In this post, I review the Air France Lounge in Terminal 2E at Paris CDG Airport. There are several lounges in Terminal 2E and not all of them have nap rooms. Read more so you can choose wisely!
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View of Fulidhoo Lagoon from my room at Luau Beach Inn
Exploring the Real Maldives: A review of Luau Beach Inn and Fulidhoo Island, Vaavu Atoll
Introduction
If you're seeking a genuine taste of the Maldives but a perfectly manufactured experience at an overwater bungalow on a private island does not mesh with your idea of travel (or budget), then meet Fulidhoo Island. This hidden gem offers a different experience that goes beyond the glossy brochures and high-end resorts.
In case you are not familiar with the Maldives, there are 2 types of vacation you can take; one is what you’ve probably seen on Instagram with overwater villas that easily cost over $10,000 USD for a week. These resorts are located on uninhabited private islands and are often reachable only by seaplanes. The other type of vacation is to stay on a local island at a still decent hotel for less than a quarter of that price. In this post, I’m going to talk about the second option.
Fulidhoo is the type of Island where you can see children playing carefree after school on the beach. The atmosphere is lively and peaceful. You'll find yourself chatting with local fishermen as they clean their catch with patient nurse sharks circling nearby for a free snack. You can easily find many hotels/guesthouses online on popular booking sites. Most will arrange a speedboat transfer to get you from Male Airport to the hotel. I have also dedicated a section below to comparing the costs if you’re on a budget.
Speedboat Transfer
The speedboat docks are located very close to the arrival section at the Male Airport. When you make your reservation at Luau Beach Inn, they will contact you to arrange your speedboat transfer to get to Fulidhoo from Male. At Male Airport, we were in contact with a representative via Whatsapp from the Speedboat company who greeted us at arrivals and showed us the way to the boat.
If you are not familiar with Whatsapp, it’s a text and calling app similar to iMessage except it works on any smartphone. The app uses data to communicate. I recommend setting it up before you leave home so that you can receive the confirmation sms before turning on flight mode.
Before arriving in the Maldives, you can purchase your esim ahead of time on the Airalo App and install it so you're connected as soon as you land and contact the hotel on Whatsapp without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3 USD off your first esim purchase!
At the docks, we waited for a couple of other passengers. Our luggage was loaded in the front of the boat and locked away for the ride. Then we went off in the blue!
The speedboat schedule was as follows but always check with your hotel as it may change.
Airport To Fulidhoo: Saturday – Thursday 10 AM & 4 PM, Fridays 9 AM
Fulidhoo To Airport: Saturday – Thursday 7:30 AM & 1 PM, Fridays 6:30 AM
Note that this means if your arrival time is after 4 PM then you will need to stay in Male overnight. Also take note of the reduced service on Fridays. This can also be an issue if your international flight is departing Male very early in the morning on your return trip. The transfer costs $40 USD per person. I’ve written a separate section for budget and cost breakdown below.
Arrival at Fulidhoo
As the boat approached the shore, I spotted large stingrays making their way over to us. Right then, I knew this was going to be a special place. Luau Beach Inn is run by Linda and Ablo. Linda had been in contact with us since we made our reservation. She greeted us right at the dock and walked us to the lobby, she was so lively and welcoming. She’s one of those people with a charming vibe that makes you smile whenever you’re around them! Linda ensured our luggage was promptly transferred from the boat to the lobby.
Arrival at the Fulidhoo Island Dock
As we arrived, we were greeted by friendly stingrays who approached the boat
Fulidhoo’s stunning lagoon
LUAU Beach Inn
Luau Beach Inn Entrance
Luau Inn is located directly on the beach, right in front of an amazing white sand beach. After check-in, we visited our beautiful room that came with a balcony (although we didn’t use it much due to the mosquitoes). I recommend bringing bug spray and lots of sunscreen from home.
The people here are warm and friendly. The entire staff is very kind and helpful. During our stay, we got to chatting a bit and learned many of them had come from Sri Lanka or India to work here in the tourism industry. I had also accidentally dropped and cracked the waterproof housing of my action camera. Ablo contacted his parents in Male and asked them to check at the store if they could obtain a replacement case and have it delivered to us at Fulidhoo! This unexpected kindness exemplifies the genuine care extended to visitors at Luau Inn. Linda helped us plan our week of activities and diving. The weather forecast was not reliable so she forecasted the weather for us based on her master skills of checking the clouds on the weather map combined with the wind speed and direction. Surprisingly, she was correct and it rained on the days she warned us not to book any boat trips.
Keep in mind that there are no electronics shop here. There are also no ATMs so bring cash if needed. I booked most of my activities through the hotel so I paid with a credit card at the end of my stay but if you do other activities or want to eat somewhere else, you’ll need cash. Most shops will accept US dollars.
FOOD
Luau Beach Inn includes a free breakfast buffet that is served at the rooftop restaurant. Lunch and dinner are also served here and are a la carte. I found the food delicious with plenty of local dishes like Maldivian curry made from locally caught fish with roti (similar to flatbread) but softer, more pliable and flakey. Some pasta and spaghetti options were also available. Unlike private resorts that all add an additional 22% for service and tax to the advertised price, Luau’s prices already include all additional charges. As the Maldives in under Sharia Law, no alcohol is served here (this does not apply to private resorts). While I was searching for a hotel to stay at, I also checked reviews of Kinan Retreat nearby and The Pearl Guesthouse but in the end, I decided to choose Luau Beach Inn because the food seemed of much higher quality and I was definitely not let disappointed!
ACTIVITIES
The main road
The atmosphere at Fulidhoo is very laid-back. It only takes a few minutes to walk around the island. The main road behind Luau has some souvenir shops and some cafes. You can watch the sunset on the West side of the island (at the end of the road) in the evenings. You won’t find any cars here.
You have plenty of activities here like leisurely walks around the island, kayaking, tanning or renting jet-skis. While I did not see any snorkelling spots on the South of the Island, the Northern side seems like a possibility although there’s a risk of strong currents. Paddleboards are also available for rent. There are several beaches right in front of Luau Inn where you can swim.
Note that because the Maldives is a Muslim country under Sharia Law, women are not allowed to wear bikinis at the beach. There are specially designated “bikini beaches” for tourists. Please ask at the front desk if you are unsure. (These rules do not apply when you are at a private resort)
The nightly fish cleaning ritual by local fishermen attracts nurse sharks and stingrays, creating a natural spectacle for guests to enjoy. I went every night after dinner. You’ll spot the stingrays in the shallows from the beach at the start of the dock. At the end of the dock visitors can observe the local fishermen as they clean their fresh catch under the shimmering moonlight while nurse sharks eagerly await their evening feast. This scent trail of chum attracts large nurse sharks to the area!
Nurse Sharks
The nightly nurse shark “feeding” feels like a tourist attraction but rather the fishermen here are just cleaning their catch and throw the head and bones in the water.
Stingrays
In addition, Fulidhoo is also known as Stingray Island. Every day, boats bring loads of tourists to feed and touch these creatures. Although I chose not to participate in the feeding, as it appeared unregulated with numerous tourists touching the rays, you can still enjoy the view as a spectator. Similarly, nurse sharks also make an appearance. According to what the locals tell me, they do not benefit from this as the tour operators are the ones making the money. Further, they disturb the peace of this quiet island multiple times throughout the day. According to the locals, the stingrays are now dependent on the tours for food and will die if the tours stop feeding them.
Excursions (off Island)
Scuba Diving with Nurse Sharks
Watersports and Excursions offered by Luau Inn
Passion Paradives Price List
In my opinion, Scuba Diving is the Ultimate Activity here. I wrote another detailed blog post about the best dive sites. You can book directly with Luau’s in-house dive shop called Paradives. They are located behind the lobby.
Luau offers many tours bookable at the reception. There is a large map of the area along with different activities that you can sign up for. They offer a Sandbank tour where you can have lunch on the Sandbank and it includes snorkelling with sea turtles. They also offer snorkelling trips to Shark Point to swim with nurse sharks. There is also a Dolphin Watching trip but Linda did not want to run the tour unless the dolphins were spotted otherwise we'd come back disappointed. We very much appreciated the honesty and not having wasted a day of our vacation.
During our week of diving, , I was unable to take any underwater photos or videos after my waterproof casing broke. Our divemaster Anna lent me her GoPro to take some of these stunning pictures below and I was so incredibly grateful for her generosity!
The Turtle Snorkelling Excursion
DRONE
If you have a drone, make sure to bring it with you. You can fly right over the beach in front of Luau. Fly often as you can spot bait balls of fish, sharks, and stingrays in the water. There is no airport on the island and no seaplane flights so you don’t need to worry about airplanes. You need to fill out the form from the Maldives Authority before arriving. I recommend taking your drone on excursions as well to snap some impressive shots like this one below of the Nurse shark tailing our boat.
BUDGET
You might be wondering if you can you do the Maldives on a Budget? While it won’t be as cheap as places like Thailand, the answer is Yes! If you are looking for the overwater bungalow on a private island experience, there is no way around that. Those will easily cost you thousands of dollars. But if you are looking to visit the Maldives for a chance to enjoy some of the best scuba diving in the world, you can still achieve that by staying at islands like Fulidhoo. Below is a breakdown of the costs and a comparison to the prices for a resort. I am using The Westin Maldives prices for comparison.
|
|
Price ($ USD) |
Private Resort |
|
Speedboat Transfer |
$40 pp each way |
$500 Seaplane Flight |
|
Hotel – Luau Inn |
$97/night |
Starting at around $500 per night |
|
Scuba Dive (1 Dive) |
$66 |
$146 (almost 3 times the price) |
|
Snorkeling Boat Trip |
Starting at $35 |
|
|
Food |
Starting at $10 per meal. Free Breakfast |
Breakfast alone costs over $30 |
As you can see, the prices are significantly lower at a local island compared to a resort. I’ve also included the price lists below.
About Fulidhoo…
As I mentioned above, The Maldives is a Muslim Country under Sharia Law. This means no pork or alcohol allowed unless you’re on a private island and swimming or walking around in Bikinis is restricted to the Bikini Beach only. While I was not personally bothered, I know some people would never dream of going on vacation if they cannot have alcohol. I also heard about boat bars which allows you to come onboard for a drink but that might be more for the very popular islands like Maafushi.
The local mosques announce the call to prayer from their speakers five times a day. The earliest one starts before sunrise, which means if you are a light sleeper like me, you will find yourself waking up every day at around 4 am. The call to prayer is followed by the prayer 10 minutes later. The mosque is located right next to Luau Beach Inn and the speakers are loud enough to be heard all over the island. One of the speakers faces directly onto the rooftop restaurant so I’d suggest asking for the schedule at Luau to avoid dining during those times.
The pollution
As much as I loved Fulidhoo, there are good and bad sides to everything. It wouldn’t feel right to only write about the positives while ignoring the negatives. Fulidhoo, like many islands, struggles with plastic waste. Local islands in the Maldives often burn their waste. During our trip, we could see the rising smoke and smell the fumes of burning plastic. Luau Inn takes a commendable step towards sustainability by eliminating the use of plastic. We were given metal water bottles as a gift on arrival. Walking around Fulidhoo, specially on the North side, we could see a lot of garbage dumped on the beaches. From what I was told, drinking water is shipped to the island in plastic bottles.
The island is disappearing…
If you’ve ever doubted that sea levels are rising, a visit here will clear all your doubts. Here you can truly see the effects of climate change as they attempt to prevent the island from disappearing. Talking to the locals, they mentioned that the beach had disappeared before and the water came up to the lobby of Luau Inn. As the sea levels rise, the government has hired crews to pump up sand from the deep ocean floor to rebuild the beach. This has been done before at Fulidhoo but it only lasted several months until the beaches were taken back by the sea. The beaches on the North side of the island are pretty much completely gone.
Fulidhoo is in a race against time as it tries to rebuild its disappearing beaches in a bid to slow the effects of rising sea levels
In the top right of the image, you can see the ship connected to the floating pipe pumping up sand from the ocean floor
When’s the best time to visit?
We visited mid to end of November and we did receive some rain. Earlier during the trip, we had more rainy days than at the end. I personally would avoid going during the rainy season. The dry season is supposed to run from December to March (this is also the high season so expect higher prices).
Conclusion
In the heart of the Maldives, Luau Beach Inn and Fulidhoo Island stand out as a place to experience the authentic Maldives. It's a place where genuine hospitality comes together with some of the best scuba diving in the world. From swimming to watching the fishermen feed the nurse sharks, I will forever treasure my memories of this place. But don’t wait too long to visit as the island is disappearing. This place is definitely on my list of places to revisit and I can only hope it will still be there when that day comes.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask below!
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Fulidhoo, Maldives - A Scuba Diver's Nirvana
A guide to scuba diving with Nurse and Reef Sharks in the Maldives. The dive sites such as Miyaru Kandu (Shark Channel), the famous Alimatha Nurse Shark Dive and Shark Point allow you to come face to face with schools of Silvertip, Blacktip, and Whitetip Reef Sharks. This was also my first time using reef hooks to anchor myself! Read on more to find out why you should visit this island!
Read MoreAir Canada 787 Business Class Review - Mumbai to London Heathrow (BOM - LHR)
After spending two amazing weeks exploring remote islands and scuba diving in The Maldives, it was sadly time to come back to reality. Since there is no direct flight between Canada and the Maldives, I had to fly via Mumbai and London back home. My first flight on Vistara was a short hop to Mumbai. My second fight with Air Canada was marketed as Mumbai to Toronto as a “Direct, 1 Stop” which means you still need to disembark in London so in no way is it a direct flight. However in my case, it wasn’t an issue since I planned to fly to London then change planes to take the direct flight from London to Montreal. It seems with the war in Ukraine, the plane can no longer fly direct from Mumbai to Toronto and needs to make a refueling stop in London.
Lounge
After landing at Mumbai Airport, I made my way through security then straight to the Adani Lounge. Air Canada passengers flying in Business Class receive complimentary access to the Adani lounge. However, access was not straightforward as I found out the hard way. Since I was on a layover and my boarding pass was issued in the Maldives by Vistara Airlines and not from Air Canada, it did not specify lounge access. This was a problem for the lounge agent in Mumbai and we couldn't enter the lounge. She said access is only allowed if your boarding pass specifies lounge access on it. She called the Air Canada desk using a flip phone to verify that we are allowed to enter. As Air Canada just has the single flight out of Mumbai Airport and we were several hours from departure, the check in counter was not open yet. Therefore no one picked up the phone and the lounge receptionist wouldn't allow us in. They told us to come back in a few hours. Pretty disappointing.
Access to a lounge is not guaranteed by Air Canada until their check-in desk opens. You may need to pay for another lounge like this overcrowded Loyalty Lounge.
Since I had a priority pass membership, I went to another lounge called the Loyalty Lounge which ended up being way too crowded and chaotic. There was a very long line just to get in. There were no seats available. After walking around for a while, we found someone leaving and grabbed a seat at the bar corner and just had a beer while regretting our decision. The Wi-Fi was also not working. We asked the bartender and he gave us a paper with a list of Wi-Fi codes and told us to try them until one works… We did not bother waiting in line at the buffet. This was just after Covid and there were people openly coughing on the food. We left early and just grabbed a seat at the terminal and waited until the Air Canada counter opened. It was far more calm and pleasant there. At that point, I inquired again at the Adani Lounge and they called Air Canada again and were able to reach an agent who confirmed that we can in fact be allowed into the Lounge.
The Adani Lounge was very comfortable with plenty of available seats! The food was decent too. There was a large bar in the center of the lounge where you could get cocktails, mixed drinks and a strong cappuccino as well. The bartender was exceptionally kind that I left a tip but they advised me that they are actually not allowed to accept tips. Additionally, there was also massage area. Although I did not personally partake in this service, it seemed like it would be a relaxing experience. We were approaching midnight at this point and I had the feeling that I would just fall asleep.
One important thing you need to know regarding the Wi-Fi access is that you require a phone number to receive a pin to login. Keep that in mind if you get charged for receiving text messages while travelling internationally.
When travelling, you can now purchase your esim ahead of time on the Airalo App and install it so you're connected as soon as you land and can call your Uber, use Google Maps and Whatsapp without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3 USD off your first esim purchase!
The lounge also had a shower which I love during a layover. Despite my first flight being just under 2 hours, it was a sweaty trip that involved a beach walk and speed boat ride from Fulidhoo Island to Male Airport. We left the lounge a few minutes before boarding started. The Gate was not close to the Lounge.
Boarding
Boarding started a little early. As usual, there was a separate priority boarding line for Air Canada Business Class passengers which allowed us to board with minimal waiting. I did notice some people cutting in line to access the priority line to make it onto the plane early. Boarding was via a single jet bridge so we turned left after entering the plane.
The cabin was the standard grey-white combination found on most North American and European Airlines, unlike Etihad’s Gorgeous Cabin or Fiji Airways' Island Pattern Theme. The Boeing 787 features Air Canada’s Signature Class Cabin.
Each seat was topped with a pillow, duvet and mattress pad and an amenity kit. There was an airport agent lady yelling the boarding announcements which gave off a chaotic vibe. Immediately after, a crew member came by with a tray to offer us some champagne and water.
Boarding was fast! We chose windows seats
Champagne is served during boarding.
Seat
The seats were very comfortable with the latest tech. They are lie flats seats that allow for sleeping. There was a large TV, a remote, massage functions. You could also can adjust the firmness of the mattress/seat pad using the controls. The Boeing 787 has electronically dimmable windows that can be controlled by a button under the window.
There was a footrest and space underneath for your shoes
At 5 ft 10 long, I could fully stretch my legs
Amenities
An amenity kit is provided at each seat. These were the stunning new Acqua Di Parma kits which were a significant upgrade over the old and tired black kits they used to offer. The Acqua Di Parmma pouches feel much more upscale, better quality and generally more roomy. They also kept their shape and prevented the contents from being crushed. The kit includes lip balm, socks, lotion, a toothbrush, toothpaste and an eye mask. The travel pouch adds a much needed pop of colour in this 50 shades of grey cabin.
While style is a bit "bland",
At your seat, you will also find a pair of noise cancelling headphones (they are complimentary in the sense that it’s for flight use only, they are collected at the end of the flight). I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones as they do an excellent job at turning the engine rumble and cabin noise into a quiet whisper.but these are always a welcome bonus. The business class cabin is at the front of the plane so it is already quiet but I highly recommend using noise cancelling headphones. If you are prone to headaches or migranes, don’t skip the headphones!
Complimentary Noise Cancelling Headphones
A pair of slippers are also provided
The business class cabin had one bathroom in front and 2 at the rear. To my surprise, there was also a window in bathroom. I never thought about it before but it made the bathroom feel more spacious and less like an airplane bathroom. We waited quite a while to take-off.
Food and Drinks
With departure around 4:30 am and arrival at 9 am, the meals on this flight were 2 breakfasts. There was no menu provided, just the flight attendant walking by, telling you the options and taking your order. I found the breakfast strange. There was an overly sweet yogurt bowl with granola, a stale bowl of fruits served with hot and fresh delicious Chana masala with flatbread (roti). The Chana masala dish was delicious and spicy! Finish your champagne first though as it tickles the tongue if you're eating spicy food at the same time. I paired the dinner with some red wine for bed. I did not eat the rest as it honestly was just good. The meal was served all at once in a single tray. The packaged croissant did not hold a candle to what Air France serves in their Business Class Meals.
After the 5 am breakfast, I turned down my seat into a bed to get some shuteye.
The rest flight was smooth with no turbulence. For the second breakfast you have the option of asking to not be woken up which was what I chose so I could get some extra sleep. I planned to go to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge during my layover so I was not worried about missing breakfast.
Once we landed at London’s Heathrow Airport, we had to go through security which took some time on this early Sunday morning. Afterwards, we headed straight to and go to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge linked below.
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Conclusion
The flight was overall very pleasant but a few quirks made this below average. While the seats and amenities were excellent, the subpar food with lack of any menus or wine list diminished the experience. My main motivation for flying business class are always the lie flat seats and those did not disappoint. British Airways also flies this route so it may be worth checking out reviews of their flight for comparison before booking.
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