Blog 10, N&N – First wedding anniversary 14th-17thJuly2022, Part 1

Even though love and happiness can not be measured, still the reference point helps to honour what you have and improve what is not. If you love the moments spent together, it is time to celebrate the best way one can. So, the First wedding anniversary has its own charm, considering if it is a successful milestone. It was the same for N&N. As their honeymoon trip was restricted due to COVID, they could just drive down far enough without much to bother about. Hence this time Nitin wanted to travel to a place he had experienced before marriage There was a tough road ahead to plan, as Nitin’s job requires him to travel extensively, and most of the time he is unaware till the last moment, of when and where to travel the very next day; Namrata was conscious of his schedule since they met and she had perfectly adapted to their new lifestyle, somehow managing everything else accordingly.

Nitin suggested Vietnam, which is well known for its natural beauty and crystal-clear coastal waterline. He had been there a few times, for work in the past, and wanted to revisit. He asked Namrata to research more about it to see how they can make it possible. Vietnam was on Namrata’s travel list for half a decade; however, her hearty wish was to travel to the Maldives again, this time along with her hubby. She gathered information about both the places and compared along, and they mutually agreed on the Maldives for a stay of 3 nights. The Maldives is famous for its clear and serene ocean, and natural flora and fauna, comparatively closer to Bangalore with a short flight, visa on arrival, and this time no travel restrictions for COVID was the ideal vacation spot. They planned one night on the main island (Hulhumale) and two nights in a resort managed by Sheraton Maldives full moon resort & spa. The hotel on Hulhumale island which is connected to the airport by road was the same hotel where she had stayed, during her solo trip in 2018. The hotel had its own fleet and provided amazing excursions consisting of sandbank picnic, snorkelling, dolphin seeing, etc. The Sheraton is situated at only 15mins speed boat ride from Hulhumale.

In the Maldives, the beach islands are located very far from the main island, and it may take from 15 mins to 2 hours by speed boat or sea plane. Also, they import most of the provisions. This makes Maldives an expensive affair if one decides to stay on remote private islands. From her experience as a solo traveller, Namrata was determined not to go to any far-off island, as this was adding additional travel time and also makes tourists dependent on the resort as per their terms. Turquoise Residence by UI at Hulhumale island was booked through Agoda, which offered them one night’s stay in a superior room along with breakfast, dinner, and airport transfers. A full-day trip the next day was added by paying an additional 60 USD per person, inclusive of a Sandbank trip, snorkelling, lunch in the boat, kayaking, and evening Dolphin watching. Sheraton stay was booked through Marriot Bonvoy, had only breakfast buffet and two ways airport transfer included. Unlike all other Marriot hotels, they had no lounge service included, which generally provides access to evening beverages and selective food items. Still, Sheraton was reasonable to book, comparing the rest of Marriot resorts in the Maldives which are very far from the main island The lunch/dinner buffet was priced at 110 USD per person per meal. Namrata always preferred not to have a sole dependency on hotel meals in such isolated places, hence she packed some convenient quick bites.

To be continued..