Maldives

Maldives - overwater bungalows - Jetta photo

Maldives - atolls - Elter photo

“In terms of service, there’s a huge difference between the inhabited islands and the resort islands. The service on resort islands is much, much better, so if that’s something you need, I’d 100% recommend only visiting a resort island. If you feel that way inclined, you can eat and drink all day long, practically without limit.

Another difference is that this being a Muslim country, alcohol is not available on any of the inhabited islands (though on Maafushi they’ve come up with an ingenious solution: a yacht is anchored just offshore from the harbor, and it operates as a bar, though the prices are as high as at the resorts). As for dining, you can eat well on the inhabited islands too, though of course the quality and range of options are higher on the resort islands. The main thing is that if the quality and range of food and drink don’t make or break a holiday for you, then you can have as much fun on an inhabited island as at a resort.” (2016)

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“It is not necessary to be in the water in order to have fun since the environment – the improbably blue sea, dazzling white sand, and lush, dense vegetation – already ‘makes’ your day. With regard to the snow-white sand, incidentally, one theory maintains that it is so white because of the "feces" of parrotfish. These fish migrate in shoals to consume coral and produce 300 grams of sand-like feces per head per day.

The obligatory evening activity is watching the sunset. One summer, in Zadar, Dalmatia, I was told that the sunset there was officially the most beautiful in the world. Well, I have bad news for the people of Zadar – the sunset in the Maldives is definitely prettier 😊.” (2019)

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Who is it recommended for?

“Holidaying in the Maldives is a particularly expensive pastime. There is nothing to force the hotels there to flood the market with discounts since demand is greater than supply. You’ll have to dig deep in your pockets to gift yourself such a premium experience. It’s for those who have been to a tropical country or two, and now really want to see the kind of beach and sea they have idealized in their imagination. For those who envision a romantic, idyllic setting, a lazy vacation in which a loving couple can enjoy private togetherness. It’s no coincidence that the majority of holidaymakers on this small island chain are engaged couples, honeymooners, eternal romantics, or simply the happily married. The Maldives are for people who want to get off the hamster wheel and travel to a point far off in the seemingly boundless ocean yet incompletely civilized comfort, safety, and with lots of pampering.

Who is it not recommended for?

Above all, the Maldives probably isn’t for you if you’re the sort of traveler who needs an itinerary packed with excursions and cultural discoveries. It is true that luxury hotels on the small islands offer plenty of activities to entertain guests, with many waters- and land-based sports outings and sea excursions, but all the same, a holiday in the Maldives is ultimately about the location. Since an island typically consists of a single hotel, there are not many activities on offer not organized by the hotel.
You’ll see families with children in the Maldives, but we suspect that a holiday of this sort could be boring for teenagers. It’s different with small children since they can spend a whole day having fun on the sandy beaches and in the shallow seas.
There are not many large groups of friends, since a holiday in the Maldives tends to have a more intimate, ‘coupley’ atmosphere. It is not by any means a shopping or partying destination. Typically, after dinner, everyone goes back to their own bungalow. Many hotels don’t even have TVs in the room, meaning people prefer to read in the evenings, or sit out on the porch and enjoy one another’s company. It is a fact that the more hyperactive type of person starts to get a little bored after 4-5 days. Then, after coming home, they start to wish they’d enjoyed that boredom just a little more…

What’s it really like?

The price range leads you to expect luxury, and that’s exactly what you’ll get, especially if you choose a particularly good five-star hotel. The success of your Maldives vacation depends largely on picking the right hotel. The sea around the Maldives is a shade of blue which is simply indescribable, and photographs simply don’t capture it. A seaplane trip over the atolls made up of coral reefs is sure to be one of the most beautiful sights you ever see as a traveler. The seawater surrounding the islands is transparent, clear, warm, and spectacularly beautiful. The sand at the beach is dazzlingly white, and the lush vegetation which fringes the beaches is also stunning. The islands also have a truly relaxed atmosphere, and it’s great to be able to go everywhere barefoot, savoring the absence of cars, noisy motorbikes, and crowds. At most, you might encounter a little bustle and bustle at restaurant breakfasts and dinners.
The Islands closest to the capital and the airport don’t really have the same Maldivian paradise feeling as those farther away!

Most holidaymakers in the Maldives accept that all locally paid food, drink, and services are going to be expensive. With the exception of nets and coconuts, everything has to be brought to each small island by boat, and that does increase costs. If you constantly purse your lips over the cost of things, you could end up ruining your vacation. Public safety is completely and universally excellent. The locals on the islands are all hotel staff. There are no dangerous animals or venomous snakes – the worst you’ll encounter are some harmless beetles and mosquitos. It is a fantastic advantage that here there is none of the sorts of holidaymakers who disturb the tranquility of those who want to relax.

The clientele is mostly cultured and grown-up. Of course, there are also drinkers here, but it is not typical. There are no young people partying, and the majority everywhere are in the upper-middle class, between the ages of 30 and 60. There are many French, Italians, Germans, and Northern Europeans, as well as Japanese and Korean honeymooners. Cleanliness and hygiene are perfectly fine. Expensive hotels cannot afford complaints about upset stomachs.
Islands are typically barely 150-500 meters long and 100-150 meters wide. The bigger ones can be walked around in an hour, the smaller ones in 15-25 minutes on foot. One-kilometer-long islands are already considered large.

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Compared to Mauritius, Seychelles, and French Polynesia, the landscape is quite monotonous – there are no rivers or mountains. All excursions and walks are limited to the hotel island, and though you can visit other local islands, you don't see anything different there either. The highest point in the Maldives is 2.4 meters above sea level. The experience isn’t as exciting as a holiday in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Cuba. However, people who have traveled to many places say that only perhaps French Polynesia and a few Caribbean, Malay and Thai islands can rival the Maldives in terms of the beauties of the marine experience there. In any case, a holiday in the Maldives is so unique that it can’t really be compared to anything else.”

z.p. photo

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I am not a beach person, so much not that I only spent 5 hours on the beach during my 10-day trip to Cuba, and altogether 7 hours during the trip to Seychelles. I love active travel, walking, and discovering destinations. I have therefore surprised myself that I really, but really enjoyed the Maldives.
The Maldives is mainly about beaching. Of course, you can be active, but almost all activities are the usual resort programs. There are plenty of things you can do there, mostly if you are in a bigger resort, such as Sun Island or an inhabited island. You can go fishing, snorkeling, diving, do most of watersports and land sports, bike, but even farm and coral farm, learn to cook local food, take a course of local handcrafting, learn to make a bonfire, spend a night on an isolated island, and so on, and so forth. I brought a book with me to read when I get bored and haven’t opened it at all.
What I loved the most is the colors, the smell, and nature – I sat in one place on the beach for hours, and things were just happening around me: sea and sand changed their color during the day, different animals passed around (and over) me, stopped by to check me out, like harmless sharks and fish in the shallow waters of atolls, crabs, bugs, lizards, birds, bats (and being me, I named them all). Air changed its smell, sounds were different at any moment of the day! And the blue, millions of shades of incredible blue – the belasý I mentioned. That one! Plus food: I got oversaturated by fish, mostly tuna, and different sea monsters they make in a perfect way.
Maldivians are really cute. Quite a tropical mentality (but really, what is there to rush and worry about under the Maldivian sun? 🙂 ), very friendly with a great, lilbit blackey humor. They love their country (no Maldivian we talked to would like to live anywhere else), they do not accept the fact they have only 100 years left until they sink (“Why should we worry? You are at a bigger risk with all those nuclear weapons around you”), they do take ecology seriously (most of the species are law-protected, there are many ongoing eco projects, they do serious developments to make their infrastructure sustainable, but most of the shit happening to them is out of their reach – acute warming of seas killing their coral reefs and rising ocean level), they protect their citizens and local workers (minimum wage + obligation to give locals jobs), and though sharia is the legal system, women have their rights (which are limited by strict traditions, not the law). Of course, there is the corruption and tax evasion assistance + protection of Russian bucks and yachts (took photos of at least 5 of the most famous ones which are anchored around Male), but these make you feel at home 😃
Earlier I thought only rich and beautiful people go to the Maldives and that I would not fit in, but most of the visitors in places we visited are just usual people, and I have not really seen anyone clothed or behaving really expensive. Just imagine your grandfather, in sandals, bermudas, and Hawaiian shirt, Britons in British fashion, Frenches in H&M and beach slippers, teenagers in their best creations, people with bellies and bums and bald heads, you can see all common tourists there. Of course, you can find super luxurious resorts where a night costs super extra money (there is a Czech-owned (!) resort where a night costs 10 to 20 000 USD) and where there is a face check, I guess, but you do not have to feel excluded if you are not a botox-mouthed influencer. So, you are inclusive in the Maldives, whoever you are, yet still, the setting, accommodation, food, local hospitality makes you feel exclusive.
It is not cheap, but it is affordable. Price-wise, it is comparable to other tropical destinations and even to our countries, where paying 150-200 EUR for accommodation per night and 30-50 EUR per person for a dinner is not unusual anymore. Airfare is priced similarly to any other remote destination, so if you are considering exotics, and you really want just to relax your spirit and body and get some vitamin sea, I can recommend the Maldives with a clear conscience, as there is nothing to disrupt you there. Dolce far niente!
As it usually is, this trip was a valuable lesson for me about myself as well – not only because I realized, that I can be a beach person, but I also learned and reconfirmed my values, what is important to me, who I am, and what I want. I was sad the day I was leaving, running around nervously and trying to suck in the atmosphere, and even forcing myself to relax on the beach the one last time (so me…), but when I landed at home, I was satisfied, as I knew where my place is, where I belong and where I could do miracles wasn’t it for my lazy bum, correction: which I am about to do now. (Stay tuned for the Annaic project I am to start soon 🙂 )
And would I go back to the Maldives? Indeed! With my boys, of course, I know they would love it, too. But not yet, now I need a few years to rest and start missing traveling again and to lower my carbon footprint (which skyrocketed by just a few flights these weeks) to my usual deep-under-the-EU-average levels.(Anna, 2022)

Transport

Travel between islands happens by boats or seaplanes. Their services are only available until sunset.

"Because of the distances between individual islands and archipelagos, there’s a chance that a seaplane will take you to your resort of choice. These planes are pretty loud (everyone gets earplugs before takeoff) and it's very hot in the cabin. The view as you fly over the atolls, though… breathtaking. I've read on forums that some people prefer to travel between the islands by boat. Well, I wouldn't have missed the experience of seeing the islands from a bird's eye view. "

Maldives - seaplane - w.m. photo

Maldives - attols - p.w. photo

Maldives - speedboat - m.i. photo

Accomodation

You need a prior arrangement, permission if you choose to stay on an island inhabited by locals. An exception is the island of Malé with the capital city, the international airport, and several nearby "resort islands."
Almost all vacationers choose one of the 87 so-called resort islands, where the locals are the resort's employees.

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In terms of how much you’ll enjoy the experience of visiting the Maldives, the quality of the accommodation plays a decisive role. Some argue that it is better to go to better quality, more expensive hotel, and cut your holiday shorter by a few days to make up the difference. Generally, it can be said that the price of Maldivian hotels faithfully reflects the degree to which you’ll be pampered, as well as the quality of services, care, environment, and rooms. The choice of room category is of great importance since the island experience is completely different if you’re in a villa right on the beach, in the first or in a second row, or in a less intimate and romantic setting.

Of course, it’s important for all travelers what creature comforts are important for them. Even the cheaper category of hotel islands can offer the same wonderful natural beauty as the more expensive ones. The difference is typically in the design, the choice and quality of the buffet meal, and the features of the accommodation. The bungalows built over the sea offer an extraordinary luxury experience, and through the glass floor, you can see the multitude of colorful, swimming fish. Not all hotels have such bungalows, however, and not all overwater bungalows have direct access to the sea. Nor is an over-water bungalow necessarily the best-quality experience, since a beachfront villa with its own small beach area, private sunbed, shady and sunny area, and cozy privacy can provide a more charming and memorable experience. To complicate matters still further, on some hotel islands the beachfront rooms or bungalows are not the optimal choice, since those in the second row are in a shadier, cooler location.
•    It is worth knowing that children under the age of twelve cannot stay in overwater bungalows, villas, and suites in the Maldives, even with parental supervision. For families, garden and beach bungalows are more suitable.
•    To repeat – the level of comfort strongly determines how special the experience will be, compared to the average. It is a good thing that better quality accommodation can be requested locally, with a more accurate knowledge of the differences between the categories, though of course, this depends on vacancies.
•    It does matter to some extent what side of what island you’re on, and what beaches are close by. Feedback shows guests are happy to give their opinions on different parts of the archipelago, in terms of wind, water quality, swimming, and shade.
•    The two most democratic services are the sea and the buffet service – neither make any allowances for room category. Typically, each island has a single hotel. If there are two, one has four stars and the other has five.
•    Most Maldivian hotels have 50-100 rooms. Fortunately, there are few hotels that offer unpleasantly large-scale hospitality. The only place you might face an annoying queue is at the buffet dinner (one possible solution: start with dessert…).
When choosing a hotel, study carefully which services are included in the price and which are not! This is because extra services paid for locally incur significant additional costs. It is important to understand that there are no clever little thrift alternatives outside the hotel – only the hotel's restaurants, bars, and shops. On the islands, staff members are typically very deferential and rarely will speak with confidence – at most with children. The most laid back is the bar staff. In general, they work quite slowly, and accuracy isn’t such a big deal for them either. Still, it’s true that the guest also has plenty of time, except during the stressful period of organizing arrival and departure. It is no coincidence that many experienced Western Europeans are employed to fill management positions in many hotels (many are Italians).

Maldives - overwater bungalows by night - Jetta photo

Maldives - Ada Ana Resort - Elter photo

Maldives - Hudhuran Fushi - Adaaran Ocean Villas - l.z. photo

Maldives - Adaaran Prestige Vadoo - l.z. photo

Food

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Maldives - resort restaurant on the beach - Jetta photo

Fun

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Maldives - joy - Jetta photo

Maldives - Male - festival - s.v. photo

Others

It is strictly forbidden to bring into the Maldives: explosives, firearms, ammunition, pornography, any material contrary to the teachings of Islam (even the Bible), pork food, and any spirits.

All forms of drug possession, consumption, and trafficking are illegal, and punishments can include life imprisonment. Maldives ’anti-drug laws are one of the strictest in the world.

The export of tortoiseshell and coral is strictly forbidden.

The intimate relationship between the same sexes (understand: homosexuality and lesbianism), resp. making an offer to do so is illegal and can result even in a longer prison sentence.

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Tipping in the Maldives

“Upon arrival in the Maldives, it is not necessary to give a tip to the hotel representative (who will arrange the transfer for us) at the airport. Seaplane or fast-boat crews should be given $ 5-10, depending on how many people we wish to tip. At the hotel, tips are expected, though they are very discreet about it. It is appropriate to tip the bellboy, the permanent wait staff in the hotel, the bar staff, and especially the cleaner. It is not obligatory to give anything to the receptionists, even when paying the final bill. The hotel will charge a 10% service fee anyway, though it is not certain that the receptionists will receive anything from it. It is useful to bring many one-dollar bills to the Maldives because, being the smallest denomination of paper money, it is the most practical tip. €5 is the smallest euro bill, which is already quite a generous tip. In any case, dollars are preferred to euros in the Maldives.

It is appropriate to leave a $1 bill on the pillow every day for the cleaner and a $5 bill on the last day. If someone prefers to be tipped all at once, you could give perhaps $10-15 for a week’s cleaning. On arrival and departure, it is normal to give the bellboy $2-3, or, if there are two, $2 apiece. Or we can calculate the tip as about $2 per suitcase. It is certainly unnecessary to give more than $10. In the hotel restaurant, a table is typically set for the duration of our stay, and as a rule, drinks are served by the same waiter. Since a tab is generally kept, there is no need to give a tip every time. It is enough to give a single tip with the last meal. $10-15 or €10 is sufficient for stays of no more than 7 nights.
•    If you frequent a particular bar, $10-20 may be a reasonable tip
•    A small proportion of guests prefer to tip daily, others weekly, while it’s possible to wait and give your tip on the last day of your stay.
•    In five-star accommodation where guests are provided with a permanent butler, it is best not to tip on an ad-hoc basis, but rather in a single lump sum at the end of your visit.

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This is a tropical country, so the bungalows are not insulated. The windows are not perfectly fitted, so ants, geckos, and other harmless animals can easily slip through the 2-3-inch gaps. Getting hysterical doesn’t help, so it’s best to make friends with them from the start. The most dangerous thing here is a mosquito bite, which is nothing to fear. Geckos are harmless, in addition to killing mosquitoes, and even in the bathrooms of luxury hotels, the ants that crawl in don’t bite. The staff wage war on cockroaches, mostly with success.

Maldives - plug - m.s. photo

Maldives - Male - Republique Square - national flag - s.v. photo

Maldives - a resort island from above - y.m. photo

Destination in brief

The Maldives consists of 26 atolls, made up of 1192 islands, of which about 200 are inhabited, and 87 are so-called ‘resort islands’.

Size of dry land: 297.8 km² (115 mi²)

Population (in 2020): 538,000

The foreign vacationers, while staying at resorts, experience nothing about the everyday life of the country.

Most islands are typically barely 150-500 meters long and 100-150 meters wide. The bigger ones can be walked around in an hour, and the smaller ones in 15-25 minutes. The one-kilometer-long islands are considered very big.

Geography

The landscape is monotonously flat compared to Mauritius, Seychelles, and the French Polynesian islands; there are no rivers or mountains.

The highest altitude in the Maldives is 2.4 meters (78 feet).

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“Staff can provide information on the corals of the Maldives, and there are several coral reefs, but it is the duty of every traveler not to damage the corals, so do not to step on them! In many places, we can only find dead corals that have completely lost their vibrant colors. Recently, however, there have been tentative signs of new coral formation. Staff can provide information on dangerous fish (e.g. lionfish) and other unpleasant species – several species of biting fish can be a problem – as well as information about tides. Fortunately, incidents involving swimmers are very rare. For those who are afraid of snakes, we are told that while diving, long eels are sometimes wrongly taken to be snakes.”

Maldives - atolls - y.m. photo

Nowadays

The uninhabited islands have palm trees. The inhabited ones have fishing villages that are as poor as in many underdeveloped countries. The resort islands have vacationers and the employees who serve them.

Maldives - Male - y.m. photo

Maldives - Suni Islam is the state religion - y.m. photo

People

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Maldives - local musicians playing boduberu, traditional Maldivian music - m.a. photo

Maldives - Male - school girls - y.m. photo

Maldives - locals - y.m. photo

Maldives - Male - guys - s.v. photo