What I Wish I’d Known Before Our Family’s Trip to the Maldives
know what you're thinking! Maldives, what is there to know, but pack your bathing suits and go enjoy a heavenly holiday in the breathtaking waters of the Indian Ocean. And that's what we did. We packed lots and lots of bathing suits, slippers and of course some "Instagrammable outfits" for our evenings in Maldives. Little did we know before arriving there with our family and three kids of ages 3-10.
We booked our tickets 6 months in advance, and departing from Tirana, Albania, the best option for us to travel was Fly Dubai. We choose this airline because it had one layover in Dubai and the total flight length was divided in half. So we traveled for 5 hours to Dubai. Had a layover of 3.5 hours and then another 5 hours to Maldives.
Sky above, sand below and peace within..
When the plane was landing in Maldives on early morning we were super excited for the week ahead, but surprise surprise..
The weather was horrible. December was supposed to be a dry season in Maldives, but apparently a cyclone had hit India and these were the aftereffects. Our plane had difficulty landing and we waited anxiously while it circled a couple of times around the airport and finally we were there. Even though the weather was the worst, it felt dreamy.
For lunch we stopped at Tapas Tapas. A great place in Diagonal that had various tapas options for everyone. And it had reasonable prices as well. For 6 people we paid around 125 euros for lunch but we tried almost everything on the tapas menu.
After lunch we walked a bit more toward Placa Catalonya where we did some shopping and my nieces had a wonderful time playing and feeding the pigeons. And there were so many.
This was not our first time visiting Barcelona (for either one of us) so we took our time strolling around and eating delicious food, without a fixed itinerary on what we needed to visit. Since my nieces were quite tired with the flight and all the walking around, we arrived at the apartment early and thought to call it a night. But we couldn’t sleep so me, my dad and brother in law decided to step out at Placa de Gracia for a beer and some appetizers. What surprised me most, that without properly being seated, the waiter arrived and notified us that without at least 3-4 dishes ordered we could not seat outside. Of course we could have refused because he us quite unfriendly but we decided not to be affected by his negativity and enjoy the night.
Those pool days
Husband, with a view
he next day we booked tickets for Poble Espanyol considering that Park Guell would be full with tourists this time of the year. We took the metro from Diagonal to Placa Espanya (7 stops) and from there started walking towards Magic Fountain of Montjuïc (which was not operational during our visit), Plaça de les Cascades and eventually arrived at Poble Espanyol. We booked the entrance tickets last minute with GetYourGuide and they cost us 62.80 Euros for 4 adults and 2 children. We strolled around through the enchanting Poble Espanyol, took photos, videos and then rested on a bar where we drank some cold bears.
We decided not to consume lunch there as it felt too “touristy” but headed with Metro back to Sagrada Família where you can find plenty of bars and restaurants. Tip: If you’re traveling with a big family like ours, I suggest buying a group ticket where you have 8 passes at a cheaper rate than the individual tickets.
For lunch we tried a restaurant called Villa Caprice where we eat Pasta with Sea Food, Paella with Lobster, Pizzas and appetizers. The place was obviously more expenses that other restaurants but we were too tired to look around for better options. Anyway the price was worth it because everything was super delicious and the sea food so fresh.
We walked home after eating an ice cream with the view of Sagrada Família and rested for a bit. Even though we were very tired from all the walking around, my nieces and me decided to have a girls’ night eating sushi at La Rambla. So we dressed and headed out while searching for a sushi place to eat. We decided to try … which was an all you can eat sushi place. I would not describe this experience as the best one, but the place was nice, the service fast and the price quite reasonable. For 3 people, dinner cost around 60 Euros.
The next day we decided to head to the beach, so upon taking a look at bus times we rushed to the bus station to go to Tossa de Mar. All locations in Costa Brava are amazing, but Tossa de Mar is my favorite one. Small and charming at the same time.
When we arrived at the bus station, went to the second floor to buy tickets but apparently the only available bus was the one departing at 1 pm. Since the route is around 90 minutes, we would arrive past lunch time at the beach and we felt really disappointed.
Usually I buy tickets well in advance but this time I had left It to fate. After discussing it with the family, we thought to maybe try Lloret de Mar, but the ticket guy was able to find us seats to the bus departing at 11am and we were thrilled.
We walked to the beach, bought a towel and umbrella and lay down to enjoy the weather. Unfortunately, the water was so cold and we could not bathe but nevertheless that didn’t stop my nieces from going in. We enjoyed lunch in a small restaurant with sea view and strolled through the cobbled streets while going through the shops. Normally everything was more expensive here, but I still managed to buy a cute dress that had a Spanish feeling to it.
To get back to Barcelona, all the busses were full, so while my nieces and brother in law went to Girona Aiport for their return flight, we waited for the local bus to take us to Blanes. From there we took the train back to Barcelona. The trip back was challenging and beautiful at the same time. Challenging because it stopped on every station possible and beautiful because we got to enjoy the little beach towns on the way back. We departed from Tossa de Mar at 6pm and arrived back in Barcelona at around 9.20 pm. If you’re traveling in the summer months, I suggest buying your tickets well in advance, so you do not loose precious time with longer transfers (like us). And for the evening it was just me, my mom and dad so we headed back to Tapas Tapas where we had already enjoyed lunch the first day and spent some quality time together.
For the final day in Barcelona we had all day ahead of us since our flight would depart at 10.20 pm. We left our luggage at Barcelona Lockers, close to Plaça de Catalunya and went for a coffee at Farggi Café. It was a lovely café in the corner of Plaça de Catalunya. I enjoyed a delicious croissant filled with crème and a cappuccino. We left Farggi Café to go shopping when we realized that all the shops were closed and it was 11am on a Monday. Apparently, shops in Barcelona open at midday on Mondays. So be prepared for that. We spend the whole day walking, shopping, having coffees and eating. Perfect, right?
We returned home feeling a bit Spanish and filled with positive vibes. Looking forward to our next vacation in Spain. Since I wrote a blog about December in Madrid and June in Barcelona, maybe the next one will be December in Valencia? ..Wait for it!
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Let me know in the comments below if you have visited Barcelona and what did you like the most about it?
BICA FAMILY
Hi, we are Bica family! We are Eneida, Dolsin, our 3-year-old Doen and our golden Shadow. As a blogger family we love to share our stories, experiences, and trips with the world! From fashion to parenthood, parenting to travel, we have a wide range of experiences that we love sharing with our online friends. We strive to bring our followers unique content that is both informative and entertaining.
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