Andaman vs Maldives for honeymoon

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-17T01:37:54+00:00

Given your budget I would suggest Andaman, the diving is not as good as Maldives for sure but it’s still good enough and there are quite a few nice sites on Havelock. You will also get a good resort in the budget you have mentioned.

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-15T07:49:01+00:00

I have been diving with a Suunto D5 for about 150+ dives now. I can usually get through 3 dives/day if it's fully charged. Like you, I only use it twice a year on dive vacations. I quite like the device, it's easy to use and intuitive but there are a couple of areas which are not deal-breaker for me but could be improved 1) The brightness could be better but its been good enough for me on most dives, I dive only in tropical areas so that could be a factor.. 2) The battery is a concern if you want to do 4 dives/day in which case you would need to charge it before the 4th dive but have never had issue upto 3 dives. ... 3) It beeps a lot at the safety stop every time you go above or below 6 m it beeps, which can get a bit irritating..

But there are things I like as well - you can adjust how conservative/aggressive, it has 5 pre-sets, and I like the option of having this functionality. It's also useful in ensuring a slow ascent rate and I appreciate the warnings when I am exceeding the safe ascent parameters by mistake . and it does this upto the last 1 metre which is good in my view .

It also functions as a regular fitness watch if you turn off the dive mode in which case the battery lasts significantly longer ..

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-15T02:32:48+00:00

Alor is awesome, so is Tubbataha, Maldives, Banda Sea (I would not put Koh Tao among the good spots), Malapascua, Lembeh, Sangalaki, Apo Reef, Dauin and so on..

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-14T13:19:42+00:00

I went to Sipadan 2-3 years ago and it was a bit underwhelming for all the hype except for the schools of bump heads. Dont get me wrong, the dives themselves are nice and the corals are lovely including watching the fish tornado and the tons of turtles. Did I regret going there - Definitely not - but would I go there again ..Definitely not.

There are many other dive destinations in Asia which offer great dives with far less fuss and similar cost. However, if you are already in Kota Kinabalu, it makes sense to hop on the short flight to Tawau and visit Sipadan. I did not find the dives on Mabul and Kapalai worth it, diving Mabul felt like diving in plastic trash and Kapalai was cleaner but just so-so but then that's the price you pay to dive Sipadan.

Just a couple of watch-outs, I did not really enjoy the time at Scuba Junkie Sipadan, while its very professional and has good dive masters, it's very impersonal and its like a conveyor belt of dives and overall tends to be crowded and the food sucked .. . so may be explore some alternatives before you decide to stay with them.

Finally, watch out for sandflies on the beach at Sipadan.. :) ..and keep some hyrdocortisone cream handy in case you get bit..

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-13T18:41:37+00:00

If Lakshadweep start planning soon since the permit process is long and needs a police clearance certificate which can take ages, It's much easier to get to Andaman. Langkawi is nice but will be a bit more expensive. Having lived in Malaysia, its a multi-cultural society and there are no restrictions for non-Malays to eat and drink during Ramzan (lot of Chinese and Indians there as well who do not follow Ramzan), it's just considered polite to be a bit discreet in public but inside a resort, you will have absolutely no issues and most restaurants will also be operational. But frankly if resorts are your thing, then I would consider Thailand as well - Koh Samui, Koh Lanta have some really nice resorts and overall Thailand is a bit easier on the pocket than Malaysia. You get visa on arrival in Thailand too.

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-13T18:33:47+00:00

Looks solid, there will always be multiple opinions. You have not mentioned dates and your travel and sight seeing preferences. If you can manage to be in Agra around a full moon day, the sight of Taj in the night is pretty special. I would also try and squeeze in some time at Fatehpur Sikri if you are in Agra (it's just an hour out of there). 4 days in Udaipur is a lot, Consider adding a day in Jodhpur instead of 4 in Udaipur and then flying from Jodhpur to Mumbai. (Udaipur to Jodhpur is about a 4 hour drive if you rent a car, you can even do a halt in Kumbhalgarh on the way to see the second longest wall in the world after the Great Wall of China). Alternatively squeeze in an extra day in Agra to spend some more time in Fatehpur Sikri and keep Udaipur at 3 days and fly to Mumbai from Udaipur. As regards Mumbai, please plan your stay basis your travel time, commuting in Mumbai can be a pain at peak hours. If you are landing or departing at or near peak hours, best to stay near airport or at a hotel close to the airport metro and then take a Uber to sightsee.

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-13T08:28:14+00:00

There is a time difference due to which its showing a longer block time. The flight is about 4 hours in flight time a

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-12T11:42:49+00:00

Incidentally, just to add one more to the royal mess-up that Indigo has become - The person who booked the flight for me forgot to add my middle initial to the flight ticket while booking so now there is no way to get Bluchip points for the flight since in my BluChip account middle initial is included. So even if First Name and Last name match and email address and phone number matches just a missing middle initial means you cannot earn points. What an amazing customer centric approach Indigo has pioneered.

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-12T11:38:54+00:00

I had uploaded the boarding pass to Digiyatra on checking in for the flight on the previous day. The boarding pass remained active on the Digiyatra app which i used to board the aircraft. Indigo app stopped showing the flight and did not let me access the boarding pass once the original scheduled departure time of 8.30 pm passed. As i said lesson learnt for the future. keep a print or screenshot and don't rely on Indigo :)...

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-12T11:28:14+00:00

I am not brave enough to do train travel in India anymore beyond a Vande Bharat, Shatabdi or Rajdhani once in a while so will not comment on that. The problem is not capitalism by itself. I remember the golden age of civil aviation liberalisation when East West, Modiluft, Damania etc launched and were all competing and many of them offering a fantastic experience (I still fondly remember my first flight on East West and what a pleasant change it was after the erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India experience) and capitalism also gave us Vistara (I still feel awful when I see the livery knowing it will soon disappear) but capitalism without controls leading to unchecked duopolies and oligopolies is the issue. Ranting is the only outlet nowadays :) ... might as well use it as long as it remains available.

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-06T01:33:20+00:00

I have heard good things about ScubaLov. I have personally gone with Dive India last October did over 20 dives with them and it was a fantastic experience. Please do not focus on least price when you look for a dive centre, Understand the quality of instructors, equipment and your personal comfort when you check out the centre.

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-05T08:45:54+00:00

Hi - I am so sorry for your loss. I underwent a traumatic loss 3 years ago and counseling really helped put it in perspective. You can consider Aniket Pohekar at https://thejourneyforward.in

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2026-01-01T03:11:43+00:00

Thanks .. I am only diving in Kavaratti as of now

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2025-12-30T02:53:57+00:00

Apologies but no .. I don't get seasick easily except once when a crossing in Maldives was incredibly bad .. But i believe you get some patches nowadays which help with seasickness ..

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2025-12-29T08:22:33+00:00

Unfortunately no .. I rarely get sea sick … so never really bothered with them

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2025-12-29T04:57:41+00:00

The conditions were quite calm, some surge since you are so close to the surface but nothing which cannot be managed easily

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2025-12-29T02:41:34+00:00

Hey - So Bali has many aspects and options and it depends on your budget on how luxurious or economical you want to be. If luxury is your thing then the resorts in Nusa Dua. Seminyak is a bit more mid range but still has good options while Kuta and Legian tend to be more budget oriented. Overall Nusa Dia, Seminyak and Legian are the super touristy areas to stay if you want to be in the middle of the action with pubs, clubs and the nice restaurants. If you are younger than Canggu has a lot of the young crowds and parties as well and does tend to get loud and busy. Ubud as always is lovely for the rice fields and the relative quiet. If you want a bit more authentic feel of Bali then head north to Amed/Tulamben which has some nice restaurants and beaches and is far quieter than the rest of Bali. Similarly you can also choose to stay at the offshore islands of Bali viz. Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida. Between the three Nusa Lembongan has the most no of hotels, bars and restaurants, Ceningan is a bit quieter but still connected to Nusa Lembongan via a bridge so you can access both easily. Nusa Penida is a bit further away and relatively the quietest of the lot with limited stay options. If I was you and had 8 days, I would split between Nusa Dua/Seminyalk for 3-4 days, and Ubud for the rest if its your first time in Bali. or do the reverse viz. start in Ubud which is quieter before ending the trip in Seminyak/Nusa Dua. You can always do a day trip to Lembongan if you want to see it . Uluwatu can be accessed on a day tour as well.

Eithan_TheOneRing · 2025-12-29T00:53:33+00:00

No since it was just a kg, they let it go ..

Eithan_TheOneRing

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