Emirates First Class Boeing 777 Male to Dubai Review

Posted By Jon Nickel-D'Andrea on Dec 17, 2019 | 3 comments

Mention the Maldives and images of pristine turquoise blue waters come to mind. Overwater bungalows with direct jump-in access to the water and romantic sunsets are commonplace in this island paradise.

While it’s on almost everyone’s wish list, getting there can be a challenge. Flights are often ridiculously expensive and once you DO get to the islands, a barrage of expensive hotels with overpriced meals await. Never mind the flight distance involved, those expensive factors are enough to turn some people off and have them looking for cheaper destinations.

Getting to paradise and back doesn’t have to cost a fortune. We booked a ridiculous, normally unattainable luxury vacation valued at almost $46,000 for a grand total of $1,818… for two people!

Lonely Palm Tree

Considering that’s usually the price of a regular coach class ticket to the Maldives, that’s one heck of a steal.

In the series of posts to follow, we’re going to walk you through all the experiences that we enjoyed on this trip. While most people would consider this once-in-a-lifetime, with just a little legwork and dedication you can have a luxury getaway to make Instagram followers drool with envy.

Our $46,000 vacation to the Maldives for only $1,818

• Part 1 – Introduction and Planning
• Part 2 – Flights to London and Hamilton
• Part 3 – Refined Luxury London’s St Pancras Renaissance Hotel
• Part 4a – The House Lounge, London Heathrow
• Part 4b – Etihad First Class Apartment LHR-AUH
• Part 4c – Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi
• Part 4d – A340 Etihad to Male, Flight Review
• Part 5 – A day in the life of Male, Capital City
• Part 6 – St Regis Airport Lounge
• Part 7 – The St Regis Hotel Arrival Experience
• Part 8 – Overwater Villa, $3000/night for FREE
• Part 9 – Things to do at the St Regis Maldives
• Part 10 – Free Breakfast at the St Regis Maldives
• Part 11 – How to not go broke eating in the Maldives
• Part 12 – Snorkeling at the St Regis Maldives
• Part 13 – Male Airport VIP experience
• Part 13b – Male Leeli Airport Lounge
• Part 14 – Emirates First Class Male to Dubai
• Part 15 – Dubai Transit Hotel – Amazing Value
• Part 16 – Emirates First Class Dubai to Los Angeles
• Part 17 – Conclusion and Giveaway

After we left the lounge, we headed straight for the gate as boarding already commenced. Once we got to the gate, I was half surprised and half not surprised to see that there was no jetbridge, only stairs and a tarmac.

I get that it’s a remote island airport, but nothing says First Class like ‘walk-yo-self-up-some-stairsâ€

As soon as we boarded however, the first class experience began.

Onboard

We were given seats 2A and and 2F (both aisle seats by themselves). Since no one else was in First Class in Row 2, we were moved to the adjoining middle seats.

In every seats in Emirates First Class there is a small mini bar. It’s not chilled however, but if you REALLY want warm Pepsi, it’s there for you.

There’s a small tablet style device at each seat that controls the TV, lights, Air Con, seats, and everything else you would need to do.

In case you’re feeling wordy, you can use the supplied Emirates writing kit to jot down all your notes.

There’s a makeup mirror with some daytime/nighttime skin care products (and of course, the obligatory selfie to show that I actually flew the plane!

At each seat there is a Universal 110V power port. And plenty of seat storage behind your seat to the side.

Emirates First now has upgraded headphones. In the past they used Bose noise cancelling headphones, but they’ve upped their game. In First they now use Bowers and Wilkins headphones. They were so comfortable and so light that I barely notied that I had them on.

Feeling like a chair massage? I love that the Emirates First Class seat offers four types of massages that you can use and target specific areas of your body. It does shut off after a few minutes so you have to keep turning it on.

I asked for some juice and they had fresh orange and carrot onboard, so I asked for a mix. It was delicious!

After take off, forget about the juice. I want that sweet, sweet Dom. They couldn’t give it out on the ground because, ya know… the Maldives are a muslim country. As soon as we took off she dropped that 2009 Dom at my seat and there’s where it stayed. One bottle for Ben and me, yes please.

I opted for a very light dinner, so I got the hot and sour soup, fried cheese balls, and then the obligatory ridiculous dessert.

The desserts are the best part on Emirates. Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry sauce, dessert wine and Godiva Chocolates all served with a hot tea,. What’s not to love?

As it was an evening flight, the stars came out in the cabin

Since it was only a short 3 hour and 30 minute flight back to Dubai, before you knew it, we were on our final approach to Dubai International.

The Booking

Since we booked this flight with Alaska Airlines miles, it was the same price for us if we had flown from Male to Los Angeles or just Dubai to Los Angeles. Considering that, it goes to show that using Alaska Airlines miles is the easiest and best way to get to the Maldives. 150,000 miles one-way will get you a first class ticket and back to your house in style.

Have you had the chance to fly on Emirates First Class? If so, what was your experience?