jani

Sometimes four sentences just isn't enough, so here's a full-length review of Thulhagiri Resort, my most expensive vacation evah.

Intro

Finding decent accommodation in the Maldives is challenging. It's not that there's no choice, far from it, it's just that as every resort is its own self-contained little island, you're completely dependent on the resort's facilities and you can't just pick up your bags and move next door if you don't like it. With that in mind, I tried to find a place that fit the following criteria:

• Not insanely expensive (under US$300/night)
• Not a huge resort (being kid-hostile is a bonus)
• Good diving and snorkeling right off the island
• Modern or at least in decent shape
• Water bungalow or private beach would be nice

My first choice was Helengeli, but they were full, so after lots of umming and aahing we decided to bust that $300 limit a bit and go for a water bungalow on Thulhagiri, an older resort with generally good reviews.

Arrival

After our plane landed in Male, I picked up my bags and found the agent outside waiting for us, who shepherded us to the cafe and asked us to wait ~15 min while the boat showed up (the flight was a bit early). Once on the boat, I realized that my fellow passengers were 11 Japanese women aged 20 to 40, with me being the solitary male -- so much for the Maldives being a honeymoon haven. A nice big boat showed up, our stuff was loaded on, and we set off on a pitch dark 25-min journey, other resorts occasionally gliding past.

At the resort island we were led to the open air lobby and unceremoniously told to sit down. Z tried to sit on a sofa, but was briskly rebuked and told to sit in the chair they pointed to. Once everybody was sitting in their assigned seats, forms and welcome drinks were passed out; once completed, I tried to hand ours in, but was told to sit and wait for them to be collected, and only when everybody was finished did they deign to give us the key and send us on our way. As you can probably tell by now, service was not a highlight at the resort: the general feeling was very much "I'm just doing my job".

Water bungalow

The bungalow, though, made up for it. Surprisingly large and spacious, the bungalow was self-standing (no shared walls) and we had a screened outdoor balcony with stairs leading straight down into the water, which was deep enough to go swim even at low tide. While the main bedroom was a bit scuffed and old-fashioned, the (huge) bathroom complete with separate tub, shower and two sinks looked brand new. Better than the TV and minibar was a glass-topped table with views down to the reef: in addition to the omnipresent fish, we also spotted squid and a nurse shark through it! The main downside to the water bungalow was, well, the water: on the first night we had a storm blow through and the waves crashing against the pillars kept waking us up.  The bungalow also provided raincoats and waterproof pouches, which came in handy when we had to go to lunch on the first day through a howling gale...  fortunately the weather cleared up soon after. 

In retrospect, I was quite glad we didn't opt for the (considerably cheaper) beach bungalows: they had minimal privacy (shared beaches) looked quite barebones and appeared to suffer from a mosquito problem after the rains, whereas our bungalows out to sea didn't have a single critter.

Food and drink

We were on a half-board package, which meant breakfast and dinner buffets and our choice of lunch. The buffets were amazingly large, with a great salad bar and a good selection of dishes, but also quite repetitive, although they did have themed dinner nights in an attempt to break the monotony. Fresh tuna sashimi on the first night was great -- alas, we never saw it again. Lunch, though, was limited to another overpriced buffet ($30) or a la carte off the bar's menu, which was pretty much limited to sandwiches, omelettes and one curry with different things put into it. On the last night, our table was set up on the beach for a notionally romantic last dinner complete with free wine -- if only they'd told us before we popped the bottle of bubbly...

Speaking of which, drinks at Thulhagiri were a real surprise. Knowing Maldivian alcohol policies, I'd taken the precaution of smuggling in an aftershave bottle full of 60% vodka, and was flabbergasted to find they were selling the stuff for $2.50 a shot. A glass of house wine went for $2, a half-litre carafe for $6, and even full bottles off the menu started from just $20. Why can't Singapore be this cheap?

Other facilities

Thulhagiri's dive operation is run by German outfit Subaqua, who were quite possible the best I've ever dived with. Rules were enforced with Teutonic strictness (we had to rent dive computers and do a check dive since we hadn't dived in over a year) but our instructor was genuinely friendly, knowledgeable and interested in her work. Then again, it wasn't cheap: I paid $110 for 2 dives with my own gear (minus dive comp), Z paid almost $200 for hers with rental! The diving itself I'll confess to finding just a tiny bit disappointing: due to the storm visibility was not great, and while there were ridiculous amounts of fish at some points, we missed out seeing on any biggies, with the notable exception of a huge stingray at least half a meter across that set off wobbling down the sand when we came near.

Snorkeling right off the bungalow was amazing though: within meters we found not just the expected cornucopia of fish (we became quite familiar with the permanent residents living under ours!), but moray eels, huge eagle rays that I first mistook for a mini-manta, and even a pair of (small) curious reef sharks that circled around us just enough give poor Z the willies.

As for other things to do, the island is maybe 500m across, almost all of it white sand, on which you can laze about and get a suntan (if you're European) or sit in the shade and hunt for miniature hermit crabs (if you're Z).  The island sits in a lagoon entirely surrounded by reef, so there are no currents and it's perfectly safe to go swimming in the always-warm turquoise seas.  Windsurfing gear was available and there were some seriously pro-grade kitesurfers flitting about too. There's a neglected little pool that we never saw anybody use, and that's about it.

Other customers

Thulhagiri gets quite a mixed bunch: it's German-run, so there are lots of Germans about, but quite a few Italians, French and Japanese as well, plus the odd Indian or Arab family. Brits and Chinese were notably absent though. As the resort offers no facilities for kids, there were no babies and few kids under 10, although there were some families with older kids as well as honeymoon-y couples. One of the Japanese groups, mom with two adult daughters, had been to the Maldives 15 (!) times already.

Summary

In all, Thulhagiri (and the Maldives) was a positive surprise in most respects. The atolls are drop-dead gorgeous, bungalow was above expectations, food was perfectly alright, booze was dirt cheap, dive shop and snorkeling were great, only the resort's service could have used a bit of polishing up. (Everything worked fine though, although there was one minor mess when they asked us to sign a $1.50 chit for "free" wine; I stood my ground and they gave in.)  The next time I go to the Maldives -- and it's a matter of time -- I'll probably splurge a bit more yet on a bungalow with a private beach, but for a first-time visitor who doesn't require absolutely opulent luxury I would definitely recommend Thulhagiri.

See also

http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/travel/Maldives/Thulhagiri/

http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/sub/Thulhagiri