MALDIVES
Pete visited the Maldives over Christmas/New Year's break in 2016/2017. Below's a breakdown of his experience.
TRIP OVERVIEW
Visa (for Americans & Thais)
History/Facts
On the Cheap
It Rains Here
Whale Shark Spotting
The People
Debbie Downer
TRIP OVERVIEW
Visa (for Americans & Thais)
- Easy. No visa or cost needed for a stay up to 30 days.
History/Facts
- The world’s lowest country, with its highest natural point being 8 feet. (I know I saw some palm trees higher than 8 feet though… J). This makes the Maldives one of the most at-risk places in the world for rising sea levels. The country has pledged to be carbon-neutral by 2020 and has already planned buying land for relocation in Australia, India, and Sri Lanka, the potential move of 400,000 people.
- The country is devoutly Muslim, with Sunni Islam the state religion. A non-Muslim is not allowed to become a citizen, same-sex activity can carry a death sentence, and do not even think about speaking out about Islam.
- You cannot bring alcohol into the country and is not available for sale anywhere other than the Resort-only islands. We stayed at a hotel on an inhabited island so there was no alcohol on the island.
On the Cheap
- The images of over-water bungalows and private seaplanes garners a belief that the Maldives is only for the elite or rich. The Maldives can be considerably done on a budget. Flights may still be expensive from USA due to the distance, but many more airlines are now flying into Male and many more budget accommodation options have opened up in recent years, specifically on inhabited islands. Yes the water bungalows will still run +1,000 USD a night and a seaplane transfer of $400, but you can take ferries to islands as well as domestic airlines. We got a flight from Singapore to Maldives roundtrip for $300 USD each. We flew domestic airlines and short ferry to our island in South Ari Atoll. We could have done it even much cheaper on a slower ferry ($14 USD one-way! ~8 hours) and booked accommodations as low as $50 USD per night.
It Rains Here
- Maldives yearly temperatures vary little but does have a dry and wet season. Dry season is November-April while wet season is May-October. We visited Dec-Jan and experienced heavy rains for at least 4 days, and generally had more bad weather then we had good weather during our stay.
Whale Shark Spotting
- My main excitement to visit the Maldives was to swim with whale sharks. There are more guaranteed places to swim with these guys in places like the Philippines but that is because the tour operators are feeding them and keeping them there. The Maldives looked like a better option to swim with these school buses of the sea. The South Ari Atoll is home to whale sharks year round. They tend to be on the east side January-April, and the west side of the Atoll May-December. They do not track the whale sharks and all tours will eventually end up in the same location looking for them. Unfortunately we did not see any on our trip. Perhaps December/January is a difficult time to spot them if they are transitioning from the west side to east side.
The People
- As mentioned with the religion, the people are conservative and reserved, albeit friendly. It was nice to stay on an inhabited island and see some of the locals living their way of life. However, outside of the hotel staff or tourist accommodating services, I would say it is a little restrained in saying hello or interacting with local people, more so the women.
Debbie Downer
- The Maldives was my 49th country I have visited and I know saying this I sound like a complete travel snob, but I did not think the Maldives was the island paradise you believe it to be. Sure the water is amazing and some of the bluest I’ve ever seen, seeing the atolls from above on the plane is insanely cool and there is amazing wildlife right under the water in front of you
- But… I know I would enjoy a beach or paradise holiday in many other locations around the world. I would rather spend a week on a beach in Thailand. I don’t like that there isn’t any elevation to the country. No mountains, just flat land. The limestone mountains of Thailand provide a dramatic backdrop to everything. I also think you could have a general overall better time at other beach destinations. If you idea is simply to laze by beach and dive – I still feel you can do this at a closer destination.
DAY ONE
Only a 4 hour flight from Singapore, upon our arrival into Male airport it began to pour rain. We didn’t realize this would not be a quick shower. The good news was there was randomly a Thai restaurant at the Male airport – so of course we ate there before heading to our hotel. Since we were just going to the hotel to sleep and had an early flight the next morning to South Ari Atoll, we just stayed at a cheap hotel near the airport. The room was fine and provided airport shuttle and a good overall value at $25 USD per night.
UI Inn is actually on Hulhumale Island, which is connected to the airport via a causeway, so that you can take a car from the airport to your hotel. If you are staying in Male you will have to take a ferry from the airport to Male. Hulhumale is definitely still being built up and there was nothing there, except partially constructed buildings – was a bit weird for a first impression of Maldives. I would have liked to have spent 1 full day/night in Male to see the city life in the Maldives but time-wise it just did not work out. On our last night we opted to spend one more night in South Ari Atoll rather than go to Male.
Only a 4 hour flight from Singapore, upon our arrival into Male airport it began to pour rain. We didn’t realize this would not be a quick shower. The good news was there was randomly a Thai restaurant at the Male airport – so of course we ate there before heading to our hotel. Since we were just going to the hotel to sleep and had an early flight the next morning to South Ari Atoll, we just stayed at a cheap hotel near the airport. The room was fine and provided airport shuttle and a good overall value at $25 USD per night.
UI Inn is actually on Hulhumale Island, which is connected to the airport via a causeway, so that you can take a car from the airport to your hotel. If you are staying in Male you will have to take a ferry from the airport to Male. Hulhumale is definitely still being built up and there was nothing there, except partially constructed buildings – was a bit weird for a first impression of Maldives. I would have liked to have spent 1 full day/night in Male to see the city life in the Maldives but time-wise it just did not work out. On our last night we opted to spend one more night in South Ari Atoll rather than go to Male.
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DAY TWO
For the domestic flights in Maldives they basically give you confirmation like the night before your flight, which leaves you a bit confused, but it worked out fine for both our flight to and from Male – South Ari Atoll. We got confirmation for our flight in the evening when we arrived at the hotel, about 9 hours before the flight lol. We flew FlyMe both times, and I see they do have a website – it might be wise to try and book your flights on here direct, so you’ll have a confirmation sooner. I checked some dates and it is the same price on the airline website as what our hotel offered us. It was a 30 minute flight to Maamigili, then we took a 40 minute boat to our island, Dhigurah. Flying in the Maldives is highly recommended as it lets you see all the dotted islands surrounded by blue water and is really unique to see.
We stayed at TME Retreats on Dhigurah and was around $100 USD per night. We had booked a large room with personal pool, but they did not have it available for us, so at least gave us free dinners during our stay. The hotel is on an inhabited island (so locals live there). This gives it a more cultural feel than going to a resort island that is just the resort. On local island there is no alcohol allowed – so no alcohol even at the hotel. I liked the price and location and the fact there was a reputable dive shop on the island that organized whale shark tours. For 6 nights at TME Retreats we paid less than some of the 5 star resorts for 1 night. There are also cheaper options available.
That evening we walked from our hotel all the way to the tip of the island. This is easily a 1 hour walk – and we were quite tired the following day, walking that far through sand. But it is beautiful at the tip of island, as it’s basically a sandbar and shallow clear-blue water. The weather held off enough for Ammy to get a nice photoshoot in. On our walk back a huge storm got started. We ended up having to run through pouring rain and pitch darkness back to our hotel (but was actually quite fun & memorable).
For the domestic flights in Maldives they basically give you confirmation like the night before your flight, which leaves you a bit confused, but it worked out fine for both our flight to and from Male – South Ari Atoll. We got confirmation for our flight in the evening when we arrived at the hotel, about 9 hours before the flight lol. We flew FlyMe both times, and I see they do have a website – it might be wise to try and book your flights on here direct, so you’ll have a confirmation sooner. I checked some dates and it is the same price on the airline website as what our hotel offered us. It was a 30 minute flight to Maamigili, then we took a 40 minute boat to our island, Dhigurah. Flying in the Maldives is highly recommended as it lets you see all the dotted islands surrounded by blue water and is really unique to see.
We stayed at TME Retreats on Dhigurah and was around $100 USD per night. We had booked a large room with personal pool, but they did not have it available for us, so at least gave us free dinners during our stay. The hotel is on an inhabited island (so locals live there). This gives it a more cultural feel than going to a resort island that is just the resort. On local island there is no alcohol allowed – so no alcohol even at the hotel. I liked the price and location and the fact there was a reputable dive shop on the island that organized whale shark tours. For 6 nights at TME Retreats we paid less than some of the 5 star resorts for 1 night. There are also cheaper options available.
That evening we walked from our hotel all the way to the tip of the island. This is easily a 1 hour walk – and we were quite tired the following day, walking that far through sand. But it is beautiful at the tip of island, as it’s basically a sandbar and shallow clear-blue water. The weather held off enough for Ammy to get a nice photoshoot in. On our walk back a huge storm got started. We ended up having to run through pouring rain and pitch darkness back to our hotel (but was actually quite fun & memorable).
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DAY THREE
Weather was not too nice again today, raining in the morning and quite cloudy. It cleared off a little by late afternoon and we just went and hung around the beach area. Ammy had another photo shoot (I don’t mind…) we attempted climbing palm trees, and did some snorkeling right off the beach. (Pretty much the schedule you should be doing every day in the Maldives). That night it poured rain as well.
Hotel had nightly dinner buffets and then people from the dive shop would come around to tell what tour would be available the following day. Since it had been raining daily, the dive shop said it was difficult to go try and see whale sharks so they would be doing manta snorkeling the next day.
Weather was not too nice again today, raining in the morning and quite cloudy. It cleared off a little by late afternoon and we just went and hung around the beach area. Ammy had another photo shoot (I don’t mind…) we attempted climbing palm trees, and did some snorkeling right off the beach. (Pretty much the schedule you should be doing every day in the Maldives). That night it poured rain as well.
Hotel had nightly dinner buffets and then people from the dive shop would come around to tell what tour would be available the following day. Since it had been raining daily, the dive shop said it was difficult to go try and see whale sharks so they would be doing manta snorkeling the next day.
DAY FOUR
Another rainy day…
We got up at 8:30 to head out on the manta snorkel. About 30 minutes into the tour it did not look good as it poured heavy rain for some time. I thought they were going to give up and head back, but the rain finally cleared for just long enough. Shortly after, they were able to spot some mantas and we got in the water. They were hard to see at first, but I think they warmed up to us and passed us quite a few times. It was really great to see these things soaring through the water. Having Steve Irwin flashbacks I kept a relative distance, but some people would try and swim too close to these guys. We had a good 40 minutes in the water with them and I was happy with the tour. I think the rest of that day it pretty much rained.
New Year’s Eve was a bit quiet this year. No drinking, and pouring rain all night. Certainly not a New Year’s Eve in Bangkok. They had a special outdoor barbeque dinner but was still a bit washed out due to the rain.
Another rainy day…
We got up at 8:30 to head out on the manta snorkel. About 30 minutes into the tour it did not look good as it poured heavy rain for some time. I thought they were going to give up and head back, but the rain finally cleared for just long enough. Shortly after, they were able to spot some mantas and we got in the water. They were hard to see at first, but I think they warmed up to us and passed us quite a few times. It was really great to see these things soaring through the water. Having Steve Irwin flashbacks I kept a relative distance, but some people would try and swim too close to these guys. We had a good 40 minutes in the water with them and I was happy with the tour. I think the rest of that day it pretty much rained.
New Year’s Eve was a bit quiet this year. No drinking, and pouring rain all night. Certainly not a New Year’s Eve in Bangkok. They had a special outdoor barbeque dinner but was still a bit washed out due to the rain.
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DAY FIVE
Relaxing days around the hotel and beach. The weather still really wasn’t cooperating and it had now been 4 days of solid rain. Monday finally cleared up a bit and hung out by the beach, did some snorkeling, and rode some banana boat.
That night we booked the whale shark tour for the day. The dive shop had let us know that there had not been any whale shark sightings for the last 2 weeks – so I crossed my fingers but did not have my hopes up.
Relaxing days around the hotel and beach. The weather still really wasn’t cooperating and it had now been 4 days of solid rain. Monday finally cleared up a bit and hung out by the beach, did some snorkeling, and rode some banana boat.
That night we booked the whale shark tour for the day. The dive shop had let us know that there had not been any whale shark sightings for the last 2 weeks – so I crossed my fingers but did not have my hopes up.
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DAY SIX
Today we had maybe the nicest weather of the trip. It was a good sign for the whale shark tour. We traveled quite a distance from the hotel’s island in this one area that has the best chance to spot them. No matter the whale shark tour you book – your boat will end up here. There were boats from our small local hotel, boats for high-end resorts, and personal yachts. But money can’t buy whale sharks. The boats basically go up and down the channel but no one was lucky today as everyone went home empty-handed. On the way back we did stop for some reef snorkeling and open water swimming which was fun.
Today we had maybe the nicest weather of the trip. It was a good sign for the whale shark tour. We traveled quite a distance from the hotel’s island in this one area that has the best chance to spot them. No matter the whale shark tour you book – your boat will end up here. There were boats from our small local hotel, boats for high-end resorts, and personal yachts. But money can’t buy whale sharks. The boats basically go up and down the channel but no one was lucky today as everyone went home empty-handed. On the way back we did stop for some reef snorkeling and open water swimming which was fun.
DAY SEVEN
We opted to spend one more night at the resort, rather than going back and spending a night in Male.
The last day we rented a jet ski and cruised around for a bit. Then got on our return ferry, flew back to airport, and caught overnight flight home to Singapore.
We opted to spend one more night at the resort, rather than going back and spending a night in Male.
The last day we rented a jet ski and cruised around for a bit. Then got on our return ferry, flew back to airport, and caught overnight flight home to Singapore.
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