Spring Break 2016 Maldives

   

I was started to get tired of all of the churches and castles we were seeing on our vacations and told Barry I really wanted to go somewhere warm where we could just lay around and do nothing all day. Next thing I know we are headed to the Maldives for Spring Break. The Maldives include 1,192 coral islands and over 122 resorts. With so many resorts it was not easy to pick one. We asked around and heard that the Holiday Inn Kandooma was a good one for kids that even had a kids club. http://www.maldives.holidayinnresorts.com/

So we got on a plane and flew to Dubai to break up the trip a little bit. I have heard great things about Dubai, especially the biggest mall....Dubai Mall. So we were excited about checking it out. I was not impressed. The only thing with a decent price tag there was the candy in the candy store! They wanted almost $100 for crocs sandals for the kids! So we gave up on shopping and ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I ordered my favorite, salmon! But was not allowed to get a glass of wine to go with it!!!!!!!!!!!! I figured maybe I could get a glass before bed at our hotel. Nope. And not at the market nearby either. We originally planned to go there for our upcoming Christmas holiday, but now we are looking elsewhere. So for those of you who love Dubai, I apologize.....but I just don't see the draw. I admit we didn't go to the beach there....so we did miss out on that.....but I don't want to spend Christmas in a place where I can't have a glass of wine with dinner or for a night cap!

Anyway, the next morning (quite early in fact) we headed back to the airport to head to the Maldives. It was about a 4 hour flight and when we landed we were in for quite a surprise! It was VERY sticky hot and the lines were atrociously long for getting through customs. We finally made it through and found the kiosk for our resort.

We took a boat to the island our hotel was on, about a 45 minute ride away. I was nervous, for those of you that know me, as I am scared to death of getting sea sick but we were all fine as it wasn't too choppy and the wind actually felt good.

Once we arrived we were given fruity drinks like in Hawaii and driven via golf cart to our temporary beach house. It was cute, with a downstairs living room area with 2 bedrooms upstairs and 2 separate bathrooms as well. Both rooms had door walls opening to a nice little deck with chairs where you could sit and listen and watch the waves. The bedrooms were air-conditioned but the bathrooms were not.....the showers were actually outside and we learned the first night that if you didn't shower before dusk, you would be showering with baby lizards......

After we got settled we checked out the pool and the food. Day one was quiet, just swimming and eating and lounging around. The morning of day two, we were walking to our beach chairs when we heard "Americans!!!!". We instantly made new friends with another American family there from Michigan and proceeded to spend a lot of time together sharing stories about our current overseas life with them. They are living in India so we had a lot in common being American expats from the Michigan area and really enjoyed spending our days hanging out in the lounge chairs sharing stories and drinking the days away.

Meanwhile, Grace and Tyler, with a lot of convincing needed at first, found a Kids Club. Once they realized it had indoor swings, art, a ball pit, and video games plus planned fun activities like juggling and balloon darts and shell/crab hunting on the beach, the kids needed very little convincing to spend a lot of time at Kids Club only a few steps away from us on the beach. They were able to  come and go as they pleased so it was nice they were out of the sun when it was the most intense and Grace even made a new friend. We had some great seafood and I even joined a water aerobics class most days plus we enjoyed many sunsets and a even a sunrise the day we left.

The Maldives are extraordinarily beautiful. I would be a horrible person if I said I didn't enjoy myself there. And I did. I felt very spoiled. And yet.....on the last day, Barry asked me what do you like better, the Maldives or Hawaii? I had to say Hawaii! There is a huge part of me that just does NOT like being stranded on an island. I like that you can still drive places like the mall or other restaurants in Hawaii. Our resort in the Maldives had no cars, all walking, and no shopping, just one tiny market that was quite overpriced with just mainly souvenirs.

That said, this trip was one of those that sticks with you even days after. You find yourself thinking about all the good memories and the amazing views knowing you will never get to go back to due to prices and location.

Speaking of the way back....we flew from Maldives to Dubai and had 1.5 hours layover there. We went straight to the check in as we had to switch airlines and they said we were too late, check in was over. Barry had to argue quite a bit but finally we were able to get on the plane with Ty and I in business class!!!!! And Grace and Daddy back in coach. Ty loved it of course and said he plans to fly business class from now on. I had to burst that bubble very quickly lol.

We got back to our Baku home Easter eve and had to run to the market to get eggs to dye and carrots for the Easter bunny before cooking dinner and heading off to bed.

It was an amazing trip and here are the pics:

Daddy made a new Hermit Crab friend. He said on facebook he needed a friend before we met our American friends as the kids were too busy swimming and playing at Kids Club to chat with him.

A panoramic Barry took of a beach bbq we had one night by the pool/beach. The food was delicious and the entertainment was good too. Many Maldivians came out and danced and played the drums for us. Even Ty went up and joined them showing them his many dance moves. He loved being the center of attention, no embarrassment at all.

The boat ride on the way to the island. Grace and daddy were just chillin while I was a nervous wreck of course.

Mommy and Ty on the way to the resort on the boat. Trying to relax but of course worried....

Arrived at our destination resort.

Golf cart ride to our beach house.

Waiting to check in with fruity drinks Grace loved and was happy Ty didn't as she drank both. She is holding a coconut she found in the tiny walk from the golf cart to the check in hut.

Grace enjoying her first drink while we check in.

Grace playing in the sand at the beach house.

Ty playing in the sand at the beach house.

Grace and daddy checking out the waves in front of the beach house.

Daddy and Grace finding some cool shells.

Ty is trying to figure out if he can jump in these waves or not. He doesn't care about the shells or the hermit crabs or the lizards we saw.

Our first meal here. Lunch....yum!!!!!!

Ty enjoying the infinity pool.

Tyler met a friend and Ty is actually the one in the water with his hands up. He was trying to scare his new friend by pretending he was a shark.

Swimming in the ocean with daddy.

Ty enjoying the ocean.

Daddy throwing Ty in the pool.

Tyler the fish.

With daddy by the pool. Tyler is mad, can't remember why.

My sweet boy.

Always in the dirt, Grace loves to build sand castles and find hermit crabs and shells.

Daddy likes to build sand castles too as long as the sun isn't too instense....

Mommy and her babies...

Nothing like hanging out in a robe after a shower.

This dinner was a seafood buffet where Grace ate MORE than her share but kids eat free so who cares? She was VERY interested in the shark feeding going on just behind us. We let her go watch with daddy and she enjoyed it so much we did it two nights.

Ty is not interested in the shark feeding or the seafood. He is just happy we brought his paper and markers to dinner so he could draw.

Our cute little beach house from the ocean side. Our room was on the left and the kids room was on the right. So the decks were not actually together.

The street side of our beach house.

One of the many lizard friends we met.

We met a human crab too at breakfast one day!

Grace tried snorkeling. She found it quite frustrating but did eventually get the hang of it.

Daddy and Grace snorkeling.

Grace having a refreshing drink in the beach chairs.

Ty and his refreshing drink which was followed by chocolate ice cream of course.

The view from the bedroom with the doorwall open.

Grace on the flight from Dubai to Maldives.

Ty on the flight from Dubai to Maldives.

Found a heron in front of the beach house looking for fish.

A cute hermit crab we found.

Daddy and Grace taking pics and video of hermit crabs.

Ty enjoys throwing rocks not looking for crabs.

WOW.....baby hermit crabs everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!

NONE are empty shells....just baby hermit crabs...in fact we watched one that was "naked" find a shell. That was cool.

Amazing reflection.

A sunset dinner. Beautiful.

My girl at the sunset dinner.

Walking back from the sunset dinner, just under that hut on the dock, a boat came back with tons of fish it caught and the guys were cleaning the fish, throwing the scraps in the water where tons of stingrays waited for their meal. We saw at least 12 at one time. Very cool.

Grace's new friend she met at Kids Club in the orange shirt and pants from the UK but living in Singapore.

Beautiful sunset on the beach.

Headed to the airport....time to go.....but Ty is in good spirits having just watched a sunrise and pretending the speedboat is a roller coaster, of course!!!!!!!!!!