Dubai en de Malediven

The day starts after another excellent breakfast, where Bene gets another specialty from the chef, specially prepared tuna with chapita, these are small pancakes that you tear off and then eat the tuna with, with a huge surprise when we get back to the villa. Our bed is covered with rose petals and strips of banana leaf with “Happy Anniversary” written with it. Whether the chef’s specialty was to gain time for this will always remain a question. We had said too much in that conversation with the chef housekeeping, but we really didn’t expect him to remember it and give an order for something like this. The rest of the day was actually a copy of most other days here, sitting on the terrace, drinking a cocktail or smoothie, reading a book and swimming a bit. Soon our last dinner here, and what do you know, they did their best here too, and then tomorrow at 05:45 Fathi will be at our door to pick up the suitcases because the boat to Malé leaves at 06:15. The flight leaves at 09:15. In the evening we land at Schiphol after a two and a half hour stopover in Dubai.

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This morning we packed our snorkel gear and after breakfast, we had ourselves taken to Gulhifushi Island. Transport between the islands is of course by boat. Between 7:00 and 23:00 they sail back and forth according to the offer of travelers. You never have to wait long for your crossing, it’s well organized! On the waters around Gulhifushi Island there is even more beauty to see while snorkeling than at our villa. We also saw the Big Four of the Maldives, if it exists, there. The stingray, the nurse shark, a turtle and a large group of dolphins. Really beautiful. The rest of the afternoon we lay on a beach bed in the shade on the island. In the evening we had dinner again at Aqua, the Italian restaurant. Tomorrow is already the last day.

Before we start repeating ourselves, here’s a helicopter view today. How do you like it now, quietly in one place, and being pampered, because that’s really what happens to us, pampering. In a few days at the same location, as mentioned before, we can easily get used to that. About the pampering, as mentioned in an earlier post, we have a personal host here, called Fahti, and we only have to kick and Fathi arranges it. Every day he visits us with the question what our dinner plans are, and arranges it. He also shows up behind us in his golf cart at the most unexpected moments and asks if he can help. In short, nothing but praise for Fahti. We joke among ourselves about the moment we close the door of the villa behind us, and the messages that immediately go about the islands, they are on their way, the villa can be cleaned, because that too has been taken care of down to the last detail. Yesterday at that beach party, the chef housekeeping came to ask if we had any points of attention for him, but we had to say that everything was perfectly arranged. In passing he mentioned that the king of Saudi Arabia had once rented the three islands in their entirety, and was very pleased with the team. And the king is not alone in that. Finally, a few more photos of a number of animals that swim around here, and that you can also encounter while snorkeling, but again, we do not have an underwater camera.

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After breakfast we took the boat to Dhigu Island to get a snorkeling equipment. After some fitting and explanation we can use this equipment for the remaining days. We took the boat back to our cottage and went into the water there. There is coral nearby and the most beautiful fish swim in and around it. (Disclaimer: The photos of the fish and the coral were stolen from a commercial of the Resort because we do not have an underwater camera) Special to see and do. We want to go to Ghuli Island one of the next days, which is a real snorkeling island, to see even more beautiful things there. Then we going to relax and read while enjoying a (non-alcoholic) cocktail. Friday evening is dedicated to a meeting for guests and staff on the island, while enjoying a snack and a drink. Each guest receives a sarong, which you are expected to wear that evening and you can keep as a souvenir. Afterwards there is a buffet with local delicacies and a band playing traditional music. Even though we don’t actually do that much here, the days still feel like they’re flying by.

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As expected, not much to tell today. The pictures say more than a thousand words. We got up, had an a la carte breakfast and then explored the island a bit. And oh yes, swam in the sea at the bungalow. Around 13:00 out of nowhere a monsoon rain that lasted about 10 minutes, and the sun broke through again. In the evening we went to the sister island Dhigu, where we had Italian food. Delicious canneloni and ravioli.

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Today is all about our flight to the Maldives. We make sure we have the 7:00 shuttle bus at the hotel because the flight leaves at 9:45. That all works out fine, and after a short delay we fly. The flight is again well taken care of. At Malé airport we are met by employees of the resort, and from that moment on we are pampered. We are taken to the atoll in half an hour by speedboat, where a band with local sounds and a coconut with a cocktail is waiting for us. Our personal host Fahti is also there and explains a lot while he takes us to our apartment in a golf cart. That is exactly how you imagine it in advance. We eat delicious local dishes in one of the eight available restaurants and are now exhausted in bed. Tomorrow we will explore everything quietly.

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Slept until about nine this morning. Then we had a somewhat hasty breakfast, because we had to be ready in front of the hotel at 10.30. A shuttle bus took us to the Dubai Mall. The second largest shopping mall in the world with a surface area of ​​more than 1 million square meters. After a first look and being amazed by the range of shops, mainly in the more expensive segment, we walked towards the Burj Khalifa. We can go therevia the inside. And thank goodness, because the temperature outside has already risen to 42°. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world with a height of 828 meters. We can take the elevator to the 124th floor at a height of 452 meters. The view is breathtaking and a lot of pictures are taken. On foot we also have the option to go to the 125th floor, which we do of course. This puts us at 456 meters above sea level. We descend again and decide to have lunch at Zou Zou, a Lebanese Turkish restaurant. We had a delicious meal there. After lunch we walk back to the ice rink. Yes, there is a real ice rink in this shopping centre in the desert. Special to see. There is also an aquarium and an underwater zoo here. We decide to take a look. When you enter, you walk through a tunnel through which the fish and sharks swim around you. With a boat with a glass floor we sail a lap through the aquarium and then we walk through the zoo. We see crocodiles, penguins, otters, iguanas and turtles. After seeing all this we have another coffee with something tasty and decide to go back to the hotel. It is now 5:00 PM. The Uber is quickly ordered and brings us quickly to the hotel. We relax a bit with TV, a book or puzzle book. We get ready for the trip to the Maldives tomorrow. Dubai is as special as we had imagined. Super clean and tidy. The people are very friendly. Only in terms of temperature we are really in the wrong period here. But we were warned about that in advance.

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We have breakfast and are picked up at the hotel by Basheer at 10 am. We booked Basheer from the Netherlands so that he can drive us in his air-conditioned car along the tourist places. Because it is very hot in Dubai, at the hottest time of the day it can be 43 degrees, which feels like 52. He first takes us to the old city where we walk through the Souks. Especially the spice and gold souks are spectacular. Then he takes us to the other side of the creek from where we have a beautiful view of the old city. Then we drive to Jumeirah Beach, Jumeirah is Arabic for beautiful and that it is. It is right next to the Burj Al Arab, the only self-proclaimed seven-star hotel in the world. After dipping our feet in the sea and taking pictures we drive back to the Jumeirah Mosque. This can be visited twice a day by non-Muslims, men and women, and you will also get all kinds of things explained to you. But before we go inside we share a lamb shoulder dish with Basheer nearby, delicious. And finally, via the Jumeirah Palm, man-made islands in the shape of a palm tree, and the Dubai harbour, we are taken to the Hard Rock Café where we say goodbye to Basheer and, after a delicious meal, take an Uber to the hotel.

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Day 1 is a complete travel day. Our flight to Dubai was supposed to leave at twenty to twelve in the morning, but because our neighbor on the plane was not feeling well, it had to be decided first, after some examination, whether she would be allowed to come along. This took so much time that we lost our time slot and had to wait an extra twenty minutes. All in all, this meant that we finally started the flight at ten to one. An otherwise quiet flight, but always too long. A plus was that the Formula 1 race at Monza could be followed via the Emirates entertainment system. At ten to nine in the evening we landed at Dubai Airport where the formalities went quickly. At passport control we each received a SIM card that is valid for 24 hours and contains 10 GB of data. You can of course extend this if you want. With the shuttle to the hotel, check in and have something to eat. And despite the fact that it was already half past ten here in Dubai, we had a delicious meal. Margreet a Biryani and Bene a Tikka Massala. We went to bed around twelve o’clock.

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