The Ultimate Travel Guide to the Maldives

The Ultimate Travel Guide to the Maldives

The MALDIVES is a destination like none other; a tiny island nation in the Indian Ocean with immaculate beaches, the clearest blue waters, incredible marine life, overwater bungalows and so much more – a bucket list destination in every way! Infact one of the very first images I saved on my Pinterest travel board called “bucket list travel” years ago was a pic of an overwater bungalow in the Maldives and I am beyond grateful that Anush and I had the opportunity to experience it twice in the past! Its handsdown one of our favorite places on earth – so much so that we have made a promise to return back to the destination every couple of years. We rarely repeat destinations cos there is so much to see in this beautiful world but the Maldives is totally an exception :)! I miss it so much already that I am already dreaming of returning back asap!

If you have the Maldives on your bucket list (I bet you do ;)), don’t stop at just saving an image of it – its absolutely possible to save up and make your dream trip a reality! It is the perfect vacation for a honeymoon, family vacay, special occasion or just to cross it off your list.

Its quite the trek if you live in the US, but let me tell you – it is 1000% worth it! But you know I don’t seem to mind long travel – cos that’s when you know you are headed somewhere extra special It’s totally worth all the effort and when you get to your destination you will know why!

In this detailed travel guide to the Maldives, Ill be sharing all the info you might need to start planning your dream trip to the Maldives, so definitely bookmark this post for the future.

 

 

HOW DO YOU GET TO THE MALDIVES ?

The main international airport that you will have to fly into from your destination is in the capital of Maldives called Male. The amount of travel time depends on your origin. Its relatively closer from Europe, Africa and other parts of Asia. If you are coming from the US, both Singapore Airlines and Emirates have great connections from all major US cities via Singapore or Dubai respectively. We flew via Emirates so our route was San Francisco –> Dubai –> Male.

The entire journey took us about 30 hours, but again – it is so so worth it! Quick tip – if you have a long layover in Dubai like we did, definitely check out the Dubai International Airport hotel; located in all the terminals for transit passengers. We had pre booked a room for a few hours in the night (cheaper if you prebook than book on the spot); and it made such a difference having that rest and a hot shower. The airport also has sleep pod options that I saw online; but for the night that we were there the hotel room was cheaper than the pods (roughly $180 for the room for 6 hours total). Its also convenient that you can book by the hour and the night rates are much cheaper usually.

Once you are in the capital of Male, you will need to clear customs and immigration and then transfer to your resort. Maldives are an archipelago of 1,192 coral islands grouped into 26 coral atolls (island groups) that have 200 inhabited islands and about 97 islands with tourist resorts. Most resorts are on stand alone islands and almost all of them will be happy to assist you with booking your preferred way of transfers to the island. You can also view this on most hotel websites (they will have a section on how to get to their resort).

Here are some points to note for island transfers :

  • The way of transfer will mostly depend on how far your resort is from Male.
  • If your resort is close to Male, then you can do a boat transfer which is the cheapest and easiest kind of island transfer.
  • If your resort is in an atoll further away from Male, you will need to do a flight transfer.
  • Depending on what time your international flight lands in Male + depending on where your resort is located, you can do either 2 ways of flight transfers – seaplane OR domestic flights.
  • The seaplane option (operated by Trans Maldivian Airways) is usually less time consuming and more expensive. Once the seaplane lands on water (such a cool experience!), it is usually a super short (5-10 min) boat ride to your resort.
  • The domestic flight option (there are several domestic carriers in the Maldives) is cheaper but also more time consuming. After you land at a domestic destination, you will have to take a speedboat to your resort (can take from 30-50 min).
  • That being said sometimes domestic flights might be your only option if your international flight lands in Male super late in the evening/night.
  • It is best to speak with your reservations assistant once you book your trip to figure out the best way of transfers.

In both our trips to the Maldives our resorts were further away, so we have done both seaplanes and domestic flights + speedboat options and they were both great. It depends on whats more important to you – getting to your destination sooner, saving some $$, etc.

 

Seaplane ride

Domestic plane (above) + followed by a speedboat (below)

 

 

BEST TIME TO VISIT THE MALDIVES ?

November – April is the best time to visit the Maldives as it is the dry season. You are pretty much guaranteed the dreamy Maldives weather you have always dreamt of during this time! Both times we have visited the Maldives was during this time – first time we went in November and this time we went in February and we literally had no rainy or cloudy day ever.

But also keep in mind that this is considered the high season in Maldives so prices in resorts are much higher. If you are looking to save some $$, consider going in the shoulder season (just before the start and after the end of high season); so sometime in late October or early May.

I would try and avoid the peak rainy season from mid May to September, especially if its your first time to the Maldives and you don’t want to take a gamble on the weather gods for your bucket list vacay!

 

 

IDEAL TIME TO SPEND IN THE MALDIVES ?

I would recommend a bare minimum of atleast 4-5 days. If not more! Ideally a week would be the perfect sweet spot – that way you can split your time across 2 different resorts to get 2 different experiences. But keep in mind transfers between resorts do take time and might add up to your overall costs too.

If you are spending only 3-4 days overall just do 1 resort (what we did last time). If you are spending a week – I would suggest doing 3 nights in 1 resort and 3 nights in the other (like we did this time around).

Lastly if you are short on time and want to save up a bit, try choosing resorts in the same atoll. That way transfers will be faster and cheaper too.

But if time and budget isn’t a constraint, choose resorts in different atolls – you will get 2 unique holidays!

 

WHO IS THE MALDIVES FOR ?

EVERYONE! Its a great bucket list destination for couples, families, girls trip, etc.

 

WHERE TO STAY IN THE MALDIVES ?

There are literally a 100 resort options to choose from and there are options for every kind of traveller from families, honeymooners, couples, friends, etc. Some things to keep in mind while choosing a hotel :

  • Cost – budget, mid luxury, ultra luxury, etc
  • Accessibility and location – as I mentioned in my island transfer tips above.
  • Who you are traveling with – family, couples, friends etc
  • Accomodation type – beach villas, water villas, basic rooms, etc
  • Package options – all inclusive, Bed and breakfast, half board (bed, breakfast and dinner), etc.
  • Island size – do you prefer a super tiny intimate island or something a little larger? (most islands are private though)
  • Ocean Reef – if you are big into snorkeling/diving the quality of the house reef is certainly something to consider. The Maldives has some of the best snorkeling in the world but some atolls are more rich than others in this aspect.
  • Other options – if you are looking for resorts that fit certain niches like eco tourism, ultra luxe travel, budget travel, etc there are resorts that specialize in each category.

Here are two websites that I found that had a comprehensive list of all the resorts – Maldives Finest and Maldives.com.

 

Over our two times in the Maldives we have stayed at these 3 different resorts which were all incredible:

1 ) HIDEAWAY BEACH RESORT AND SPA (Luxury)

Located in Haa Alifu atoll. If you are looking for an intimate escape in an untouched and unspoilt part of the Maldives – Hideaway is for you! We saw all sorts of travelers here from honeymooners, older couples, families, etc (their beach villas are perfect for families and friends).  Check out my full blog post here.

 

 

 

A Guide to Snorkeling & Diving in the Maldives