Maldives

01. Overview of this beautiful Paradise Island.

Imagine this! Beautiful coral islands, sapphire blue waters, and white sandy beaches, breathtaking resorts and Villas, well….That’s Maldives for you! The intriguing island nation is located 400 kilometres south west of the Indian subcontinent, this Paradise Island is a mixture of landscapes, cultures and scrumptious cuisines. The beauty of Maldives is truly mesmerizing. Maldives is renowned to have some of the best beaches in the world, it is a great destination for honeymooners, beach bums and divers. This year-round destination boasts of one of the world’s top diving and snorkeling experiences. And that’s not all, this beautiful island also has to its own underwater hotel. Guests can enjoy a one-night stay in this unique all-glass room, 16 feet below the surface of the sea, surrounded by tropical fish and coral reef.

02. When to Go and What to Pack

The best time to visit the Maldives is from November to April. The island is warm and sunny year-round, but consists of a dry season wet and a rainy season. There are pros and cons to visiting in each season. Unfortunately the dry season is the busiest time of year and the room rates at resorts are expensive compared to the other seasons. However, since each resort inhabits its own island, you can peacefully enjoy your holiday with less crowd soaking up the sun! Here are the essentials that you need to pack for your trip!
Light cotton garments
Smart evening wear
Wide brimmed sun hat
Sandals/flip flops
Swimwear
Sunscreen/ Sunglasses
Insect repellant

03. Fall in love all over again.

Want to take your better half to a magical place where dreams come true? Have you ever imagined yourself on an island that is exclusively yours? Being surrounded by the sapphire sky, emerald waters and the whitest sand, with no one in sight apart from you and your loved one? All this sounds so surreal, right? Well now you can make your dream come true. Long spread of beaches covered with sparkling white sand, palm trees lined up across the shores, beautiful cottages and resorts nestled in the most secluded regions known, this island is the perfect place for love birds to rekindle the spark and fall in love. Many couples dream of staying at a Water villas during their honeymoon and make it an unforgettable trip of a lifetime. The Maldives has over 75 different private-island resorts that feature water villas and overwater bungalows.
Below is a list of some of the most luxurious Honeymoon resorts in Maldives that you should definitely spend you honeymoon in.
1. Soneva Fushi- Kunfunadhoo Island Baa Atoll, Maldives
2. COMO Cocoa Island- Maafushi, Maldives
3. Gili Lankanfushi Maldives – Lankanfushi
4. Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives- Machchafushi
5. Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa Maldives
6. Anantara Veli Maldives Resort
7. Lily Beach Resort & Spa
So are you ready for some romance in Maldives?

04. Exquisite Spas, Luscious Dining and Trendy Shopping

Spa – There is nothing more like a good spa experience during your holiday. Even just the thought of it makes your soul feel clam and peaceful. This is an ideal destination for spa lovers. The Maldives has been recognized as Year’s best spa destination in 2016 by the World Spa Awards, which was based on votes by professionals within the spa industry. Not only you can have a Spa experience above the sea, you can also enjoy one of a kind Spa experience under water in some of the exclusive under water Spa’s in the world. The world’s first underwater spa, is the Lime spa. You can indulge in coconut, lime, and mineral spa treatments while admiring views of exotic marine life with two couple’s underwater treatment rooms offering panoramic reef views.

Dining- Who would not like a taste of a mouthwatering cuisine? The Maldives are renowned for having some of the world’s most delicious cuisines. Traditional Maldivian cuisine is based on coconuts, Fish, and Starches. Skipjack tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, Frigate Tuna and Wahoo are common in Maldivian cuisine. As well as a thick brown paste made from tuna, called Rihaakuru, is an essential part of many dishes. Tourists can also fairly a large amount of Indian cuisine aswel as other food styles from around the world such as Thai, Middle Eastern and continental. Locals do not consume alcohol. Alcohol will only be served at tourist resorts.

If you want to dine in style visit the world’s largest all-glass underwater restaurant at the Hurawalhi aquarium-style restaurant. Not only will you dine five meters below the water’s surface, but you’ll also get unbeatable views of brightly-colored coral reefs and tropical marine life.

Shopping- No holiday is complete unless you have shopped. Maldives does not have a huge market when it comes for shopping. But there are certain streets like Chaandanee Magu from where you can pick up souvenirs and gifts to take back home. The gift shops here are lined with stalls selling local craftwork like mats, wooden vases, miniature boats and T-shirts. Majeedhee Magu is another one stop shop destination offering all kinds of textiles and clothing items as well as accessories and electronics.

05. Unforgettable experiences (Exclusive watersports and excursions)

Maldives offers a lot of adventurous kicks for tourists. Most interesting of them being watersports, loved by swimmers and non- swimmers alike. The water sports enthusiasts often explore under the sea for a long time as the clear water is home to magnificent coral reefs, species like neon clownfish and the slow-moving manta rays are some of the sea attractions among the snorkeling lovers and swimmers. And this is why these sports draw adventure lovers in big numbers.

Here’s a list of the best water sports and excursions in Maldives to enjoy on your trip in this beautiful island.

1. Catamaran Sailing

Sailing in the blue waters of Maldives will make you fall in love once again, but this time with the nature and the sea. Sailing in the wonderful ocean observing beautiful islands from a distance with such serenity is just mesmerizing a moment.

Best time to revel in this sport: November to April

2. Under-water Walking
Walking exactly on the floor of a tremendously deep ocean and being able to watch every amazing aquatic creature very closely is just a super ecstatic experience that you can have with this sport. It is undoubtedly one of the best water sports in Maldives.

Best time to revel in this sport: January to April
3. Manta Ray Search group excursion by speedboat.
Reaching over 3 meters in size, Manta Rays have very few predators, providing snorkelers are calm and quiet in the water, will often allow people to come very close. Lying very still in the water, snorkelers can often enjoy watching manta rays glide under them as they feed on microscopic plankton, twisting, turning and rolling, almost like a dance for them to enjoy. This is a very unique experience where you could get to experience these majestic animals on your own custom encounter.

4. Snorkeling
Snorkeling in Maldives is a sport that lets even the non-swimmers explore the hidden secrets of the underwater world. All you need are your masks and fins. You can observe the real depth of the ocean and cover huge distance swaying in the ocean. It is one of the best water activities in Maldives. Best time to revel in this sport: July to September

5. Scuba Diving
Maldives is popular among millions of travelers and diving enthusiasts as one of the world’s best scuba diving destinations. Scuba diving in Maldives and wreck diving, is the most enjoyable watersport which allures a lot of tourists to this place. Many resorts offer this as a part of their packages.
Best Time to revel in this sport: January to April

6. Coral Adoption
Some ecocentric resorts in the Maldives have exclusive programs to add extra richness to the marine diversity of the Maldives. One of this includes coral adoption. This is much like planting a tree and tagging it with your name which allows you to plant a coral (or a structure of corals) in a designated spot which will then grow into a mini reef and in years a home to thousands marine organisms.

7. Freedivers
Freediving is an exclusive art, a thrilling adventure of discovering the spectacular underwater world on just a single breath, without all the supporting equipment regular divers are seen with. Some freedivers do it for fun while others seek to improve their aquatic skills. Freedivers can enjoy some once in a lifetime adventures such as getting around with a bunch of dolphins or swimming up close with a whaleshark.

8. Snorkeling and diving with Whale Sharks
Want to see a shark up close? Well you can spot Whale Sharks in this thrilling excursion. Spotting a slow moving whale shark beneath the clear waters of the Maldives and even snorkeling above one or diving alongside one is an incredible experience. The Whale Shark is a gentle filter feeding giant belonging to the shark family and is the largest fish in the world.

Whale Sharks tend to favor the western side of the Indian Ocean archipelago from May to December and then move to the eastern waters during January to April and can be seen around the South Ari Atoll, a Marin Protected Area. This thrilling activity is available from 9:00 a.m. to noon and is a must-try for adventure seekers.