Norwegian cruise, London, Bavaria and the Maldives

[Daver6]

And so it was time to leave paradise. Our UL flight, sadly in Y, only departed MLE at 9pm. We were booked on the last seaplane to leave the resort at 4:30pm. Based on this we planned to leave our room around 4pm (late checkout was given). At about 3:45pm someone called the room to see we were were. No one had bothered to tell us that our seaplane departure had been brought forward by 30 minutes. So a mad rush, checkout and off to the seaplane platform.

Now, I think I forgot to mention this, but the resort actually runs on a different time zone to the rest of the Maldives. They're one hour behind. We would have a good few hours to burn prior to check-in opening in MLE fro the flight home. We could have paid for access to the Conrad lounge by the seaplane terminal in MLE, but decided this didn't represent good value for money. I had a PP membership and there were a couple of air side lounges we could use.

So a short direct seaplane flight back to MLE. This time cruising as 6000 feet, it was much cooler and more pleasant. Our bags were taken with us to the main terminal. The hotel rep handled things very professionally and was full of useful advice for all. I'll pick this part back up later...

One of the many atolls were flew over


Coming in to land at MLE

Male from the air

 

[Daver6]

My thoughts on the Maldives and specifically the Conrad there. Firstly, it is an amazing place. It truly is like the pictures one sees. It also is incredibly expensive. I could not have afforded this if I had not used points to cover the accommodation. Even then, you still spend a lot of money. If you go there knowing this in advance (like we did), you'll be fine. If not, prepare for a heart attack.

The Conrad itself was again, beautiful and well thought out. We passed by some other resorts from both the air and on the boat to see the whale sharks. Some of the newer ones just look like one over water villa after another all lined up. The Conrad environment just looked better. Having said that, one can't really see into/onto the other islands from a boat, so it might not really be the case.

There were some small things that irked me. For example, in the rooms and at breakfast, there is filtered water provided for free. Yet at dinner, they won't make that available but will sell you some imported European water for a ridiculous price. The there were the various service issues we had. I was pretty peeved with the lack of update about the departure time of the seaplane. I spoke to others on the flight and they were informed in the morning. Service at this resort was just not as polished or at the level one would expect, especially given the prices.

Would I go back? I'm not sure. I've been there and done that now. It was amazing. I would love to do so again. If I was paying cash, I would more than likely check out a different resort. If using points, I'd aim for the Waldorf (although I've read of some serious service fails there too).

 

[Daver6]

So back to the departure. There were to PP we could use. One at the domestic terminal and one land side at the international. The Conrad rep said the domestic one was much bigger and better. He walked us and some other guest over. Unfortunately it was full and not taking more guests due to some domestic flight delays. No problem. We headed over to the international lounge. Calling this small would be an understatement. When we arrived there were just two other guests. It slowly filled up. There was a small sandwich menu you could order off as well as a few drink options. I can't recall if beer was available, but I needed to dry out anyway.

The sandwich was tasting and the staff were really friendly. The image below is from one corner. What you see is the entire lounge. There were toilets and a single shower available. I decided I'd wait to use the One World lounge air side for a shower.



So three hours before departure we left the lounge to go check-in. There is a security line and bag screening you need to go through prior to check-in. Thankfully there was a priority line too. However, I didn't to dig out a printout of our itinerary to prove we could use it as no boarding pass yet. Check in and security was quick and easy and off to the lounge. Realistically, this is the only lounge and all the airlines use it. Turns out there are no showers here. So don't believe what the OW lounge website says. Needless to say I was in need of a shower and less than impressed. Food options were ok. No alcohol in the lounge but plenty of seating.



Our flight to CMB on UL in Y was on an oldish A330. I don't think they have refurbished the seats since they left the factory. The padding was all gone and seats were pretty uncomfortable. The crew were friendly and the food tasty. We were served some kind of local sausage roll that really hit the spot. Short flight was uneventful.

 

[Daver6]

We headed for the UL J lounge in CMB which is apparently the best lounge at the airport. The lounge is pretty small, dimly lit and packed to the rafters. All I wanted at this stage was a shower. Thankfully the one tiny shower was free. It was close to midnight and we were pretty tired. While there seemed like a decent offering of alcohol and alright food, I really wasn't hungry. A few flights left and the lounge quietened down a bit. There is a quiet area in the lounge, but people were just talking on the phone there too.

We boarded and back in a more civilised place. Ie, champagne. I didn't eat on this short overnight flight. As soon as I could, I turned in and got some sleep before arriving early into HKG. The one time I wanted a slow flight to maximise shut eye, we make up time.

 

[Daver6]

With about six hours to turn in HKG, we headed for the Wing F lounge for a morning coffee.



After a bit of a relax it was time to freshen up. I was still pretty shattered from a poor night's sleep. I had a shower, followed by a short kip on the sofa while MrsDaver6 relaxed in the bath (and someone pressed my shirt).



We then went to the dining room for breakfast (obviously with champagne). Rather full, some exercise was in order so we walked down to the Pier F lounge for another champagne. The walk must have burnt off a lot of calories as it was time for some lunch in the dining room there. All rounded off by a relax in a day room.

 

[Daver6]

We boarded on time for a A350-1000 flight back to PER. This has the new version of the CX J seat and is a nice incremental improvement over the old one. Flight was uneventful and food was good.



Hey QF and NP....this is what a salad looks like. Notice the cherry tomato and olives!

 

[Daver6]

And like that, a rather amazing four week holiday was over. In some ways it went quickly and others seemed like we were away a long time. Writing this final bit now sitting isolated at home and without the prospect of future travel, I look back with very fond memories. As I said previously, Norway truly exceeded expectations. The country, the people and Hurtigruten. Seeing friends and family in Europe was special. And finally the Maldives. Wow. Really is a beautiful place with perfect weather, only let down a bit by the service side (or maybe my expectations were too high).

So that's it from this TR. My next would have been around the end of May, but I just found out two days ago that the Rockford paddle steamer trip has been cancelled. Will decide in the next few weeks if its still worth going to SA. If not, we have a few nights booked for DRW in August. Hopefully life will be back to normal by then.

Thanks for following. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions.

 

[rginoz]

Thanks for a very interesting and informative TR, Daver6. I've enjoyed very much following your trip.

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for an excellent TR. It was nice to see some familiar sites.

 

[VPS]

Thanks for the great TR - some fantastic photos from Norway

 

[craven morehead]

Many thanks for a very good TR. You covered some beautiful places.

 

[RB]

Fantastic report & agree with others re your great photos of Norway. The Maldives look great but not my style of holiday.

 

[Daver6]

I have to say, finishing the TR was a made me a little sad. It was like the trip ended for a second time

 

[ellen10]

Thanks for the excellent trip report. I especially liked your Hurtigruten segment and the beautiful pictures of Norway. That trip is definitely on my list!

 

[Dalescott]

Love the Norway part of your trip. This is now on our list for later this year ?? or next year.