Maldives - When and who to book with

jtr2803

No best time to book, especially not for peak season although we are thinking of going back next March and I was astounded by the quotes I got today, they are positively insane!

Why are you 'not fussed' with AI out if interest? We don't go AI because I can't drink alcohol but if you are planning on having a few cocktails then it's most definitely worth considering.

Your opening post here doesn't really give much in the way of criteria, do you want to snorkel/dive? What type of room do you want? Where are you flying from, will you consider changing planed in the middle east as that's normally cheaper? Would you like a seaplane or speedboat transfer and what sort of excursions would you like to do?

Bandos I wouldn't personally consider due to it's relatively high listing on the family friendly resorts list. Kuramathi I would consider but it wouldn't be my first choice.

For your budget you could probably get a week in a jacuzzi beach villa, maybe even a water villa at Vilamendhoo - over 18s section with seaplane transfer and direct flight with Thomson, great for snorkeling, we stayed there in 2011.

We are going back to Reethi Beach for honeymoon next month, lovely natural island, really good all round.

But, most first time visitors are blown away regardless of the star rating or facilities, so don't over-think it. If you find an island you like with Kuoni then try a Kuoni agent such as Tropical Warehouse, Travel Lab etc, same holiday with same protection but usually a few hundred cheaper!

pledgeX

jtr2803 wrote: »

Why are you 'not fussed' with AI out if interest? We don't go AI because I can't drink alcohol but if you are planning on having a few cocktails then it's most definitely worth considering.

We're not big drinkers and from the few places I've compared AI vs FB, there's no way we'd drink the difference!

jtr2803 wrote: »

Your opening post here doesn't really give much in the way of criteria,
do you want to snorkel/dive? Snorkel - definitely - this is quite a big deal. Diving, unlikely (not a deal breaker)

What type of room do you want? Nicest we can afford - as long as it's not old fashioned and tatty then it will probably be fine. Definitely not fussed by a water villa

Where are you flying from, will you consider changing planed in the middle east as that's normally cheaper? - London, and yes we would consider as long as it's not a huge delay between flights

Would you like a seaplane or speedboat transfer - Boat is fine unless it's a 3hr+ trip by boat

What sort of excursions would you like to do? - Not fussed. The sun and the snorkelling should be enough to keep us busy. Water sport activities (kayak and windsurfing) would be a nice

jtr2803 wrote: »

If you find an island you like with Kuoni then try a Kuoni agent such as Tropical Warehouse, Travel Lab etc, same holiday with same protection but usually a few hundred cheaper!

Never heard of them - will investigate. Thanks for all your help

johannalf88

I would consider Vilamandhoo with First Choice. (We were there in Oct on our honeymoon).

Pros-
House reef is REALLY near the shore- great for snorkelling, supposed to be one of the best.
Kayaks & Windsurfing available for free (on AI)
Great snorkelling trips- whale sharks & manta rays/ turtles (extra)
Free sunset cruise with punch - we saw dolphins! (AI)
Adults only part
Great food
Lovely rooms / villas - we stayed in the family part, but it was soo quite an far away from the other villas, I didn't notice any kids. We used the adults only pool, as hung out at the AO bar, so a beach villa was just as good as a water villa (which is AO) as it the Beach with Jacuzzi.

Cons-
There are children on the island, but not allowed in the bits we "hung out" at- So didn't bother me at all.
Not sure if it would be worth it if not AI.

I chose this island because of what the AI included. It wasn't just drinks, but activities as well, so was good value for us. We did end up drinking a fair bit of Tiger Beer though!!

The cost came to around £3500 for a week with AI. We could only book about 2 months before though, so we paid a premium.