long and awful. Too hungry to give it a second thought, we sat down and ordered our favorite pizzas. The no-nonsense waitress served us (about 10 minutes later) exactly what we were hoping for: the best pizzas we had during our time in Venice. The dough was crunchy without being over-cooked, the sauce was rich and tangy and the cheese and toppings were perfect. For a simple meal in a quiet part of town, this place can’t be beat. The service was …normal. Not over the top to attract tourists, nor rude or hurried when we asked a few questions about the menu (and ahem… when I ordered my totally customized pizza). If you’re in the area, then don’t hesitate to try this place out – it’ll be well worth it. And if you’re not in the area, then you should be! It’s a great part of town, lots of cute little streets, and is off the beaten tourist path.

    Venice trip report | seefoodplay.com

    Tripadvisor reviews

    Campo Del Ghetto Nuovo | Campo Del Ghetto Nuovo, 30121 Venice, Italy
    +30 041 4764288

    Closing remarks: Jonathan and I travel to Italy (and in general) so much that we are often left with a bunch of travel memories that all blurb together, and no one place really stands out. Some places, we remember the food, other places, the adventures. Venice is definitely one of the places that left a mark on us. The food was good, but it’s Italy so that’s to be expected. There aren’t tons of incredible tourist attractions. The people were not particularly warm and friendly. There’s just something about the place that left us… wanting to return. I think it’s safe to say that Venice is a magical place to visit, and a place that I will definitely be going back to check out again.

    Venice trip report | seefoodplay.com