Is Maldives the right location for your next travel?

There are lot of factors that one needs to consider before making an international travel plan. If you have been considering Maldives, let me break this down for you to help you in your planning.

1. VISA

VISA is a critical factor that travelers tend to look at while planning for vacations. Since the VISA process and requirements are overbearing for the first world countries, travelers tend to choose popular tourist destinations which offer Visa on arrival.

If your passport has a validity of six months or more then you would be given a free VISA on arrival for 30 days (which would be 90 days for Indian passport holders).

2. Flight Options

Maldives has an island airport and with good air connectivity to popular airports in Asia and Middle East. So if you are flying from elsewhere, you are likely to have at least a one stop layover in one of these locations.

If you are an Indian traveler, don’t be deceived by the airline ticket budget as this would be a small fraction of your overall travel cost.

3. Attractions

Unlike other tourist destinations, you have less touristy stuff in the form of monuments or places to visit in Maldives. The main attraction are their resorts, most of which are located on an exclusive island surrounded by pristine beach and sand bank. You can look at the images below to get an idea of how beautiful the resorts are. 

   

Also, if you love the beach and scuba diving or snorkeling, this place is a must visit. However, if you are looking only for water sports or sea excursions, Maldives might end up being an expensive option.

Pro tip – Plan you stay in such a way that you stay a few days in regular BNB hotels in Hulhumale or other large islands if you are looking to do water sports or sea activities (scuba diving, dolphin spotting, island hopping, submarine, etc) at lower prices – resorts can be really expensive. 

4. Budget vs Luxury

Now that we have discussed VISA, flight options and attractions it is very important that you factor the most important decision making factor, which is the cost of your vacation.

The best way to enjoy Maldives is to be lavish in choosing your resort and also loosen your wallet when it comes to ancillary spends. This is because there are certain experiences which are unique to Maldives and it’s a one time experience if you were to view it so.

My recommendation would be you reserve a trip to Maldives for later if you are planning to do a budget trip. However, if you are still looking to put your foot on the map then I would suggest you base yourself out of one B&B joints in the populated islands and do day trips to the island resorts.

While this post is an easy decision making tool for choosing to visit Maldives or not, I request you to read my next post to understand better on how to choose the best resort in Maldives to make your experience better.

Trident, Udaipur

We stayed here on the last day of our trip to Udaipur. After having decided not to over spend on palace hotels, this was our attempt to experience a lake-side, yet relatively affordable luxury stay. (I am sure that's a lot of oxymorons together)

Hotel Category - Five Star
Location - Udaipur

Service

The Oberoi Group (of which Trident is a part) is known for endearing hospitality and this was evident not only from the care and affection extended by the front office staff, but also the pleasant surprise they had waiting for us when we entered the room after a small site seeing; they took the cue from our discussion during checkin when we mentioned we were here as part of our honeymoon and had the room decorated with baloons and a heart shaped creating using bath towels, To top that, they had a delectable chocolate cake ready to be sliced. 

Mr. Mahi from the front office, his deputy and the F&B manager require special mention for making our stay a very comfortable one. They also extended their support in suggesting places to visit and restaurants to try in the city during our stay here. 

Room and Facilities

It's a large commercial hotel with over 137 rooms. What this also means is, there are going to be a lot of people buzzing around and this hotel might not be the best option if you are looking for a quaint and private space. 

Our room had a brilliant lake view, but when I look back I tend to think wasn't the lake a distant mile away from the room? Is that worth the premium I paid? Also, the room was compact sized and comparable to a business class hotel you find in Tier I cities. 

For the positives, the room had flawless hygiene and had good quality bathroom essentials. 

Location

The hotel shares its compound with the ultra premium Oberoi Udai Vilas and is easily accessible when in the city limits. 

Food

We had only their buffet breakfast and it was easily the best breakfast we had during the trip. While there may have been a few failed dishes, the lavish spread made up for it. 

On a summary note, the hotel has everything going in it's favor if you are looking for a commercial/quasi business class hotel. While the same may not be the recommendation if you are in the city for a holiday, their outstanding hospitality is BIG enough reason to revisit. 

P.S - used my Citibank premiermiles credit card points to part fund the room booking cost. 

Essentials for a Luxury Vacation to the City of Lakes - Udaipur

If you are planning your travel to Udaipur there are several questions you would like to ask yourself. To make your job simple here are some struggles I went through in making the plans:

1. How many days?

Well, everybody you speak to or every place you research would tell you that you don't need more than 3 or 4 days to fully cover Udaipur. 

While that might make sense if your target is only to cover the city, visiting nearby places of interest (Ranakpur, Kumbalgarh, Mount Abu and Chittorgarh) could make your trip a longer one.

An ideal vacation would be for 3 to 4 days if you are looking to get a comprehensive feel of the city and its culture and a day or two each for all nearby places of interest. 

2. Where to stay? 

The biggest question one needs to answer is the kind of vacation they plan to have. Especially given that Udaipur has some of the country's most premium hotels - it might be worth considering them:

Ultra Luxury Hotels (priced INR 40-60k per day range)

a. Oberoi Udai Vilas

b. Taj Lake Palace - Heritage hotel located in the middle of Lake Pichola; there are no options to even dine here unless your staying with them)

c. Leela Palace 

Other Luxury Hotels (priced in INR 10-25k per day range)

a. Trident (part of Oberoi group)

b. Fateh Prakash Palace
c. Lakeend

d. Lalit Lakshmi Vilas
e. Shiv Niwas Palace

Other Hotels - Just search on trip advisor and you would find a decent number of options across all price segments. Interestingly, the city has palace styled hotels in all price segments.

3. How to get here?
For travelers from Chennai - it is likely that you would have to stop over at Mumbai/Delhi if you chose to fly.

Not discussing train routes here as I am no authority on the same.

In my next few posts, would talk about my experiences - hotel stays, places visited and dining sessions; stay tuned for more

Fern Meluha, Mumbai

Star Category - 5 Star (Ecotel)
Location - Powai, Mumbai

Stayed at this hotel during my last visit to Mumbai and checked in late after a long day of meetings. To my pleasant surprise they upgraded me to a junior suite room and that was the first of the many memorable things from the stay here. 

Location

The hotel is located in the heart of Powai and is also close to commercial establishments in the locality. 

Given my desire to explore the neighborhood when I am in a new city, this hotel was perfect for a small dessert and dinner sojourn. 

Room & Facilities 

When you get more for what you pay, you are more likely to be impressed. That is clearly my views about the stay here and junior suite room is perfectly designed if you are carrying work back to the hotel. 

I stayed up late to work and watch the Indian wrestler bring us the first medal and that was the perfect icing to the stay here. 

On to details, the room had a study, two tv's, a cloak room, a mini bar counter and very comfortable and cozy king-sized bed.

Pricing

They are priced slightly premium and having stayed at similar priced properties in other parts of the city, this was definitely among the ones I found most comfortable in many ways. Hence, it could be considered necessary premium. 

Food

Had a quick breakfast and did not have enough time to do justice to their breakfast spread. 

But what little I had, found it just above average. However, would definitely want to have a more elaborate meal next time. 

Service

The staff were extremely courteous and the check in process was hassle free. 

On a summary note, a hotel stay I enjoyed and one I would surely want to revisit: 

Fern Meluha, Mumbai

Star Category - 5 Star (Ecotel)
Location - Powai, Mumbai

Stayed at this hotel during my last visit to Mumbai and checked in late after a long day of meetings. To my pleasant surprise they upgraded me to a junior suite room and that was the first of the many memorable things from the stay here. 

Location

The hotel is located in the heart of Powai and is also close to commercial establishments in the locality. 

Given my desire to explore the neighbourhood when I am in a new city, this hotel was perfect for a small dessert and dinner sojourn. 

Room & Facilities 

When you get more for what you pay, you are more likely to be impressed. That is clearly my views about the stay here and junior suite room is perfectly designed if you are carrying work back to the hotel. 

I stayed up late to work and watch the Indian wrestler bring us the first medal and that was the perfect icing to the stay here. 

On to details, the room had a study, two tv's, a cloak room, a mini bar counter and very comfortable and cozy kingsized bed. 

Pricing

They are priced slightly premium and having stayed at similar priced properties in other parts of the city, this was definitely among the ones I found most comfortable in many ways. Hence, it could be considered necessary premium. 

Food

Had a quick breakfast and did not have enough time to do justice to their breakfast spread. 

But what little I had, found it just above average. However, would definitely want to have a more elaborate meal next time. 

Service

The staff were extremely courteous and the checkin process was hassle free. 

On a summary note, a hotel stay I enjoyed and one I would surely want to revisit: 

Sahara Star Hotel, Mumbai

Star Category - 5 Star
Location - Ville Parle, Mumbai

Was on a business trip to Mumbai and had checked into this hotel for experiencing their luxury.

About the Hotel:

A beautiful property centered impressive lagoon theme. Given my brief stay here, I was not able to experience/use much of their common amenities like spa, gym and swimming pool. 

Below pictures are the night and day views of the lagoon from the room

Recommended for: 
Business travelers and those looking to stay close to stay close to Chatrapati Shivaji Aiport (Domestic Terminal/Terminal 1)

Pricing (8/10)

The room tariff's were relatively well priced when compared to other airport hotels. I made a reservation through Agoda for INR 7300.

Hospitality & Service (4/10)

Walked myself to the front desk and there was absolutely no hospitality offered to sail through the check-in process or for carrying luggage to the room. The front office staff found an opportunity to dump the room farthest from the elevator on me (considering it's a circular shaped hotel, the room I was initially allocated was a good mile from the elevator). After cardio intensive trip to the room I rushed all the way back to the reception to get the room switched. Thankfully, this time around I was attended by a staff who was kind enough to offer a room closer to the elevator.

The staff mentioned about their free airport pick up and drop for 'domestic' flights. The moment I mentioned T2 (Jet's domestic flights fly from Terminal 2), there was silence - indicating the revocation of the offer. I wanted to get it clarified anyways and when asked was told no such facility will be provided for Terminal 2.

Room (Facilities & Comfort) (9/10)
The room was a moderately spacious one and each room has an attached balcony facing the lagoon; the lagoon is one of the wow factors of the hotel and occupies the central area of the hotel's circular layout. Key room facilities include: a mini sofa and table, well stocked mini bar, study/work table. The room I stayed in had a bath tub and a separate glass enclosure for shower.

The facilities were top notch and the unlike the usual excessively soft beds you find in a few hotels, their mattress was just what I was looking for after a long tiring day.

 

Food (4/10)

The breakfast at Earth plate was a disappointing one despite their huge spread. In simple words, it was quantity over quality.

On a summary note, the room and facilities were impressive but the hospitality and food was underwhelming.