Back from Dubai and the Maldives!!!

mrsR12 · September 2012

We had a fabulous wedding day on 8/18 and went for 2 weeks on our HM to Dubai and the Maldives.

We were in Dubai for 4 days and the Maldives for 1 week.

We stayed that the Four Points by Sheraton in downtown Dubai and did a few tours, visited touristy places and had a great time despite the extremely hot weather.

I know a few knotties wanted feedback on the Maldives, so here it goes...

we loved it!!!

We stayed at the Sheraton Full Moon Resort and Spa.

The flight from Dubai was great, it was drizzling when we arrived so the speedboat from the airport to the island (where the hotel is) was 20min instead of 15 min. the transfer was charged to the total room cost and it was $100 per person. there is no other way and it wasn't that bad having someone there already for you.

upon arrival, there were staff waiting and waving as you get out of the speedboat.

we initially were in the starwood prefer room (i believe these are standard rooms) then we moved to the cottage the last few nights.

-the weather was beautiful the rest of our stay, no rain at all even though it's the raining season.

-the service was exceptional - the friendly staff and very attentive

-this is the only hotel i've been to that provide room service TWICE a day, so yes your bed can be made for you and the room cleaned 2 times a day.

-there are 2 sides of the island that you can use the beach, one has more coral on the beach and the other had perfect sand.

-you can go snorking (equipments are free) on both sides and i would rec'd do both.

the water is shallow enough that a not-so-great swimmer would be fine.

-there are restaurants and bars on the island, though we were surprised by how expensive the food was. We knew it would be costly just not as costly. They have buffet breakfast (rec'd), buffet dinner as well as a la cart. the buffet dinner ranged from $65 to $95 per person plus tax and service charge.

-i got their spa special and enjoyed a great 2 hours being pampered and that service was wonderful also.

We took a tour to Male, the capital island and enjoyed that each couple had their own tour guide. we bought a few items to take home from there.

We stayed there for 7 days and felt that was more than enough. Unless you want to go to another island that's enough time to enjoy. this island is small enough that you can walk around and be done in about 20-25min.

dazyabbey · September 2012

Wow it sounds like you had an amazing time. Just curious how much your budget was for your honeymoon? Sounds like there are a lot of little things that add up there.

Jells2dot0 · September 2012

Welcome back! So glad to hear you had a fantastic time. I am also glad to hear the Full Moon was nice. I'm still trying to piece together a trip out there and felt overwhelmed by the choices!

kara811 · September 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_back-from-dubai-and-the-maldives?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:78477a85-f030-4dea-baa5-f7e734d896d2Post:2309ecdc-fbec-4962-90b1-9a87260279a1">Re: Back from Dubai and the Maldives!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]OMG - thanks for posting this! Would you mind reviewing and telling a little more about your time spent and what you did while in Dubai? We're not going to the Maldives, but plan to spend four to five nights in Dubai and three to four nights in Abu Dhabi for our March HM. Any insight you can provide would be super appreciated!
Posted by Sleeper2013[/QUOTE]

<div>Ditto this. H and I will be in Dubai for a few days this fall and it's our first time. I'd love to know more about your trip and any recs on restaurants you ate at? Did you do any tours or just did things on your own? Which area do you think it best to stay at? Thanks! </div>

mrsR12 · September 2012

Glad to hear others are going to Dubai, it's not a typical HM destination, a lot of ppl questioned us when we told them where we were going.

We flew Emirates from NYC - the flight was long but comfortable, they def have enough entertainment to keep you busy.

I bought the At the Top ticket for the Burj Khalifa before we left. We went there the same day we arrived. it's the tallest building in the world. the tickets are cheaper if you buy online for a specific time. the sunset time is the most popular time slot 6pm or 6:30pm. we got the 5pm ones bc those were the only ones avail. you can spend as much time up there as you want.

we spent about 1 hour there. while up top, we saw the water show (similar to the vegas show) from the observation deck which was a great experience. the burj Khalifa entrance is in the dubai mall, so after the visit, we stayed in the mall and walked around. it's quite big with a skating rink. we then saw another water show from the ground level.

there is a gold souk in that same complex. a lot of shops and restaurants in the area.

We booked a 1/2 day Dubai city tour via our hotel because it was too hot when we were there to walk. if you're there during the nice season, i would say you can take the metro and walk around. the tour was great bc we got to see more of the city. the bus drove us by the Burj Al Arab - the famous 7 star hotel, drove thru the palm and to Atlantis, stopped at the Dubai museum, the dubai creek.

we also took a dessert safari dinner tour. they pick you up in a land cruiser and drive thru the dessert doing all types of tricks to kick up sand. i would say dont eat right before the tour. a couple in our car got nauseous and we had to stop early. it's a really cool trip. then they have camels at a stop for you to ride and there's a buffet dinner with belly dancer. then they take you back. we saw ads on the back of maps for various companies with different prices, when we asked the hotel, they said they use "universal tour" it's a bit more money but the car and food quality is better. i dont know about the car but the food was the same as all tours stop at the same place and ate the same buffet.

we took the metro around dubai also. it's very easy to use. the workers at the ticket booth were very hepful and the stations have numbers and names. just becareful that the 2nd carts are women and children only. husband and i got on it by accident the first time and got crazy looks, had to get out and move to the next one. we took the metro to the gold souk and spice souk, walked around there around 8-10pm. felt really safe then took the metro back to the hotel.

we stayed in the downtown area with a lot of supermarkets near by so we bought different items for the room since the restaurants in the hotel had limited hour. where we stayed was between the hotel and the burj khalifa.

we ate at random places we found so can't really comment on specific restaurants. there's a chain called Nando's - it's famous for chicken, i'm thinking like a boston market. ate there once and was ok.

we also took a bus from dubai to abu dhabi to go to ferrari world, the bus was nice and cheap. took about 1.5hour. ferrari world was ok, they have the fastest roller coaster in the world there.

we also went to the grand mosque after. men must have trouser. i was told to wear long pants, shirt cover my shoulders and a scarf to cover my head. did all this, when we got there, i was given the traditional robe anyways - it was really hot to have both on. so it might be better to wear something you're comfortable with and borrow the robe for free there.

we didnt go to any beaches as it was too hot but mondays are ladies only, would have been interested in going then to see what that's like.

we didn't get to go to the emirates mall which i heard is great, or the dubai marina all these are accessible via the metro.

another couple we met went to tea time at the burj al arab but it's $120 per person minimun and we didnt have that in our budget or time.

you'll like it. despite the hot weather when we were there, we enjoyed it and have no negative review. btw, the dubai airport is extremely hectic and croweded, new and nice but very busy.

mrsR12 · September 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_back-from-dubai-and-the-maldives?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:78477a85-f030-4dea-baa5-f7e734d896d2Post:5b980c17-e551-4b27-bf46-0a1a0f3dfc52">Re: Back from Dubai and the Maldives!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]Welcome back! So glad to hear you had a fantastic time. I am also glad to hear the Full Moon was nice. I'm still trying to piece together a trip out there and felt overwhelmed by the choices!
Posted by Jells2dot0[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>We really enjoyed Full Moon. not sure how long your trip is, but i would say no more than 6-7 days there. starwood also have the W there but it's much further from Male</div>

mrsR12 · September 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_back-from-dubai-and-the-maldives?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:78477a85-f030-4dea-baa5-f7e734d896d2Post:605d1283-8899-4d3c-a110-4f8c34938459">Re: Back from Dubai and the Maldives!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]Wow it sounds like you had an amazing time. Just curious how much your budget was for your honeymoon? Sounds like there are a lot of little things that add up there.
Posted by dazyabbey[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>we honestly have not added all the expenses yet. we booked the flights separately and paid that off before the trip. things in dubai wasn't as expensive as in the maldives. </div>

Jells2dot0 · September 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_back-from-dubai-and-the-maldives?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:78477a85-f030-4dea-baa5-f7e734d896d2Post:264e341c-9379-43c9-adea-22c2c7e273db">Re: Back from Dubai and the Maldives!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Back from Dubai and the Maldives!!! : We really enjoyed Full Moon. not sure how long your trip is, but i would say no more than 6-7 days there. starwood also have the W there but it's much further from Male
Posted by mrsR12[/QUOTE]

I was thinking maybe 8 nights total in the Maldives, but split between 2 resorts. So, it sounds about right! I'll also be heading up to Dubai or Abu Dhabi for 2-3 nights and then over to the Seychelles for another 8 nights or so. So, big trip and lots to plan. So much so that I think we may delay it to get all of the logistics right :)

hz80408 · September 2012

Sounds like an amazing trip! Congrats!!

Interesting about the women/children cart!

Back from Dubai and the Maldives!!!

Re: Back from Dubai and the Maldives!!!

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