Maledives time

[Zanetta]

Hi everyone, I'm looking for a recommended place to stay in the Maldives. Does anyone recommend any particular place?

Lots of considerations, are you taking children? How long are you wanting to stay? Do you want a boat transfer to the resort or are you fine with a seaplane? Do you want to snorkel off the beach? Are you fine to eat buffet every day or do you want to dine ala carte at least sometines? Do you want access to a swimming pool? Prices range from expensive to extremely expensive. I don't work in the travel industry, but I find the simply maldives website quite useful for filtering on the above type requirements. It works best on a laptop, phone version is not as good. I've never booked with them, but it helps me narrow down some options. We have been twice with kids, but stayed less than a week each time, so we have just chosen somewhere with a boat transfer which is generally pretty quick.

I’ve booked oblu xperience.
its all inclusive but with a couple of add on/ payable restaurants and activities are add on/ pay extra.
there is a kids club.
10 mins from male airport by speed boat.

Agree with using the Simply Maldives website to filter. Also Purely Maldives have something similar. Both agents can also give advice over the phone based on your budget/criteria and they can get good prices (better than booking direct or through booking.com IME).

Budget is probably the most important criterion as Maldives ranges hugely (from a bit pricey to beyond ridiculous).

In the Maldives budget is king. Can you clarify what you want, a small island v a large one, a good house reef, dining/drink preferences, are you happy with a sea plane or do you want to be close to male, what is the age group of the guests, elderly, young, teens etc?

Hi Zanetta 😊
I’ve stayed at a couple of islands in the Maldives, and what really made the trip stress-free was choosing a maldives all inclusive resort. As a traveller, I found it easier to relax knowing meals, drinks, and activities were covered. Look for resorts with a calm lagoon, good snorkelling, and honest guest reviews rather than just photos. Also, check transfer times from Malé, as shorter journeys can save energy on arrival.

Depends on so many factors
We love Lux South Ari Atoll but that’s us with three teens, foodies, who don’t mind the lack of house reef as the rest of the resort makes up for it for us. If you love to dive it might be a deal breaker for example.

I spent two weeks in kuredu which I really enjoyed. It’s the biggest atoll so nice to walk around and very peaceful. Food was great.

As others have said, you need to nail down your list of wants first. The islands vary

When I visited 16 years ago I wanted one of the tiny islands with as few huts as possible. Think we ended up with under 25. I wanted good authentic local cuisine and a barefoot island where we took our shoes off at the jetty when we arrived and didn’t put them back on for 2 weeks. It was an incredible trip. Unfortunately that resort was bought up since and large overwater extensions built. Work out what facilities you want and go from there