How to plan your next trip to the Maldives – When we decided to hit the Maldives for the 1st time and make this long-time dream come true, we didn’t know that there were so many excellent resort options you could choose. From! More precisely, there are 412 of them as of March 2021.
Time to go
After doing a lot of research and weighing what was essential for us during our first experience there, we ended up staying in 5 resorts, each with its singularities and advantages.
Planning the trip
This guide on How to plan your next trip to the Maldives will share how you should start planning your fantastic stay in the Maldives.
It’s good to mention that this was the most fantastic trip we’ve ever done so far. We were absolutely in love with this country, and we did a good job choosing our resorts.
Without further ado, let’s get this post started.
Where are the Maldives?
Officially named the Republic of Maldives, it is a small archipelagic state in South Asia, situated in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 700 kilometers (430 mi) from the Asian continent’s mainland. The chain of 26 atolls stretches from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south (across the Equator).
How many days should I spend in the Maldives?
We would say at least one year just because it’s going to be hard to leave this place – hahaha. It’s truly heaven on Earth!
Jokes aside, the Maldives can be far for some people depending on your location, and the flights can be long and tiring. We recommend spending at least five full days here -excluding the traveling days.
How expensive is it to travel to the Maldives?
When planning your next trip to the Maldives, this will be the million-dollar question and the one we got asked the most on our IG during our stay in the Maldives.
Many people think the Maldives are too expensive and give up going there. Well, it can be. As we mentioned before, there are so many options you can choose from. Some resorts are costly, but some others are affordable! So keep reading, and you won’t need to give up going to this paradise.
How much you spend will depend on factors such as the resort type, accommodation, meal plan, activities included, and so on…
Should I go to different resorts during my stay?
Because a part of our work consists of evaluating and experiencing different hotels/resorts and places, we went to 5 various alternatives on our trip. In our opinion, this isn’t the best option if you’re coming for holidays and especially if you’re not spending too much time there.
Every time you switch resorts, you need to go to the airport first so the next resort can pick you up from there (there’s no transportation among alternatives, even if they are from the same chain). That can be a little bit tiring as some boat rides can take as long as 50 minutes each way.
That being said, if you have extra time, switching resorts can be fun as they are usually quite different from one another, and sometimes it’s worth checking what other things they offer. But that’s only if you do have extra time! Ideally, plan an average of 5-7 days in each resort.
How do I get to the resorts?
There are two ways you can get to the resorts in the Maldives: the most common would be by speedboat or by seaplane.
By speedboat
The speedboat is secure and, as we said before, the most popular way of transportation to the resorts. Usually, they are offered by your alternative and free of charge. Once you pass through immigration, you will find a resort representative to guide you to the speed boat.
All luggage will be taken care of by them and stored inside the ship; the next time you see it, it will be inside your room.
By Seaplane
A few resorts offer this experience, but paying yourself is the most common way to get a seaplane. It’s a pleasant experience, especially if you’re not the biggest fan of boat rides, as these can be a little bit bumpy sometimes when it’s windy and the ocean isn’t as calm as we always expect it to be.
There are a few different airlines that offer this service. On our trip, we flew with Trans Maldivian Airways. It was a genuinely fantastic flight. The view of the islands is gorgeous. The flight was extremely smooth, as well as the take-offs and landings. You will want the pictures from above.
Fun fact: the Pilots here wear flip-flops! Being Pilots ourselves, that was funny to see. The vibe is super chill and relaxing—definitely a nice thing.
What resort should I stay at?
With 166 resorts – and many more to come- choosing the right resort for you can be a difficult task. We think you should consider a few things when selecting the best place for you. This will help you narrow down your options and make the best decision.
That’s why we decided to break down this topic into subtopics.
Budget
This might be the essential thing to consider when traveling to the Maldives. You will find resorts of all range of prices. As we mentioned before, the prices vary depending on the accommodation type, meal plan, island location, and so on…
Accommodation Types
Overwater Villas
There are different types of accommodations you can stay in. The most common are Overwater pool bungalows, overwater bungalows, beach villas, and pool beach villas.
In our case, as it was our first type in the Maldives, we wanted to stay in an overwater bungalow. They are usually the most expensive at the resorts, especially if they have a pool.
Beach Villas
Beach villas are lovely too, as they are just at the beach. Families usually prefer to stay there as they can often fit more people, and you also have the sandy beach as opposed to just going down a lather like in an overwater bungalow.
That being said, depending on your budget, you can make this decision.
We stayed in both beach villas and overwatered bungalows. This is why we can’t recommend enough overwater cabins for couples.
In an overwater bungalow, you are literally above the water! Usually, these bungalows have direct access to the ocean, which is fantastic. If you can afford it and it’s your first time going to the Maldives, we recommend that you at least spend a few nights in one of them. It makes your experience so much more magical!
After you have these two things ( budget and accommodation type) in order, your life will be so much easier. Sometimes you want to stay in an overwater bungalow; that’s your dream, but your budget isn’t too high right now, so go for smaller resorts, not too fancy ones. Or if you don’t care much for the accommodation type and want to go for a fancy resort, there you go.
Family
If you are with your family, your best choice is the beach Villa. Families prefer beach villas with tiny children, as they think it’s safer. Some resorts have duplex two-bedroom Beach Villas, which are convenient when you have more people.
Meal Plan
There are different meal plans: breakfast only, half board, entire board, and full board with drinks.
In our opinion, your best choice is the entire board, either with drinks or without them. This option gives you more freedom and makes you more relaxed as food can be costly in the Maldives, and you don’t want to find yourself doing math while on vacation, right?
Snorkeling & Water Sports
In all the resorts we were at, we were able to see a lot of marine life. In each of the 5 of them, we saw lots of fish, sharks, and stingrays. That being said, the resort itself is a great place to snorkel.
The difference here is more on each type of activity you want outside the resorts offered.
For example, some resorts offer turtle snorkeling; others offer shark snorkeling, whale shark snorkeling, and so on. You can find all these activities at some resort alternatives in one location.
Long story short, if you’re coming to the Maldives to do any of the activities we pointed out above, it’s better if you check if your resort offers them or not.
Water Sports include paddle boarding (SUP), kayaking, and jet-skiing. Most places offer a great variety of water sports, but others are slightly more limited. We strongly recommend researching what resorts offer in advance if these activities are a priority.
Our Resort Choices
We’ll share a bit about the resorts we spent our amazing first time visiting the Maldives. Later this month, each resort will have its post on the blog, but for now, we’ll only be pointing them out.
It’s good to emphasize that we do recommend all of them. But again, each has its singularities and advantages, so making the best decision depends on each of you. The best decision depends on each of you and what is essential for you.
The resorts we stayed at were, in this order:
- Anantara Veli – 5-star Luxury Resort
- Cinnamon Dhonveli – 4-star Resort
- Ellaidhoo by Cinnamon – 4-star Resort
- Holiday Inn – 4-star Resort
- Maafushivaru – 5-star Luxury Resort
Anantara Veli is one of your best choices if you’re looking for a luxury- adult-only- resort. We can say that the resort lives up to its 5-star rating, and you’ll be treated there as if you were the only guests on the island. On the side of Anantara Veli, in the same Atol, there’s Anantara Dhigu, your other excellent Anantara option, but this time family friendly. The resorts have a half board, full-board, and full-board with the possibility of dining at the restaurants on our neighboring island in the same lagoon. This opens the dining options to eight choices.
Another superb luxury option is Maafushivaru. The resort was recently renovated. It just opened in August 2020. It was already nominated as the second best resort of South Ari Atol and number six of all 412 inns on TripAdvisor! Maafushivaru is located on a small island but has a significant presence, incredible food, and fantastic staff. One of the highlights of our stay in the Maldives. It has the option of an entire board, including dining in their three different restaurants and alcoholic drinks.
Budget-wise, we have the 4-star Resort options as follows:
Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives: a great option if you’re looking for an all-inclusive resort meaning the entire board. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks twice a day, and alcoholic drinks. The meals are buffet style and buffet-style and don’t have any a La Carte restaurants. They do have a great beach and a bar right there. Those staying in their overwater bungalows have a fantastic infinity pool with a bar, and you can order drinks from inside the collection. In other resorts, you’re not allowed to drink inside the pool, but at this one, you are.
Ellaidhoo by Cinnamon: Known as “Diver’s paradise in the Maldives,” Ellaidhoo is located on top of a reef, making this resort memorable to see so many different types of marine life. The vibe at this resort is more relaxed and chill. It also has the all-inclusive option with alcoholic drinks, but again the meals are served in a buffet style, and they don’t have any a La Carte restaurants on the island.
Holiday Inn Maldives: Beautiful and big resort with lots of activities. They also have a full board option, but this one doesn’t include alcoholic drinks. One of the highlights of this resort was the buffet food, which had a great variety and was so delicious! Even being a buffet, you still need to order the main dishes, which are delivered to your table with a fantastic presentation.
Conclusion
Once again, choosing the right resort depends mainly on what you’re looking for and your budget. It can be stressful to plan your trip yourself, especially when you realize so many unique options exist! It did take us time to decide which hotels we wanted to stay at, what type of accommodation, how many days at each resort, and so on…
We recommend all of these resorts, and we’re sure if you weigh what’s important to you, you won’t regret going to any of them.
You can trust us 🙂
As we did a lot (like A LOT) of research, we feel confident about our travel recommendations in the Maldives. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Keep tuned as the posts about each resort are about to come out soon.
To sum up
Last but not least, keep in mind the Maldives are incredible!!! The water is fantastic, and you will see that as soon as you leave the airport. They are also excellent hosts, and you will be treated well there. So don’t be too stressed about planning your trip. We are sure you’re going to love this place and have the most memorable trip no matter what! 🙂
Good luck to you all, and we wish you a fantastic trip ahead!
Don’t forget to leave your comment below and let us know when you’re planning on going to the Maldives or if you have already been there.
Love,
Luana & Fred.
