{"id":49792,"date":"2026-05-20T10:19:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T00:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/?p=49792"},"modified":"2026-06-02T10:22:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T00:22:50","slug":"luxury-escapes-first-maldives-flight-review-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/luxury-escapes-first-maldives-flight-review-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Direct to Paradise: Onboard Luxury Escapes’ Inaugural Melbourne to Mal\u00e9 Flight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Australia’s first direct flight to the Maldives has changed the game on one of the world’s great bucket-list trips. Here’s what to expect onboard.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luxury Escapes’, and Australia\u2019s, first-ever direct flight to the Maldives<\/a> took off on Monday night and I was lucky enough to be on it. This is not my first Maldivian rodeo and the time savings are without a doubt the most impressive thing about this bold new route.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

In just under fifteen hours, I was sitting poolside at the Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives, complimentary Champagne popped and poured, staring over the pale blue waters of the lagoon and out to the protected reef. Black-and-orange crabs crawl over the rocks, herons dip their beaks hopefully into the sea, and my flight feels like a week ago already.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last time I flew to the Maldives, I went via Kuala Lumpur, and I would have been lining up again to get on another plane. For many Australians, the Maldivian archipelago sits stubbornly on their travel bucket list with the hassle of travelling there often keeping it from getting a much-deserved tick; this new route<\/a> brings it a step closer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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