Cancel Maldives and go where?

[ChimneyPot]

I know this is a very first world problem.

DH and I are due to go to the Maldives in less than a weeks time. It will be our first holiday without the children in a very long time.

This was organised a year ago and the dates are not flexible as an adult child is minding the youngest.

The weather in the Maldives is cloudy and rainy at the moment and that seems set to continue.

We are booked to go to a tiny island where we would be snorkelling, swimming and lazing in the sun for a week. There really isn’t anything else to do there.

If we cancel we would get just under half our money back.

Would you cancel and where would you recommend going next week for one week instead.

I would still go if you would lose half the money.

We went this time of year last year and the weather was mixed, from perfect weather to slight rain.

The weather forecasts can also be wrong, we went to Mauritius in August the BBC forecast said rain every hour of every day more or less, in the end it was sunny and about 26C all day every day apart from one half hour rain shower.

We also still went in the sea in Maldives when it was slight rain and it was still nice, us in there alone with lots of tropical fish. But it is true activities are all outdoors.

The good thing in Maldives is the accommodation is on the beach or over the water so the minute the weather is good you can be out there.

Just go there. It will still be very hot.

Are you looking at weather apps/websites? They always say the weather is rubbish but it ends up only being overcast for a short time and then nice the rest of the time. Definitely don't cancel, the Maldives are fantastic whatever the weather.

Surely you’d just go rather than waste half the money, which I assume is a lot?

The best part of the Maldives is the ocean, as long as you can snorkel or dive you can see the best of it.

Go! Just because the weather says it's cloudy it may only be cloudy for some of the time. Who cares, you have that beautiful blue water, the white sandy beaches. Snorkelling and complete ability to switch off.

There's no way I'd cancel a holiday to the Maldives just because a weather app says it might be cloudy and rainy a week out from when I was meant to arrive!

Transfer it to me OP!

The money we would get back if we cancel would pay for an alternative holiday just not as fabulous as the one in the Maldives.

It would never have occurred to me to cancel but there was an article in the paper about some bloggers who went to the Maldives in December and it was solidly cloudy and wet.
Excuse the DM link https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12904133/amp/Travek-bloggers-Maldives-rain-Instagram.html

Remember under the water it doesn't matter if it's raining! Also weather changes, the dry season is dec-May so it's just a bit late this year. It also rains quite a lot year round, usually mid afternoon then dried up for a lovely sunset, we went diving whilst it rained

It’s a risk you take with literally any trip to the tropics? Your call. What if the weather is crap in the place you re book? It also means you’ve spent Maldives type money on a less than Maldives type “new” location…..

We went in November 2022 and it was gloriously sunny. It said it was going to be overcast and cloudy. They take the readings at Male usually and that can be miles from your atoll.

When we went this time of year it looked exactly like it normally does but there was light drizzle at times. Temp was hot, sea was warm and we just went in it anyway. The kayaking etc did get stopped from time to time but there was plenty of times it was open and running.

If you go on Tripadviser local forums you might be able to get someone there now but I think that article is a bit dramatic.

Have you looked at the webcams? They must have them on the islands?

Are you diving? Won't impact too much then?

Pics of Nov 22

I was ready to say YABU but the forecast on Google does look crap..

Is there any Facebook groups you can get some live info from? In case it's sunny with showers rather than wall to wall thunderstorms?

If you are serious about switching, I'm in the Canaries now and it's 24° and not a cloud in the sky, but chillier at night.

Do you scuba dive, or would be willing to learn? One of the 3 weeks I've spent in the Maldives was awful weather but it was the most amazing week of diving I've ever done.

Don’t cancel!! Go there and enjoy the amazing swimming and sea life, there’s bound to be a lovely spa in the island and use the time to relax and rejuvenate yourselves. Bring lots of card games and good books and load up your iPad.

Don't cancel - we've just came back and the weather app was showing rain and thunderstorms for the whole stay, each and every day while we've been there. It rained exactly once!

OP I did this earlier this year. Not Maldives (one European destination for another) and only lost a few hundred pounds.

To me it was worth it to get the weather I wanted. I feel the cold easily and primarily go away for warmer weather. The forecast for where I wanted to go was dreadful so I cancelled and booked somewhere else (and had a fantastic time).

It comes down to how much you value great weather!

Good suggestion about Tripadvisor forum. I had forgotten about that. Apparently weather has been worse than usual for this time of year, especially for the area we are going too but there have been some good mornings/ afternoons.
End has impacted snorkelling and boat trips but some have been doable.
I did look at webcams earlier today before it go dark there and they were all very grey.

I suppose I have to think would I prefer 2 or 3 good half days in the Maldives or 7 good days somewhere else and realistically unless the somewhere else was fab I would probably take the Maldives.

At least I will be prepared. Changing my packing to include a light raincoat and more reading material and downloads.

I'd go and maybe just try to enjoy reading, disconnecting and doing nothing.

Though TBH this is one of the reasons I never book totally weather dependent holidays and not very interested in tropical islands.

We went to the Maldives a few weeks ago, in November. The forecast was terrible! The reality was mainly good weather… There were a few showers, but that is to be expected in a tropical place - they were short and sharp and the sun returned quickly. It was lovely and warm at all times and we just loved it. Would carry on with the original plan despite the forecast if I were you!

@ChimneyPot another thing worth checking is your Resorts Instagram profile and the newest photos tagged at that location! That would be first hand intelligence there.

Yep, live webcams are what I normally go by if I'm trying to gauge weather right before a trip. Oftentimes Google will show a terrible weather report but when you look at the camera it's clear blue skies. Big resorts often have webcams.