Maldives ?

travellerboy

Any recommendations for a holiday to the Maldives. When is the best time and would it be better to take a multi-centre holiday. Ever been east before.......

CardinalWolsey

For the best time to go, look at various online resources (depending upon weather and if there is any particular marine life you would like to see).

Multi-centre... how much do you like doing very little, other than either diving / snorkelling? My recommendation would be to multi-centre staying in either Sri Lanka, Southern India, Singapore etc first (i.e. choose somewhere of interest in that area of Asia). Do your more active half of the holiday first, and arrive in the Maldives to simply chill away the days...

Placitasgirl

Hi Travellerboy.

What is it that appeals to you about The Maldives? It's quite a unique destination in that the private resorts (where despite it being a Muslim country there are special dispensations granted so that alcohol and pork may be served and the requirement for conservative dress code is waived) are located on their own island; there's nothing else on that island but the hotel and it's facilities.

It's very much a destination that appeals to those who love life on or beneath the ocean; snorkelling, diving and mainly non motorised water sports due to the presence of coral reefs or house reefs in proximity to the islands.

Islands vary in size from teeny tiny coral outcrops with a small number of accommodations (usually land based with some over water villas) to larger islands with more going on, but once on your island you're a "captive audience" and you dine at the hotels restaurant/s, use their spa, waterspouts or dive centre etc.

Most private resorts offer excursions to snorkel and dive off island or to visit a local or inhabited island where Maldivian people live and work. In my experience these feel a little "staged" and conservative dress must be worn, eg shoulders and legs to the knee fully covered.

Most visitors to The Maldives fly into Velaana International Airport (MLE) and transfer onwards to their resort island by speedboat, seaplane or a further domestic flight and short boat transfer depending on distances involved

The capital city of Male is not a tourist destination but a very busy, built up island which most tourists avoid. If flying into MLE there is no need to go across to Male at all.

Trip Advisor has a very active Maldives Forum on which I'm one of the Destination Experts. If you visit the forum at the top of the page you'll find a "sticky" post which sets out the criteria to think about/consider which will help you decide which resort island might be best for you. Budget is the key factor and accommodation prices vary hugely between low and high season. Why not hop over to the forum where I'm sure you'll get a warm welcome and lots of help and suggestions once we have an outline of your budget and Wishlist.

With well over 100 private resort islands and many more local islands in the mix it can be baffling knowing where to start, but I'd say if you're looking for unique, stunning beautiful location with incredibly beautiful islands and beaches, hallucinogenic colours of the Indian Ocean and a holiday you'll remember forever The Maldives could well be for you.

Hope to see you across on the forum!

tacpot12

My partner and I went to Biyadhoo in the Maldives without knowing what to expect. We were enthralled by the marine life. Neither of us had snorkelled before, but I went to a local dive shop and got us two good masks and snorkels before we went to the Maldives. We went snorkelling two or three times a day and sat around on the beach when not snorkelling.

The hotel was great, the staff very friendly and the costs reasonable. We didn't go all-inclusive because we are not big drinkers. We bought a bottle of wine with the evening meal and if we didn't finish it the waiter would put it into the fridge overnight and it would be on the table the following evening. Although bottled water is charged for, budget for it and it is cheap enough.

The cost of drinks in the bar was a bit steep, but if you are going to drink a lot going all-inclusive is the answer. The night sky is something else - the lack of light pollution makes it possible to see so many more stars that we see in the UK.

The sun is very fierce, but Factor 50 sun cream is available at a reasonable price in the resort. When we went to the Maldives a second time, we took light-weight cotton pyjamas and snorkelled in those to avoid getting sunburnt. We got a couple of funny looks from the Germans in their UV-resistant Lycra tops and trunks, but we were having such a good time we didn't care.

Definitely research the weather. We've travelled with both Kuoni and Hayes and Jarvis and been very pleased with both. Direct flights are better than changing in the Middle East if you can get them.

peachyprice

We've booked our first trip for next May, we're going to Vilamenhoo primarily for their reef.

We booked through Emirates holidays and at the time of booking were lucky enough to get free domestic transfers and free AI upgrade. When you're looking do check the price includes transfers because that can add £££ to the booking if you have to add them later.

We're only going for a week for our first trip mainly because we're not really sitting on the beach type people so didn't want to go for too long.

Don't forget your REEF SAFE sun screen!!