Jacuzzi Water Villa, Veligandu resort, Maldives

The resort has six room categories - beach villa, jacuzzi beach villa, sunset beach villa, sunset jacuzzi villa, water villa and jacuzzi water villa.  Hotels.com has a special with this resort for adding US$80 per room per night (for 2 persons) on upgrading to all-inclusive plus plan covering all day meals, snacks, drinks (wide range or sodas, canned juice, coffee/tea and some red/white wine, plus the similar items in the in-room minibar), an excursion trip to a nearby island, sunset cruise and a snorkelling trip.  So if you book a jacuzzi water villa with this AI Plus plan, that's just US$400 (tax incl.) per night.  Besides, the room is very clean and spacious with a nice jacuzzi and a big sunbathing deck.  Surprisingly, the housekeeping isn't downgraded because of this bargain price.  Instead, it's much better than other resorts I have tried.   Worth a re-visit!

From Male to Veligandu (North Ari Atoll), seaplane ride, Maldives

Photo 1: a small island in between Veligandu and Kuramanthi on a small ring of islands covered by North Ari Atoll (west of North Male Atoll).  

Photo 2/3: Veligandu resort - noticed the small island on the south which is on another view in Photo 4: this island acts as another docking bay for the sea plane if the sea current is too strong on the main island during summer monsoon season.

Photo 5/6: Centara Ras Fushi (the newest Centara resort, about 20 minute boat ride west of Male).

Photo 7: it's an industrial and also a place for garbage disposal.  Because of this garbage disposal, it's widely negatively commented by the guests of Centara Ras Fushi (as it's very close to this place).

Photo 8/9: Male Int'l Airport - built on and along the island Hulhumale.  It's named as one of the top ten most spectacular landings by the aviation industry.  There isn't any side way for the plane to get standby or taking on a taxi way.  So the plane needs to take a U-turn on either end of the runway to take off or after landing.

Seaplane terminal, Hulhumale (Airport) island, Maldives

I believe Maldives has the largest no. of seaplane services in the world.  There are 3 terminals, and you need to take a shuttle car to travel around these 3 terminals.  The last photo: it's the exclusive seaplane for the new luxury resort Cheval Blanc Randell (by LV).  

Business class, CX A330, HKG-MLE (Maldives)

CX launched this new business class in 2011 and now have had all the long or medium haul aircraft be configured with this new business class seats.  Noted is that CX still keeps some of its long haul (almost all of its 747 fleet though it's retiring) with the previous business class seat (the one that Virgin first launched with the 2 side partition with the foot rest on the aisle side and the head rest on the window side (a reverse version of this one).  Personally I prefer the old one as this one is pretty annoying when someone walk on the aisle.  Actually I'd prefer MH business class after trying this one, as in the air, the plane is at a 5-8 degree upward; so when the seat is in an adjacent angle on a flat bed, you would feel like sleeping with your feet on the side upward.  Imagining your bed's foot left or right side up. 

On this medium haul, CX serves a full meal from warm nuts, appetizer, main course (the steamed rice is very good), fruit to dessert and praline (though I didn't take it).

On the way back from MLE to HKG, noticed there were so many staff on the plane (seems like this route benefits CX staff pretty much).

First class, 777-300ER, Cathay Pacific BKK-HKG

CX configured half of its 777-300ER air crafts with 6 first class seats.  The seat is almost double the size of its business class seat, and called as a suite, with a flat bed stretching to 84 inches long.  The seat is with a massage function on a touch screen control.  I like the Bose de-noise headphones.  It delivers high precision of every level of sound, instead of just bass or treble.

On this flight sector, a nice smoked salmon was served, following warm nuts and choices of drinks.  A warm bread basket was served to go with the meal.  I took the crew's recommendation of their signature red wine.  Though I'm not an expert of Red Wine, it is pretty strong in a wood aroma.  So I took the beef filet with red wine sauce.  However, the dessert passion fruit tart is so so.  Then why not for a nice coffee and some pralines.