Enjoy watching. If there are questions, I will answer. Thanks
The flight was a Transaero company, a Boeing 747 with a Russian crew (round trip) from Domodedovo. The plane is big, a lot of people with small children flew with us (literally from six months), but the kids behaved well, ate and slept. The flight there was at night, the food was served twice (after climbing, at two o'clock in the morning and about seven, before landing), everything is quite edible. I managed to sleep on the plane. Departed and arrived without delay. We flew about 7.5 hours. We had e-tickets without seats, I highly recommend asking for a window seat at check-in! Landscapes before landing are simply unreal, I want to take a picture of everything : )
On the plane in the morning they will give immigration cards, you need to fill them out (it is possible later, at the airport, but they are handed out in advance so as not to waste time). No one really looks at them, they just put a stamp on passport control later. Check-in after arrival was quick. There are small shops at the airport (souvenirs, masks, tubes, sunscreen, etc. , but expensive, of course : )).
We got our luggage, went on, met a local young man with a sign "Teztur", who showed us where to go. At the counter of our company, they gave out envelopes with information about the hotel, country and a bottle of water (0.5 l). We sat for a while, waited for everyone and, accompanied by a Russian guide, Svetlana (who is constantly at the hotel), went by boat to our island (it took 45 minutes). On the way, we looked at the capital (the airport is on a neighboring island), the islands and flying fish that swooped in different directions from our boat : ) We were at the hotel around 11, the guide gathered us at the bar, everyone brought hot towels and fruit cocktails in misted glasses: ) Svetlana told about the daily routine, excursions, etc. , filled out guest cards and, accompanied by an employee, went to the rooms. Luggage was taken a little later. We settled in and had time for lunch : )
We have only positive impressions from the hotel : ) The staff speaks very decent English, with the simplest words or gestures, in extreme cases, you can explain yourself : )
We settled in a bungalow (Beach Front Room) of three rooms. The rooms are the same as in the photo on the Tez-tour website. The furniture is a little old, but everything is decent.
The houses do not have direct access to the beach, you need to go through the palm trees for 2-3 minutes : ) First, they settled in such a way that there were no neighbors (in the extreme rooms), then they filled the middle ones. Hearing is excellent. The room had air conditioning, mini-bar, bathroom with shower, telephone. No hair dryer or safe. Hairdryer, iron and board can be taken at the reception (about $ 2-3 per day). Safe - you can put documents and valuables for free. We did not use it, everything was in the room, nothing was missing. We left the cleaner a dollar tip, cleaned every day, changed the towels in the bathroom and beach towels too. Soap and shampoos have not been changed, though : )
The hotel was chosen because of three meals a day, they were afraid that the husband would starve : ) The food is excellent! Everyone has their own taste, of course, but we didn’t stay hungry, but we barely got up from the table a couple of times, we had to limit ourselves : ) Buffet, salads are not very diverse, but a lot of greens and vegetables (strictly speaking, greenish ones come across ). For breakfast - muesli, yogurt, main courses, pancakes, toast, jams. For lunch and dinner - the first (including vegetarian dishes). The second - two types of meat (more often beef and chicken), fish, garnish - rice, potatoes. Dishes were repeated only a couple of times in 10 days. Very tasty pasta, my husband was delighted : ) The dishes are often spicy, but interesting : ) Desserts are beyond praise : ) Pannacotta, soufflé , cheesecakes, mousses. . . Delicious! : ) Also - fresh fruits (papayas, watermelons, melons, apples, pineapples, passion fruit, something else).
Drinks for breakfast - no restrictions (tea, coffee, juice), for lunch and dinner - only one cup of black tea or coffee for free. Nuance: black tea from bags, they brew green tea, so they always pay for money : )
Every day, a free bottle of non-carbonated local water 0.5 l (per person) is placed in the room. There is a thermos in the room, also about 0.5 l, you can go to a restaurant with it, the waiter will pour boiling water, so take tea and cups with you, you can drink tea for free; )
A large selection of cocktails, the average price of alcohol is approx. $ 9, beer - approx. $ 5 (0.3 l). To all prices (on the menu, excursions, etc. ) you need to add 16% (10% - hotel services and 6% - state tax). You can pay immediately, you can before leaving. In the latter case, you will be given all the checks at once, along with the total bill. Payment by cash or card.
The import of alcohol into the country is prohibited, but people somehow manage : )
From all the houses to the complex of main buildings (reception, bar, restaurant) a maximum of five minutes on foot. When we were there, construction was going on on the island, but until we stumbled upon it while walking, we didn’t notice. There is a little noise next to the construction site, but a little walk - to the restaurant - and you can't hear it.
From the entertainment there was an evening show of local music and dances, the guys pulled the audience out to dance to the drums, it was fun : ) Also - a disco 2-3 times and live music (a local young man sang Maldivian and European songs with a guitar, sooo cool : )). Table tennis and billiards for free.
There is a diving and water sports center (canoe, catamaran, etc. ).
Tourists were taken to the neighboring island every day for free (it’s shallow there, you can swim yourself, depending on the water level : ) but the current is strong, and so that they don’t catch tourists from the ocean later, they carry : )).
You can take excursions, we went for a walk with dolphins ($20, if the dolphins don’t meet, then $10), we didn’t see them for very long, but it’s still great - they swim right next to the boat, jump : ) In addition, you can go to Male ($95), to local villages, to go fishing (the fish you catch will be cooked later for a fee).
People ordered dinner on the beach. They set the table on the sidelines, put candles, it’s very beautiful.
The bar has free Wi-Fi, the speed is decent, you can talk on Skype. There is a small library - tourists leave books : ), a souvenir shop (we bought there, we didn’t want to fuss at the airport). The store has some household goods (shampoo, sunscreen, hygiene items, swimwear, T-shirts, shorts, masks, tubes), but it's a little expensive, of course : )
Be very careful with the sun! The second day was cloudy, we spent the first half of the day on a neighboring island and did not use sunscreen, the result is my crimson shoulders and back and terrible burns on my husband, up to blisters. Therefore, products with SPF> 50 to start (especially with fair skin) and 30 then, even in water, especially when you swim with a mask. It is recommended to swim in clothes (long-sleeved T-shirt, shorts). Once, while snorkeling, I was bitten by a fish - she saw a mole and decided to clean me, apparently : ) A couple of times vacationers were stung by jellyfish. There were no serious incidents. First aid will be provided on the island for free, in serious cases they can be taken to a doctor (for a fee).
Be sure to take:
- a first-aid kit - you can’t buy anything on the island (we took Panthenol spray and antihistamines (tavegil), analgesics (after burns, everything came in handy together), enterodesis and smecta in case of a loose stomach (thank God, we didn’t use it), a band-aid, a disinfectant);
- mask, snorkel, fins (good house reef);
- hats;
- tanning products with SPF>50 for the beginning and 30 for the following days;
- insect repellant.
There are a lot of wooden sunbeds on the shore, the houses have foam mattresses, you can take it with you to the beach, lay it on sunbeds, you can just get by with a beach towel (everything is free).
The sea is very good, the water is of incredible color! Crabs run along the shore, at night we scared them with flashlights : ) Small sharks, stingrays and various small fish swim right along the beach. You can swim anywhere, but it's more pleasant - on the spit. The locals will show and tell everything : )
People write that you can take a knife, knock coconuts off the palms yourself and get milk : ) but firstly, they will notice - a fine, and secondly, they hang very high, it’s hard to reach : ))) Ask - they will prepare such a coconut for you, will cost approx. 4-5 $.
There are few insects on the island. They are periodically poisoned, but a couple of times someone has bitten. It is better to take insect repellant with you. Ants run around the number, three pieces will definitely climb in the evening : )
And also about the weather! The high season in the Maldives is in winter, in May - July, prices are lower, because rain is likely. We read about June that this is the month of storms : ) Therefore, we were very nervous before the trip. As it turned out - in vain! We were very lucky with the weather, it rained twice - at night. During the day it was more cloudy, but it didn’t stop us from getting sunburnt : ) There was a clear sky and the sun for a couple of days - and then the equatorial heat was felt with might and main : )
I would recommend this hotel to anyone who likes a relaxing holiday.
That seems to be all : ) Have a wonderful vacation for everyone! : )
The choice of the country and place of rest turned out to be random and fast. We planned to go to Egypt with a young man, but purely by chance I came across a tempting offer from Tez Tour to relax for 8 days in the Maldives with three meals a day for an inexpensive price - 80 thousand rubles. for two. I always wanted to feel what the ocean is like, swim in its transparent azure waters and find yourself on a small island with palm trees, such as in pictures on the Internet or wallpaper on your desktop.
After reading the positive and negative reviews about the hotel, after weighing the pros and cons, we purchased a ticket. We bought masks, snorkels, fins, march, sunscreen with a protection factor of 50, medicines...... and began to wait for the X day!
Since we do not live in the capital of Russia, we traveled by train to Moscow. Upon arrival in Moscow, they checked in their luggage at the Paveletsky railway station, because the flight to Male was at 0.20 and spent the day walking around the Red Square and the local surroundings.
In Domodedovo, they quickly passed the registration and began to wait for boarding the plane. After reading the reviews, they did not take alcohol with them, because. they thought that everything would be taken away upon arrival in Male. But knowledgeable people bought alcoholic drinks in plastic bottles and wrapped them in clothes, while others put them in laptops. And those who know everything worked out, they passed customs in Male without any problems!
Transaero flew a direct flight to Male on Bing 777-200. The plane was full of passengers. The flight went well, but it was very hard and uncomfortable to sleep. The monitors in the chairs didn't work, and the audio players weren't offered. Upon arrival in Male, the flight attendants handed out migration cards, which they tried to fill out with great care, but in the end such thoroughness was not required. We looked at the migration cards through our fingers: one half remains with the inspector, the second you take with you until the return flight, which will then be taken away.
Coming out of the plane, we were doused with hot and humid air. At the airport in Male, we were met by a girl with a Tez Tour sign, who, when we announced the hotel, sent us to the counter, where the longest queue of all gathered. After standing it, we were instructed to wait for a man with a Fan Island sign in the nearby Aqua cafe, where we settled in, ordering two mugs of non-alcoholic beer (beer in this cafe and cocktails are only non-alcoholic). 70% of those who arrived on our flight sailed to the Paradise Island Resort 5 * hotel, a total of 11 people gathered in our hotel. A man came with a sign Fan Island, quickly gathered everyone, and we rolled in a speedboat. We sailed for about 40 minutes, looking at the colorful houses of Male on the way, and then - various atolls.
Upon arrival at Fan Island, we were met by a young guy at the pier, all the suitcases were loaded onto a gurney and we went to the main bar. There we were met by one Maldivian with wet cold towels wrapped in a roll. We realized that we had to wipe sweat from the road with them and cool ourselves. Another Maldivian served us two chilled cocktails and asked us to fill out cards. All the staff at the hotel speaks English, but it is enough to know a good school level of the language, because. is no longer required. Russian is known a little by one curly guy at the reception and a couple of words like "spicy", "salty", "pasta" the cook in the restaurant.
After filling out the cards, the Maldivian took us to our room, talking in English about local rules and customs. True, later he gave a memo on sheet A4, where everything that he had told us before was written in Russian. We decided to see which room we would get, and if it didn’t suit us, then pay the money and change it to another one. We got the number to the right of the pier (numbers 126 to 101) at number 109 almost at the very end. Everything suited us. True, in the reviews of other vacationers, we read that it is better to have rooms closer to the spit (that is, on the left side of the pier), but in my experience this turned out to be completely different. The most relish of these rooms is that you are close to the bar, the restaurant, the reception, the pier, and your own beach with sun loungers…. The rooms on the left side have their own beach only on the spit, and we have 30 seconds. right from the house through the palm alley and you are splashing in the ocean! Although the island is so small that there is always room for everyone and for everything!
After arriving at the house, we were immediately brought things up, we quickly laid them out in lockers. Looking into the mini-bar refrigerator, we marked our arrival with bottles of cold Heineken beer. There are checks on the bar, in which you need to note what you took from the refrigerator and used. Minibar content prices:
Whiskey Black Label - 11$
Whiskey Red Label - 7$
Hennessy V. S. O. P - $11
Gordan Gin - $7
Bacardi - 7$
Campari - 7$
Smirnoff vodka - 7$
Beer - 5$
Granini - 3$
Soft Drinks - $4.5
Potato Chips - 3$
Snickers - 2$
Mini Snack - $1.5
Mineral Water (0.5 l) - 2.5$
Also, add an additional 10% to the prices - a service fee and 3.5% - a tax on goods and services, this also applies to excursions. All checks you sign will eventually contain all fees and taxes.
The house is divided into two parts - two rooms. You can sometimes hear what the neighbors are doing through the wall. We have changed two neighbors for the whole holiday. We did not see the first ones, but we heard them coughing, the second ones we saw and heard their headboard knocking against our common wall. Well, what can I say, a lot of newlyweds. The Maldives is just the place where you can enjoy each other to the fullest! I liked the room, everything worked, everything shone, the air conditioner worked perfectly well. We took care of ourselves and took shampoo, balm, shower gel. Those shampoos in tiny jars, we did not even open. There were three pieces of soap, which was enough for the whole holiday. And we were very generously presented with toilet paper..... three rolls each.
So it was lunchtime and immediately went to the restaurant for lunch. In the bar, a waiter immediately approached us, apparently our looking faces caught his eye, showed us our table, which, conveniently, was located on the edge at the entrance to the bar and no one walked between us. The food suited us very well. Of course, there were things that we did not like, but for the most part everything was very tasty. Always amazingly delicious crumbly rice and non-sticky pasta with various seasonings and shrimp, cream soups, meats, skewers on sticks, deep-fried fish, salads, sauces, buns and, of course, delicious desserts. The fruits are also a delight. For the first time in my life I tried pitahaya, ripe and juicy papaya, there were also apples, pineapples, small bananas, watermelon, melon. If I hadn’t leaned so heavily on papaya, then everything would have been okay with digestion...... now I can’t look at it - I overate so much. Of course, we don’t eat so many tasty and unusual things at home every day, but no one can master such a large number of dishes. Tea and coffee is always free for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As on the first day they asked for tea for lunch, they always brought it without a reminder and there was no need to order in advance.
Of course, every day we swam a lot. The weather for the whole vacation was excellent, only the last days of the day it was cloudy in the morning, but this made swimming easier - you could swim without T-shirts. The skin tans and burns out very quickly, and tan protection products with protection 50 do not really help....Saves only Panama and T-shirts to toe. My cheeks and legs were burned. I did not see anyone sunbathing, except for an oriental-type girl with a dark skin color. Vacationers either simply swim in the ocean, or lie under the sunbeds under the palm trees. The ocean is simply incomparable and everyone in life should find out what it is like to swim in the ocean and see the beauty of the underwater world. In the morning, with masks and fins, we went swimming to the pier. The most beauty of the underwater world is only swimming from the pier. The house reef is great! You will not find such a variety of fish and corals anywhere else on the island. We swam with sharks, with turtles, with various fish-like creatures, saw an angry moray eel and the flight of a manta ray. We took with us a case for underwater shooting. Clicked over 1000 photos. We swam to the neighboring islands, but in fact there also remains only to admire nature and the ocean. On the third day, we already learned everything and went to all the places on our own. Also engaged in knocking coconut from palm trees. They found a long stick and wielded it around the island in search of coconuts. We did not find lying coconuts, only growing on palm trees! We drank coconut milk...... it was our second ambush... now I can’t see this milk - I drank too much before.
It got dark in the Maldives early, at 6 pm it was already dark (in Moscow: - 1 hour). They entertained themselves. Played table tennis or billiards for free. The island has football and volleyball fields. I really wanted to play both, but, unfortunately, no one was willing. There is also a gym, but they didn’t get there, or maybe they didn’t really want to. After dinner, we sat at the bar, bought beer or cocktails (I liked Dream for $ 7.5). Or, taking buns with them, they went to the pier and fed the fish. At night, the pier is illuminated and many different fish swim to it, including sharks. The sight is very beautiful. We also walked along the night beach with flashlights and looked at crabs and shells. Of the excursions, they took only night fishing for $ 30 per person. We really enjoyed. Although fishing is called night fishing, you actually start fishing when it is light. We left the hotel by dhoni boat at 17.00. When fishing, only fishing line and hook are used, cotton gloves are issued so that the fishing line does not injure hands. Anything you catch can be cooked by the hotel's chef on the same evening for a fee (1 fish - $10). I really liked the attitude of the Maldivians on fishing to us Russian fishermen. I couldn’t catch a fish for a long time, they fussed so much, they were worried about me that I couldn’t catch it, they themselves set the bait, advised how best to catch it. I ended up catching 3 of them.
The hotel was about 70% Russian, the rest - Italians, Indians, Japanese. All resting intelligent people, all polite, respect each other. No one got drunk and everyone behaved with dignity. The Maldivians, on the other hand, turned out to be simple and pleasant people, they are endowed with nobility and self-esteem.
I really liked that the hotel does not have a guide who sells you excursions. Everything is calm, he went to the reception, read it, and if he wanted, he signed up on the sheet. Everything is clear and not burdensome. All excursions are carried out with a set of 8 people. Excursion programs of the Fun Island Hotel (add another 13.5%):
Mon - Snorkeling 10.00-12.00 (attractive sides of the reef) 25$
Dolphin trip 16.00-18.00 (on the ocean) 20$
Tue - Morning fishing 5.30-8.00 (on the ocean) 50$
Trip around the islands 14.00-17.00 (local island resorts) 40$
SR - Tour to Male 9.00-14.00 (trip to the capital) 95$
Night fishing 17.00-20.00 (on the ocean) 30$
Thu - Snorkeling 10.00-12.00 (attractive sides of the reef) 25$
Dolphin trip 16.00-18.00 (on the ocean) 20$
Fri - Trip around the islands 14.00-17.00 (local island resorts) 40$
Night fishing 17.00-20.00 (on the ocean) 30$
Sat - Snorkeling 10.00-12.00 (attractive sides of the reef) 25$
Local island tour 13.00-16.30 (to the local village) 40$
Dolphin trip 16.00-18.00 (on the ocean) 20$
Sun - Night fishing 17.00-20.00 (on the ocean) 30$
In general, the service at the hotel is incomparable. Cleaned up twice a day. I forgot how to make the bed, tk. it was refueled for us both in the morning and in the afternoon. They made us all kinds of swans, fish, hearts and waves. We left $5 for cleaning, but the quality was as excellent as without additional payment. Beach towels and shower field changed every day. No one stole anything during the entire vacation, no one rummaged through things. The money was kept in the room, the reception did not hand over. Of the parasitic living creatures, none marred the rest. There were no ants, mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, hungry cats. No one asked for money for an additional service, they did not impose anything.
Once only the waiter offered for $45 per person. dinner with lobsters on the ocean. We agreed. The action itself, the feeling that you were on the ocean shore really liked it, but lobsters didn’t. There were a lot of spices and the taste of lobsters was not felt at all.
The day before departure, a show of local dances "bodu beru" performed by the hotel staff took place in the bar. The music for the dance was performed by three drummers and one soloist. The dancers began to slowly perform different movements with their bodies and arms, gradually speeding up and by the end the dance became just crazy. Those wishing to dance with them from the audience were invited. She danced with them, repeating their movements. Crazy drive. I was delighted! On the same day we paid the bills for the entire holiday. They took care of their own expenses. As a result, the total amount even turned out to be less than we expected. Yes, as it turned out, they spent quite a bit of money, for the rest they bought after in Duti-free.
There is a gift shop next to the hotel reception. We bought there only shark teeth on strings: 1 tooth - $ 6 and wooden multi-colored fish: 1 pc. - 3-4$. They didn't find anything else for themselves. The souvenir shop also sells swimwear, swimming trunks ($38), pads with tampons, and flip flops with coral slippers. All the remaining souvenirs were bought at Male airport. Yes, they are 1-3$ more expensive, but the choice is very large.
On the day of departure, a storm began and we did not leave the pier, because. the boat could not moor, but from the side of the diving center. We were all equipped with ponchos and we sailed on the waves to Male airport. Registration completed successfully. The return flight turned out to be much easier - the monitors were working, watching clips and "Lyubov Carrot 2". Moscow met us with rain and coolness. Upon arrival, we received our luggage and went to the railway station, where after 20 minutes. the train was taking us to our city home.
The Maldives makes you think about life. This is the place where you want to return! And the fact that people (vacationers) are irritated in others means that they have it in themselves. It is enough to look around and take a closer look at what is happening around us in order to understand what needs to be learned and what to work on. Have a great holiday at Fun Island!! !