Maldives - where?!?

[msc6199]

DP & I have our sights on going to the Maldives in the next couple of years. It'll be an incredibly expensive trip but once in a lifetime, and to celebrate a big life event, so we want to get it right.
Where to start?! Rather naively we didn't quite appreciate just how many beautiful options are available, all the little islands etc.

So, does anybody have any suggestions in terms of which island to visit, what kind of room to go for (beach villa, ocean pool villa), what time of year to go and things like that?

I would hate to spend the best part of £10k on the wrong thing - although I would imagine it's hard to go wrong with such a beautiful location. Thank you all in advance for any ideas xx

What’s important to you?
Food, views, small island vs bigger one with activities/bars/themed nights?
Are you divers/snorkelers? Some islands have amazing house reefs, others have boats that go to reefs. If you plan on snorkelling daily choose a good house reef.

We have been to 3 different islands, all very different in terms of size and reef. generally the Maldives are amazing and you will have a brilliant time as the sea and nature is just so beautiful.
Are you traveling with children?

DH surprised me with an anniversary trip to the Four Seasons private island, Landaa Giravaruu, we had a beach villa with private beach and pool, much nicer than an overwater lodge.

Highly recommended

We went to the Maldives on honeymoon over 20 years ago and want to go again for our 25th anniversary. The island we originally stayed on has been changed beyond recognition.

We are just starting looking for new ideas so watching carefully for any specific recommendations particularly of good house reefs. We love snorkelling but whilst we have scuba dived we are not great fans.

Ooo love the Maldives. We always go pretty basic because once you’re in the Maldives what more do you need? We love swimming in the sea and never use the pools so we don’t pay for that. We also like beach bungalows as we like to look out - not back at the island. 3* Maldives is like being in heaven and affordable enough to go every few years.

DoryisinCuba - I first went to the Maldives in 1998, and last visited in 2018. If you're a fan of snorkelling and sealife, I'm afraid you might find the current state of the reefs heartbreaking. It's probably best to go South, e.g. Huvadhu.

Thanks marzipano, that's sad to hear but probably best to be prepared. Thanks for the tips re going south.

We just came back. We stayed at Angsana Ihuru and it was wonderful! Staff are very friendly food was good the spa was amazing and it has a great reef. I would really recommend. Most people we spoke to had stayed previously and came back. Do not use Sri Lanken air to fly to Maldives. Their planes are really old, the entertainment system was broken on most seats, they didn’t clean the toilets during a 10 hour flight.

South is amazing for snorkelling, but North is great too. Make sure you go for an island with a house reef as you’ll not have to go far so see an wonderful variety of fish. I prefer North as I hate the sea planes.

Pre covid we booked basic and upgraded on the island as we found the deals much better but I’m not sure I’d risk it now if you’re set on a particular Villa. Beach or Sea Villa will be amazing- although we spend hours watch the fish swim by so the sea Villa so it is my favourite.

Consider which side of the island you’d prefer- sun rise or sun set. One tends to be winder and that can make a difference (depending on what time of year you’re going).

Budget wise, all inclusive is worth it. I’ve seen a grown man cry when he received his bill at the end of his family’s stay. You’ll want to budget for trips off the island too.

Dress wise it’s very relaxed- I never bother with heels so you can pack light.

Enjoy your holiday planning!

Island wise, I can highly recommend Lux (North and South)

Remember on an small resort island you don't have any choices for food and little way therefore to budget in advance- you just have to pay what is charged. I would always go AI for this reason or half board at a minumum.

I stayed 25 years ago on the ari atoll but it's been completely commercialised since. I would carefully consider what you want from the holiday, personally I wouldn't do more than a week as there's not enough to do. Dual centre trips with Sri Lanka are a good option for that budget, can recommend excellent hotels there

I disagree slightly; if you’re content watching fish, swimming, snorkelling, watching turtles, sharks, rays etc, eating beautiful food, boat trips, paddle boarding, spa, reading, walking, sailing, tennis, fishing then two weeks is ideal - maybe even three.

@AgathaMystery do you have any resorts in particular you would recommend please?

@DoryisinCuba Vilamendhoo has an amazing house reef and is quite affordable.

Sun Siam Olhuveli is lovely, you can get a nice beach villa with a private pool, there's loads of things to do, yoga, gym, boat trips as well as the obligatory snorkelling (metres from the shore) and Scuba diving or just lie around and do absolutely nothing in glorious sunshine. Staff are friendly and v v helpful and the food is good. Go AI though or Maldives is eye watering ku expensive.

Thanks @AdriannaP will look it up.

Vilamendhoo indeed has an amazing house reef and is a reliable 4* option.

Thank you all for your brilliant suggestions and ideas! Certainly lots to research and think about 😍 It's just myself and DP, it's a holiday we'd like to do before we ttc, so hopefully in the next 18 months or so. All the photos I've ever seen just look incredible. I've never heard anyone have a bad time in the Maldives!

Great thread. I’ve asked to go for my 50th in January 2024.
Is January a good month to travel there ?

@Cloudbaser

Remember on an small resort island you don't have any choices for food and little way therefore to budget in advance- you just have to pay what is charged. I would always go AI for this reason or half board at a minumum.

Thank you, this is really helpful to know. We will definitely go AI for this reason - I imagine the food and drinks £££ could rack up extortionately without a board meal plan x

[quote storkstalk]@AgathaMystery do you have any resorts in particular you would recommend please?[/quote]
We like Fun Island Resort & Spa South Malé Atoll Bodufinolhu, Maldives. Naff name but who cares?! We never use the spa and go full board. We find it too hot to make AI worth it and usually just have a beer in the evening. Budget for extra water and snacks. They have water sports too and do trips to other islands. Very very relaxed, some Sri Lankan’s holiday on this resort too so it has a good atmosphere. You will need swimwear, a beach coverup and something for evenings. We also take a laptop loaded with movies as it’s too hot mid day to be out. We watch a movie and nap then go back out swimming. I just think the Maldives is so gorgeous you don’t need all the trappings (no judgement if that’s what you enjoy). I also dislike the jetty/overwater bungalows as the jetty is always boiling hot and you have to schlep everywhere.

Enjoy!

when my brother went to the Maldives he had a chalet on the beach, he said it was much better than overwater, cheaper also.

We went to Eriyadu in 2018 and it was just amazing! We booked a last minute trip & paid around £3000 for both of us all inclusive and it was worth every penny.
It’s a small island so there wasn’t a choice of restaurants etc, there was just the one but the food was delicious.
We did a couple of trips including a snorkelling one where we saw so many turtles. The island reef was beautiful, so much to see and we swam with turtles every day. We swam with the house sharks too which was an amazing experience.
The island didn’t have over water bungalows, we had a beach bungalow and they all had a bit of the beach to themselves. We’ve heard mixed reviews about the over water bungalows on different islands, some people said they weren’t worth the money, others loved them.
We flew with Ethiad who were great and we just had a short stopover both ways at Abu Dhabi.

Aww this is reminding me of what an amazing holiday it was, we would go back in a heartbeat.

I retesting to read the comments about over water bungalows. I always assumed I would want one but it is making me think twice.

Previously we had a bungalow on the beach with its own bit of beach in front. It was lovely.

We went in January last time (although a long time ago) and it was lovely @ihatethecold. We will be going in January next time too.

This is super handy to know! Thank you!!