Maldives Honeymoon: Living the dream

• Introduction - The Planning
• Getting there: Penang to Male
• Sea-plane Adventure
• Living the dream
• Maldives back to Penang
• Conclusion

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The 5 days and 4 nights we spent at Dhiggiri was a dream come true. It was such a good holiday.  Our daily routine includes the following:

• Waking up at 6ish to catch the sunrise on our our water bungalow deck.
• Take an early morning snorkel right off our water bungalow.
• Grab breakfast.
• Chill by the beach.
• Go on a snorkeling trip or snorkel right off of the island.
• Lunch time.
• Continue to chill out by beach.
• More snorkeling
• Catch the awesome sunsets.
• Drinks, dinner and more drinks.
• Rinse and repeat.

 Dhiggiri is on an island that was pretty small - only 230 x 80 meters.  Walking around the island only takes 10 minutes.  The island however did not feel cramped or packed as there were less than 100 people on it with a max capacity of 45 rooms only.

The rooms on Dhiggiri were pretty basic. This is no W or Conrad but the rooms were clean and adequate.  There's also no internet and TV in the room but who needs this when you're in paradise :)

Pictures of the room:

View from the deck:

Dhiggiri is an all-inclusive resort so meals and most drinks are included in the rate. All meals are served buffet style in the only restaurant on the island. The breakfast was pretty basic with pastries, fruits and an egg station and we did get bored of it at the end of the trip.  Lunch and dinner however was awesome with large choices including fresh fish, pasta, salads, soup, grill meats and local Maldivian curries.  There was an option to pay for a "private" lobster dinner by the beach but we didn't try it.  The all-inclusive rate also includes basic alcoholic beverages with San Miguel beer and "generic" liquor.  Pictures of the  restaurant:

The best part of the resort is the sea-life and snorkeling right off the island.  We've been to Phi Phi and Phuket and Dhiggiri sure beats the hell out of it.  It was like being in an aquarium! The first time we stuck our head underwater, we were amazed by the large variety of sea life.  We lost count of the types of fishes we saw! We also saw various rays, turtles, eels and star-fishes. The resort also organizes snorkeling trips to other reefs for a minimal charge.  We went on a Manta Ray snorkeling trip and being in the water with this 15-20 feet long creatures was an experience to remember. The resort also has a highly rated dive center but we don't dive. Underwater pictures taken:

The staff on the island consisted of local Maldivians and expat staff.  Both were extremely friendly and helpful.  Our AC broke down one afternoon and they quickly replaced the outdoor unit in a couple of hours! There's also a daily beach soccer/football and volleyball games between guest and staff.

We would  recommend Dhiggiri for those who want to visit Maldives on a budget.  Definitely looking forward to going back in the future...