By Gary Walther
From the U.S. you can hardly fling yourself farther than the Maldives, a double chain of 26 atolls that begins 250 miles off the tip of India and extends south nearly 600 miles. From LA the islands are a 26 to 30 hour journey via Singapore; and from New York 19 to 24 hours via Dubai, thanks to the long layover (Singapore 9 hours and Dubai 5½ hours) on the return.
The atolls are actually the tips of extinct volcanoes and the islands themselves sandbars and coral reefs, the product of eons of wind and tide. It is a world of blue, the ocean and sky punctuated here and there by the low-lying islands—the highest spot in the Maldives is less than eight feet above sea level.
Since the early 1990s, the Maldives has seen an extraordinary rush of luxury resort development. It’s been a place where hotel brands have been intent on putting up “let’s-see-youtop- this properties.” For the traveler who is a connoisseur of resorts and remoteness, this is the place.
The Deal: This is the bad news: There isn’t one. The Maldives is a break-the-bank destination: up to about $8,000 per person in Business Class and about $26,000 in First Class (and those fares don’t include taxes and fees).
Reducing the Cost: Here are four ways
- A 2-for-1 ticket in First Class: It’s available on Emirates through the American Express International Airline Program at about $23,964 or about $12,000 per person from NYC. The only downside is the 5½ hour layover in Dubai. British Airways also offers a 2-for-1 via its Visa card (current offer expires Sept. 30). The best way to use the offer is for First Class tickets ($19,200 or about $9,600 per person from NYC). Major downside is that the flight for the Maldives leaves from London Gatwick and most flights from the U.S. arrive at Heathrow—requiring transfer in-between airports. Both BA and Emirates offer lower advance purchase Business Class ($5,939 per person on BA and $7,500 per person on Emirates from NYC) than 2-for-1 Business Class fares.
- A Round-the-World Fare (RTW): Why go halfway when you can go all the way around the world and make some stops en route. From the U.S., RTW fares start at $8,880 on Delta (SkyTeam fare) and at $5,299 on Singapore (a separate ticket to the Maldives might be required). See last month’s issue (page 7) for more details on RTW fares.
- Break the Fare: This is airline-speak for buying two separate round-trip tickets to a destination. It can be done in many different ways, but the most economical one from New York is to break the fare in Delhi. Kuwait Airways has a Business Class fare to that city that starts at $2,900. From there to Male, the Maldives capital, is $800 in Business Class on Air Lanka, the flag carrier of Sri Lanka. The major drawback is the number of stops (three: Kuwait City, Delhi, and Colombo). Good alternative routings include London and Frankfurt.
- Miles and Cash, Breaking the Fare: Get as far as you can using your miles, such as Asia, Europe, or India—because mileage availability to the Maldives can be limited—then buy a ticket to the Maldives. This can radically reduce the cost.
Logistics: The hurdle is the crushing layovers. Taking Singapore Airlines involves spending a day in the city. Taking Emirates means staying up half the night. In both cases it’s worth booking a room in or at the airport to get you through.
For your first two nights at least, book a resort that is only a boat ride, not a plane-ride, away from Male. Two good choices: Soneva Gili and the Taj Exotica, both about 45 minutes away by boat and both top-flight.
Where to Stay
Soneva Gili: Known for its enormous over-water villas, some only reachable by boat, that look as though they were designed by a Robinson Crusoe with an architecture degreSONEVA GILIe. The Private Reserve is a 15,000-square-foot villa with a spa suite and a slide into the pool.
Taj Exotica: A long, slender island with gorgeous beaches. Overwater rooms are clustered along an elliptical boardwalk and have plunge pools. Excellent spa and jump-to-it service. I actually had a waiter who came out to the beach in the middle of a rainstorm—I was sitting it out under my umbrella—to ask if I wanted another drink!
One & Only Reethi Rah: Has some of the most beautifully designed overwater villas and public spaces anywhere. This is silk-slipper, not barefoot, luxury. The idea is that even though you’re on the edge of the world, you should have whatever your heart desires, even an Armagnac from the 1950s.
Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru: Way out there in the Baa Atoll, about 45 minutes by seaplane from Male. On land or over-water, you have a compound, not just a room.
Four Seasons Explorer: One of my most memorable Maldives experiences, a three-deck, 11-cabin catamaran that makes three-, four-, and seven-night voyages from the Four Seasons Kuda Huraa. The ship gets into the nooks and crannies of the Maldives and is especially suited for divers.
Soneva Fushi: A great barefoot luxury experience. The island is large (138 acres), offering lots of beaches-for-two with great infields of coral. You get around on balloon-tire bicycles. The Asian-fusion Me Dhuniye restaurant is superb. It felt like summer camp for worldly people.
Huvafen Fushi: The only (as far as I know) underwater spa treatment rooms in the world, sunk in 26 feet of water, a great place to watch the piscatory promenade. The island is small, but rooms are well designed and if you book one of the two Ocean Pavilions, you get part of a pool in the living room.