Going to the Maldives. First time. Any suggestions for hotels? Any suggestions for things to do?
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Going to the Maldives. First time. Any suggestions for hotels? Any suggestions for things to do?
Sick, enjoy!
If you want all inclusive, check out Diamonds Thudufushi or Constance Moofushi if your budget allows. If not, check out Hurawalhi Island resort.
Not much to do there other than relax on beach, do some diving/snorkel.
Definitely one of the nicest places we've been to
I let my wife pick the resort as Maldives was one of her bucket list and I let her go crazy as it was our 'baby-moon'
She picked Anantara Veli as it was easy to get to from Male (30min speed boat from the airport included with the accomodation cost)
Her original choice required a small plane flight (600US$ more)
Anantara has 4 types of resort as well.
Veli is for couples only
Dhigu is for families
and 2 more which are for ballers.
We stayed 2 nights in Dhigu and 2 nights in Veli.
If you can afford it go Dhigu, we felt underwhelmed with Veli after seeing the Dhigu villas haha.
Breakfast was included and its basically buffet style.
We went half-board (pre-paid dinner) as we would be full after breakfast anyway, then just share a light snack for lunch (burger or fries) and have dinner at 5.
Price wise, it's very similar to Europe/North America.
If you want to bring some snacks, go to the grocery stores in Male and buy there, alot cheaper (think SE Asia price vs Western price)
Also don't bother getting Maldives Money if you will be just at the resort, resorts accept US$ only anyway.
Maybe only 40$ worth for shopping in the capital if you plan to.
Here's a video I compiled from our trip
and yeah, not much to do there other than relax, snorkle, swim, eat.
we talked to some people at the airport and what they did was day tour at various resorts.
Can't help with hotel but being in the Maldives to swim with whale sharks and manta rays is on my bucketlist -- mad jelly.
Went to the Maldives during my honeymoon. Stayed at Veligandu - did All Inclusive. The island was 600m everything accessible by barefoot. It was pure paradise. We stayed in an over the water bungalow as well as a beach bungalow. My best advice is when you pick your resort you really need to know the amenities they have and the costs to do any types of excursions so that you're not surprised when you get there. For example - I forgot sunscreen (idiot) it was $60USD or something crazy. A small bag of chips was $6USD, 1 Hour Jetski rental was $200USD etc.
As mentioned bring USD, we brought Maldivian dollars and it was practically useless.
I've never stayed anywhere as remote, beautiful and picturesque - don't skimp out and enjoy every minute.
The wife and I stayed at Vilamendhoo in the Maldives. We got an over water bungalow on the adult only side, all inclusive. Would recommend for sure! As for things to do, we snorkelled daily on the house reef, and went on a whale shark snorkelling trip. Other than that, just relax and enjoy.
my wife and i are thinking of going to the Maldives in February. however, what is the best time to go there? we definitely want to go to an all-inclusive resort. are there things to do at night, or is it mainly just hanging out? thanks!
I'm really surprised so many Canadians have been or are going to the Maldives. That's a hell of a long trip. Literally one of the furthest places you can go from Canada in terms of travel times if I'm reading google flights correctly. I haven't been, so I can't say anything bad about it once you are there, but I'd rather save 12 hours travel time and go somewhere like the Cook Islands or Fiji if I was looking for a tropical paradise.
What am I missing here?
The only reason we did Maldives was because we were already in the Philippines for a family wedding and saw that Maldives was only 6 hours away from Manila and flight ticket was only 500$ (Manila to KL then KL to Male).
We had a 12 hour layover in KL too so we took the opportunity for a day trip tour as I always wanted to see KL anyway.
The thing with Maldives is that really it consists of hundreds of different islands and resorts so everyone's experience will probably be different unless you stayed on the same island/resort.
We've been to the French Polynesia (Moorea and Bora Bora) and right now I have to say that Maldives (at least the resort we went to) has the nicest beaches and shades of blue water that we've been to.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4672/...db4b0105_c.jpgUntitled by e Dieta, on Flickr
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4712/...f6414a47_c.jpgUntitled by e Dieta, on Flickr
You can do this in Mexico around Cozumel if it's more likely that you will be down there instead of the Maldives or Philippines. Definitely a cool experience:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Cozumel-2...C_1141_1-L.jpg
They said best weather is November to April with high season being December to March.
We went on the 2nd week of January as the price were cheaper after the Christmas holidays.
Unless you are staying nearby a city, then your night activity will depend on the resort you are staying. They might have a lounge pool bar you can relax and have some drinks after dinner but be prepared to spend $ for drinks.
Plus remember that Maldives is primarily a muslin country.
Yup, there has been a lot of this information running around.
Thanks for the tips so far guys.
I was initially thinking about staying at Cheval Blanc. I think I am going to pick one of the Hotels of my CC list that match up to what you guys have stayed at. Has anyone eaten at any of the underwater restaurants?
Can y'all please ballpark for me what a Maldives trip cost you per person?
Flight to Maldives will vary.. maybe 1000-1700$ from Calgary depending on the flight that you take.
Flight from KL or Singapore to Male should be cheap.
Resorts will vary too - 300US$+ but I would splurge and get an over the water bungalow (900US$+)
Depending on the location of your resort, you may also have to pay for transportation fees from Male to your resort (500 US$+)
Meal.. most resorts have option for half-board (breakfast and dinner) and full-board (lunch included), half board was more than enough for us as we would eat a big breakfast late around 9am or 10am and then supper at 5pm or 6pm. If we wanted a light lunch, then we would share a burger and fries for 15-20US$
If you have the opportunity to stay in Male, stay there on your first night and buy snacks and foods at the local groceries to bring at your resort.
So maybe budget 3000-5000 per person for a 5day stay.
If you have to ask, you can't afford it.
Cool your jets tough guy. Its the internet. Watch a movie or two.