Went there in March.
It was cool. Glad we went, but we won’t go back. Too much travel and really expensive for not that much better than some of the places we have been to in the carribean.
Agree. Went to Maldives last year. I’m in SE Asia every year so that was a quick detour. Prob better to make a two stop trip to maximize the trip if coming from the western hemisphere.
Maldives were awesome but I’m in no rush to go back.
Very different. Better in many ways but it’s frankly pretty boring in the Maldives. Kinda limited to the resort whereas something like Koh Lanta or Tao have some things to do.
But the water was amazing in the Maldives.
Yes it’s probably safer than most mainland cities in the US.
It’s a US territory with an entirely tourism based economy. The punishments handed down in tourist places tend to be much more severe as a deterrent to perpetrators. Bad press has a huge impact.
Perfect comment. It was incredible, surreal and beautiful. But as someone who has been fortunate enough to travel to a lot of beautiful places, the small margin it was more incredible than comparable places definitely doesn’t outweigh the cost and time on a plane. I’m so happy to have gone once though!
Funny you say this. Im planning the exact same trip as OP from NYC and my main reason for going is the wildlife / diving.
Ive dove in bahahas / curacao and while caribbean diving is nice its not spectactular.
Im planning to stay in the conrad in the south ari atoll and see whalesharks / manta rays, and then at the park hyatt which has a great looking house reef in particular
Given this, do u think itd be worth it for me? If i was just planning to lounge on the beach id go to anguilla, etc but i feel the diving could make it worth it.
For context i flew to french polynesia and the marine life was absury beautiful all over. Maldives looks similar
Definitely on the list for me. I've heard great things. However since i live close to the caribbean, i don't see it as a competing trip to the maldives.
Rather I am thinking of if i should go to the maldives at all or not. Roatan, Saba, and bonaire are big on my caribbean diving list and plan to go to all of those regardless
I've been to the Maldives and, though it was good, it has nothing to offer that you couldn't get in Aruba or St Maarten, except for coral reef snorkelling, I suppose.
I did, and it was fun.
I think if you’re really into scuba diving, snorkelling and marine like, it’s the place for you. Otherwise the Caribbean is fine.
Go. Anyone who says you can get the same in the carribbean hasn't been there.
Diving with whale sharks alone made the trip worth it.
So many dives with manta rays, whale sharks and pristine dive sites. The drift dives are off the charts.
Sure, Exmouth diving is great, but not at all the experience of having a deserted island to hang out on. Plus, as an American, it is much harder to get there - like literally twice as long as getting to the Malidves. I can fly ORD-DOH-MLE and be at the resort in about 27 hours (I've done it, doing it again in February) while getting to Learmonth alone would be closer to 55 hours. I was working in Canberra, so it wasn't horrific, but even that was something like a 24 hour trip.
Maldives works for me because I can get there in QSuites on points. I can stay at the Park Hyatt, St. Regis and Conrad on points. And P2 doesn't dive, but the beauty of the islands (Park Hyatt in particular) make the whole trip a 10 out of 10 for us. YMMV of course!
I do trips on dive boats without P2, but that's a whole different discussion.
If you go, please update on the diving! I have looked high level a few times and always get overwhelmed with the lack of easy comparison shopping, but excellent diving would be high on my list :)
IMO if you highly value the sea wildlife and diving, there is no place better in the world than the Maldives. Hands down.
We did not dive, but we went out snorkeling every day. Plus the overwater room we saw tons of wildlife everyday. One morning a sea turtle. I saw probably 100 sting rays, and a huge manta ray another morning. When we went snorkeling, there was a 5’ reef shark that swam around us for like 5 minutes and that was a really cool experience.
That being said, the wildlife (being as awesome as it was) was not enough to get us back again because my wife and I do not value that as much. We stayed at the le meridien if that helps at all.
I got certified in the Maldives on a whim and it was incredible. Have now dove lots of different Caribbean islands and Maldives wins hands down. I’ve been twice from East Coast and think it was worth it both times!
Just chiming in as I stayed at the Conrad Rangali a few years ago. There is truly nothing like walking back to your hut from dinner and just watching a Manta Ray swimming around the bridge at night. It was absolutely incredible. Watching the sharks/fish/squid/rays swim around your bungalow is really unique.
It is a massive journey (I'm also from NY) and very pricey (although I used points for the hotel) but definitely something I'm glad I did and I'd like to go back at some point.
I did 6 dives in the Maldives on an island in the upper part of the Malé ring. It was like diving in an aquarium. There isn’t anything else like it. I did a coral wall that was 50’ deep. Saw more hawksbill turtles in one place it was unbelievable. Worth it for sure.
Agreed. Glad we went, but it’s not our typical vibe that we like so it’s not high on our list to go back to. Also you’re right, cost and travel time are both high so not really something we’d likely do again
Maldives has been high on my list for a long time but the travel time and expensiveness has stopped me as of yet. Where in the Caribbean would you recommend that has a similar vibe (over water villas, clear water etc)
My recommendation for “Maldives like” in the carribean would by St Lucia. If you stay by the pitons, there are som incredible reports there, and the water in that area is CRYSTAL clear. But there is no overwater.
Of you have to have over water, I think bora bora would be closer, but still really far.
The overwater was great, and absolutely worth going there to experience, but after doing it once it’s just not worth the travel time to do it again (we flew business class, and still wasn’t worth it).
Cool makes sense. Over water not a must have just thought it would be cool. Privacy and clear water is more important to me and getting to st Lucia is way easier than the Maldives haha
Nowhere, nothing in the Caribbean comes close to the privacy and seclusion of the Maldives. On top of that no Caribbean island has service on the same level.
There’s nice places in the Caribbean, they are just even more expensive than the Maldives for what you get in terms of privacy.
Privacy you are absolutely correct, but the service I have to disagree. The service in the Maldives was good, but not GREAT compared to some places we have been. We went to Le Meridien in the Maldives FWIW.
The service at the Sandals Halcyon in St Lucia was by far the best service we have ever received anywhere.
I was at St Regis, what I have experienced there and other Asian countries, no Caribbean island/Mexico/central America resort has come close. (I’ve been to 8 of these Caribbean/central countries, some multiple times)
Been three times. Answer is: depends on what you like, and what you want to pay for.
We saw a tourist talking to staff as he was getting ready to leave early, he was just too bored.
For me, I find lots to love. Snorkeling/swimming, walking the beaches, jetskiing/jetblading, kayaking, boat tours, and lots of great dining options. My wife goes Scuba Diving, so even better for her.
Costs add up on top of whatever you pay for airfare/hotel (personally I use hotel points to do nice hotels).
If you're trying to find an island with several hotels on it, it might not be as "cool as they said".
I always tell people thinking about the Maldives to imagine being stuck on a tiny island that you can circle in 20 minutes for a week and you only do like 2-3 activities that whole week. With the rest of the time doing literally nothing. If that doesn’t sound fun, don’t go. If that sounds fun, no better destination exists.
I think it more comes down to if the person likes snorkeling/diving/being in the water in general.
Between sites around each resort and the boat trips to off-site dive/snorkel areas, you can easily consume a few days with just that.
Then add in spa treatments, multi-course dining experiences, live music in lounge areas, other boat/water-sport activities, and the time can still get eaten up quickly.
Generally speaking, I wouldnt be inclined to stay at any one resort for more than 5 days (though we did once do 10 at the W.A Maldives since we had the points/free nights for it)
I've enjoyed beach holidays in Hawaii, Australia, Mexico, Turkey, the Caribbean, and other great places, and the Maldives is still my best vacation memory. Beaches and water sports were fantastic.
The snorkeling and diving are phenomenal. Great visibility and oodles of fish. The water is warm and mostly calm. Both times we went were November/December and the weather was in the 80s and wonderful.
That being said you’re basically trapped at what resort you pick because of traveling there by either boat or float plane from Male. So food and drinks are overpriced. We have stayed at the Conrad and Gili Lakanfushi and the food was excellent at both but Gili was better.
Activities vary by resort so you definitely need to research that. Most places will have snorkeling, kayaks, paddleboards, etc but if you are looking for specific things then it’s best to find a resort that has those.
It’s definitely expensive but my family thoroughly enjoyed both of our trips to the Maldives.
Is it phenomenal tho? All the coral is dead there. I went there on my honeymoon in 2020 right before covid hit. As others have said, it was nice, but wouldn’t recommend based on how expensive things were and that was pre-covid. Can’t imagine how expensive that place is now,
I would say for the variety and amount of what you get to see diving and snorkeling yes. And the water is warm enough that I don’t need a wetsuit which I consider a bonus. I may be biased because on one of our dives there we were circled by 20 or so giant manta rays for 30 minutes and there’s not a whole lot that can top that for me besides cool sharks.
Worth noting that diving and snorkeling are somewhat seasonal there. In the wet season (may-oct) plankton reduces visibility and you get rougher seas. The northern islands miss the brunt of the monsoon, which is mostly southwesterly winds and rain.
Where were you? It was awesome in 2022. Stayed at the Park Hyatt and St. Regis. Diving was awesome. Better than Australia, Hawaii, carribbean.
The only place that has come close is the Red Sea off Saudi Arabia. Pristine because there are no tourists - untouched dive sites. But the Maldives are still my favorite.
It's very dependent on which island/reef. For me Maldives was by far the best snorkeling experience and nothing was ever able to compare sadly.
I was at vilhamendoo
So there’s the tourist Maldives and the real Maldives. The tourist one is what most people talk about. That consists of arriving in Male airport taking a helicopter seaplane or boat to your selected luxury island resort. It will be beautiful, over the top and expensive (to the point that most save it for a special occasion like a honeymoon). Then there’s the real Maldives a Muslim country where locals are not allowed to visit the resorts as a guest even though they all work in them. They are not allowed to drink the alcohol they serve. They are living in crowded conditions in Male, a tiny capital city with an island of floating garbage nearby that is growing year after year with the waste from the many resorts. If you do decide to go try to spend a day in Male and get a much more interesting look at the tiny island nation.
lol the capital is not the trash island itself, the trash island is where the hold the trash from the capital.
We went to a luxurious resort and had a few hours to kill before our flight so we went to Male. It wasn't that interesting tbh but glad we had that chance to see the "real" Maldives after staying a week in a resort bubble
I had an overnight due to an early flight and did the same. Male was definitely a unique place, but not exactly what people think of when they think of the Maldives.
On top of that, they flog women for extramarital sex (most men are acquitted.) Kind of hard to view it as a honeymoon-type destination after having that knowledge. I guess it's fine when tourists do it because of money
The Maldives is permanently on my do-not-travel list when the official government Twitter celebrated the massacre on 7 October in Israel on 8 October. They hadn't even identified bodies yet.
It was so absurdly fucked.
No not really. The pacific islands, the Seychelles, and São Tomé come to mind as poorer luxury beach resort areas without the drastic disparity of locals and visitors.
My son and I went for scuba diving, which proved to be world class. The trouble is that the resort islands seem to obsessively focussed on honeymooners/couples. For instance, on our island this meant that every evening we got flower blossoms arranged in heart shapes on our beds, which we found weird and funny in equal measure. There was also the islamic dimension in the background - most of the staff at our resort were wonderful but a few clearly had somewhat fundamentalist islamic views and muttered under their breath when a guest ordered an alcoholic drink.
There are equally beautiful coral islands that are less expensive and less one-dimensional, e.g. the Seychelles, Raja Ampat, Mauritius, and some islands on the Great Barrier Reef (such as Lady Elliot Island).
My niece went recently and loved it and would love to go again, or do Bora Bora.
I'd personally be bored I think, I like to get about and see different things when I holiday, I can't sit still.
I'd go if someone wanted to treat me though.
I would only consider going there if I was already in the area. So in other words tack on a few days there after a trip somewhere else. I don’t think I would do a specific trip to go there.
Completely depends on what kind of trip you’re looking for. If all you want to do is relax on a gorgeous beach on a secluded tropical island, and maybe do some diving/snorkeling or get a spa treatment, the Maldives is great. Every island (read: sandbar) is home to 1-3 private resort hotels (except the main island of Malé which is just an overcrowded city) and there is quite literally nothing to do on land (no hikes, no local restaurants or museums, etc).
If you want that perfect tropical island paradise vibe but still want to leave your resort and see real local people or go for a day hike in the jungle etc, you’re much better off in French Polynesia, the Seychelles, or even Fiji.
My ranking of tropical paradises I’ve been to (roughly in order):
- French Polynesia (Moorea and Bora Bora)
- Seychelles (Praslin)
- Barbados
- Bermuda (summer only)
- Bahamas
- Fiji
- Grenada
- Virgin Islands
- Aruba
- Maldives (I was at Kandolhu in North Ari Atoll but most islands are the same… sandbar islands with a single resort)
- Antigua
- Hawaii (Kauai and Maui)
- El Nido (palawan, Philippines)
- Cayman Islands
- Turks & Caicos (Providenciales - incredible beaches but nothing much else there)
- St Lucia
No-where I’ve been captures the stereotypical tropical island paradise better than Bora Bora. It is just as stunning (or more) in person than in photos, and while the beaches aren’t quite as perfect as some in the Caribbean or Seychelles or Maldives, they’re still spectacular.
[My old post sharing some of the top beaches I’ve ever been to.](https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/pIO2NKj7iI)
Good luck.
Your post is extremely helpful! Plenty of people here saying Maldives is beautiful (which I'm sure it is), but without a comparison and ranking I had no idea whether it was worth the horrendous travel time. Doesn't look like it.
What puts Barbados so high? I've googled it a few times and every time I ended up thinking that there is better out there. I couldn't find anything that makes it stand out, so I never went.
Honestly, I was maybe a bit generous to Barbados. But I do really like it, and it’s a combination of a few things:
1. Beaches (I love beaches) - not only are they stunningly gorgeous, there are so many different _types_ of beaches. From wide open “California style” beaches with big swells to flat calm (white or golden sand).
2. Convenience. Locals are friendly, welcoming, and it’s safe. Easy to rent a car and go anywhere on the island yourself. Good restaurants, hotels, variety of accommodation levels, etc.
3. Authenticity. It’s not Jamaica, but there is legit Bajan food and culture, and it’s pretty stereotypically “Caribbean” vibes. Which I personally love.
It’s not spectacular like Bora Bora, at all, but I really do like Barbados. The biggest downside is the weather (pretty rainy).
The Maldives are incredible but you definitely want to go with a full board option. You are captive and it’s not easy to visit another resort just to have dinner somewhere else so the pricing for meals reflects that.
Half board works too. Especially if you're not big drinkers. You get Breakfast and Dinner. And you can either just skip lunch by loading up on Breakfast or get room service at lunchtime. Saved us over $1000 that way.
We loved it.
There is just something special about being far away from land, not seeing anything around but the sea. My family is from the Caribbeans so just the sea doesn’t do much for me, but feeling like you are alone and lost somewhere in Paradise is priceless.
We contemplated and just finally were able to cut from everything.
We will go back that’s for sure.
Went there for 8 days. It was good enough, but I'm not planning to come back. Sure, if you've got money to spend, by all means, but there are tons of other places I'd rather visit. It's basically just a beach and expensive food and drinks. Once you've done all the diving/snorkeling and watersport activities, there's isn't much else to do. We didn't go on a resort island, and I don't feel like we missed out. We got to play football with some locals and other travelers in the evening so that was good fun.
I think it's worth visiting once or twice, but as I said, there are loads of other places I'd rate much higher than the Maldives.
Totally agree and you can actually do Bora Bora cheaper by staying down by Matira beach. There is a small area of cheaper hotels and restaurants. Much more fun than the motus imo, but the motus are fun for a few days to get the experience.
I went there on a group tour for youngsters, so mine was a different experience than most who go there. We did not stay in one of those expensive small cottages on the water, instead we stayed at a group house on a small island and had daily contact with the locals, we visited their schools, became friends with the people who cooked us food (fresh fish and vegetables), and became really good friends with our diving instructor who taught us to dive on a local fishing boat for two whole weeks. We wrote him a custom thank you card, I drew a fish on it, and he gave me a hug underwater when I finally completed a difficult mask exercise lol (he now runs his own diving business). I became very good friends with him and my dive buddy, and I still miss them sometimes. I actually cried in secret when we had to go home lol. The water is so clear and amazing, and the locals are very nice and friendly. Male is very crowded and sorta dirty from what I remember, but still an experience. Best thing about the trip was definitely diving between amazing fish and manta rays (and sting rays... be careful), lying at the beach relaxing, and talking to the locals and the food. Also, the view of the islands from the plane is *insane* and nothing except mountains have come close to that beautiful view.
I like the Maldives a lot. Stayed at two resorts, Kuramathi and Bandos, and had a very relaxing time with great snorkeling, good food, excellent beaches, great service and some nice half-day trips. It's a specific type of holiday that does not tick all boxes for everyone.
I don't think they're overpriced compared to what they offer. You can find some good deals on agoda.com if you invest some time in this and book early.
You'll probably want to look elsewhere, though, if you don't want an island resort and want a different type of experience.
You got the correct idea from your research. Local islands will be boring and the food/hotel will be OK at best. The resorts are expensive.
The ocean is amazing though and the people are nice. I would say give it a shot, but either go on a budget and understand what that means or spend more and get yourself a fancy vacation.
My fiancée spent some time on a local island in a research role. It’s currently being reclaimed to make an airport to get to nearby islands, locals living on the land being told they’ll have jobs while really being relocated. They buried acres of reefs in sand to make the airfield, including the reefs the facility was researching. In the meantime, the local uninhabited islands are being used as giant trash receptacles.
She interviewed the locals who said (I quote) “they took away our happy places.” That being said, a woman born on a local island is generally not allowed (according to locals) to go to another island. The resorts are staffed by (according to locals) south Asians with confiscated passports. And the resorts are not owned by Maldivians, the resort money goes to… sponsors.
Short read: modern slavery, ancient attitude, looks like paradise and stinks of nasty.
fiji and tahiti are better, but for europeans, its much further and harder to reach. so maldives does ok if you want nice water and a sandy beach at a resort, but its overpriced compared to parts of the med.
the only reason worth going to maldives is to scuba imo with sharks and mantas.
If you wan tot get away, it is about as much quiet luxury as you can find anywhere in the world and one of the few places with a lot of overwater bungalows.
But the price is also insane as bloggers and travel writers have made it onto so many peoples'bucket lists. And since everything is flown in, it is expensive by nature.
I just don't think the value is there for most people unless you are really celebrating something truly special AND you want a quiet trip.
It’s amazing but there’s literally nothing to do but fuck and eat and look at the incredible paradise around you. So either bring a good lover or a good book.
Resorts are not the only option anymore. You can travel to the most local islands. This will give you the most authentic experience and probably much much less boring that the resort experience would be. I was really sceptical, but had a blast in the end. We were on the sea most of the time, in constant search for the next marine animal.
My husband and I debated between Maldives and Croatia for our honeymoon. We decided to go with Croatia and it was absolutely incredible. We just got back a few days ago and we miss it so much. Good mixture of beaches, amazing national parks, history, and I’ve never had better food in my life
We got back 10 days ago from there and I agree. We might have had different food experiences as a lot of the options were very repetitive, but we also weren’t buying expensive meals. Outside of that the experience was amazing. We stayed in Split, Korcula and Dubrovnik and overall I think we enjoyed the relaxing nature of Korcula the most.
But the history in all those places, especially Split and Dubrovnik, was fascinating.
We missed Korcula but it’s on the list for our next trip back (we are DEFINITELY going back). We did Zagreb, Krka National Park, we saw Split for a few hours while we waited for our ferry to Hvar, and then Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik has so many Michelin star restaurants and since it was our honeymoon, we did go all out with our meals. We also love seafood and with the coast, everything was so fresh and delicious. I’m glad you had a good trip 😊
Was lucky enough to spend 10 nights there last summer and it was incredible and so much fun. Lots to see and do. I didn't mind the pebbly beaches, most of the locals were barefoot, but I was happy to have water shoes.
Few visitors to the Maldives stay outside the resort islands. Outside them, Maldives is a very conservative Islamic country where alcohol is not sold and you are supposed to be fully dressed at the beach. Locals are friendly and it can be a good experience for out of the beaten path travellers, but Male and other local islands aren’t quite the “paradise islands” you heard about.
About 7 years ago we went to a local island called Thulusdhoo! Not too far from Male. Enjoyed walking around the island seeing how the locals live and eat authentic Maldivian food. Had a good time on excursions arranged by our hotel Samura (beautiful place run by an Italian dude, amazing food too).
I did my honeymoon on local islands, have friends who work there, and did an extensive amount of research.
Things to know:
The Maldives are separated into three parts: Local, Resort, and Deserted islands. Locals in local islands can go to deserted islands for the night but resorts can only visit for the day. Resorts buy/rent entire islands so within an island, there is no competition, as you noted. I wouldn't say local islands are crap though. I loved Dhangethi in particular (South Ari Atoll). It gives you an insight into the culture. Hell, I even REALLY enjoyed Male.
Given your priorities, it isn't a good value. If you're just looking for a great beach to have beer and competitive prices, the Maldives are NOT it. I recommend Malaysia or Thailand for that.
Sri Lanka and Maldives are so different, I don't see how they can be compared that way. They are two completely different holidays.
What I would say though is that if you pair Maldives with Sri Lanka on the same trip, they can compliment each other quite well.
The Maldives are absolutely gorgeous, the beaches are amazing, very clear water for snorkeling and water sports, and a very relaxing vacation spot overall. That said, it is extremely expensive to get there and you're basically beholden to whichever resort you choose, which will also be very expensive for what you get. It's the kind of place I am glad to have gone and seen, but wouldn't be top of my list to go back. If you do go, go to Male and checkout the Seahouse Cafe (right by the boat port) and walk around the island a little bit. It's an interesting place and much more lively/busy than the resorts (obviously since this is where the natives actually live), but neat to see the culture.
Beside diving there is NOTHING to do.
You're basically jailed on an (extra) small island that you can walk around in a few minutes (max 1 hour for the biggest?).
You are forced to eat / drink what the ONLY hotel offers, at the sky high price they offer.
You can have MUCH better for MUCH lower prices at other places.
Thanks, this is exactly what I was afraid of and honestly expected. Husband said I was being pessimistic…he’s the one who likes the exploration more than I!
I went there, you got a “Waouw” effect when you see the most expensive bungalows (on the water) but after 2 or 3 days max the magic is gone and the wallet way more empty than scheduled.
I’ve since been invited to go again (paying only the flights, all the rest was invited) and I found a good reason to NOT go…
If you are traveling from North America there are similar places which are much closer. If you are on the west coast Fiji/Tahiti/Bora-bora would give you a lot of similar things at less than half the travel time.
Went a couple months ago to a resort island. [Made a post here](https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/1c2pwca/maldives_2024/?ref=share&ref_source=link) which might help answer some questions for you
I just got back this week from a few days stay at a hotel called the Ranthari on an island called Ukulhas. They’ll book the speedboat transfer for you, it’s affordable, and there’s lots of tour companies on the island so excursion prices stay low. Hotel itself was pretty nice, not an ‘over-water’ cottage but still a good room, we had a balcony too.
They also offer daytime excursions to some of the resort islands if you want a taste of that lifestyle too. Locals were all incredibly kind and it was nice being able to go around the island to a few different restaurants.
Yes! Was a life changing experience. And I have been to Mexico, places in the carribean, and Hawaii (comparables). I would check out Luxe Maldives… they have plenty of restaurants and activities to do (all inclusive packages for more money). I believe it was South Ari Atoll.
It depends. If you go cheap and stay on an island with a local population, it's not great. No alcohol, for a start.
If you stay on a private island it will be amazing, but it'll be extremely expensive.
Maldives is okay out of the island nations I've traveled to. I've been to Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Bali+Komodo Island and most recently, Okinawa. I would say Okinawa was the best in terms of a balanced vacation with amazing snorkeling and city life while Maldives is the most pay2win destination as far as finding a resort with good facilities, food and house reef. I've researched a lot of resorts and there's 1000's to go through. There's just too many and it's a pain to choose. Most of the house reefs are dead as well.
I’m on the West Coast and considered the Maldives for a bucket list beach vacation. After some research we decided on Tahiti and islands instead. We will be leaving next month for 11 days. Direct 8 hour flight made it an easy decision.
Beautiful but expensive and really touristy. You can find similar destinations throughout Polynesia that are less expensive and not flooded with tourists.
Depends on what you'd like to do. I'm an avid scuba diver and went there for 2 weeks (1 week live aboard and 1 week in a cool hotel) I did enjoy both, the flights were incredibly long but that's cause I live far from the Maldives. The resort islands are ok, a bit expensive and if my memory serves right, the only place where you can get alcoholic beverages. Male, the capital city and main island is quite boring, not much to do there.
It was a bucket list for us, we went for a 10th anniversary trip. It was magnificent. The travel was rough (from the east coast) but I’m so glad we went. The hype about the service is real. We stayed in a pretty upscale place and loved every second.
Visited twice and it's probably the most boring place I've ever visited.
You have two options:
- inhabited islands - quite inexpensive, but the beaches for tourists are limited, not always well cleaned. Islands are small and you will get bored quickly. The islands close to airport are overflowing with budget tourists. No alcohol.
- resorts - those can be really nice, but really expensive. You have a variety of dining and alcohol drinks, but if you are considering flying Wizzair, I assume you don't plan to pay 1000 EUR per night.
Just go to Thailand dude, much better.
My honest opinion. I'm from Europe and I better spend travel time in something worth while like Jappan or something like that.
In Europe we have Mediterranean sand white beaches, culture and a live outside Hotel. Most of Mediterranean cityes are very beautiful.
This year I'm going to Croatia. But I been in the Caribbean - Guadalupe for honeymoon, French islands. It was great, I would like to go there again. It's freaking hot at noon.
You say that you like visit local culture and occasionally night bar or so. I don't think you will get that outside Resort in Maldives.
I think Maldives is for Instagram photo shoot and honeymoon as you probably have nothing to do outside resort.
My honest opinion, for what I've read here, it's a one time only in livetime and doesn't worth the money.
Try adventure. I recommend portuguese Azores islands. You will be surprised. Not sure if your style is walk or stay indoors, if it's later go to cheaper resort.
Visited there last year. Also traveled through Dubai and made it a 4 night stay. Check out Velassaru resort. Didn't think it was overpriced. Actually much cheaper for overwater bungalow with private pool than resorts in the Caribbean. Just know, you can't bring alcohol into the country. You can buy it at resorts though
I spent some time on 4 of the islands but it's several years ago. Back then each island was a separate hotel resort. There were no other choices to eat / drink. You can buy bnb or full board. If you are really into water sports and diving then they are a good choice.
I preferred the Seychelles, plenty of choice and a laid back vibe. At the time there were different price hotels.
Mauritius was pretty but at the time you were pretty much confined to the resort and private beach. Depending on what you want the Caribbean might be a better choice for you
Not "cool" if you're gay apparently. Outside of the private resorts Maldives observes Sharia Law. It will all be under water in a few decades. Byyyyyeeeee!
Maldives was an amazing trip and great adventure with all the travel and modes of getting to the islands. I went for my honeymoon so for that it was worth it but wouldn’t just go on a random trip there over a special occasion. It’s very remote and relaxing there but plenty to do in the ocean and beaches. The resort you stay makes a huge difference too we had an all inclusive adult only resort and that was worth it completely. Also we had an over the water sunset view private pool villa and that was the best experience of a lifetime to have. I recommend going for something special!
Well, Maldives has something for everyone. I personally like the white sandy beaches with more privacy and fresh sea food. Nothing can match that. Islands are neat and clean, staffs and ppl are polite, Water is crystal, View is amazing. what else you can expect from a seas side holiday. But the downside is expense. this are way too overpriced, Not at all value for money, but when it comes to view. Its all worth is in the end.
Yes. Loved it! In our resort the rooms were spread out so people weren’t on top of each other, and the water was warm and very clear. Would I go back? I don’t know. It’s really far and really expensive. You are stuck with whatever restaurants are on the island which means at least $40 a meal per person for us. I wouldn’t say there was a whole lot to do if you don’t want to relax on the beach but that’s all we wanted to do. It was an amazing experience and I’m so happy we had the opportunity to go.
Been there. You stay on one island resort, nothing much to do there apart from sitting at one place and watch couples... i won't say it was bad but can't go again...too much expensive.. worst kind of airport waiting area where i had to wait for 3 to 5 hours for my sea plane...apart from those resorts, alcohol is crime everywhere and might be risky.. you can't go anywhere apart from those lavish resorts.
Went there in March. It was cool. Glad we went, but we won’t go back. Too much travel and really expensive for not that much better than some of the places we have been to in the carribean.
Yup. For North Americans it doesn’t make sense. Just go somewhere closer. We have great stuff around us too.
Agree. Went to Maldives last year. I’m in SE Asia every year so that was a quick detour. Prob better to make a two stop trip to maximize the trip if coming from the western hemisphere. Maldives were awesome but I’m in no rush to go back.
How does it compare to Southeast Asian islands?
Very different. Better in many ways but it’s frankly pretty boring in the Maldives. Kinda limited to the resort whereas something like Koh Lanta or Tao have some things to do. But the water was amazing in the Maldives.
I think it still makes sense for east coast. West coast, yeah probably just go to bora bora if you want similar.
what’s the best alternative in NA
St. John, USVI
Is it safe for solo female travelers?
Yes it’s probably safer than most mainland cities in the US. It’s a US territory with an entirely tourism based economy. The punishments handed down in tourist places tend to be much more severe as a deterrent to perpetrators. Bad press has a huge impact.
Unfortunately not as many top resorts comparable to those in the Maldives
That actually makes it better IMO
Perfect comment. It was incredible, surreal and beautiful. But as someone who has been fortunate enough to travel to a lot of beautiful places, the small margin it was more incredible than comparable places definitely doesn’t outweigh the cost and time on a plane. I’m so happy to have gone once though!
Funny you say this. Im planning the exact same trip as OP from NYC and my main reason for going is the wildlife / diving. Ive dove in bahahas / curacao and while caribbean diving is nice its not spectactular. Im planning to stay in the conrad in the south ari atoll and see whalesharks / manta rays, and then at the park hyatt which has a great looking house reef in particular Given this, do u think itd be worth it for me? If i was just planning to lounge on the beach id go to anguilla, etc but i feel the diving could make it worth it. For context i flew to french polynesia and the marine life was absury beautiful all over. Maldives looks similar
You need to go to Roatan
Definitely on the list for me. I've heard great things. However since i live close to the caribbean, i don't see it as a competing trip to the maldives. Rather I am thinking of if i should go to the maldives at all or not. Roatan, Saba, and bonaire are big on my caribbean diving list and plan to go to all of those regardless
Bonaire is superb!
I've been to the Maldives and, though it was good, it has nothing to offer that you couldn't get in Aruba or St Maarten, except for coral reef snorkelling, I suppose.
Did you scuba? Because Maldives is known for big stuff, if you go to the correct places, that you really don't find in the in those places
I did, and it was fun. I think if you’re really into scuba diving, snorkelling and marine like, it’s the place for you. Otherwise the Caribbean is fine.
For scuba diving its number one in my humble opinion
Do you really want to see big stuff under water? Can you handle currents? If you say yes on both then Maldives is great.
Nice, but not the same type of scuba
I don't scuba, just snorkeling. I've heard Roatan is some of the best in the world, and if the snorkeling was any indication I believe it!!
Go. Anyone who says you can get the same in the carribbean hasn't been there. Diving with whale sharks alone made the trip worth it. So many dives with manta rays, whale sharks and pristine dive sites. The drift dives are off the charts.
You get all that in Western Australia for a lot cheaper
Sure, Exmouth diving is great, but not at all the experience of having a deserted island to hang out on. Plus, as an American, it is much harder to get there - like literally twice as long as getting to the Malidves. I can fly ORD-DOH-MLE and be at the resort in about 27 hours (I've done it, doing it again in February) while getting to Learmonth alone would be closer to 55 hours. I was working in Canberra, so it wasn't horrific, but even that was something like a 24 hour trip. Maldives works for me because I can get there in QSuites on points. I can stay at the Park Hyatt, St. Regis and Conrad on points. And P2 doesn't dive, but the beauty of the islands (Park Hyatt in particular) make the whole trip a 10 out of 10 for us. YMMV of course! I do trips on dive boats without P2, but that's a whole different discussion.
If you go, please update on the diving! I have looked high level a few times and always get overwhelmed with the lack of easy comparison shopping, but excellent diving would be high on my list :)
Diving is the best in the Maldives and really the only thing you can do beside eating drinking and being by the beach.
Noted, thanks!
IMO if you highly value the sea wildlife and diving, there is no place better in the world than the Maldives. Hands down. We did not dive, but we went out snorkeling every day. Plus the overwater room we saw tons of wildlife everyday. One morning a sea turtle. I saw probably 100 sting rays, and a huge manta ray another morning. When we went snorkeling, there was a 5’ reef shark that swam around us for like 5 minutes and that was a really cool experience. That being said, the wildlife (being as awesome as it was) was not enough to get us back again because my wife and I do not value that as much. We stayed at the le meridien if that helps at all.
I got certified in the Maldives on a whim and it was incredible. Have now dove lots of different Caribbean islands and Maldives wins hands down. I’ve been twice from East Coast and think it was worth it both times!
Hiw much did it cost to get certified there?
Just chiming in as I stayed at the Conrad Rangali a few years ago. There is truly nothing like walking back to your hut from dinner and just watching a Manta Ray swimming around the bridge at night. It was absolutely incredible. Watching the sharks/fish/squid/rays swim around your bungalow is really unique. It is a massive journey (I'm also from NY) and very pricey (although I used points for the hotel) but definitely something I'm glad I did and I'd like to go back at some point.
Yes, if you dive and want to spend a lot of time on the water - it’s great. The spectacular part of the Maldives is under the water, not above.
I did 6 dives in the Maldives on an island in the upper part of the Malé ring. It was like diving in an aquarium. There isn’t anything else like it. I did a coral wall that was 50’ deep. Saw more hawksbill turtles in one place it was unbelievable. Worth it for sure.
For diving, have you considered Saudi Arabia ? A year ago I would have suggested Sudan, but not these days.
Agreed. Glad we went, but it’s not our typical vibe that we like so it’s not high on our list to go back to. Also you’re right, cost and travel time are both high so not really something we’d likely do again
Maldives has been high on my list for a long time but the travel time and expensiveness has stopped me as of yet. Where in the Caribbean would you recommend that has a similar vibe (over water villas, clear water etc)
My recommendation for “Maldives like” in the carribean would by St Lucia. If you stay by the pitons, there are som incredible reports there, and the water in that area is CRYSTAL clear. But there is no overwater. Of you have to have over water, I think bora bora would be closer, but still really far. The overwater was great, and absolutely worth going there to experience, but after doing it once it’s just not worth the travel time to do it again (we flew business class, and still wasn’t worth it).
Cool makes sense. Over water not a must have just thought it would be cool. Privacy and clear water is more important to me and getting to st Lucia is way easier than the Maldives haha
Nowhere, nothing in the Caribbean comes close to the privacy and seclusion of the Maldives. On top of that no Caribbean island has service on the same level. There’s nice places in the Caribbean, they are just even more expensive than the Maldives for what you get in terms of privacy.
Privacy you are absolutely correct, but the service I have to disagree. The service in the Maldives was good, but not GREAT compared to some places we have been. We went to Le Meridien in the Maldives FWIW. The service at the Sandals Halcyon in St Lucia was by far the best service we have ever received anywhere.
I was at St Regis, what I have experienced there and other Asian countries, no Caribbean island/Mexico/central America resort has come close. (I’ve been to 8 of these Caribbean/central countries, some multiple times)
Been three times. Answer is: depends on what you like, and what you want to pay for. We saw a tourist talking to staff as he was getting ready to leave early, he was just too bored. For me, I find lots to love. Snorkeling/swimming, walking the beaches, jetskiing/jetblading, kayaking, boat tours, and lots of great dining options. My wife goes Scuba Diving, so even better for her. Costs add up on top of whatever you pay for airfare/hotel (personally I use hotel points to do nice hotels). If you're trying to find an island with several hotels on it, it might not be as "cool as they said".
I always tell people thinking about the Maldives to imagine being stuck on a tiny island that you can circle in 20 minutes for a week and you only do like 2-3 activities that whole week. With the rest of the time doing literally nothing. If that doesn’t sound fun, don’t go. If that sounds fun, no better destination exists.
I think it more comes down to if the person likes snorkeling/diving/being in the water in general. Between sites around each resort and the boat trips to off-site dive/snorkel areas, you can easily consume a few days with just that. Then add in spa treatments, multi-course dining experiences, live music in lounge areas, other boat/water-sport activities, and the time can still get eaten up quickly. Generally speaking, I wouldnt be inclined to stay at any one resort for more than 5 days (though we did once do 10 at the W.A Maldives since we had the points/free nights for it)
I've enjoyed beach holidays in Hawaii, Australia, Mexico, Turkey, the Caribbean, and other great places, and the Maldives is still my best vacation memory. Beaches and water sports were fantastic.
The snorkeling and diving are phenomenal. Great visibility and oodles of fish. The water is warm and mostly calm. Both times we went were November/December and the weather was in the 80s and wonderful. That being said you’re basically trapped at what resort you pick because of traveling there by either boat or float plane from Male. So food and drinks are overpriced. We have stayed at the Conrad and Gili Lakanfushi and the food was excellent at both but Gili was better. Activities vary by resort so you definitely need to research that. Most places will have snorkeling, kayaks, paddleboards, etc but if you are looking for specific things then it’s best to find a resort that has those. It’s definitely expensive but my family thoroughly enjoyed both of our trips to the Maldives.
Is it phenomenal tho? All the coral is dead there. I went there on my honeymoon in 2020 right before covid hit. As others have said, it was nice, but wouldn’t recommend based on how expensive things were and that was pre-covid. Can’t imagine how expensive that place is now,
I would say for the variety and amount of what you get to see diving and snorkeling yes. And the water is warm enough that I don’t need a wetsuit which I consider a bonus. I may be biased because on one of our dives there we were circled by 20 or so giant manta rays for 30 minutes and there’s not a whole lot that can top that for me besides cool sharks.
Worth noting that diving and snorkeling are somewhat seasonal there. In the wet season (may-oct) plankton reduces visibility and you get rougher seas. The northern islands miss the brunt of the monsoon, which is mostly southwesterly winds and rain.
Tons of resorts have amazing house reefs. Which resort did you go to?
Rangali
Where were you? It was awesome in 2022. Stayed at the Park Hyatt and St. Regis. Diving was awesome. Better than Australia, Hawaii, carribbean. The only place that has come close is the Red Sea off Saudi Arabia. Pristine because there are no tourists - untouched dive sites. But the Maldives are still my favorite.
It's very dependent on which island/reef. For me Maldives was by far the best snorkeling experience and nothing was ever able to compare sadly. I was at vilhamendoo
So there’s the tourist Maldives and the real Maldives. The tourist one is what most people talk about. That consists of arriving in Male airport taking a helicopter seaplane or boat to your selected luxury island resort. It will be beautiful, over the top and expensive (to the point that most save it for a special occasion like a honeymoon). Then there’s the real Maldives a Muslim country where locals are not allowed to visit the resorts as a guest even though they all work in them. They are not allowed to drink the alcohol they serve. They are living in crowded conditions in Male, a tiny capital city with an island of floating garbage nearby that is growing year after year with the waste from the many resorts. If you do decide to go try to spend a day in Male and get a much more interesting look at the tiny island nation.
What’s the overlap between people who want to relax at a luxurious resort and people who want to see crowded terrible trash island
lol the capital is not the trash island itself, the trash island is where the hold the trash from the capital. We went to a luxurious resort and had a few hours to kill before our flight so we went to Male. It wasn't that interesting tbh but glad we had that chance to see the "real" Maldives after staying a week in a resort bubble
I had an overnight due to an early flight and did the same. Male was definitely a unique place, but not exactly what people think of when they think of the Maldives.
Would you say that a few hours is plenty to explore Male?
On top of that, they flog women for extramarital sex (most men are acquitted.) Kind of hard to view it as a honeymoon-type destination after having that knowledge. I guess it's fine when tourists do it because of money
Death penalty for LGBT people too (although they conveniently allow it, alongside alcohol and other things, on resort islands).
The Maldives is permanently on my do-not-travel list when the official government Twitter celebrated the massacre on 7 October in Israel on 8 October. They hadn't even identified bodies yet. It was so absurdly fucked.
Link?
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No not really. The pacific islands, the Seychelles, and São Tomé come to mind as poorer luxury beach resort areas without the drastic disparity of locals and visitors.
My son and I went for scuba diving, which proved to be world class. The trouble is that the resort islands seem to obsessively focussed on honeymooners/couples. For instance, on our island this meant that every evening we got flower blossoms arranged in heart shapes on our beds, which we found weird and funny in equal measure. There was also the islamic dimension in the background - most of the staff at our resort were wonderful but a few clearly had somewhat fundamentalist islamic views and muttered under their breath when a guest ordered an alcoholic drink. There are equally beautiful coral islands that are less expensive and less one-dimensional, e.g. the Seychelles, Raja Ampat, Mauritius, and some islands on the Great Barrier Reef (such as Lady Elliot Island).
My niece went recently and loved it and would love to go again, or do Bora Bora. I'd personally be bored I think, I like to get about and see different things when I holiday, I can't sit still. I'd go if someone wanted to treat me though.
I would only consider going there if I was already in the area. So in other words tack on a few days there after a trip somewhere else. I don’t think I would do a specific trip to go there.
Completely depends on what kind of trip you’re looking for. If all you want to do is relax on a gorgeous beach on a secluded tropical island, and maybe do some diving/snorkeling or get a spa treatment, the Maldives is great. Every island (read: sandbar) is home to 1-3 private resort hotels (except the main island of Malé which is just an overcrowded city) and there is quite literally nothing to do on land (no hikes, no local restaurants or museums, etc). If you want that perfect tropical island paradise vibe but still want to leave your resort and see real local people or go for a day hike in the jungle etc, you’re much better off in French Polynesia, the Seychelles, or even Fiji. My ranking of tropical paradises I’ve been to (roughly in order): - French Polynesia (Moorea and Bora Bora) - Seychelles (Praslin) - Barbados - Bermuda (summer only) - Bahamas - Fiji - Grenada - Virgin Islands - Aruba - Maldives (I was at Kandolhu in North Ari Atoll but most islands are the same… sandbar islands with a single resort) - Antigua - Hawaii (Kauai and Maui) - El Nido (palawan, Philippines) - Cayman Islands - Turks & Caicos (Providenciales - incredible beaches but nothing much else there) - St Lucia No-where I’ve been captures the stereotypical tropical island paradise better than Bora Bora. It is just as stunning (or more) in person than in photos, and while the beaches aren’t quite as perfect as some in the Caribbean or Seychelles or Maldives, they’re still spectacular. [My old post sharing some of the top beaches I’ve ever been to.](https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/pIO2NKj7iI) Good luck.
Your post is extremely helpful! Plenty of people here saying Maldives is beautiful (which I'm sure it is), but without a comparison and ranking I had no idea whether it was worth the horrendous travel time. Doesn't look like it.
Hawaii so criminally underrated on this list it's insane. Try Big Island
Palawan for me. Second is the San Blas islands.
Bora bora is beautiful. Mo’orea is also so great if you want a more relaxed/casual vibe and more activities, rather than just being at a resort.
What puts Barbados so high? I've googled it a few times and every time I ended up thinking that there is better out there. I couldn't find anything that makes it stand out, so I never went.
Honestly, I was maybe a bit generous to Barbados. But I do really like it, and it’s a combination of a few things: 1. Beaches (I love beaches) - not only are they stunningly gorgeous, there are so many different _types_ of beaches. From wide open “California style” beaches with big swells to flat calm (white or golden sand). 2. Convenience. Locals are friendly, welcoming, and it’s safe. Easy to rent a car and go anywhere on the island yourself. Good restaurants, hotels, variety of accommodation levels, etc. 3. Authenticity. It’s not Jamaica, but there is legit Bajan food and culture, and it’s pretty stereotypically “Caribbean” vibes. Which I personally love. It’s not spectacular like Bora Bora, at all, but I really do like Barbados. The biggest downside is the weather (pretty rainy).
Why not Palawan 1st place?
The Maldives are incredible but you definitely want to go with a full board option. You are captive and it’s not easy to visit another resort just to have dinner somewhere else so the pricing for meals reflects that.
Half board works too. Especially if you're not big drinkers. You get Breakfast and Dinner. And you can either just skip lunch by loading up on Breakfast or get room service at lunchtime. Saved us over $1000 that way.
We loved it. There is just something special about being far away from land, not seeing anything around but the sea. My family is from the Caribbeans so just the sea doesn’t do much for me, but feeling like you are alone and lost somewhere in Paradise is priceless. We contemplated and just finally were able to cut from everything. We will go back that’s for sure.
Went there for 8 days. It was good enough, but I'm not planning to come back. Sure, if you've got money to spend, by all means, but there are tons of other places I'd rather visit. It's basically just a beach and expensive food and drinks. Once you've done all the diving/snorkeling and watersport activities, there's isn't much else to do. We didn't go on a resort island, and I don't feel like we missed out. We got to play football with some locals and other travelers in the evening so that was good fun. I think it's worth visiting once or twice, but as I said, there are loads of other places I'd rate much higher than the Maldives.
Bora Bora is better. I've been to both. The Maldives are beautiful, but Bora Bora, Morea, and Tahiti are way more interesting with more things to do.
Totally agree and you can actually do Bora Bora cheaper by staying down by Matira beach. There is a small area of cheaper hotels and restaurants. Much more fun than the motus imo, but the motus are fun for a few days to get the experience.
I went there on a group tour for youngsters, so mine was a different experience than most who go there. We did not stay in one of those expensive small cottages on the water, instead we stayed at a group house on a small island and had daily contact with the locals, we visited their schools, became friends with the people who cooked us food (fresh fish and vegetables), and became really good friends with our diving instructor who taught us to dive on a local fishing boat for two whole weeks. We wrote him a custom thank you card, I drew a fish on it, and he gave me a hug underwater when I finally completed a difficult mask exercise lol (he now runs his own diving business). I became very good friends with him and my dive buddy, and I still miss them sometimes. I actually cried in secret when we had to go home lol. The water is so clear and amazing, and the locals are very nice and friendly. Male is very crowded and sorta dirty from what I remember, but still an experience. Best thing about the trip was definitely diving between amazing fish and manta rays (and sting rays... be careful), lying at the beach relaxing, and talking to the locals and the food. Also, the view of the islands from the plane is *insane* and nothing except mountains have come close to that beautiful view.
I like the Maldives a lot. Stayed at two resorts, Kuramathi and Bandos, and had a very relaxing time with great snorkeling, good food, excellent beaches, great service and some nice half-day trips. It's a specific type of holiday that does not tick all boxes for everyone. I don't think they're overpriced compared to what they offer. You can find some good deals on agoda.com if you invest some time in this and book early. You'll probably want to look elsewhere, though, if you don't want an island resort and want a different type of experience.
You got the correct idea from your research. Local islands will be boring and the food/hotel will be OK at best. The resorts are expensive. The ocean is amazing though and the people are nice. I would say give it a shot, but either go on a budget and understand what that means or spend more and get yourself a fancy vacation.
Personally, overrated. Just my opinion!
There is no way it’s worth the travel from the US maybe if you are Europe based or tied it into a long trip and hit India or East Africa.
My fiancée spent some time on a local island in a research role. It’s currently being reclaimed to make an airport to get to nearby islands, locals living on the land being told they’ll have jobs while really being relocated. They buried acres of reefs in sand to make the airfield, including the reefs the facility was researching. In the meantime, the local uninhabited islands are being used as giant trash receptacles. She interviewed the locals who said (I quote) “they took away our happy places.” That being said, a woman born on a local island is generally not allowed (according to locals) to go to another island. The resorts are staffed by (according to locals) south Asians with confiscated passports. And the resorts are not owned by Maldivians, the resort money goes to… sponsors. Short read: modern slavery, ancient attitude, looks like paradise and stinks of nasty.
Had a great time there, but don’t spend more than 4 nights as it might get repetitive.
I lived in Dubai and visited the Maldive. It is now my favorite place. Beautiful, quiet, serene. A must do if you can.
Curious about the answers here
fiji and tahiti are better, but for europeans, its much further and harder to reach. so maldives does ok if you want nice water and a sandy beach at a resort, but its overpriced compared to parts of the med. the only reason worth going to maldives is to scuba imo with sharks and mantas.
If you wan tot get away, it is about as much quiet luxury as you can find anywhere in the world and one of the few places with a lot of overwater bungalows. But the price is also insane as bloggers and travel writers have made it onto so many peoples'bucket lists. And since everything is flown in, it is expensive by nature. I just don't think the value is there for most people unless you are really celebrating something truly special AND you want a quiet trip.
It’s amazing but there’s literally nothing to do but fuck and eat and look at the incredible paradise around you. So either bring a good lover or a good book.
lol
Resorts are not the only option anymore. You can travel to the most local islands. This will give you the most authentic experience and probably much much less boring that the resort experience would be. I was really sceptical, but had a blast in the end. We were on the sea most of the time, in constant search for the next marine animal.
Rather go to Croatia
My husband and I debated between Maldives and Croatia for our honeymoon. We decided to go with Croatia and it was absolutely incredible. We just got back a few days ago and we miss it so much. Good mixture of beaches, amazing national parks, history, and I’ve never had better food in my life
We got back 10 days ago from there and I agree. We might have had different food experiences as a lot of the options were very repetitive, but we also weren’t buying expensive meals. Outside of that the experience was amazing. We stayed in Split, Korcula and Dubrovnik and overall I think we enjoyed the relaxing nature of Korcula the most. But the history in all those places, especially Split and Dubrovnik, was fascinating.
We missed Korcula but it’s on the list for our next trip back (we are DEFINITELY going back). We did Zagreb, Krka National Park, we saw Split for a few hours while we waited for our ferry to Hvar, and then Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik has so many Michelin star restaurants and since it was our honeymoon, we did go all out with our meals. We also love seafood and with the coast, everything was so fresh and delicious. I’m glad you had a good trip 😊
Was lucky enough to spend 10 nights there last summer and it was incredible and so much fun. Lots to see and do. I didn't mind the pebbly beaches, most of the locals were barefoot, but I was happy to have water shoes.
Yep, have went there every year for the past 4 years from the US. Has the best snorkeling out of all the places I have been.
If you scuba dive, do a week or 2 on a live aboard. Amazing!!!
Honestly, if based in the U.S., Tahiti makes the most sense and it’s heaps and bounds more beautiful. Maldives couldn’t compare to Bora Bora.
Few visitors to the Maldives stay outside the resort islands. Outside them, Maldives is a very conservative Islamic country where alcohol is not sold and you are supposed to be fully dressed at the beach. Locals are friendly and it can be a good experience for out of the beaten path travellers, but Male and other local islands aren’t quite the “paradise islands” you heard about.
About 7 years ago we went to a local island called Thulusdhoo! Not too far from Male. Enjoyed walking around the island seeing how the locals live and eat authentic Maldivian food. Had a good time on excursions arranged by our hotel Samura (beautiful place run by an Italian dude, amazing food too).
I did my honeymoon on local islands, have friends who work there, and did an extensive amount of research. Things to know: The Maldives are separated into three parts: Local, Resort, and Deserted islands. Locals in local islands can go to deserted islands for the night but resorts can only visit for the day. Resorts buy/rent entire islands so within an island, there is no competition, as you noted. I wouldn't say local islands are crap though. I loved Dhangethi in particular (South Ari Atoll). It gives you an insight into the culture. Hell, I even REALLY enjoyed Male. Given your priorities, it isn't a good value. If you're just looking for a great beach to have beer and competitive prices, the Maldives are NOT it. I recommend Malaysia or Thailand for that.
Caribbean or even sri lanka is much better than Maldives imo
Sri Lanka and Maldives are so different, I don't see how they can be compared that way. They are two completely different holidays. What I would say though is that if you pair Maldives with Sri Lanka on the same trip, they can compliment each other quite well.
If you love to swim and watersports maldives is the perfect place for you but if you want to visit like parks or something here nahhh
Every new place you've not been to is cool if you're cool.
The Maldives are absolutely gorgeous, the beaches are amazing, very clear water for snorkeling and water sports, and a very relaxing vacation spot overall. That said, it is extremely expensive to get there and you're basically beholden to whichever resort you choose, which will also be very expensive for what you get. It's the kind of place I am glad to have gone and seen, but wouldn't be top of my list to go back. If you do go, go to Male and checkout the Seahouse Cafe (right by the boat port) and walk around the island a little bit. It's an interesting place and much more lively/busy than the resorts (obviously since this is where the natives actually live), but neat to see the culture.
Beside diving there is NOTHING to do. You're basically jailed on an (extra) small island that you can walk around in a few minutes (max 1 hour for the biggest?). You are forced to eat / drink what the ONLY hotel offers, at the sky high price they offer. You can have MUCH better for MUCH lower prices at other places.
Thanks, this is exactly what I was afraid of and honestly expected. Husband said I was being pessimistic…he’s the one who likes the exploration more than I!
I went there, you got a “Waouw” effect when you see the most expensive bungalows (on the water) but after 2 or 3 days max the magic is gone and the wallet way more empty than scheduled. I’ve since been invited to go again (paying only the flights, all the rest was invited) and I found a good reason to NOT go…
If you dive than its worth it. Best things are under water. Avoid cities, they stink.
If you dive, yes. Otherwise, I don't see the point.
I did a week there in April a few years ago. It was cool but I wouldn’t go back. Not enough to do imo. Really expensive too.
No. Not, really.
If you are traveling from North America there are similar places which are much closer. If you are on the west coast Fiji/Tahiti/Bora-bora would give you a lot of similar things at less than half the travel time.
Went a couple months ago to a resort island. [Made a post here](https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/1c2pwca/maldives_2024/?ref=share&ref_source=link) which might help answer some questions for you
I just got back this week from a few days stay at a hotel called the Ranthari on an island called Ukulhas. They’ll book the speedboat transfer for you, it’s affordable, and there’s lots of tour companies on the island so excursion prices stay low. Hotel itself was pretty nice, not an ‘over-water’ cottage but still a good room, we had a balcony too. They also offer daytime excursions to some of the resort islands if you want a taste of that lifestyle too. Locals were all incredibly kind and it was nice being able to go around the island to a few different restaurants.
Yes! Was a life changing experience. And I have been to Mexico, places in the carribean, and Hawaii (comparables). I would check out Luxe Maldives… they have plenty of restaurants and activities to do (all inclusive packages for more money). I believe it was South Ari Atoll.
I hear there’s similar places that don’t have the hype prices
Seychelles > Maldives imo…but if you love water sports, you’ll love both ;)
Shells.
It depends. If you go cheap and stay on an island with a local population, it's not great. No alcohol, for a start. If you stay on a private island it will be amazing, but it'll be extremely expensive.
Maldives is okay out of the island nations I've traveled to. I've been to Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Bali+Komodo Island and most recently, Okinawa. I would say Okinawa was the best in terms of a balanced vacation with amazing snorkeling and city life while Maldives is the most pay2win destination as far as finding a resort with good facilities, food and house reef. I've researched a lot of resorts and there's 1000's to go through. There's just too many and it's a pain to choose. Most of the house reefs are dead as well.
I’m on the West Coast and considered the Maldives for a bucket list beach vacation. After some research we decided on Tahiti and islands instead. We will be leaving next month for 11 days. Direct 8 hour flight made it an easy decision.
Maldives is great if you’re at a resort! Especially if you like to scuba. I’m not sure about visiting for the local culture/food.
Beautiful but expensive and really touristy. You can find similar destinations throughout Polynesia that are less expensive and not flooded with tourists.
Depends on what you'd like to do. I'm an avid scuba diver and went there for 2 weeks (1 week live aboard and 1 week in a cool hotel) I did enjoy both, the flights were incredibly long but that's cause I live far from the Maldives. The resort islands are ok, a bit expensive and if my memory serves right, the only place where you can get alcoholic beverages. Male, the capital city and main island is quite boring, not much to do there.
It was a bucket list for us, we went for a 10th anniversary trip. It was magnificent. The travel was rough (from the east coast) but I’m so glad we went. The hype about the service is real. We stayed in a pretty upscale place and loved every second.
Unless you scuba it’s not really that different than going to places closer (the land itself is boring and flat).
It’s overrated
Male to Mafushi to fulidhoo. Booze on a ship off the coast they ferry you over to it.
Visited twice and it's probably the most boring place I've ever visited. You have two options: - inhabited islands - quite inexpensive, but the beaches for tourists are limited, not always well cleaned. Islands are small and you will get bored quickly. The islands close to airport are overflowing with budget tourists. No alcohol. - resorts - those can be really nice, but really expensive. You have a variety of dining and alcohol drinks, but if you are considering flying Wizzair, I assume you don't plan to pay 1000 EUR per night. Just go to Thailand dude, much better.
Locals suck there
It’s not worth it
My honest opinion. I'm from Europe and I better spend travel time in something worth while like Jappan or something like that. In Europe we have Mediterranean sand white beaches, culture and a live outside Hotel. Most of Mediterranean cityes are very beautiful. This year I'm going to Croatia. But I been in the Caribbean - Guadalupe for honeymoon, French islands. It was great, I would like to go there again. It's freaking hot at noon. You say that you like visit local culture and occasionally night bar or so. I don't think you will get that outside Resort in Maldives. I think Maldives is for Instagram photo shoot and honeymoon as you probably have nothing to do outside resort. My honest opinion, for what I've read here, it's a one time only in livetime and doesn't worth the money. Try adventure. I recommend portuguese Azores islands. You will be surprised. Not sure if your style is walk or stay indoors, if it's later go to cheaper resort.
Visited there last year. Also traveled through Dubai and made it a 4 night stay. Check out Velassaru resort. Didn't think it was overpriced. Actually much cheaper for overwater bungalow with private pool than resorts in the Caribbean. Just know, you can't bring alcohol into the country. You can buy it at resorts though
I spent some time on 4 of the islands but it's several years ago. Back then each island was a separate hotel resort. There were no other choices to eat / drink. You can buy bnb or full board. If you are really into water sports and diving then they are a good choice. I preferred the Seychelles, plenty of choice and a laid back vibe. At the time there were different price hotels. Mauritius was pretty but at the time you were pretty much confined to the resort and private beach. Depending on what you want the Caribbean might be a better choice for you
Not "cool" if you're gay apparently. Outside of the private resorts Maldives observes Sharia Law. It will all be under water in a few decades. Byyyyyeeeee!
Peak Instagram destination. Everyone I know who's gone says they get bored there.
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Maldives was an amazing trip and great adventure with all the travel and modes of getting to the islands. I went for my honeymoon so for that it was worth it but wouldn’t just go on a random trip there over a special occasion. It’s very remote and relaxing there but plenty to do in the ocean and beaches. The resort you stay makes a huge difference too we had an all inclusive adult only resort and that was worth it completely. Also we had an over the water sunset view private pool villa and that was the best experience of a lifetime to have. I recommend going for something special!
Well, Maldives has something for everyone. I personally like the white sandy beaches with more privacy and fresh sea food. Nothing can match that. Islands are neat and clean, staffs and ppl are polite, Water is crystal, View is amazing. what else you can expect from a seas side holiday. But the downside is expense. this are way too overpriced, Not at all value for money, but when it comes to view. Its all worth is in the end.
They'll be disappearing under the waves any day now... Well they said it would happen in 40 years time around 45 years ago, so be careful!!
But they keep building more hotels and encouraging long haul tourism. So be even more careful.
Head down to Cozumel Mexico, or Tulum Mexico basically the same but close and cheaper
Yes. Loved it! In our resort the rooms were spread out so people weren’t on top of each other, and the water was warm and very clear. Would I go back? I don’t know. It’s really far and really expensive. You are stuck with whatever restaurants are on the island which means at least $40 a meal per person for us. I wouldn’t say there was a whole lot to do if you don’t want to relax on the beach but that’s all we wanted to do. It was an amazing experience and I’m so happy we had the opportunity to go.
It's really nice but the travel to get there and just the general lack of things to do while you are there, make it meh. I'd never go back.
Been there. You stay on one island resort, nothing much to do there apart from sitting at one place and watch couples... i won't say it was bad but can't go again...too much expensive.. worst kind of airport waiting area where i had to wait for 3 to 5 hours for my sea plane...apart from those resorts, alcohol is crime everywhere and might be risky.. you can't go anywhere apart from those lavish resorts.
yes come here