Unveiling the Magic: Your Ultimate Guide to Holidays in the Maldives in 2024
Maldives is known to be an island of paradise no matter where you’re from. Even if you’re a young child or an aged individual into their golden years, Maldives embraces all with a warm welcome. And if you’re thinking of making Maldives your next vacation destination, you’re going to need a comprehensive and updated guide on how to get there, where you’re going to stay, what you’re going to do and everything in between.
So sit back, grab a cup of joe and read our ultimate guide to holidays in the Maldives in 2024!
COVID-19: Maldives Travel Restrictions
While the COVID-19 situation in Maldives has calmed down, there are still cases cropping up here and there so let’s go through what you may need to know in this regard.
For U.S. citizens to leave their home country to travel, there’s some things you need to keep in mind. Let’s first go over what you need to know if you’ve recently contracted or recovered from COVID-19.
Guidelines for Travelling from the U.S. post-COVID-19
For those from the U.S. wondering whether you can travel to Maldives if you’ve recently had COVID-19, yes you can. After you’ve ended your isolation period. What does that entail exactly? (The following information was taken straight from the CDC website so if you’d like even more information, you can either click here for info pertaining to isolation or click here for more general COVID-19 info.)
- If you’ve been tested positive for COVID-19, isolation is important. The first five days are when you’ll be the most infectious so it’s important to completely isolate yourself from anyone you may be living with during that time. If your symptoms aren’t that serious, if your symptoms have improved and you haven’t had a fever the past 24 hours prior, you can leave isolation. If not, you’ll need to be isolated for 10 days straight. And keep wearing a mask for the duration to minimise spreading it.
Even if you haven’t had COVID-19, there are still some other things you’ll need to keep in mind if you want to travel to Maldives (if you’d like even more in-depth information, click here for the full picture):
- A passport that has six month’s validity at the very least from the expected date of departure from Maldives.
- Travel Declaration form (IMUGA form) that needs to be submitted within 96 hours of arrival and departure (a visitor visa of 30-days will be given to you upon arrival, free of charge).
- If you overstay your visa, you might get hit with some fines or even a ban from the Maldives, according to the situation.
After COVID-19 had struck, Maldives made the decision to close its borders in March 2020 for a total of three months to try and contain COVID-19. The country reopened its borders in July 2020 after it was deemed safe to do so.
Maldives Vacation in 2024: Everything You Need to Know
Maldives is filled with a variety of things that keeps any and all visitors either on the edge of their seat or completely relaxed during their trip. Ranging from underwater activities, overwater activities and island adventures, there’s always something for everyone. The culture is still quite rich within the islands, not so much in the capital. In the capital Male’ and the adjacent Hulhumale’, a more modernised version of the country awaits your exploration. In the islands, there’s still people who practise old age boat building, lacquer work, wood carving, Bodu Beru (traditional song and dance), roanu veshun (coir rope making) and more.
The island nation has been on everyone’s radar for quite a long time now. From humble beginnings in 1972 to its meteoric rise in the travel industry, the word Maldives has gained international recognition with its white, sandy beaches and turquoise waters. The country itself is made up of 26 atolls that consists of 1,192 islands scattered across a length of 90,000 sq km. So if you’re in the mood to island hop, you can easily do so as the country has 19 airports available for domestic transport.
When it comes to booking your trip to Maldives, a good resort or island is paramount. And one of the things that can aid your trip in more ways than one is by choosing the right vacation package. When you’re doing your research on a resort, you’ll find that almost all of them have varying offers on their website so make sure you check out their offers!
Booking a Holiday in Maldives
Just as mentioned earlier, picking a decent vacation package can only have a positive impact on your vacation. After all, it does make sense to maximise your limited time on this island paradise. So along with the other options, if you’d like to tailor your experiences around activities such as diving, snorkelling, spa time, etc, you can do that too as there are resorts that offer all these and more.
Ideal Vacation Types
Whether it’s an offer for honeymooners, for getting married, for travelling families, underwater enthusiasts, even for couples looking for romantic experiences, there’s a ton of options that you can choose from, so let’s check some of them out.
1. Maldives Couple Vacation
Maldives is often described as one of the most romantic places on the planet, with its unbeatable views both on and off the islands. It’s because of this and more that couples flock to the country in order to experience an unforgettable holiday for years to come.
One of the best resort categories for a couples vacation are Adult-Only resorts. These resorts tend to have excellent offers for couples who’re looking for a romantic time. Here are some of the resorts that offers such an experience:
2. Family Maldives Vacation
This island nation is also known for its ability to cater to families just as much as couples. Many resorts come with the facilities to make family trips easier such as kid’s clubs, babysitting services and more. Here are some of our best picks:
- Soneva Jani Maldives
- Robinson Club Noonu Maldives
- Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives
- Seaside Finolhu Maldives
3. Laid Back Vacation in the Maldives
When we think of relaxing in Maldives, we think of things like going to the spa, sunbathing on daybeds on the beach and taking a dip in the infinity pool in an overwater villa. And it’s a great bonus if there aren’t that many other tourists around so that your time is nice and quiet. Chilling out is the name of the game and we’ve got some fantastic options for you:
- Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
- Gili Lankanfushi Maldives
- JOALI Maldives
- Lily Beach Resort and Spa Maldives
Best Deals on Maldives Resorts
Maldives resorts are known to have quite the price tag attached to them so it makes sense that a lot of them would have offers. People that are interested in the resort would only benefit from having deals and such so that more people would take the opportunity to spend their hard-earned money on other stuff such as more activities at the resort and make their trip even more memorable. With that in mind, here are some resorts with some of the best deals you can take advantage of.
There are some resorts that also have deals tied specifically to the accommodations, such as beach villas, water villas and overwater bungalows. If you’re someone who wants to splurge a bit more to get top of the line accommodation, here are our picks for these accommodation types.
- Beach Villa: Six Senses Laamu Maldives
- Water Villa: Cocoon Maldives
- Overwater Bungalows: Constance Moofushi Maldives
Where to Stay During Your Maldives Vacation?
There’s so many options for people to choose from, it’s uncanny. Over 140 resorts reside in this island paradise and along with the ones we’ve already mentioned, these resorts also exude excellence in hospitality and an unrivalled holiday atmosphere.
- Cheval Blanc Randheli Maldives
- Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives
- Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives
- Villa Nautica Maldives
Ideal Time for a Maldives Vacation from the U.S.
Before we even talk about what the ideal Maldivian vacation time is for a U.S. citizen, let’s talk about the seasons and weather in Maldives and its effects on the landscape.
Maldives has two seasons as opposed to four in the U.S., as the country lies on the equator, which is the Northeast Monsoon (dry / sunny season) and the Southwest Monsoon (wet / rainy season). The sunny season spans January to March and the rainy season spans mid-may to November, with April and December being transition months between seasons.
Peak season for Maldives tourism is mostly between the months from December to March, as December is holiday time for a lot of countries due to Christmas and New Years. For the rest of the months it’s because it’s summer time in Maldives so with little chance of rain, all you’ll be getting is sun and a fantastic tan that goes with your holiday.
In the U.S., the months of December to March are winter time and it can get exceedingly cold all throughout the country. So it’s understandable that people would want to holiday on an equatorial island where the sun shines all day, where they can come to defrost.
One of the issues with going on holiday in Maldives during peak season is the pricing of your stay and also the amount of people that would be doing the same. The resorts in Maldives tend to get super packed during these times and the prices can also climb to all-time highs so it might be better to look at some budget friendly alternatives such as local guesthouses! Guesthouses have been popping up all over Maldives ever since a bill for doing so was put forth in 2009. These guesthouses have created a reputation for being extremely friendly, accommodating and mindful of the guests’ experience, providing affordable rates and authentic Maldivian cuisine. They even find activities for you such as diving or snorkeling via dive centers. So wherever in Maldives you choose to go to, wherever the island it is you want to stay at, take the time to properly research and check out the guesthouse scene in the islands. If you’re someone who’s looking for the authentic Maldivian experience, this is the way to go.
What to Do in Maldives Vacation in 2024?
Maldives has a ton of stuff available for tourists to do both on the island and off, above the ocean or under it. Whether you’re the adventurous type, the relaxing type or just someone who wants to go exploring, there’s something available for everyone.. Here’s a list of things available for you to do at almost a moments notice, without limiting the activities to resorts:
- Diving
- Snorkelling
- Dolphin / Whale / Shark / Manta ray / Turtle watching
- Island hopping
- Submarine / submersible riding
- Renting a yacht / traditional Maldivian boat / sunset cruise
- Cultural monument viewing
- Spa day
- Banana boat riding
- Jet Skiing
- Kayaking
- Underwater dining
- Catamaran sailing
- Big game fishing
- Fun tubing
- Parasailing
- Kitesurfing
- Skydiving
- Island picnic
- Wakeboarding
- Flyboarding
- Surfing / windsurfing
There’s still a lot more activities that you can do as this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many islands and resorts that offer more unique experiences tied to the resorts themselves!
Where to Vacation in the Maldives
Maldives has so many options when you’re looking for a good vacation spot. A lot of places, meaning resorts and guesthouses, tend to be somewhat concentrated in certain atolls. Atolls such as North Male’, South Male’, Raa, Baa and Ari are all ideal locations. Let’s go through each of these atolls and see what makes them so desirable.
1. North Male’ Atoll
North Male’ Atoll is the northern section of Male’ (Kaafu) Atoll and is home to the capital and the Velana International Airport, making this atoll the most convenient when it comes to getting to your accommodation. Most islands are around 30 to 40 minutes away by seaplane, a bit on the faster side compared to other islands and atolls. Here are some of our best resort picks within this region.
- Coco Bodu Hithi Maldives (40 minute speedboat ride)
- Grand Park Kodhipparu Maldives (20 minute speedboat ride)
- Safari Island Maldives (25 minute seaplane flight)
- Thulhagiri Island Resort Maldives (20 minute speedboat ride)
North Male’ Atoll is most known for its preservation of culture (with the capital having a museum dedicated to showing off the past) and diving, with an array of dive sites available for exploration such as Banana Reef, Hannes Reef and Fairytale Reef, to name a few.
2. South Male’ Atoll
South Male’ Atoll is just the southern end of Male’ (Kaafu) Atoll and shares the same characteristics as North Male’ Atoll, with the same type of activities, transfer times and so on. Below are some of the best resorts you can find within the region.
- Naladhu Private Island Maldives (30 minute speedboat ride)
- Adaaran Prestige Vadoo Maldives (15 minute speedboat ride)
- Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa Maldives (15 minute speedboat ride)
- SAii Lagoon Maldives (20 minute speedboat ride)
3. Raa Atoll
Raa Atoll is located in northern Maldives and features stunning blues that attracts snorkelers from all over the world. This is due to it being close to Hanifaru Bay, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It is home to manta rays and whale sharks, with strict guidelines to follow if you want to snorkel with them. If you want to try and visit Hanifaru Bay, we suggest staying at one of these Raa Atoll resorts.
- Furaveri Maldives (45 minute seaplane flight)
- Dhigali Maldives (45 minute seaplane flight)
- Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa (40 minute seaplane flight)
- Kudafushi Resort & Spa Maldives (45 minute seaplane flight)
The atoll is over 130 km from Velana International Airport so seaplane transfers are your best bet for a quick journey.
4. Baa Atoll
Baa Atoll resides around 120 km from Velana International Airport and is marked as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve as well. As said by UNESCO, the reasons why it was made into a reserve is because it is; ‘one of the largest groups of coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, and acts as a stepping stone for the transport of planktonic larvae of reef organisms from the western and eastern Indian Ocean’. Going snorkelling in this atoll is nothing short of a dream and with that, here are our top picks for this region.
- Dreamland Maldives (35 minute seaplane flight)
- Vakkaru Maldives (30 minute seaplane flight)
- Amilla Maldives (35 minute seaplane flight)
- Dhigufaru Island Resort Maldives (40 minute seaplane flight)
5. Ari Atoll
Ari Atoll is one of the largest atolls in Maldives and is second in popularity right after Male’ (Kaafu) Atoll. It is split into North Ari Atoll and South Ari Atoll. To reach the atoll, it takes around 30 minutes via seaplane from Velana International Airport and is 100 km from the airport. The atoll is famous for having an abundance of manta rays and whale sharks in its waters.
- Angaga Island Resort & Spa Maldives (25 minute seaplane flight)
- Diamonds Athuruga Maldives (25 minute seaplane flight)
- Villa Park Sun Island Maldives (20 minute seaplane flight)
- West Sands Ukulhas Maldives (90 minute speedboat ride)
What We Offer As a Great Maldives Travel Agency
When you book your vacation through MadlyMaldives, expect great care and detail-oriented processes that lead to custom itineraries that’ll fit your holiday needs. We have the most exclusive resorts ready to be booked at a moment’s notice, which also speaks to the flexibility of the bookings as well. Whether it’s for tomorrow or a year down the line, we’ve got your back.
We’ve also made sure you won’t have to figure out what sort of activities you might want to do, as we have top-of-the-line excursions ready to be set up if you crave adventure on our island nation. Our travel agents are eager to help you if you are in need, with 24/7 support no matter where you are. We also have a Return & Refund Policy should it be required but rest assured, we will be vigilant in making sure nothing goes wrong.
At Splendid Asia, we strive to ensure the best rates possible along with a large variety of hotels and resorts, over 170 of them to be precise. With over 20 years of experience, you’ll be in the hands of a reliable team of travel agents tending to your holiday needs all throughout your trip.
FAQs about Maldives Vacation
Location & Geography
Q1: Where exactly is the Maldives located?
A1: Maldives is located in the Indian Ocean, just along the equator. The island nation calls Sri Lanka and India their neighbours as they are quite close to each other. It takes a one hour flight to get from Maldives to Sri Lanka and vice versa.
Q2: What’s the geography of the country?
A2: Maldives is an archipelagic nation, with around 1,190 coral islands spanning a length of 960 km. There are 26 atolls within the country, with the islands being spread out over 90,000 sqm. This makes it one of the most dispersed countries, speaking geographically. Out of the 1,190 islands, approximately 190 of them are inhabited.
Travel Logistics
Q1: How can I travel from island to island or even within the island?
A1: For interconnected travel between islands, one of the more common methods is the use of a speedboat. This would be a good middle ground to get to your island destination as it’s not as expensive as a seaplane and not as time consuming as Maldivian boats (dhoani). Seaplanes would be your best bet to go to far away islands to save on time. It’s important to note that seaplane travel stops after 3:30pm, with operating hours being 6:00am to 3:30pm. When it comes to the islands, there are taxis on certain islands (the bigger islands and the capital) and some accommodation options have bicycles for rent as well. Other than that, the beauty of the islands is best experienced on foot.
Cost and Budgeting
Q1: Is Maldives an expensive destination?
A1: Maldives tends to fall into the more expensive side of travel, due to its fantastic waters and silk-like beaches. Its unique ecology and geography are also factors to its price point. Tickets tend to go up to around $1,500 USD, with accommodation having a heavier price tag, depending on how many days you’re spending. Be prepared to splurge when you go to this island paradise!
Q2: What can I do to offset some of the costs?
A2: One of the best ways to bring down the cost for your trip would be to book your trip during Maldives’ Southwest Monsoon (rainy season). This is between mid-May to November and prices are much lower compared to the Northeast Monsoon (sunny season). Another thing you can do is to book your accommodations at local guest houses instead of resorts. These will greatly decrease your expenditure and allow for a more authentic experience.
Activities and Experiences
Q1: Is there anything to do there besides beach and sea stuff?
A1: Aside from the usual island activities such as sunbathing, snorkelling, diving and whatnot, there’s tons of other stuff you can do! It’s pretty easy to go island hopping in Maldives, making it a blast to go exploring. You can also relax with the locals and take part in local Maldivian activities such as Roanu Veshun (coir rope making), lacquer work, Bodu Beru (traditional Maldivian song and dance) and more. If you’re staying at a resort, they’ll have a bunch of excursions that you can sign up for such as whale shark watching, catamaran sailing and a lot of unique activities and excursions.
Putting together your Maldives journey can be an exciting process, one that can also be filled with a lot of questions. We hope this comprehensive guide to holidays in the Maldives in 2024 helps you put together your dream vacation. If you want to make your booking straight away, all the resorts that were mentioned in this guide can be perused at MadlyMaldives so get going and start planning!
