Snorkeling at the St Regis Maldives
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.
Lonely Palm Tree
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!
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 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
The Watersports Center
Non motorized watersports are free of charge on the island, and the best one of those is, without a doubt, snorkeling.
If you have an overwater villa, you can just walk straight down the stairs from your villa into the pristine crystal clear ocean waters and go look for fun critters all around.
If you are in one of the beach villas or the garden villas, you can walk or bike to the watersports center (more than likely a 3 minute walk/bike away).
There’s always a few staff members here to help you with snorkel equipment rentals or get you squared away with a SCUBA certification class.
Need a hat, GoPro, or swimming clothes? Oh, they’ll have them here, but be prepared to pay out the ear for them.
Once you get your gear situated a quick 10-second walk leads you to the beach and the house reef. Just walk out into the water and before you know it you’re in a water wonderland!
If you head out just a few meters into the water the reef drops off and you can see into the deep of the sea. That’s where all the big fish hang out.
Borrow the snorkeling gear and head back to your overwater villa. If you’re feeling up for it, you could always go for a little night snorkel. The lights under your villa attract little bugs which in turn attract fish that eat the bugs off the top of the water. You don’t even need to head into the water to enjoy the view. Just throw your legs over the edge and watch the feeding frenzy all night long.
September 25, 2019
good overview of the snorkeling. Got any underwater pictures?