Perfect Getaway in Maldives
Perfect Getaway in Maldives
Have you ever dreamt about pristine beaches, transparent sea and water villas paradise? If you did (who didn’t?), you are probably thinking about Maldives, a South Asian country located in the Indian Ocean, Southwest of Sri Lanka. Maldives has almost 1200 coral islands grouped in 26 atolls and it is one of the most geographically dispersed states and the world’s lowest country – with its highest point at 2,4 meters.
Maldives is mostly known for its beautiful secluded islands, luxury resorts and water sports and it is one of the ultimate destinations in almost all travellers bucket list.
Make sure you select the best time of the year to go there. The best weather is between November and April, whilst the monsoon runs from May to October, peaking around June. I went to the Maldives in February as it is considered one of driest months of the year. I had a beautiful weather and it only rained in my last day when I was preparing to go back.
I’ve always wanted to visit Maldives but at the same time I didn’t want to stay out of my budget, so I’ve made a lot of research prior to my trip. You can have from a low cost accommodation at less than 100€ per day to an extra luxurious experience at thousands of euros a night. In Maldives is extremely important to choose where you are staying. As it is formed by more than 1 thousand islands spread across the Ocean you will probably stay almost the whole trip in the island where your resort is located – so make sure you choose a really nice location. You can also do some island hopping and stay in different islands.
I finally decided to stay in a resort located in North Malé Atoll, just a 30m speedboat ride away from Malé airport, Centara Ras Fushi, in an island with white sand and a sparkling blue lagoon. It has beachside or overwater accommodation – choose the water villas, after all that’s one of the reasons why you’ve chosen Maldives, right?
What to do in Maldives
Just relax. Enjoy. Be amazed by one of most stunning paradise beach destinations. And don’t plan too much. Maldives is all about sea, sun, sand and magical underwater in some of the top dive sites in the world. Sunsets are also breathtaking.
Even if you probably just want to stay in your water villa swimming and tanning (it is truly a unique experience that you cannot have anywhere else), push yourself to do some activities only possible in Maldives.
Usually all resorts offer water sports, parasailing and snorkelling in coral reefs full of tropical marine life in the crystal clear waters of Indian Ocean. You can also dive or take scuba diving lessons. There are tours available including fishing, island-hopping, dolphin cruises, shark-spotting and Male visit. Male is one of the world’s smallest capitals and from what I’ve read you can visit the Old Friday Mosque (the oldest mosque in the country), Fish Market and National Museum.
My favorite activity was a private boat ride to a sandbank 20m away from my resort. The boat left us there for one hour and we stayed alone in that tiny sandbank lost in the middle on the Indian Sea with nothing into the horizon but the blue of the ocean. There are no words to describe this unique experience.
Another great option is to take a seaplane tour – which I didn’t do as I’ve only discovered this when I was about to leave. One or two plane operators offer day picnic excursions combining resort visit, desert island snorkelling trip and picnic lunch. Even if I didn’t have the chance to do it I’ve seen some pictures and the views of Maldives from the seaplane are amazing.
At night just enjoy the peace and tranquility of your resort and the warm nights of Maldives. Some resorts offer open-air theatres in the beach.
