Do not try to leave the island: how the newlyweds became captives of the ghost resort due to the coronavirus
'20.04.2020'
Source: Lenta.ru report
Newlyweds from the Republic of South Africa mistakenly decided that a coronavirus pandemic could not spoil their honeymoon abroad. However, epidemic restrictions left them alone on a deserted island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Walking around the ghostly resort, they had to anxiously count the growing costs of an unexpectedly long vacation. How lovers were captured by a paradise island - in the material "Tapes.ru".
It's like a fairytale
The plot of the story of a couple in love from South Africa - Olivia and Raul de Freitas - resembles a fairy tale. A 27-year-old teacher and a 28-year-old butcher shop worker played a wedding at home and set off on a romantic trip. Despite the modest earnings, the lovers decided to spend their honeymoon luxuriously. They saved up money for a long time and chose one of the most romantic and secluded places in the world - a remote island in the Maldives.
A white sandy beach, a villa with access to the turquoise ocean, a rich underwater world, exotic food, the scorching sun, nature and complete privacy. This place seems to be perfect for starting a happy family life. Olivia and Raul were only worried about one question: can a new-type coronavirus infection raging around the world ruin their idyll? The travel agent resolutely stated that they were not in danger, and that in the event of an emergency they would be freely returned to their homeland.
Discarding all fears, on March 22, the newlyweds drove into the five-star Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives Hotel, where they planned to spend six days of an unforgettable vacation. However, on the third day, unexpected news broke their peace: at midnight the next day, all airports in South Africa were closed due to the coronavirus. Olivia and Raul could reach their homeland no sooner than 17 hours, so even with great desire they would not have time to return.
Do not try to leave the island
As other vacationers returned home, the island rapidly empty. One of the last guests of the hotel, in addition to Olivia and Raul, were Americans. Luck was on their side: they managed to get permission to fly to Russia, from where they were returned to the United States.
The newlyweds decided to try their luck at the nearest airport. Without losing hope, they planned an hour and a half trip by speed boat to the main island. But here again they received unpleasant news: they did not have time to board, when the Maldives authorities announced the closure of the borders and the suspension of local airports. The lovers had no choice but to continue to live on the island and wait for the opportunity to return home.
“And, it would seem, why rush to your homeland when fate gives you a unique chance to stretch out a romantic vacation on a paradise island and spend your honeymoon in complete seclusion,” they thought.
This was the opinion of Raoul, who was calm in nature, joyfully accepting an unusual combination of circumstances. On the contrary, Olivia was frightened by the prospect of spending the next few weeks at a deserted ghost resort.
Being completely at a loss, she applied for help to the South African Consulate in the Maldives and the nearest South African Embassy located in Sri Lanka. Through WhatsApp, the answer came that in addition to them, there are about 40 South African tourists in the Maldives, and all of them can fly home by renting a charter plane for 104 thousand dollars. Authorities have proposed sharing this astronomical sum between vacationers who wish to return to South Africa. It is not surprising that those 20 people whom the consulate staff managed to contact could not or did not want to pay for such an expensive flight.
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Captive by the island
By March 29, Olivia and Raul were the only guests of the island, on which approximately 180 tourists usually rest at this time of the year. They became a kind of hostage in a deserted resort in the middle of the ocean. However, no matter how frighteningly deserted the beaches, restaurants and neighboring villas may seem, all the hotel staff remained with the newlyweds on the island. Maldivian laws prevent employees from leaving the resort while at least one vacationer lives there.
Hotel workers, accustomed to a scheduled daily workday, were forced to serve two newlyweds. The maids dropped in on Olivia and Raul five times a day. Chefs and waiters arranged gourmet dinners on the shore by candlelight. Every evening, the artists performed with the show program, but only two lonely spectators sat in the huge hall.
At breakfast, nine waiters were spinning around their table. One by one, they approached the guests to exchange a couple of phrases, pour water into glasses after only a sip or offer drinks, even when Olivia and Raul's table was laden with cocktails. Whenever the newlyweds passed by a diving instructor, he persistently persuaded them to do at least snorkeling.
The newlyweds admitted that while they wandered around the island, more recently crowded and lively, they did not leave a sense of anxiety and hopelessness. It did not retreat either on a quiet coast with a scattering of empty deck chairs, or in a spacious dining room with rows of empty tables. According to Olivia's stories, in order to pass the time, she and her husband arranged table tennis and snooker games, and in the afternoon Raul played football with the staff.
What's next?
While the life of Olivia and Raul slowed down and turned into a groundhog day, the whole world was in a tense battle with the deadly virus. Despite the fact that this disease did get to the Maldives, the statistics here are not very scary: there are only 28 infected people in the country, not a single death has been recorded. The situation with coronavirus in their native country was much more worried, where 2,6 cases of infection with COVID-19 pneumonia were recorded, and 48 people became victims of the disease.
At some point, Olivia and Raul had already lowered their hands and were told that the closest possible date for their departure could be April 6th. However, these promises turned out to be only encouraging stories. A charter plane of the Maldives was ready to fly to South Africa on one condition: they would drop off tourists at home, take a break in one day and set off on the return trip.
The authorities of the Republic of South Africa were not satisfied with this state of affairs. They warned that a crew arriving from the Maldives would spend 14 days in quarantine in South Africa. Of course, neither side wanted to make a deal. The flight from the Republic of South Africa to the Maldives was not even discussed.
South Africa promised to open borders on April 16, but on April 9, the head of state announced an extension of quarantine until the end of the month.
“Everyone wants to visit a tropical island until they get stuck on it. It only sounds great when you know that you can fly out of there at any moment, ”says Olivia de Freitas.
Olivia admits that she was happy to be in the Maldives longer. But among the tropical tales, there is something that worried the bride and groom daily: an inexorably rising honeymoon bill. If you believe the information from the official website of the hotel, the minimum cost of living in the resort is $ 750 per night. The hotel management, due to emergency circumstances, provided the couple with a generous discount, however, for newlyweds these expenses became an unplanned luxury. They had to spend the money deferred on the down payment for the house.
According to the stories of Olivia and Raul, on April 5 they received a message from the embassy asking them to pack their things within an hour and be ready to move. Soon they were taken by speedboat to another five-star hotel, where they gathered about 20 South African tourists. Local authorities have promised that they will cover the lion's share of the costs associated with their delay in the Maldives.
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Happy end
After 21 days spent on a paradise island, the South African couple nevertheless returned to their homeland. “We flew in a private charter plane. The flight was paid for by 40 tourists from South Africa and Mauritius, ”Olivia and Raul explained. The flight, as agreed, cost the rest, stuck in the Maldives, a round sum - 104 thousand dollars. Now Raul and Olivia are waiting for two weeks of compulsory quarantine before they can get home.
“We visited the most beautiful place on Earth, where we were not in danger,” the newlyweds summed up. “Looking back, we understand that we were fortunate enough to have an incredible experience, albeit quite expensive.”
