One of the great travails of being a tour operator that specialises in Sri Lanka has been the constantly fiddling of dates involved in making sure that ‘flying direct’ with Sri Lankan airlines actually meant flying direct. Until now, the daily London to Colombo (and vice versa) flight with good times has touched down in The Maldives on 4 days of the week, adding two hours to the overall flying time. While there has always been an additional direct flight on all of these days, they have been at very unsociable hours, either arriving into or departing from Colombo in the middle of the night. This has led to a constant struggle to fit in all the conflicting requirements of the clients with the reality of the dates and times. To the great relief of everyone here at Experience Travel this problem is no more!!
Posts Tagged ‘Maldives’
Sri Lankan airlines to increase its direct flights from London to Colombo
Maldives Government Bans Spas – and then de-bans them!
The Maldives Government banned spa’s this week and then, following a volley of abuse from the tourist industry, promptly un-banned them again. Given the countries reliance on tourism as a money earner and the Maldivian resorts reliance on spa’s, it seems quite extra-ordinary that the idea was ever mooted in the first place. With the focus here on rejuvenation, honeymoons, relaxation and general peace and serenity almost every single resort in the country makes the spa one of the main USP’s.. I should know, I have been dragged around enough. There is only so much enthusiasm the average man can generate for ‘his and her’ spa rooms.
A hotbed of sin?
Having been to very many in the interests of research, I can happily state that the given reason for banning them – that they are hotbeds of sin – are probably wide of the mark – at least as far as the resorts that we offer!
It is an interesting indication though, of the ongoing conflict between the conservative character of the Maldivian people, with their strong emphasis on Islam and their traditional way of life – and the increasing reliance on the tourism sector to provide jobs, foreign currency and earnings. In the past the old repressive government tended to insist on keeping locals and tourists rigorously segregated while the newer, more liberal regime seemed more open to braking down this barrier. Maybe they are having second thoughts…
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Constance – Halaveli
Halaveli is an old Maldives favourite and it is has recently been totally refurbished by the Constance Hotel group.’ We have had really good reports from a very trusted source – saying it is right up there with the best in the Maldives and with their 2 for 1 offer right up until April 2010, it is incredible value!’ Not yet on our site but you can read their official website here and get these brilliant offers directly through us.
British Airways to fly to Maldives
British Airways will fly three times a week from London Gatwick to Male, in the Maldives.’ The service starts on the 25th October.’ Aside from offering an additional direct scheduled service from the UK, passengers will also be able to fly premium economy, making the Maldives better value and more accessible for the shorter beach break.
Eco Holidays in The Maldives
A few years ago I was asked by a certain well known ‘responsible’ travel company to provide suggestions for ‘responsible’ product in the Maldives that we could market through their site. It was totally impossible.
Tha Maldives - one huge coral reef...
