Where 2 Next?: Maldives

A Perfect Vacation

Where are the Maldives and how to reach them? Maldives is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. With crystal clear turquoise water, it is a bucket-list destination for many travelers. The closest major city is Colombo, Srilanka. However, we planned a 4-day trip to Maldives during one of our trips to India. You can find reasonable packages at websites like makemytrip.com, and yatra.com. We took a short 2.5 hr flight ride from Bengaluru to Malé Velana International Airport, the only international airport located at Malé, the capital city of Maldives. After reaching the international airport and clearing immigration, the smaller islands can be reached via seaplane or speed boat.

Take Nothing but Pictures, Leave Nothing but Footprints, Kill Nothing but Time

What to Book? For a first-time traveler, the best and easiest option is to book a resort with an all-inclusive package. This generally includes flight tickets, pick up and drop off from the resort, resort stay, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and beverages. Paying for drinks/food onsite can get very expensive compared to an all-inclusive package. We booked our vacation package from India as it was way cheaper and accessible compared to other locations. There are similar packages available from many Middle Eastern and South Asian countries.

For most travelers, this is once in a lifetime experience. For an all-inclusive off-season trip, expect to pay upwards of 5000 USD. Most of the resorts quote everything in USD.

Sunrise Villas

What to look for? Look for a package that includes transfers from and to the airport. Most resorts offer complimentary pickup and drop-off to and from the airport. If you want to spend time away from people, opt for an island resort. For a good snorkeling/diving experience, check if the resort has a house reef.

A Stormy Afternoon!

When to Visit? The best time to visit is definitely during the winter months. However, we took a risk and visited the islands from June - July. Our stay was at a small island resort Adaaran Prestige Vadoo. Even though June - July was monsoon season, there were clear days when we could cover most of the activities we wanted to do.

Clouded - Still A Perfect Beach

Adaaran Vadoo - This is a nice little island resort in south Male Atoll approximately 30 mins boat ride away from Malé airport. The resort has 3 types of villas available - Sunrise water villas - facing the beach, Sunset water villas, and Honeymoon villas. All the villas have a dip pool, private jacuzzi, and direct access to the Ocean. With an all-inclusive package, breakfast, lunch, and dinner were covered at the Farivalhu restaurant. This includes an unlimited beverage of your choice at the bar as well. You can pick up snorkeling gear free of charge at the dive center. Each villa can easily accommodate a family of 4 and has life vests, a small fridge, a mini bar (alcoholic beverages are not included in All-inclusive), and ponchos- considering the weather.

All-Inclusive Package

Maldives is a popular honeymoon destination. But don't let that stop you from visiting with family. I love that we waited to visit the Maldives until the kids were a little bit older. They thoroughly enjoyed the trip and it has become their all-time favorite destination. With crystal clear water, and white sand beaches who wouldn't love a holiday here.

Sunset Villas

What to pack? Apart from all the regular stuff, there are a few essentials to pack.

Reef-safe sunscreen - ditch the regular sunscreen and opt for reef-safe sunscreen.
Water shoes - The sand is essentially coarse coral. So bring water shoes to save your feet.
Hat and swim coverup
GoPro or similar camera with a waterproof cover
Snorkeling gear (Generally the resort provides complimentary snorkeling gear)

Honeymoon Villas

What to do? You can do a whole lot of nothing and still enjoy the vacation.

Snorkeling - Even if you are scared and do not know how to swim, strap on a life vest, put on the snorkeling mask, and take a dip. You will not regret it
Diving - The resort has a house reef and you can enjoy diving trips with an experienced diver
Malé Tour - If this is your first visit to an Asian country, take a tour of Malé city. It might not be very interesting to people from Asian countries.
Sunset - Take a sunset cruise or just watch it from the convenience of your own villa. The sunset over clear water is magnificent and should not be missed.
Window seat in the airplane - It will be amazing if you include a seaplane ride. If not, pay for a window seat away from the wings. Especially during take-off, the views are amazing.