The Other Side of the Islands

We had just spent a fabulous week on Kulhudhuffushi getting to know the real Maldives when a dilemma set in.  Remember that overnight ferry ride that started our visit here?  It turns out that the ferry does not run every day between Kulhudhuffushi and the airport.  In order to make our flight, we would have to leave three days early, and basically wait at the airport for those three days.  The airport at Male is on its own little island. (Pretty much everything in the Maldives is on its own island.)

Stephanie being the Queen of Travel™ worked her magic and came up with a plan.  We were going to use some of our stash of SPG points (now Marriott) to stay for two nights at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa. We took the overnight ferry again, got to the airport early, and relaxed for a few hours in the airport lounge (Yay credit card benefits!) while we waited for our boat to the Sheraton.

Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa

As soon as we got there, it was as if we were in another world.  As the boat pulled in, the staff was lined up waving at the newcomers like something out of Fantasy Island.  They gave us complimentary drinks and cold towels while we waited to check in.

The staff looks happy to see us

Drinks and cold towels while we wait to check in

Then came the best part:  When she made the booking, Stephanie had mentioned that it was our anniversary.  While checking in the staff decided to see if they could find something nice for us.  Boy did they!  We were upgraded to a club-level over-water bungalow!!  This never happens, not even to platinum, super-elite, ultra-mega diamond members.  Our over-water bungalow (or OVB as it’s known in the travel biz) featured a tub with a panoramic view of the sea, a deck with a private plunge pool for two, and a ladder that descends right into the water for snorkeling.  There were only 20 of this room type in the entire resort, and one happened to be available for our two nights.  I don’t want to spoil it for when you stay here, but here are some photos…

We’re almost at the end of the pier

Our fabulous Over Water Bungalow

Our room

Stephanie’s favorite spot

I think we’re gonna spend a lot of time here

Open, yet private

The dipping of the toes

We dropped off our bags and were taken via golf cart to the club lounge where they were serving breakfast.  Breakfast at the regular buffet was $30 per person, but the lounge had a smaller buffet and even eggs cooked to order.

Breakfast made to order

Billiards anyone?

The private deck of the private club

We strolled back to our room to get settled in…

Walking back to our room

Lush and beautiful

Banyan trees

…and within minutes, there was a knock at the door.  The resort sent us an anniversary gift consisting of a cake, some little snacks and a bottle of champagne (as if the OVB wasn’t enough).  We were starting to feel like the rich and famous.

All this in the first few hours!  We then headed over to the lagoon and made use of the stand-up paddleboards.  Stephanie loves this sport.  After nearly an hour we switched it up for a kayak.

Paddling in paradise

Super strong!

Kayaking fools

That afternoon, we headed down the ladder to visit the fish.  They were everywhere.

Ya caught me by surprise

This guy is cool

Humahuma’s cousin

The fish restaurant

The stripes make them go faster

Underwater selfie

Our room

Every evening, they feed the reef sharks in the lagoon.  You can wade in ankle deep, and the sharks will swim around you snapping up bits of fish tossed in the water by the staff.  The sharks are so interested in the food, we followed the guide’s example and went barefoot in the water with them!

Black Tipped Reef Shark

Video – feeding the sharks

The next day was basically the same thing:  more snorkeling, more paddleboarding, more shark-feeding.

Butterfly fish

Huge spotted fish

Who you callin’ shrimp?

A sea garden

Hermit crab

Abbey Road fish

Smile for the camera

Defending their turf

It’s the dreaded spindly killer fish

Discussing the logistics of twin paddleboarding

She can’t stay away from this thing

We also managed to enjoy the hotel and celebrate our anniversary.  It turns out that someone’s forward-thinking husband managed to sneak an anniversary present into his luggage for the occasion.

By the waterfall

Happy anniversary, baby!

On our last day, our flight wasn’t until 11:00pm.  That meant our boat to the airport was at 8:00pm.  The resort allowed us to stay and use the facilities (including the club room) the entire day, so we ended up getting three full days at the resort for the price of just two nights!  They gave us a late checkout of 12pm, but that wasn’t all.  Since we were in a room usually occupied by platinum, super-elite, ultra-mega diamond members, they gave us a whole new room for the afternoon!  It was much less impressive than our OVB, but it did have a nice porch swing.  We hung out at the pool that evening, and enjoyed the bottle of champagne that the resort had given us.

Time to celebrate our anniversary

orange champagne

Anniversary beach baby

Night pool

We found the orchid garden

This was definitely one of the most luxurious places we’ve ever stayed.  At over $1200 per night, and almost impossible to obtain on points alone, I’m uncertain that another over-water bungalow is in our future.  Fortunately, the resort also provided us with gorgeous sunsets, and those are always free and available all over the world.

So Cool in SoCal

So whaddaya do when you have both a free week at a hotel and free tickets to Disneyland – both of which will expire soon?  Why, you plan a trip to Southern California, of course!  Our promotional, 7-night stay at a Marriott Residence Inn was a perfect excuse to go spend Stephanie’s birthday kicking around Orange County.  The Residence Inn seemed perfect in every way except for one tiny detail – our mini-suite had a kitchenette, but no oven.  How was I going to bake a birthday cake for my wife with no oven??  (Read on for the answer.)

Day 1, and time for reliving another fun childhood experience with Stephanie: Knott’s Berry Farm (KBF going forward)!  Originally an actual berry farm, KBF has grown into quite an amusement park.  Some might say it lives in Disneyland’s shadow, but the locals know it makes a great alternative to the House of the Mouse.  I had been there a few times as a teenager living in Anaheim, and I was thrilled to take Stephanie.  She was thrilled to meet Snoopy in person.  (P.S.  Dear Knott’s, please bring back the Wacky Soap Box Racers.)

Welcome to a new park

Stephanie got to meet Snoopy

In Charlie Brown’s House

Pinch hitting for the Astro Orbiter, its…The Log Flume

The next day we took a tour of Elliott’s Old Haunts™ in Anaheim.  We had done this once years ago, but that was before we started blogging, so now you, dear reader get to see the places of my youth including…

My Old House
(Imagine it with a giant plum tree in the front yard.)

My old house (sans plum tree)

My Old synagogue, where my father was the cantor.
(Spoiler Alert:  it’s now a church.  My how the times change!)

It looks the same, but the religion is different

My Old High School – Loara High
(Yes, I went there at the same time as Gwen Stefani.  As far as you know, we’re long-time friends.)

The hallowed (outdoor) halls of Loara

My lunch spot was here

My loccker was here

My First Job
(It was Moe’s Burgers & Deli when I was there in the 80s.)

My first job (when it was Moe’s burgers)

Back at our hotel, it was time for me to get to birthday baking for Stephanie.  So…how do you bake a cake without an oven?  You use the gas grill, of course.  It worked wonderfully, and the hotel staff even gave us a bottle of wine with which to celebrate.

Let the cake-ing comence

The temperature is right

Ready for baking

 

Happy Birthday, baby! Make a digital wish before you blow out the candle…

We took a couple of days to do see some notable Southern California attractions.  First we went to the beach (Huntington, if you’re following us that closely).  The water was freezing but Stephanie was extra psyched to be able to swim on her October birthday.

At the beach

Playing in the Pacific

Then we did something I had never done in all my years as a Southern California resident:  We attended a live taping of a TV show – The Price is Right.  It may have been a mistake wearing orange for Halloween.  It didn’t occur to us that the episode we were attending wouldn’t even air until after the New Year.  After a couple of hours in line, we had our TPIR name tags, and were interviewed in groups of 30 by the producers.  They spent all of 15 seconds with each of us, and we had a sense right away that we weren’t going to get called to “Come on Down.”  While we waited, we saw a side-splitting promotional video showing us what to expect and how to act (and how not to act).  Then we were ushered into the famous studio.  They collected our cameras and phones, so there are no photos.

The first thing we noticed is that the studio is much smaller than it looks on TV.  The second thing we noticed is that the crowd barely sat down, and did not stop shouting and cheering the entire time.  You can’t hear a thing that’s happening on stage!  When they call new contestants, they also display the name on large signs so that people can see if they’ve been called.  Our final assessment was that it was neat to see the studio, but not necessarily worth the long lines or the loud crowd to do it again.  (Note from the future: Luckily, Stephanie’s dad Barry taped the show, so we were eventually able to watch it with him and hear exactly what was going on!)

Off to the Price is Right

At last the day had come for the most important reason we were here!  We spent Stephanie’s actual birthday at Disney’s California Adventure (you figure out which of those two things is more important.  🙂 ) for which, as we told you about here,  we had free tickets.  Like Knott’s Berry Farm, DCA was all decked out for Halloween.  I don’t care how old we get or how kid-less we are.  Disney is always fun.  Period!

Ready for Anaheim’s most notable landmark

Disney’s Halloween-y California Adventure

 

Cars land is ready for Halloween

Paradise Pier

The Golden Zephyr

After a satisfyingly long day, we returned to our hotel where we celebrated Stephanie’s birthday with more of the famous grill-cake, and some presents that I had brought across the country with us.

Happy birthday, Stephanie