Let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to go to the Maldives, home to some of the world’s most spectacular Islands? The Maldives is the epitome of a tropical utopia with luminescent turquoise waters gently lapping onto soft powdery white shores, while coral reefs flourish beneath the surface.
It’s like the Rolls-Royce of the Indian Ocean Islands – ultimate luxury. People don’t just go to the Maldives to relax – you can find many far more cost effective alternatives. People go to the Maldives to indulge.
The Maldives is the perfect spoil for anniversaries, birthdays and honeymoons. Ideal for couples looking for a romantic getaway or friends wanting a lavish escape from the stresses of everyday life.
When is the best time to go?
The driest period outside of the monsoons is between January and April. This is generally considered the best time to visit the Maldives.
Being so close to the equator means the Maldives is warm all year round (average 23-31 degrees Celsius) but there is a dry season and a wet or rainy season. The dry winter monsoon lasts from November to April and the wet summer monsoon May to October. The winter monsoon brings sunny skies and occasional rainfall, while the summer season brings heavy rainfall, rough seas, and strong winds.
Be wary of Maldives “specials” – hotels often offer specials during their low or rainy season to attract unknowing travellers.
How to Get to the Resort?
The main airport is situated in Male, the capital. Ensure you find out how far your chosen resort is from the airport. Speedboats and Sea Planes are used to shuttle guests to and from the resort islands.
Island transfer times depend on the selected hotel. Speed boat transfers can be anything from 10 minutes to 90 minutes long. Seaplane transfers usually take anything from 30 minutes to 1 hour and are often recommended for resort islands further away from Male.
Speedboats
The speedboat jetty is located just across the road from the airport terminal at Male and you can be off your boat and whizzing across the crystal-clear water of the Maldives in no time.
Seaplanes
Not only are Seaplanes a quicker option to get where you are going, but the views of the Islands are sensational. Seaplane transfers come at a premium, but should also be valued for their experience value.
Travel Tips:
Be careful when booking your airfare into Male. Ensure your flight has sufficient (min 3 hours) connecting time to make allowances for flight delays. A missed connection will cost you dearly if you have lost out on a night at your hotel.
Seaplanes often have scheduled times and do not fly at night so ensure you land in Male with enough daylight hours to get to your resort.
Get a price for both a seaplane and a speedboat transfer in order to compare. You may opt to take a half and half (one way speedboat and one way sea plane) to get the best of both worlds.
How to pick a Resort Island in the Maldives?
No two islands in the Maldives are quite the same and with about 100 islands that accommodate tourists, it can be a little daunting to choose a hotel in the Maldives.
The website pictures all look amazing but there are some key differences which should help you make your choice.
Maldivian resorts are usually situated on private or secluded islands which means you need to ensure the hotel facilities meet your requirements. The variety and number of restaurants and activities on offer may help you choose which resort better suit your needs.
At the end of the day – price is also a big deciding factor but ensure you do a little research on your resort island offering.
The Northern Atolls (Islands)
These islands are located at the country’s highest point and there are an enormous number of underwater ring reefs, making it best for snorkelling.
The Southern Atolls (Islands)
The south has deeper lagoons and making it perfect for diving. Resorts with lagoons are great for swimming and windsurfing. Take note the southern atolls experience slightly more rain than the northern atolls in the summer season.
If snorkelling is high on the list make sure you choose a resort with its own reef. These reefs are often teeming with tropical fish, and you may even spot eagle rays and black-tipped reef sharks. Resorts without reefs will offer snorkelling excursions.
Meal Plans
In most cases you are limited to the food and drinks available at the resort. Therefore it is worth including as much as possible into your pre-purchased meal plan. Purchasing meals and drinks separately while at the resort is often more expensive than taking an all-inclusive meal plan upfront.
Be aware thought that some all-inclusive packages don’t include all the restaurants at the resort, and supplements need to be paid especially for à la carte restaurants or specialty bars.
Room Types
Water Villas are iconic to the Maldives and are one of the main draw cards to the Island. They offer a unique and memorable experience. However, this style of accommodation will always be the most expensive – adding 25 to 50% to the cost of your package.
Beach villas or Garden villas can be separate bungalows or part of a main building depending on the resort.
Top Tip: It’s always a tough choice to balance your budget against resort type and room category, but consider a lower room category of a much better resort for the same price as the best room category in a much lesser resort.
Interesting Facts about the Maldives (for those that enjoy knowing random information)
- The Republic of Maldives, is an Asian country, located in the Indian Ocean, situated in the Arabian Sea.
- Its official language is Maldivian (Dhivehi) and its official currency is Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR).
- The Maldives consists of 1192 coral islands grouped in 26 atolls arranged in a north to south directions spread over the Indian Ocean for roughly 90,000 square kilometres.
- The Maldives atolls are composed of sand bars and live coral reefs.
- Ninety-nine percent of the Maldives is water.
- The Maldives archipelago is the planet’s lowest lying nation, rising no more than three meters above the sea at its highest point, a measurement that shrinks every year.
- The Maldives are ranked the world’s third most endangered nation due to flooding from climate change and global warming.
- The islands’ amazing sand is white and extremely fine as it is coralline in origin and not made from quartz, as beach sand typically is. Coralline is the undigested coral eaten by parrot fish. One adult parrot fish can produce an estimated ton of sand per year.
- Unlike ordinary quartz based sand, sand formed from coral does not heat up and therefore is comfortable to walk on – even on the hottest day.
- Beware of the sun in Maldives. As it is located close to the equator, the Maldives receives a high amount of sun rays which strike at a 90° angle.
- Male is the capital. The city occupies the entire islet of Male. The island is 1.7 kilometres long and 1.0 kilometres wide, but with over 100,000 people crammed onto it.
