Returning from the Maldives via Singapore - April 4-5, 2014

Trip Index

• Planning and preparing for our epic vacation to New Zealand and the Maldives
• Flying to New Zealand via Honolulu, visiting Auckland and Devonport
• Waitomo Caves and Tongariro Alpine Crossing
• Taupo, Waikite Thermal Pools, to Christchurch
• Mt. Cook National Park
• AJ Hackett Kawarau Bungy Jump, K-Jet boating, hanging out in Queenstown
• Day 1 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
• Day 2 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
• Day 3 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
• Arrowtown, Wanaka, Mount Roy Track
• Franz Josef Glacier
• Tranz Alpine train Greymouth to Christchurch, then to Singapore
• From Singapore to Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
• Day 1 and 2 at the Conrad Maldives: beach villa, overwater spa, Atoll Market, snorkeling
• Day 3 at the Conrad Maldives: water villa, diving with manta rays, meeting new friends
• Day 4 and 5 at the Conrad Maldives: Vilu, Sunset Grill, reef diving
• Day 6 and 7 at the Conrad Maldives: whale sharks, Ithaa, snorkeling
• Returning from the Maldives via Singapore
• 10 hour layover in Seoul and landing safely in SFO

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Our last morning at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, boo hoo!  We had gotten a letter the day before indicating what time our sea plane transfer would depart.  Packing was easier as we had eaten through a lot of our freeze dried meals.  I forgot to mention that on a couple of evening turn-downs, we received Conrad Maldives plush toys.  I read on the Conrad Maldives FlyerTalk forum that there were different kinds, including manta ray and octopus.  If you want to get all of them, you can ask your resort host.  It wasn't important for us to collect them all so I didn't ask.

crab and turtle plush

We had our final breakfast at Vilu, then called to have our bags taken and checked out at reception.

Summing up our experience in the Maldives in five words...we can't wait to return!  We love the quiet surroundings, breathtaking colors and scenes, diving and snorkeling in calm, warm waters, and feeling that we had the entire island to ourselves.  If you're on a budget, with careful planning, you can go there for "free" using miles and points for airfare and hotel.  You can even bring along freeze-dried meals and instant noodles to stretch the meal dollars, in addition to having a Citi Hilton Reserve credit card that grants free Gold status for complimentary breakfast and happy hour (don't forget the two free weekend night bonus!).  If you decide to travel with your children, the Conrad is very family friendly.  Some of our fellow FlyerTalkers had brought their kids with them; they enjoyed the activities organized by the kids club as well as taking youth lessons from the diving center.  Rollaways can be set up in the villas.  I don't know when we'll be back to the Maldives, but it'll happen, even with kids in tow!

Back to our regularly scheduled programming..."Leaving the Maldives"...

Everything went in reverse order:  waiting in the lounge for our flight, flying the seaplane non-stop to Male, taking the shuttle back to the main terminal.  Our direct flight from Male to Singapore SQ461 was in economy class, departing at 2:20pm. (our only economy leg)  It was still very pleasant.

saying goodbye to our resort host Naoko

barefoot pilot

so many atolls

city of Male

at the gate...having Swensen's ice cream!

boarding the plane

individual entertainment system

post-takeoff drink and snack

not as much space as in business class :)

SQ461 economy menu

SQ461 beverage menu

lemon garlic chicken and mash

oyster sauce beef with fried rice

We landed in Singapore around 10pm, with no taxi line nor traffic.  Our hotel for the night was at the Holiday Inn Express Clarke Quay.  It just opened on March 31, but fortunately our taxi driver knew where to go.  The hallways leading to the rooms were open-air so it was humid.  The room itself was very small, but every bit of space was efficiently utilized and the air conditioning worked very well (once we figured out how to navigate the control panel).

open-air hallway

our room

contemporary decor

choice of pillow support

complimentary coffee and tea

complimentary water

flat screen TV sunken into the wall

safe in the drawer

This was the first time I have ever seen a moveable divider between the bathroom and the bedroom.

you can wash your hands and peek into the bedroom at the same time

efficiently designed (ie. tiny) bathroom

nice rain shower

bulk soap

hair dryer and misc toiletries

The next morning, we went downstairs to enjoy a complimentary breakfast buffet.  There were a lot of people there so I couldn't take any pictures.  No one was policing the breakfast area so anyone could walk in and have a bite to eat!

a sample of the food

not #57

After breakfast, we packed up and took our belongings downstairs to hold at the bell desk while we were out and about on Orchard Road.  Only there wasn't a bell desk.  The press articles weren't kidding when it described the new hotel as "no-frills".  Our luggage ended up parked next to a wall behind a stanchion in a public area...not very secure.  There was another set of luggage there too, so we weren't the only ones taking a chance.

It started to rain as we were heading out, but all the hotel umbrellas were taken by other guests.  We walked in the rain for a few blocks before we found a 7-Eleven to buy a $6 umbrella.  Of course, it stopped raining after that!

Kaleb and I then walked to Clarke Quay to catch the MRT (metro) to Orchard Road.  There, we found food courts and lots of shopping.  I treated myself with a zip wallet from Louis Vuitton and jewelry from Chomel.

MRT easy to use

costs a bit less here due to tax refund

fried carrot cake and oyster omelette

Orchard Road

huge menswear sale in the middle of the mall

perfect fruit for sale

Japanese ice cream

kaya toast and milk tea

Afterwards, we headed over to Gardens by the Bay, near the Marina Bay Sands, to check out the tree-like structures.  Paid tickets were only needed if you wanted to visit the enclosed gardens or walk amongst the treetops.

Marina Bay Sands

people walking on the OCBC Skyway

We didn't go into the Marina Bay Sands as we were not interested in gambling or paying to go to the top of the structure. (I did this with my friend Karen several years ago)  Kaleb and I headed back to Orchard Road to grab some supper.

laksa!

chicken rice

We returned to the Holiday Inn Express to get our bags (still there...yes!) and take a taxi to the airport.  I was mistaken on which terminal Asiana departed from (they moved terminals), so we ended up taking the inter-terminal Skytrain as well.

Our seats on Asiana flight OZ752 were in business class, so we received complimentary access to the SATS Premier Lounge.  There were two shower rooms available so we took advantage of it as our flight was a red-eye departing at 11pm.  All you needed to do was ask for a towel from the front desk.

extensive buffet selection

sampling of hot food:  beef chow fun and veggie curry

We enjoyed a bit of late dinner at the lounge buffet (so much eating...we get a meal on the plane too!), then headed to the gate for our flight to Seoul.  Stay tuned!

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