One day about ten years ago, I accidentally clicked on the touchpad of my laptop. The open page was a random google maps search I made the previous evening. The pointer zoomed into the middle of the Indian ocean and that’s when I discovered the existence of this beautiful paradise on earth. I’ve since then researched the hotels and attractions for fun, never thinking that one day we would be able to go (read afford). But there we were, last month, sitting on the patio of our private water villa, watching as the sun sets on the Indian ocean.
We had a very tight schedule for this trip and had barely five days to spend in the Maldives Islands. Because of that, we didn’t visit the country’s capital Male, but went straight to our island resort as soon as the plane landed. There are different ways to transfer to the islands from Ibrahim Nasir international airport.
1) Boat transfers: Usually arranged by your resort. By far the fastest and most convenient…unless you suffer from sea sickness, obviously. They are for hotels that are in the atolls closer to the airport, which was the case for us. One of the advantages is that they operate even at night.
2) Sea plane transfers: For hotels that are located further away from the airport. It adds an amazing thrill to your vacation, although very pricey. These fly only during the day. I know many international flights land in Male later in the evening, so if seaplane is your way of transfer, remember to book your one night in the city!
3) Domestic flights. For atolls much further, you will need to connect at another domestic airport in the Maldives, then transfer by seaplane or by speedboat again.
In the Maldives, the resort you choose determines your holiday, so select accordingly. A vast majority of the tourists are honeymooners. Some resorts are tiny and do not offer many activities or entertainment, good if you want to enjoy the alone time with your other half and relax. However, if you’re like us, and cannot sit still more than a few hours before going crazy with boredom, you’ll like to have the options a bigger resort complex can give you.
We stayed at the Anantara Veli Maldives (more detailed review here) and had a very good time. The Maldives really lived up to their reputation.
The waters were a perfectly clear turquoise, with a vast diversity of marine life. Even without going scuba diving, just by snokelling, we were able to see many rays, baby sharks, sea turtles and so many kinds of fish I can’t describe. I highly recommend you take a diving class before you head there, since they are way more expensive at the resort and any length of stay will be too short to spend 3 days learning with the instructor instead of going in the deep yourself. Also remember that you cannot take the plane in the 24 hours following a dive, so plan accordingly!
The sand is the finest white my feet have ever experienced. So whether you choose a water villa, with direct access to the ocen, or beach villa, rest assured that it will be the experience of a lifetime.
The weather is mild all year round. However, if you want to maximize your time of sunshine, the best time will be between December and April, when there is rarely a drop of rain. These are also the most expensive months. If you want to enjoy the delights of the Maldives, but are still looking to save a few dollars, one local told us that the months of November and June-July are also a good bet. For the last two years, it apparently hasn’t rained one day in June and July.
