Going Back

Going Back?

Now this is a tricky question. So you have been on holiday and you loved it! But would you still love it quite so much if you went back again? Maybe yes, and, quite often, no.

The British, as a nation are quite expert at ‘going back’. We find a place we enjoy and almost inevitably assume it will be just as good if we return. There is a certain reassurance that you know what to expect and clearly a benefit in being able to find your way around. You know the things to avoid and already have in mind your favourite beach/bar/restaurant/resort. What could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately what we inevitably fail to identify is that familiarity can sometime breed ‘contempt’…or at least boredom.

Feeling nostalgic (and bored)  I looked back over the years to identify again where I had been and, where I had visited more than once. Because of my career in the airline and travel business I found I had travelled to 79% of the countries in the world, many frequently, but I ignored most of those and focused instead on frequent holiday visits. I came up with a much smaller varied group of destinations dotted around the globe and wondered why I kept on going back and would I go again? My feedback to you is blunt and may cause disagreement but please bear with me as I start at the ‘worst’ and get better as I go along!

These holiday revisits were as follows: Mauritius, Maldives, Dubai, Barbados, Bequia (in the Grenadines), Anguilla, Antigua Athens, New York, Majorca and Kefalonia. Some verdicts were easy. For example I would never want to go back to Mauritius. Why? Because I found the island touristically over resourced and crowded, the people unfriendly with an undercurrent of resentfulness, and a feeling the whole place had been exploited

I also very much doubt if I would go to the Maldives again which really surprised me. I defy anyone to name anywhere as scenically beautiful as most Maldivian islands. I would also commend the staff in these resorts who work ceaselessly to give you a good experience. The problem I have is price and again, exploitation. It seems that the resorts squeeze every last pound/euro/yen/dollar they can from the tourists. Everything is charged at a large premium which results in most visitors being either extremely rich, extravagant or on honeymoon.

 I thought Dubai was over the top but although the Maldives is not so ‘naff’ it grossly overcharges. You cannot take alcohol into the Maldives being a Moslem country yet they allow you to directly connect with a seaplane taking you to a resort with a full drink service. You will pay $50/$60 for a bottle of New Zealand wine which cost $10 in a UK supermarket.

In the Maldives you get the sheer beauty of the place but you are not getting good value and you are stuck on a small island with a diverse and sometimes not so pleasant mixture of guests. And the staff? Most of the workers are Maldivian, Sri Lankan or Indian and they live in tiny compounds in the middle of the resort being paid a pittance in comparison with the resort tariff. So many tourist go there for a one off ‘holiday of a lifetime’, brief honeymoon or as part of a two centre holiday with Dubai or somewhere similar.

The last on my ‘never again’ list is Dubai. What on earth have they done with the place. So much ‘in your face’ wealth and so little genuine sophistication. It is not as though the locals like you. I am convinced they don’t. Again you have the wealthy land/oil owners, a workforce from the Asian subcontinent and imported management to run their businesses. I never fully understood or used the expression O.T.T. (over the top) until I went there. The beaches are not very nice either!

Phew! That got that off my chest. That is my not again list. Mind you. In condemning these places I would probably swallow my bile and go back to the Maldives….if I could afford it!

I would not particularly want to go back to New York either. In saying that I have no particular gripes with the place, it is more that I hate shopping and that seems to be what most people do! I do however love the surrounding area and New York City is as good a base as anywhere else.

Heading south from New York you eventually come to the Caribbean and it is here I have had quite a few repeat visits, most of them very successful. For example Barbados is interesting as it is two islands in one. What I mean is you have the South Coast and the West Coast and they are both very different to each other. There are always exceptions but the south is where the action is. There are more activities, lower cost hotels and it is adjacent to Bridgetown where the cruise ships go. It is the ‘party’ and ‘drink cruise’ area. I had a great time there but I needed a holiday after this holiday!

The West Coast is supposedly more ‘sophisticated’ with high end hotels, restaurants and an obscenely expensive golf course. It is the home of the Sandy Lane Hotel which rivals Dubai for ‘naffness’ and silly prices. It is a great place to go if you like calm beaches and diverse but good service hotels. You need a bigger wallet than the South but you do get good value. We stayed 12 hours at the Sandy Lane (that was enough) before moving to the Colony Club as well as the Sandpiper and Fairmont on other stays. If you are nice to the Bajan people they are nice to you unlike the Mauritians and I will go again as each experience is different to the last.

A Blogger in Paradise - Maldives

I went on holiday in The Maldives last month and such a great time that I thought I would report on how to get there from the UK. and what to expect. I have now stayed at Cocoa Island, Mirihi, Conrad Rangali and Lily Beach so if anyone wants the lowdown on any of these places let me know.

I usually try to inject some humour in these blogs and I did have a few moments of amusement while out there. The last island I stayed at was Lily Beach which is an all inclusive resort and hence it could be a bit lively in the evening. I was minding my own business in the bar one night when this very large gentleman from Frankfurt sat down next to me. Actually he plunged more than sat and the contents of his scotch glass flew over his shoulder into a plant pot.

Not to be outdone he lurched off the seat, went to the bar for another, staggered back, aimed his bottom at the seat and plunged down again. Another double scotch shot over his shoulder into the pot. I think he lost about four out of five of his whiskies until, on his final plunge he too shot back into the plant pot. The next morning on the way to breakfast I stopped at the plant pot. The palm growing out of it had snapped and the leaves had turned yellow.

The only other excitement of note was when a Korean couple ran their pedalo aground on the island reef. They did not seem too worried as they started taking pictures of each other being rescued. And of course there was a lady from London who threatened to report me because I killed an ant that was walking up the side of my Tiger beer!

Anyway, back to my report:

So what is your idea of a holiday paradise and more importantly, does it exist outside your imagination in this modern well travelled world? You may want somewhere sunny and warm. A desert island, but not too deserted and not so primitive you cannot enjoy your creature comforts. You will want to be safe, relaxed and be lazy or active as and when the mood takes you. To enjoy nature at its most spectacular but still sleep in clean white sheets listening to the water lapping around and wondering if should have eaten so much lobster at the moonlit barbecue.

Well this year I lived my dream. I found the Maldives. Obviously I had heard of them before but I never once thought they could possibly be as good as the hype. 40 years in travel had taught me that you can never totally believe the brochures, websites and superlatives from other people each with their individual ideas on perfection. Besides, I thought, the Maldives were hard to get to and so very far from civilisation. So let me tell you how an old travel hand got it wrong.

Firstly I discovered that British Airways had started flying non stop to Male, the capital. You can also go direct on a Thomson charter or using a through flight via Colombo on Srilankan. If you are willing to change aircraft there are excellent connections via Dubai or Doha on Emirates or Qatar Airways respectively. These connections are very slick and usually quite painless. Some people even split their holidays with a week in Dubai and then again in the Maldives. I chose direct with BA as I got a good price and a non stop flight is more likely to get you there quickly and with your baggage.

The next obstacle in my mind was getting to my chosen island. You see the international flight lands at an airport island next to the capital Male and you still need to go either by air or speedboat to your resort. Trouble and stress I immediately thought. Wrong. They operate like a well oiled machine. As soon as you pass through customs the resort team is waiting. You either walk across the road to a waiting speed launch or onto an air-conditioned bus to whisk you and your bags to the seaplane terminal 5 minutes away.

This final short transit transforms from a chore to a plus point of the holiday. Your sea plane is usually waiting there for you. If there is any delay then most of the resorts have lounges that look over the lagoon where you can watch the coming and going. The planes are loads of fun. Yes, they are a bit noisy and yes they can sometimes get a bit hot but this is more than made up for by the thrill of take off and landing and the breathtaking views of the coral atolls you fly over. A magical experience and one to be anticipated not dreaded.

One thing to remember though is that the weight allowance on these planes is 20 kilos regardless of what you may have been allowed on your incoming international flight. Excess baggage charges are quite reasonable but bear in mind there are aircraft weight constraints which might mean they could hold a bag back for the next flight. It is always a good thing to have one bag which you keep close containing immediate essentials just in case.

The longest flight is usually around 40 minutes but more often under the half hour. You land on the sheltered side of the resort and the seaplane taxis up to a floating pontoon. From there you board the resort launch for the very short hop to the reception pier. Usually by this time you would have been given iced towels and bottled water and an enthusiastic greeting from the local staff. And yes, they really do seem to mean it as these are small islands and I think they genuinely look forward to seeing new faces.

There are numerous resorts with all types of accommodation and meal plans. You can stay in beach villas or my favourite which are built over water on stilts. Some are basic but clean and others have their own spa, pool and decking. The food and drink has to be imported (as do the chefs) and is of the highest quality and range. Most ingredients are from Australia except for the fish which is mainly locally caught using traditional methods.

So there you are, sitting on your decking and gazing out at your very own picture postcard Desert Island and aquarium but with everything you need available if you want it. Everywhere I went my mobile, blackberry and computer worked if I wanted them. I once phoned into a company conference call when sitting on a lounger under a sun umbrella with a cold beer and a staff member next to me cleaning my sun glasses! By now you have ditched your shoes and probably not wear any again until you leave.

The Maldives is a wonderful place and it did not disappoint me once. It is safe, welcoming scenically stunning and full of warm spirited friendly people. My only regret was going home. If you ever want a once in a lifetime trip go to the Maldives…except I suspect you will try to go again and again afterwards. Once you have swum with whale sharks and manta rays you become hooked!