Amazing holiday deal: 7 Nights full board in the Maldives for £599!!!

vibe666

I'm stunned that we managed to get this.

Just booked it yesterday and I don't imagine it'll be around for long.

There's several departure dates in June (check the web link), we're going right at the end of the month. If you're like me and always wanted to visit the Maldives but never thought you could afford it, this is the trip for you.

http://www.markstravel.co.uk/offerdetails.asp?oid=629

Maldives
Biyadhoo
Full Board 3 Star
Price From: £599

Dep Date: 01/06/2008

We're delighted to bring you another fantastic holiday deal to the Maldives which is EXCLUSIVE to Mark's Travel and represents huge savings of upto £200 per person off the standard price on this fast selling deal. All June departures are £599 per person full board for 7 nights which included flights and transfers with no hidden charges. See below for more detail.

This offer will is selling fast and must be booked by noon Tuesday 29 April.

Highly Recommended!!

with the current exchange rate it's about €750 from Gatwick + about €100 inc. taxes via ryanair or aerlingus (ryanair looked to be much cheaper till we got past the point of no return, but it's about the same after all their hidden taxes and we wished we'd gone with aerlingus now for the extra luggage weight. don't say I didn't warn ye.

with it being full board inc. drinks (inc. most spirits) etc. we're expecting it to be about €1000 all in per person for the week.

I checked the page on the island resort on Trip Advisor and all the traveller reviews are almost all very positive about the place. basic rooms (but with aircon and very clean) and not much to do unless you like sunbathing or watersports, sailing, snorkelling & scuba etc. (one of the best house reefs in the Maldives, or so they say) and the food is very good although samey after 2 weeks, but for a week it'll be grand. they also say that the staff are very welcoming and will bend over backwards to ensure you have a great stay.

I'll see you there!

unklerosco

Looks sweet... Must see about getting the time off. Might see u on the plane. ;-)

co_co

Oh yeah,
so sweet trip!:)

Soarer

The 14 night deal for £789 is an even better deal, especially since it's fullboard!

We were there on our honeymoon last May (not this island, Rangali), and the place is stunning. So much so that herself wants to go back there again this year for a holiday! She gets depressed everytime she thinks about it!:rolleyes:
This could be the best way out of it for us. Cheers vibe.

P.S. Will definitely be the end of the month for us too. The whole island will be boardsies!:D

fletch

OMG I've always wanted to go there. I'm sick as I'm just back from 2 weeks in Egypt so can't really afford it.

AdMMM

What exactly is full board?

Soarer

From what I know, it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, all soft drinks and local alcoholic drinks included.

Could be wrong about the drinks. Definite about the food though.

vibe666

all meals and drinks (inc. most spirits) bed, breakfast, lunch and evening meal (at the restaurant).

there's also bar food, burgers etc. and they do a beach bbq with steak and lobster and a dinner boat trip too i believe, but you have to pay extra for any food other than your 3 squares a day in the restaurant.

general opinion on trip advisor tho is that the food is of a very high standard and only gets repetitive after towards the middle of the second week.

Soarer

@ vibe666. On the Marks website it mentions the "flight times are a guide only, and can alter slightly on some departures".
How did you get around this?
What's putting me off a bit is the time the flights arrive back into Gatwick. If it arrives any later, the connecting flight to Dublin will be missed.

I suppose the best way around it is to book a night in London. But I'd prefer to get home to my own bed.

nice1franko

we're going for 2 weeeks

yeeeeeee haaaaaaaa

vibe666

nice1 nice1franko!

when are you going? we're out on the 29th June for one week. we both (me & g/f) couldn't get enough time off for 2 weeks, so we had to stick with just the one.

forgot to mention the flights back, that was the other reason for ryanair, about 15 mins later than aerlingus on the last flight home from the UK, but still cutting it tight.

for the chance to go to the Maldives tho we figured it was worth the risk. we might make it, we might not, depending on the actual flight time back, but it's worth the risk imho. worst case scenario, we have to kip inthe airport for the night or get a b&b nearby and get the next flight home in the morning.

one of the things that was mentioned was that if you're pre-disposed to reacting to mizzy bites, you might be in trouble as there's a lot around. some people have said that the jungle formula is enough to keep them away as well as citronella candles and incense etc. in the room, but it's something to plan ahead for.

just have to see if we need any jabs or anything now before we go. we were in thailand a few years back so we've had most stuff done already. just depends on if we'll need a top up or not I guess.

I REALLY REALLY can't believe I'm going to the Maldives!!!! :D:D:D:D

nice1franko

i'll miss ya so... we're going on the 8th june.

ah it's going to be great. snorkellin, fishin, drinkin, lovin, atin, drinkin, I can't fuppin wait!!!

nice1 vibe666!!! quality bargain alert - I owe ya a pint or 3!


edit- still have to sort out the flights to london and back. just waiting on the confirmation from them first and i'll sort them out

Soarer

vibe666 wrote: »

one of the things that was mentioned was that if you're pre-disposed to reacting to mizzy bites, you might be in trouble as there's a lot around. some people have said that the jungle formula is enough to keep them away as well as citronella candles and incense etc. in the room, but it's something to plan ahead for.

just have to see if we need any jabs or anything now before we go. we were in thailand a few years back so we've had most stuff done already. just depends on if we'll need a top up or not I guess.

Little mosquito things. Don't know how bad they are. Our island was sprayed every few days to keep them at bay. Don't think this is the norm though.

As for jabs, didn't need any so doubt if you will.

Grawns

Am very tempted. Himself hates flying though. Any idea how long flight is?

Mountjoy Mugger

10.5 hours according to site.

vibe666

thanks Soarer, good to know.

I was fine when we were in Thailand, tiny little yokes there too, hardly even big enough to see compared to the ones here, but the g/f's leg came up like half an orange from one bite.

once we got the jungle forumla repellent tho and some citronella stuff in the room we were grand.

might see about getting a mozzy net for the bed tho before we go, all the same.

osmeone's recommended taking a decent lilo too, so I guess we'll have to find them somewhere too.

anyone who plans on snorkelling or scuba diving should try and get at least a mask before they go in case the ones there aren't great.

my best advice is to try a few on, and just gently press each one to your face with hardly any pressure and then breath in slightly. if it's a good fit you should feel it grip your face and stay there. hold your breath to make sure it's a good seal and you should be grand.

EDIT: removed (with 100+ scuba dives under my belt and 6 weeks in a dive centre in Tenerife doing my PADI Divemaster course) cos it makes me sound like a total cock!

AdMMM

Was quite interested in this, but I was reading through the TripAdvisor reviews and as beautiful and as cheap as it looks and sounds, I don't think it'll be a place for me.

fletch

|.Murderer.| wrote: »

Was quite interested in this, but I was reading through the TripAdvisor reviews and as beautiful and as cheap as it looks and sounds, I don't think it'll be a place for me.

Why so? Too quiet?

wyndham

Maldives Republic Meteorology Department

Climate of Maldives

Maldives is located at the equator and experiences monsoonal climate. Maldives has two distinct seasons; dry season (northeast monsoon) and wet season (southwest monsoon). In these two seasons the temperature varies hardly. Northeast monsoon extends from January to March. Since Maldives consists of small islands and are surrounded by seas, hot days are often tempered by cooling sea breezes and balmy evening temperatures. Throughout the year, temperature remains almost same in the Maldives. However, daily temperature ranges from around 31 degrees Celsius in daytime to 23 degrees Celsius in nighttime. The mean daily maximum temperature for Central parts (Hulhule) of the Maldives is 30.5 degrees Celsius and minimum temperature is 25.7 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, mean daily maximum and minimum temperature for South (Gan) is 30.9 and 24.5 degree Celsius, respectively. Furthermore, mean daily maximum and minimum temperature for North (Hanimaadhoo) is 30.7 and 25.2 degrees Celsius, respectively. The highest temperature ever recorded in the Maldives was 36.8°C, recorded on 19 May 1991 at Kadhdhoo Meteorological Office. Likewise, the minimum temperature ever recorded in the Maldives was 17.2°C, recorded at the National Meteorological Centre on 11th April 1978. The wet season- southwest monsoon runs from mid-May to November. In this season Maldives experiences torrential rain. Central, Southern and Northern parts of the Maldives receive annual average rainfall of 1924.7mm, 2277.8mm, and 1786.4mm, respectively. The highest rainfall ever recorded in the Maldives with in 24 hour period was recorded on 9th July 2002 at Kaadedhdhoo Meteorological Office and amounts to 219.8mm of rainfall. The fact that the Maldives is located at the equator, Maldives receives plentiful of sunshine through out the year. On average Southern atolls (Gan) of the Maldives receives 2704.07 hours of sunshine each year. Furthermore, on average central (Hulhule) parts of the country receives 2784.51 hours of sunshine per year.

chabsey

Yeah was just going to post saying that the price is low cause it'll likely be raining, or overcast and very humid.

AdMMM

fletch wrote: »

Why so? Too quiet?

Kind of. If I went it'd just be an impulse holiday. I'd rather go on a holiday that's ideal for me, rather than a holiday that's cheap.

nice1franko

wyndham wrote: »

Maldives Republic Meteorology Department
The wet season- southwest monsoon runs from mid-May to November. In this season Maldives experiences torrential rain.

stop trying to wreck our buzz :mad:

Anyway, I don't give a bollix cos I'll either be diving or having fancy meals and drinks :cool:

Jimmy81

For anyone who has booked this, did the price of £599 include all the taxes and extras (if any?)
Looks like an amazing deal, no matter what teh weather is like!

nice1franko

yeah it included everything. also, re: the weather, this from tripadvisor:

The weather at this time of year can be a bit iffy as its still in the monsoon season - we were lucky but still had 3 days solid of practically hurricane weather. There aren't many 'wet weather' activities on the island if you don't dive, so just take something to keep you occupied if this happens. There is a table tennis table, and the bar! I was told by several locals that the weather pattern seems to have changed in the last few years in the Maldives - whereas June and July used to be the worst months for rain they seem to have been very sunny over the last few years. Nov and Dec, which were always considered to be guaranteed sunshine months can now be quite rainy. (I was in the Maldives last Nov and we had one properly sunny day).

vibe666

I'm not too bothered about the weather tbh, and I'd checked that on tripadvisor and there weren't many stories of people getting monsooned anyway, as long as I can get some good diving in and see some manta's I'll be happy. and it seems like it's peaceful enough too, which is another thing I'm looking for. I'm actually a big fan of tropical rain, it's very refreshing, especially if you're in somewhere like thailand sweating your tits off in a jungle somewhere and then the heavens open. nothing quite like it.

Anyway, I'm expecting a full report from nice1franko apon your return to civilisation.

the best dive sites, what to do, what not to do etc.

when are you back from?

we're off on the 29th June.

PIMPHO

Just booked it! Going 29th June! Chapow!!!

Can't fricking wait!!

See ye there! :P

vibe666

you will indeed mate, I think we might well have to have a few drinkies at the bar when we're there!

now get on over to the scuba forum and see about getting yourself an open water cert.

Oracle

Seems like a good bargain. About insect bites etc... the anti-histamine Piriton is good if you do get any bites, stings or skin allergies. Available cheap over the counter at most chemists.

yop

Its heaven there, spent 2 weeks there in 05. An Irish Chef too on our island, and a fricking copy of the RTE Guide in the little library there. put on about 10kg when I was there!!!
Heaven on Earth, except for the flights were a dog!! Shannon-Heathrow-Dubai-Sri Lanka-Maldives-Waterplane-speedboat total of about 23 hours from door to door

vibe666

wow, that's a bit severe. luckily for us this one is 11.5h from gatwick (or so i'm told) so it shouldn't be too bad. might flight back from oz was slightly longer than that tho with 2 stops, so i know where you're coming from.

a brief update on the trip, i was away over the weekend visiting family in the uk and my aunt had gone to the maldives on her honeymoon a couple of years ago, and she had recommended getting some US 1$ coins to use to tip people when you get there. seeminly they earn next to nothing and tips is pretty much what makes their jobs worthwhile and subsequently they'll really look after good tippers.

maybe not everyones cup of tea, but i'm always a fan of a bit of extra pampering for the sake of a couple of quid.

green123

vibe666 wrote: »

she had recommended getting some US 1$ coins to use to tip people QUOTE]

???

good luck with that

Dades

Looks like a good deal, lads. Just bad timing for me - would be tempted otherwise.
One thing about weather - no time of yr is guaranteed - so just fingers crossed.


Enjoy it whoever is going!

SteM

Looks amazing but what's the difference between All Inclusive and Full Board?

Soarer

Full board is bed, breakfast, and evening meals.

All inclusive is as above but with lunch, snacks, drinks, etc. included.

yop

+1 on the tipping, we left ours until the end, we had the same waiter for breakfast lunch and dinner. He was unreal. On our last night he knew we were on honeymoon, so he got us a special dinner, specially hand made from reeds table mats, special candles and the lot. He also made a "Happy Honeymoon" from stones and leaves on the ground outside our table.

There is also a "Bed Boy", this person, generally in their early teens will turn down your bed and give you room a little tidy every evening. He also scattered petals on the bed for the 1st two nights!

vibe666

green123 wrote: »

vibe666 wrote: »

she had recommended getting some US 1$ coins to use to tip people

???

good luck with that

how so?

Soarer

I think it's because dollar coins were mentioned as opposed to dollar bills.

Very witty when you think about it! :rolleyes:

TM

yop wrote: »

There is also a "Bed Boy"

That poet who likes Nepal will be booking so...

SteM

Soarer wrote: »

Full board is bed, breakfast, and evening meals.

All inclusive is as above but with lunch, snacks, drinks, etc. included.

This trip is marked as 'Full Board' on the website but the OP says:

with it being full board inc. drinks (inc. most spirits) etc. we're expecting it to be about €1000 all in per person for the week.

So drinks, snacks etc aren't included.

vibe666

Soarer wrote: »

I think it's because dollar coins were mentioned as opposed to dollar bills.

Very witty when you think about it! :rolleyes:

aha, that explains it.

never been to the US so had assumed that as a dollar is about 2/3 the value of the euro and 1/2 the value of the pound that there would be dollar coins floating around. actually the more i think about it, you normally only get foreign notes when you exchange currency, unless you're doing it into the local currency, so even if you did get dollar coins you'd be unlikely to be able to find them outside of the US anyway.

dollar notes it is then, thanks for hte headsup.

as for the full board/all inclusive thing, I was just going by what has been said on tripadvisor for that resort, so don't take my word as gospel.

tinkerbell

Yep full board just = breakfast, lunch & dinner. Doesn't include drinks at all.

All Inclusive includes everything. Drink is meant to be very expensive in the Maldives as well which is why many travel agents recommend you go AI as it works out cheaper and sometimes includes some watersports / boat trips to other islands, etc.

GG66

yop wrote: »

On our last night he knew we were on honeymoon, so he got us a special dinner, specially hand made from reeds table mats

Eating Table mats? Maybe the full board isn't all it's expected to be..

interlocked

The all inclusive deal is paid for on arrival, if you decide to go for it. Works out $31 a day or roughly €20,

I think I might just get my moneys worth out of that.:D

Thanks OP, woohoo,

Still available btw!

vibe666

yeah, just looking at another review and it looks like the all inclusive thing is an optional extra.

20€ a day for all inclusive?

I think we might be able to make that work, assuming it's all inclusive as much as you can eat/drink.

Did you book it then interlocked?

what date are you going?

thayes

Booked it for meself and the missus today as well. Seems they have got a good few booking from this forum! Going for 2 weeks on June 8th. Swineair flights to gatwick, got their €5 inc taxes fares for once, each way!
Hopefully we won't get bored after a week!
Thanks.

interlocked

Myself and a buddy are going out 8th June, no single supplement in June, so got separate rooms!

So myself . Thayes,and niceonemarko can have a Boards beers in Biyadhoo, now that's oneupmanship:D

BigglesMcGee

I spent 6 months travelling around the Maldives (very close to this resort) and south coast of India about 5 years ago. I'd love to go again.
Its one of the most beautiful places i have ever been. Spent the whole time diving (The rain doesnt matter when you're underwater).

Talking about rain - Just make sure you check the weather for your dates (you'll find very accurate monsoon predictions for your location) carefully before you book, because when it rains, man does it rain and for weeks at a time. Its not like the showers we get here. Its like someone flushed a giant toilet in the sky. It rains for 3 hours, then its sunny for 30 mins and and rain for another 3 hours. It is so bad you cant even sleep with the noise of it at night (I needed ear plugs, and i love the sound of rain normaly). At least its warm rain though and quite fun for the first couple of weeks.

If you're going for a diving holiday i recommend visiting several different sites. You can hire guys with speedboats to take you almost anywhere you want and they'll know the best spots.
You can also get them to take you to remote beaches where you'll be the only people on them. Bargain with them.

Bring sun cream with you as the stuff you get there is not good quality.

Good holidaying.

nice1franko

right, maldives next week...

snorkel: check

suncream: check

loads of beer: rang the resort, they said check.

anti-mosquito stuff: where's best to get this? Boots maybe?

toothbrush: check

am I missing anything???

thewools

Did everyone that availed of this deal use "Markstravel"

Was looking at some of their other trips and very interested, was there many extra costs etc?

For example what was the total for the Maldives trip... how much more than > £599

nice1franko

I used markstravel. there were no extra costs at all.

they just rang me there to let me know there was a slight change in times with the flights because they knew we were getting connecting flights so very good to deal with imo.

vibe666

wow, I'm really getting excited now and I'm so glad I had the forethought to start a thread too, it's nice to see so many other boardsies going as well, i'm actually quite chuffed with myself about it!

is anyone except me and PIMPHO going on the 29th June or is everyone else going earlier?

don't forget, full reports (with pics) and tips & tricks as soon as you're back.

oh, and as far as mosquito repellent goes, I went for the 3M Ultrathon as it's used by a lot of the militiary in the US & UK when 'working' abroad so it has to be pretty good.