A tourist has revealed how her boyfriend spent £10,000 on a ‘sunset villa’ in the Maldives despite knowing it was rainy season, only to endure howling winds, four hours of sunshine and weather as bad as London.
Diana Gorenco, from London, says her partner shelled out £9,220 for the two to stay in an ‘Overwater Pool Villa’ at her ‘dream holiday destination’ from November 25 to December 2.
However, instead of the blue sky, clear water and white sand she expected from the Maldives, the stay-at-home friend was met with clouds, heavy downpours and strong winds.
Diana hoped to get photos “like the goddesses she had seen on social media,” despite knowing that the rainy season generally runs from May to November.
The 24-year-old claims the biggest problem was that it was cloudy, meaning they couldn’t see the sunsets they had hoped for and paid for – for a staggering £1,300 a night.
Diana said the gloomy weather was so bad that instead of flying home on December 2, she demanded her holiday be extended and stopped in Dubai on the way home in a desperate attempt to catch some rays.
Diana said: ‘It was just the two of us. We wanted a romantic vacation. The goal was to get away from London and get some sun. For seven nights, the best villa they had cost £9,220. We expected blue skies, clear water and sunshine.
‘Before we went, we researched if it was a good time to go. We saw online that it was the end of the rainy season. We were expecting a little rain here and there, but it was much worse than we expected. “We knew it was going to be bad, but not that bad.”
Diana hoped to get photos “like the goddesses she had seen on social media,” despite knowing that the rainy season usually runs from May to November.
The 24-year-old explained that temperatures remained warm between 28C and 30C throughout the trip, but the wind made activities uncomfortable.
The 24-year-old says the biggest problem was that it was cloudy, meaning they couldn’t see the sunsets they had hoped for and paid for – a staggering £1,300 a night.
When they arrived, the downpours were not the worst of the couple’s problems.
Despite waking up at 5 a.m. every day in a desperate attempt to catch a glimpse of the sunrise, and staying in an aptly named “sunset villa,” Diana didn’t see a single sunset or sunrise on the entire trip.
Diana said: ‘It rained four times but that didn’t really bother us. The problem was that it was cloudy most of the time; It was literally like London. I calculated looking back how much direct sunlight we got during the entire trip and it was only five or seven hours at most over the seven days.
‘The Maldives was my dream holiday destination. I’ve never really traveled outside of Europe, except to go to Dubai.
‘It was fresh and new and I had very high expectations. I bought so many outfits and so many swimsuits. I only managed to take one or two photos with my outfits and that’s it.
“On social media you see beautiful photographs taken at sunset, where women look like goddesses and I really wanted a photo like that, but it didn’t happen.”
The 24-year-old explained that temperatures remained warm between 28C and 30C throughout the trip, but the wind made activities such as diving uncomfortable.
Diana said: ‘The last three days it was very windy, to the point where I didn’t go into the water except to dive.
Diana said: ‘It rained four times but that didn’t really bother us. The problem was that it was cloudy most of the time; It was literally like London.
According to Diana, who worked in marketing before becoming a bride and housewife, even locals thought the weather conditions were “unusual” for the time of year.
“I only did half of it (the diving) because when we moved to the second location the waves were so big and I was so cold that I just went back to the boat and waited for everyone to come.”
The couple were unable to enjoy their time outdoors on the villa’s terrace, which is described online as the perfect spot to “soak up the sun and enjoy glorious sunsets in complete privacy.”
Diana said: ‘Our villa was also the furthest from the coast. The wind was strong and the water in the pool was moving, so you couldn’t even enjoy time outside, and that was frustrating.’
According to Diana, who worked in marketing before becoming a bride and housewife, even locals thought the weather conditions were “unusual” for the time of year.
Diana said: ‘I was disappointed. The locals even said the weather was unusual for the time of year and suggested we return in April or May. We thought we had planned our trip at the end of the rainy season.’
After sharing a video of her experience on TikTok, Diana received comments from other people who had recently traveled to the Maldives at a similar time but were lucky enough to experience blue skies.
Diana said: ‘The funny thing is someone commented on my video saying it was early November and they had perfect weather. We went three weeks later and had the worst weather.
“I feel like even in the rainy season, you can have good days and bad days.”
Despite waking up at 5am every day in a desperate attempt to catch a glimpse of the sunrise, and staying in an aptly named ‘sunset villa’, Diana did not see a single sunset or sunrise on the entire trip.
“I calculated, looking back, how much direct sunlight we got during the entire trip and it was only five or seven hours at most over the seven days,” Diana said.
Diana admits that while she was “disappointed” by the weather conditions in the Maldives, the trip served its romantic purpose and stressed to her that her partner is her “soulmate.”
Diana said: ‘I feel very disappointed (for paying so much and not being able to see the sunrises and sunsets), but it also showed me that love is more important and I enjoyed my time with my partner.
‘I feel like we connect a lot. I feel like the fact that we were in such a bad situation and he paid all that money and we still managed to have a good time shows me that he is my soulmate.
It was in the last days of their vacation when the couple, who at the end of January will celebrate two years of relationship, decided to extend their vacation.
Diana said: “The weather was so bad we decided to stop in Dubai and get some sun and then head back to London.” I told my partner: “We have to extend the trip. I’m not coming home, we barely get the sun.”
Instead of flying back to London on December 2, the couple stopped in Dubai for four days until December 6.
Diana said: ‘We were very lucky to have done it. Dubai was perfect and we saw the most beautiful and amazing sunsets and then we went home.”
Even though it didn’t live up to her expectations the first time, Diana says the couple plans to visit the Maldives again sometime during 2025.
Diana Gorenco, from London, says her partner shelled out £9,220 for the two to stay in an ‘Overwater Pool Villa’ at her ‘dream holiday destination’ from November 25 to December 2.
Diana said: ‘Our villa was also the furthest from the coast. “The wind was strong and the water in the pool was moving, so you couldn’t even enjoy time outside, and that was frustrating.”
Diana said: “I think if we go back this year we might leave booking until the last minute to see if the weather is good and then we’ll book and go.”
‘I would advise everyone to go a little later, starting in February. Even then, the weather is not guaranteed.
“I think it’s really funny that people went three weeks before us and it didn’t rain or wind, it was just sunny, and we went later and got the worst of it.”
Since a video of the stormy weather conditions was shared on TikTok, the clip has gone viral, racking up 400,000 views, likes and comments.
The resort where the couple stayed was contacted for comment.