Time flew by quite quickly, and before long it was time to check out from this lovely resort. Since I was planning on staying overnight in Male for one day, I asked the hotel to put me on the last flight out, which meant I could check out at 5 PM!
While waiting, I decided to chill at the pool with some new friends from New York, who discovered that the cushions outside could actually float.
At around 5:00 pm, the hotel staff picked up my luggage was drove me to the hotel lobby to check out and settle my bill. My total bill was $540, a mandatory $520 domestic flight fee and $22 small pizza I ordered on my first night.
I graciously thanked my host, Charles, and knowing that I probably was the thriftiest guest he’s ever had, gave a bit extra. Plus, he helped me take some wonderful photos of this resort.
As the sun set into the Indian Ocean, we sailed off on our speedboat as the staff waved us goodbye.
My night domestic flight was mostly uneventful and I landed in Male on time. I stored my luggage at the baggage hold in the airport and I took a speedboat going to the city.
One of the perks of being a travel writer is that you meet the most amazing people online. A reader put me in touch with a local friend who gave me a tour of the city the next morning on the back of his bike..
Male is actually one of the densest cities in the world, and driving along the crowded capital makes it quite clear that this is not the sleepy island country capital that some people may imagine.
The highlight was the fish market where you can see various kinds of seafood being sold and prepared, including some pretty big tuna.
I’d suggest wearing some plain shoes, as they could get stained with fish blood on the floor.
We also got to see the artificial beach in Male and grabbed the local non-alcoholic version of the mojito – a drink mixed with red bull and artificial sweetener.
My new friend soon had to go to work, so I ended up grabbing buffet lunch at the Sea House restaurant with my Airbnb hosts. The food was delicious, filling, and significantly cheaper than the places at the airport.
I then went back to my apartment to relax for a bit before heading to the airport.
