56 friends, family, & followers of Daddy Travels Now purchased 7 nights at the Maldives!!!
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UPDATED: The count is now at 56 friends/family/followers of Daddy Travels Now who got in on the Travelzoo deal
Elusive Maldives
Maldives, the oh-so-elusive Maldives. Known for being quite pricey, incredibly expensive. You not only have to worry about your airfare to get to Male or Colombo, but you also have to ride a seaplane or a boat or yacht to get to your resort.
Why else is it elusive? Accommodations aren’t the cheapest either. And if I’m going to fly over 20 hours from the US to the Maldives, I want to make sure that I find a fantastic accommodation, and preferably stay in one of those overwater villas.
What about the food?
Yes, how could we forget food. I learned that once you get to your destination, that was pretty much it – meaning, there are really no options to go to the nearest town. I can see that the guests are pretty much confined to their resort during the entire visit. Hence, I could see why food is a huge item where the resorts could charge crazy amounts.
A few of my travel buddies mentioned about a $57 burger…a $15 cup of rice….easily, for every meal for two guests, they could easily be charged $200 per meal (and, that’s probably on the low end, being conservative, that does not include any alcohol). So hmmm….let’s do the math.
Note: this is not meant to be an exact cost, this was just based on side conversations I’ve had with those who have visited the Maldives. This could all vary. Some meals might cost you $150, other meals under $100. So this is just an estimated average where I used approximately $200 per meal for two guests.
If you were to go with someone to the Maldives, you can’t really just live off of hotdogs, or hang out at Taco Bell. Using the info above, at $100 per person per meal x 3 meals per day = $300/person per day, and when you multiply that by 7 days = $2,100 on meals alone. Wait, that’s just for ONE person. Double that you get $4,200 on meals alone for two guests. I’m sure the food is great – but that $4,200 for me could be car downpayment, it used to pay for a semester when I was in grad school, that is also someone’s mortgage payment. So there has to be better ways.
Of course there are other ways to cut corners, I was told to bring snacks along with you, or if you have a status with the hotel, such as Diamond Status with Hilton gets you free breakfast.
I missed the boat
My good friend, Drew, who I can’t seem to pinpoint where in the world or in the US he is these days, clued me in on a Travelzoo deal to the Maldives. This deal appeared mid-September, and like most, I sat on the idea, did not act on it, got my friends and family interested, and by the time I was ready to pull the trigger, the deal was GONE! What was the deal?
Other packages were available – but let’s just call the above info as the entry-level deal that seemed to be the sweet spot. Why sweet? Remember my $4,200 estimated foodcalculation on meals alone for two? That $4,200 estimate did not include accommodations, taxes, and fees. However, the $1995 deal that Drew shared with me included:
- 7 nights accommodation at You and Me Cocoon Maldives
- Breakfast and dinner for 7 nights
- Lunch at an underwater restaurant
- Spa/Massage for 60 min (if you travel in 2020)
- Taxes and Fees – all included
I was dismayed when the deal sold out quickly. Not shocked since I realized it was a great deal. I advised my dear friends and family, and my Facebook followers on my Daddy Travels Now Facebook Page to prepare because I had a strong feeling that a similar or perhaps an even better deal will come up.
Don’t think, act now, book it, plan and decide later
Fast forward two weeks later. Good ol’ reliable travel buddy, Drew, alerted me again – “The good deal on Maldives is back on Travelzoo, just posted, grab it!”
I was in the middle of doing something, and I dropped what I was doing. Texted my immediate family. “It’s back, it’s back. The Maldives Travelzoo deal is BACK!!! I’m getting it now. Nancy doesn’t know. LOL. Buy it now. Decide later. Trust me on this!“
56 readers, friends, family of Daddy Travels booked the deal
Yes, directly after I purchased the Travelzoo deal around 11am California time, I shared the deal with my Facebook followers on my Daddy Travels Now Facebook Page, and one thing led to another. It was like a domino effect. By 9am, the next day, I learned that there is now a growing number of 50 who bought the Travelzoo deal and who are bound for the Maldives! Crazy!!!!
Any concerns with cancellations or refunds?
Of course, like many of my big purchases, I always tend to question “what if?” Well, a couple of weeks ago, my brother-in-law made an incorrect purchase via Travelzoo. He went through the refund process and advised me that he got his refund within two days. Perfect! According to the Travelzoo voucher:
Until the voucher’s expiry date, Travelzoo will give you a full refund of your purchase if you can’t find dates that suit you or if you change your mind about going. Once the room is reserved with the hotel, changes must be made at least 14 days prior to arrival or voucher will not be refundable.
This was not my first rodeo with Travelzoo. I’ve purchased many things with them in the past and they’ve always had great deals and were easy to work with.
What’s next?
It would be great to have a meet up with the 56 folks who booked this deal!!! Let’s see how this goes!
Another thing that’s next is finding airfare to fly from the US to the Maldives. It’s time to use my points, and perhaps entertain the thought of booking QSuites? Hmmmmm. Ok back to the drawing board….gotta decide the when and how to get there on points!
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