The Maldives.....

[BaconAndAvocado]

Can anyone recommend a good destination here?
2 adults and 2 DCs aged 14 and 16.

We’ve never been before, not sure what to expect!

[TheDuchessOfBeddington]

We stayed at Lilly Beach and it was fantastic. It was very child friendly but tbh I didn’t see any teenagers on our stay. I would image bigger resorts would have more activities for teens. They did have semi detached family beach villas with an interconnecting door.

However, there was great Wi-Fi, segways for hire, free pool tables at the family pool, watersports etc. We chose several free actives such as night fishing.

If your teens love snorkelling and swimming they would be in heaven!

The best thing about the resort was that it was all inclusive and very comprehensive at that. You basically only paid for lobster, wagu and expensive champagne etc. The buffet was incredible, there were 70 different wines on the AI list, cocktails, mini bar in room with nespresso machine, and the service was amazing! The alacarte lunches at the family pool were the highlight of our day.

If you are on any sort of budget be wary of booking a resort that’s not all inclusive. A bottle of cheap wine and 2 cokes will easily cost $100+ in some resorts. We loved our AI as we were able to relax and not worry about the bill at the end.

Trust me OP the Maldives is worth every penny and more!!!

[MangosteenSoda]

I cannot remember the name of the island where we stayed , however, I think you need to decide exactly what you’re looking for and then choose an island to suit.

1. Seaplane or boat transfers from the international airport. We wanted to experience a seaplane so deliberately chose an outer island. More expensive though and you might prefer to deploy that money elsewhere (which is what I would probably do in the future).
   

1. Water or beach bungalow. I always thought I would want an over water bungalow, but ended up choosing a beach one. They were bigger and more secluded than the water ones on the island we chose. I would probably do the same again in the same circumstances. Just check the accommodation options carefully.
   

1. How many restaurants do you need? I think there were only 2 in our resort. One was a la carte and wasn’t included in the AI. The other restaurant was a buffet and they had a different style of cuisine each night. It was much better than I thought it would be (first time AI and I thought it would be lowest common denominator). We never ended up going to the a la carte.
   

1. Activities. I’d assume snorkelling would be your most frequent activity. For this reason I looked for an island with a really good house reef that’s directly accessible from the beach. We took our own snorkel gear too so we didn’t need to rent any. It was a great choice for this reason alone. We were in and out all the time. We only did the other activities once or twice (paddle board, boat trip etc).
   

1. Stay over in Male? We stayed 2 nights on the main island at the beginning of the trip then a week on the resort island. It was really nice to see the (few) sights and to eat in local places and to just generally get an idea of what it’s like to live there.

[Groovytiger]

We went to Ayada and our teens loved it. Flew to Male via Dubai and then another hour flight from Male as the island is so far south and close to the equator. Long to get there but was so worth it. There was a house reef that we could swim in from our bedroom. The food was amazing - 5 restaurants. Amazing cocktails too. Absolutely faultless. We booked through Purely Maldives who really know their stuff

[AdriannaP]

If you have a good house reef you can spend hours and hours snorkelling. Personally we don’t consider an island unless it has a house reef as we don’t want to wait for boats to take us to the reefs. Ar Kuramathi you can see turtles, sharks, a ton of fish etc

[AdriannaP]

As @Bobbobchampagne said Kuramathi is great. The house reef is amazing as is the two bedroom beach villa (they are also close to the swimming pool). With teens definitely choose a larger island like Kuramathi with pools, activities and go all inclusive. It’s worth it as everything is very expensive outside of AI. And you are on an island so no choices. Have been to M three times, food was excellent everywhere.
Yes travel is long, we did it with small children so should be much easier with teens. Would recommend flying Quatar or Emirates Airlines. Wifi is excellent on all bigger islands.

[ILoveToads]

All the ones I have been to have really good WiFi. Just one connection issue when we had a storm, but mostly better than some areas in England!

I hope you have a great time wherever you choose, the Maldives are fantastic.

[BaconAndAvocado]

Thanks everyone !
I've got lots to look into now.

The DCs have only ever snorkelled at Discovery Cove in Florida which is absolutely fantastic is also a highly manufactured experience.
To snorkel n "the wild" would be amazing for them!!

Oh! The inevitable question re teens and holidays.....do the islands have Wi-Fi? 😂

[Bobbobchampagne]

Kuramathi without a doubt if you’re foodies - the a la carte all inclusive option, and for your family the 2 bed beach house would perfect!

[Helpimfalling]

Kurumba I've been twice and toured a few islands but by far this one's the winner.

[TrickyD]

You would definitely do better to join the FB page, Maldives Holidaymakers. Posters there tend to be knowledgeable about a range of islands whereas here people will recommend the only one they have visited.

There are so many factors to consider, big or small island? Water bungalow (more expensive) or beach bungalow? Close enough to Male, the capital and airport to travel to your island by boat ? More distant islands require a seaplane transfer, more expensive but fun.

You really need to decide on your budget, as there is a huge variation.

We have been to the Maldives ten times staying at a variety of islands, from the budget - Biyadhoo, like a posh french camp site, to the fairly expensive (for us) Thudafushi., Italian owned, wonderful food, and very good all inclusive drinks and activities

Be aware that ‘all inclusive’ is not usually as all embracing as say, in the Caribbean resorts. Often a limited range of cocktails.

Kuramathi as suggested upthread is worth considering, also Vilamendhoo, and certainly Reethi Beach. Personally I would avoid Meeru; for some reason UK high Street travel agents push people to go there, but it is usually considered to be very ‘entry level’. The main problem is that the reef, where the best snorkelling is found, is not close to the land, so you are reliant on the island’s boat to take you.

Snorkelling is what many consider to be the best feature of the Maldives and you want to do it whenever your fancy not according to the resort’s timetable., I would also say avoid Sun Island.

Getting there inevitably involves a long flight. Check out some of the specialised Maldives agents, Simply Maldives, Magic of Maldives etc.

Be aware that you will inevitably catch a nasty disease called Maldivitis. Only cured by a return visit.

[BugMummy]

The islands we went to are small so probably not what you're looking for. Kuramathi would seem a good choice. Make sure you go all inclusive as it's pricey. Getting there is fine, we flew to malè (capital) then seaplane to the island we stayed on which was incredible.

[savvy7]

Vilamendhoo has a great house reef. You get there by seaplane which adds to the fun.

[BaconAndAvocado]

Love a good cocktail!
Thanks ILoveToads that looks fab.

Good point about going for a larger island. Think it works be good to have activities on hand, water sports etc.

Getting there.....is it a headache?

[ILoveToads]

The Kuramathi could be an option, lots of restaurant choices. There were quite a few teenagers when we went who congregated at the Island cafe to socialise.

www.kuramathi.com

[Shadowboy]

It was good- if I remember there were 4 restaurants on the island. One was a Wok style place with Asian cuisine, the other was a grill so did amazing steaks etc and one was buffet style. I don’t think we ate at the 4th but it was a la carte. The Asian style was over the water so it was pretty cool.

I think only the buffet one is open for breakfast and then the others open lunch onwards. It was an amazing trip.

Cocktails were brilliant….

[BaconAndAvocado]

Thanks Shadowboy

What was the food like? We’re all keen foodies!

[Shadowboy]

We went to Meeru island. It’s one of the bigger ones with a good range of water sports and excursions. If you have active kids pick a bigger island with stuff to do.

Included in our package was an evening dolphin spotting trip, kayaking, snorkelling at a few different reefs there was also a golf course which we had a round on (no idea how to play so it was fun!) . There was also a spa but I paid extra for treatments

We went for 10 nights and were not bored but I think if there were fewer excursions it was have been a bit samey.