The story of one couple’s unending and quite unsettling honeymoon has been taking the internet by storm, as the couple’s tumultuous tale of being trapped in paradise shocks the world.
Thousands of people across the world have had their travel plans rocked by the coronavirus pandemic.
And, as stories of people being stranded in foreign countries continue to arise in light of airports across the globe being forced to close, one couple’s story of an interminable honeymoon has risen above the rest.
Newlyweds Olivia and Raul De Freitas were only supposed to spend six days in the Maldives.
The pair arrived at their resort, the Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives, on March 22 after their wedding. Once their six-day honeymoon was over, the 27- and 28-year-old newlyweds were supposed to return to their home in South Africa.
However, due to increasing restrictions on travel, the pair have since found themselves trapped on their honeymoon, where they are still to this day.
The couple had checked with their travel agent before the trip, who assured them everything would be fine.
They were told that they would be fine to return home and that all South African citizens would be allowed back into the country, the New York Times reported.
However, this wasn’t the case, and when the couple learned of South Africa’s airports closing, they simply couldn’t make it home in time.
On the fourth day of their honeymoon, they had become aware of South Africa’s airport’s imminent closure.
But due to the complex route that they would have to take to get home, which included three-hour layovers, and an additional nine hours to Johannesburg, there was simply no way that the couple could have made it home before the airports closed.
The couple said that the reality of the situation is far from the idyllic idea that people may have.
Sure, the idea of being stuck on your honeymoon for an indefinite amount of time sounds amazing in theory , but in reality, it’s much different.
“Everyone says they want to be stuck on a tropical island until you’re actually stuck,” Olivia told the Times . “It only sounds good because you know you can leave.”
Being stuck in the Maldives has apparently cost the couple a fortune.
And, even though they have managed to get a generous discount off the $750 per night resort they are staying in, they are quickly running out of money.
On social media, the public has had varied reactions to the couple’s plight.
Some people have expressed sorrow for the couple, whose honeymoon is now costing them far more than they can afford. But the majority of people aren’t quite so sympathetic.
“I don’t feel any sympathy for them,” this Twitter user wrote. “They left on March 22nd. This virus was everywhere then. The staff is what this article should have been about.”
Some even reasoned that Olivia and Raul aren’t nearly as financially burdened as we might think.
“I’m sure if they’re honeymooning in the Maldives they’re not hurting for money and can fund the extra bill,” this person wrote. “The only time this would bother me is if I had kids or pets to get back home to.”
Most people actually expressed their concern for the hotel staff who have to cater to the stranded couple.
As this person pointed out, “The staff can’t leave until an additional quarantine period after these last guests leave. They’re basically hostages to the poor decisions of others.”
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Another added, “I’m unsettled by a white South African couple effectively preventing the entire Maldivian resort staff from leaving. Feel bad for the couple, but does the large staff want to be there waiting on them instead of home w/ families they probably only see a few times a year?”
Since the *Times* first wrote about this couple, there have been a few updates to their story.
First, they’ve now been sent to another five-star resort in the Maldives where about two dozen other stranded South African residents are being consolidated. The cost of their stay is being largely subsidized by the government, but they still don’t have a confirmed return date home.
Meanwhile, the staff at the couple’s previous resort have been ordered to remain on site for two weeks after the De Freitas’ departure, but are reportedly being paid for their time kept there.
Do you feel sorry for them?
As the internet becomes increasingly more divided over the plight of these newlyweds, where do you stand on the issue?
Hopefully, they will be able to go home soon, and then the hotel staff will also soon be free to self-isolate at home and protect themselves during this unsettling time.
h/t: New York Times
