My head is swimming about where to swim!!

Please help!

I have always been quite pleased with the wealth of information I have received from these forums. ((thank you)) It seems this time there just too much information for me to compute!

My husband and I are planning a trip to the islands between July 10-17. I think I have narrowed our search down to 2 resorts, Reethi Beach or Mirihi, but really wanted some final input from the great experience on this board.

We are looking for:

*a good house reef

*good diving (we are novices but have our fingers are crossed for a chance to swim with some whale sharks and/or mantas)

*semi quiet beaches (don%26#39;t want a lot of kids running around -no offense)

*good food variety (we%26#39;re veg-heads)

*possibility for extra excursions/water sports

Please set me straight:

*Will the waters will still be clear and pretty this time of year?

*What is better; HB, FB or AI? Do both resorts offer AI?

*How much can I expect to pay for diving trips?

In the past I%26#39;ve always booked my own flights and hotels with no problem but it appears that the Maldives is a different animal (bummed to hear about the Tiger extinction at Mirihi- we are both fans).

We are planning to use air miles to get us to Male but need help finding a travel agent to help with the hotels, transfers, food/drinks, and excursions/dives, etc. Someone mentioned Impex Holidays and the site is very informative but is this the best place to try to book and get a fair deal or should I really be looking for a local agent to deal with face to face?? (I live in Dubai and the first place I tried the people were less than helpful)

I would really appreciate some direction. Thanks in advance

My head is swimming about where to swim!!

I haven%26#39;t visited either of these islands so can%26#39;t help with your specific questions.

However if you%26#39;re looking for a travel agent, I highly recommend phoning Jim at Maldives Direct. He really knows his stuff and his prices are very competitive.

Mirihi doesn%26#39;t do AI (most of the upmarket resorts don%26#39;t), but I%26#39;m not sure about Reethi.

In my view where there is no AI on offer, I always think it%26#39;s best to go half board. Personally I don%26#39;t want a big meal at lunch in the tropics and so just tend to have a big, late breakfast and then wait until dinner to eat again, maybe with a small snack in the afternoon if I%26#39;m hungry.

My head is swimming about where to swim!!

Hi

Reethi definitely does AI, we%26#39;re booked to go there in July, but have decided to stay on B%26amp;B as we like the thought of trying the different restaurants (my o/h is veggie).

We did look at Mirihi, as I think the snorkelling there is better than at Reethi, and Mirihi is a smaller island - but it was a bit more than we wanted to pay out this year on a holiday.

Diving wise you can find a price list for Mirihi here:

mirihi.com/downloads/…2008.pdf

and for Reethi..

sea-explorer.net/english/pricelist-new.php

You mention mantas/whale sharks, if they are about and feeding I%26#39;d guess visibility isn%26#39;t fantastic due to the plankton..but I%26#39;m no great expert.

Finally, it would appear Tiger is in short supply everywhere in the Maldives due to supplier problems. Hopefully they%26#39;ll be sorted by July :-)

regards

Ian

mirihi ticks your boxes but most certainly does not offer AI .

the tiger extinction seems to be maldive wide , if i understood that correctly .

you don%26#39;t need a travel agent to book mirihi. just email Anthony , the reservations manager and book staright with them . its what we always do.. why pay a middle man ?