Sun, sand, bland?
October 20, 2012 8:29 AM Subscribe
How can I entertain myself at an island resort?
Todays first world problem is that I am going on holidays to the Maldives, and I am not sure how to spend my time. The wife will happily spend the entire 12 days under a palm tree soaking up rays, while I've been known to have a nervous breakdown spending a week on the coast of Spain. I will absolutely enjoy a little snorkling and swimming (although I do prefer crashing waves), and having a bit of a read on the beach, but I am not particularly sporty and can't afford to spend all of every day in the spa.
Please help me come up with small projects or ways to entertain myself. These should ideally be resort appropriate, I don't think my initial idea of building myself a treehouse or catching and cooking my own fish are going to be warmly received.
This is the resort, don't want to write the name for google+wife reasons.
Todays first world problem is that I am going on holidays to the Maldives, and I am not sure how to spend my time. The wife will happily spend the entire 12 days under a palm tree soaking up rays, while I've been known to have a nervous breakdown spending a week on the coast of Spain. I will absolutely enjoy a little snorkling and swimming (although I do prefer crashing waves), and having a bit of a read on the beach, but I am not particularly sporty and can't afford to spend all of every day in the spa.
Please help me come up with small projects or ways to entertain myself. These should ideally be resort appropriate, I don't think my initial idea of building myself a treehouse or catching and cooking my own fish are going to be warmly received.
This is the resort, don't want to write the name for google+wife reasons.
Best answer: Would you be willing to learn a new craft like knitting or crochet? I take knitting with me when I go to an all-inclusive resort, and it comes in handy for those times when I get bored.
Alternately, you could take an iPad or tablet with downloaded movies or a series of a TV show. No one will care if you're sitting on your patio watching an iPad with earbuds in, as long as you look like you're having fun.
Also, have you checked to see what kinds of daily activities they offer? At the resort we go to, they have a daily event like "weave a straw hat" or "make a tie dyed shirt." You could decide to totally immerse yourself in those activities.
posted by cabingirl at 8:35 AM on October 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
Alternately, you could take an iPad or tablet with downloaded movies or a series of a TV show. No one will care if you're sitting on your patio watching an iPad with earbuds in, as long as you look like you're having fun.
Also, have you checked to see what kinds of daily activities they offer? At the resort we go to, they have a daily event like "weave a straw hat" or "make a tie dyed shirt." You could decide to totally immerse yourself in those activities.
posted by cabingirl at 8:35 AM on October 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
I just checked out the website for that resort...looks awesome. Just to add some more options, you could take up sport-fishing while your wife lays in the sun. You could also go on some tours. There should be a tour desk, go talk to them!
posted by cabingirl at 8:38 AM on October 20, 2012
posted by cabingirl at 8:38 AM on October 20, 2012
Best answer: Yeah - I fish a lot when my wife wants to do vacations like this.
Do they offer a intensive PADI Scuba Certification class? I've done that.
You'd be surprised what they can come up with if you ask about cooking your own fish.
You are hardly the first partner tagging along on someones dream beach vacation.
posted by JPD at 8:58 AM on October 20, 2012
Do they offer a intensive PADI Scuba Certification class? I've done that.
You'd be surprised what they can come up with if you ask about cooking your own fish.
You are hardly the first partner tagging along on someones dream beach vacation.
posted by JPD at 8:58 AM on October 20, 2012
Without question get your SCUBA certification and go on a few dives. Warm water diving is one of life's great relaxing pleasures and you are in a perfect situation to indulge.
Even if you don't think you'll ever do a real dive the training is interesting.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:00 AM on October 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
Even if you don't think you'll ever do a real dive the training is interesting.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:00 AM on October 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
I got dragged to one of these places as a teenager (this one was in Jamaica) and ended up befriending a bunch of the staff, who took my brothers and I to all kinds of weird local places (off-resort, of course) we never would have known about otherwise. It was pretty amazing.
posted by Sara C. at 9:35 AM on October 20, 2012
posted by Sara C. at 9:35 AM on October 20, 2012
Get out of the resort and go where the people are. Find the local market, visit a mosque, talk to random people on the streets, try and learn some of the language, go fishing with some locals, and so on. The people you meet are always the most memorable part of travelling. Don't stay in the resort bubble.
posted by empath at 10:46 AM on October 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by empath at 10:46 AM on October 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Leaving the resorts to visit a town is usually not an option in the Maldives.
posted by JPD at 11:04 AM on October 20, 2012
posted by JPD at 11:04 AM on October 20, 2012
If you have an iPad, load it up with books and movies... Real books are better for reading outside on the beach, though. Consider something light, like historical fiction maybe, about the history of that part of the world. Great vacation enhancer.
Does it make you feel better to know that I for one am crazy jealous and would love nothing more than to spend a week snorkeling in the Maldives? :)
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:50 PM on October 20, 2012
Does it make you feel better to know that I for one am crazy jealous and would love nothing more than to spend a week snorkeling in the Maldives? :)
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:50 PM on October 20, 2012
OMG! Snorkle, snorkle and snorkle some more. You will never see colours in nature like those fish that come in quite close to your island. I could cheerfully spend hours doing this.
Go on the offered boat excursion to see the Manta Rays, swim with them.
Go on one of the island hopping sea-planes.
Talk to the men (they are only men) who are the backbone of the tourist industry about their wives and families back home, some will be from as far away as Bangladesh, but be careful you don't take too much of their time or they may get into difficulty but they will be too polite to shut you down.
Go for quiet walk on the beach at night and watch in fascination the hermit (& other) crabs. If there is music near the sea watch out for the disco dancing crabs ( I kid you not).
posted by Wilder at 12:51 PM on October 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
Go on the offered boat excursion to see the Manta Rays, swim with them.
Go on one of the island hopping sea-planes.
Talk to the men (they are only men) who are the backbone of the tourist industry about their wives and families back home, some will be from as far away as Bangladesh, but be careful you don't take too much of their time or they may get into difficulty but they will be too polite to shut you down.
Go for quiet walk on the beach at night and watch in fascination the hermit (& other) crabs. If there is music near the sea watch out for the disco dancing crabs ( I kid you not).
posted by Wilder at 12:51 PM on October 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
you can generally get a boat to the capital, your island is likely to be a completely isolated one-hotel enclosure. The only way to intereact with people who live there is to go to the capital in my experience. If your island is too far away from Male then definitely learn to scuba dive.
posted by Wilder at 12:54 PM on October 20, 2012
posted by Wilder at 12:54 PM on October 20, 2012
It looks like they have catamaran sailing lessons. I'm not especially sporty myself, but I've taken up yacht sailing, and it. is. a. blast.
You feel such a sense of accomplishment when you catch the wind just the right way, or figure out an efficient tack. It is pretty physical, but it's a nerd activity too—there's always something new to learn about sailing, and always something to fiddle around with on the boat.
(I was googling around for yacht sailing lessons, but it seems all they have are lil catamarans. Never done it myself, but seems fun.)
posted by functionequalsform at 1:37 PM on October 20, 2012
You feel such a sense of accomplishment when you catch the wind just the right way, or figure out an efficient tack. It is pretty physical, but it's a nerd activity too—there's always something new to learn about sailing, and always something to fiddle around with on the boat.
(I was googling around for yacht sailing lessons, but it seems all they have are lil catamarans. Never done it myself, but seems fun.)
posted by functionequalsform at 1:37 PM on October 20, 2012
do you play an instrument? I packed a small piano keyboard in my luggage one time and practiced
posted by gt2 at 3:59 PM on October 20, 2012
posted by gt2 at 3:59 PM on October 20, 2012
itunes U ? download and learn? (iPad required). Second surfing... or if that's too much try SUP? Amazing way to experience and enjoy the ocean without waves (and with).
posted by specialk420 at 4:24 PM on October 20, 2012
posted by specialk420 at 4:24 PM on October 20, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks guys! I think it's going to be a combination of packing some crafts and working on a learning project. There's a lot of things I "never have time" for, and this might be a good time for it, I am actually liking the idea of painting figurines under a palm tree.
As mentioned the resort is the island, and everything costs extra, such as diving, excursions etc. I think I might end up having to suck it up and put down another couple of grand for activities. I am also actually looking forward to stargazing, and expecting to quite enjoy the night times :)
posted by Iteki at 2:45 PM on October 23, 2012
As mentioned the resort is the island, and everything costs extra, such as diving, excursions etc. I think I might end up having to suck it up and put down another couple of grand for activities. I am also actually looking forward to stargazing, and expecting to quite enjoy the night times :)
posted by Iteki at 2:45 PM on October 23, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Wordshore at 8:34 AM on October 20, 2012 [1 favorite]