GENERAL HINTS AND TIPS
Quite a few people have e-mailed me asking for hints and tips, here are a few things I thought of that might help if you are planning a trip to Kuredu.
Luggage
If you transfer on the sea-plane, your luggage almost always follows by boat and is delivered to your villa about 6 or 7 hours after you arrive! There is a chance to sort it out briefly at the airport, but I would recommend either having everything you need in your hand luggage or at the least making sure that anything else you want is easily accessible in your suitcase. Similarly, when you return, you may well have to wave good-bye to your luggage the night before.
Tips
The only cash you need to take with you is for tips (and $10 per person departure tax). The following amounts are recommended by the tour reps:
- $10-$15 per week for each of: the room-boy, your waiter in the all-in restaurant, the collective bar staff
- $1 or $2 per dive for the boat crew if you go diving
- a few $$ for the boat crew if you go on any excursions
- a few $$ for when your luggage is brought to your room / taken from your room
We also gave some $$ to the European dive/snorkelling staff, since we had done a few trips with them, although this wasn't mentioned.
You will also need $$ cash if you want to go shopping in Male (on an excursion during your stay, or while waiting for your flight home!)
Note: there is a surcharge on travellers' cheques (1% for using them to pay your final bill, or 3% if you want to convert them into cash), so a credit card is probably a better option.
Things to remember to take:
- torch, so you don't tread on the crabs at night!
- insect repellant and treatment for bites
- plug-in insect killer for the room
- sandals/beach shoes
- lots of sunscreen of varying factors, and after-sun - the sun is *strong*!
Things not to bother to take:
- smart shoes (sand everywhere, including in the restaurants and bars!)
- any even slightly warm clothes - it really is very warm, even at night, and the restaurants aren't air-conditioned
- towels - bath and beach towels are both supplied in the room
- plug adaptors (if you're coming from the UK) - the sockets take standard UK plugs
- hairdryer - I took mine and didn't use it once, it's so warm that my hair dried in just a few minutes!