Maldives is an archipelago of coral atolls about 700 kilometres south-west of the southern tip of India and Sri Lanka. The atolls form an oblong collection of over 1000 islands that stretches beyond equator. It is one of the few spots in the world that became iconic of romantic luxury tropical vacations. A typical Maldivian resort occupies one island and has some or all of the guest suites as overwater bungalows. The overwater bungalows probably started as a necessity as the islands are small. The country is composed of coral atolls that barely rise above the sea level and have shallow tidal areas protected by the reef. These shallows provide opportunity to build the overwater bungalows. For some islands it is the only way to have a sufficient number of suites as the dry land area would not accommodate an entire resort.  The average land elevation in Maldives is 1.5 meters above sea level. Therefore, it is possible that the country may disappear if the sea level continues to rise. That is another reason to visit Maldives, while you can. As the resorts started proliferating in the 1970's, the country grew to become dependent on the tourist income. This provided incentive for higher hotel quality and level of service. Presently, the country of 380,000 residents hosts over 600,000 tourists annually and the tourism income is the main single source of foreign revenue. There are over 90 resorts but no cheap all-inclusive high-rse properties. Because of the high prices, high occupancy, and the government overview the resorts maintain relatively uniform high standards. A typical postcard-like setting of a Maldivian resort is a small tropical island with wide and blindingly white beaches, fringed by palm trees and stretching into the turquoise shallows with idyllic overwater huts. For most people this picture is an idealized classical setting for a honeymoon or other romantic celebration. The area also has some of the richest and healthiest marine life. You can snorkel right in front of the bungalow. Maldives islands are also regarded as one of the top SCUBA diving destinations in the world. 

What to see and do

• Romantic beach vacation Maldives are a perfect place for s a romantic/honeymoon destination. Isolated islands with overwater bungalows and pristine beaches - what else would you need for a honeymoon? As the resorts proliferate, prices for ovewater bungalows drop, just look outside the big names and chain resorts. Your honeymoon will be much more luxurious for the same amount of $ at smaller resorts.

• Water activities, such as swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, sailing hobbie cats are the main distarctors from the eternal relaxation in the paradise. Swimming is one of the best because of the fine white sand, snorkelling is one of the best because of generally very healthy house reefs.  Oh, almost forgot, SCUBA divng.

• SCUBA diving in Maldives is good, to excellent. In some places there are moderate to strong currents if you dive beyond the house reef around an island.  These places are sort of submerged islands, or thilas. The staff normally does not let you use reef hooks. Your enjoyment depends on the crew. You have to be dropped at a correct place and drift effortlessly. If the crew is incompetent you may end up on the wrong side of the current. We visited Maldives twice. First time the dive shop at a very expensive hotel was operated by european owners and we had very frustrating experience. The staff was arrogant and incompetent. Second time we stayed at a small resort with local staff and we had one of the best diving experiences in our 20+ years of diving. The main feature of Maldives diving is abundance and variety of the marine life. The currents let it happen, although may annoy divers. There is no specific feature that stands out, like shoals of sharks, some unusual creatures or a great wreck. There are spots with manta cleaning stations that may aggregate mantas. These are season dependent and not guaranteed. In Lhaviyani Atoll the main season for manta is October to March. The situation in South Ari atoll is a bit less well defined. Also do not count on seeing a whale shark. They are not as common in Maldivian waters as tourists are made to believe. If you encounter a whale shark it will likely pass very quickly and have no reason to stay in one spot. If you are after whale sharks plan a trip to Cenderawasih Bay in West Papua (best but remote) or Oslob in Philippines. Diving in Maldives is normally done from the beautiful dhonis - typical Maldivian boats with curved-up bowsprit. They are very roomy which makes diving less hectic. You can also relax on the roof top on the way back to the resort. Overall, the reefs in Maldives are teeming with life and that makes diving enjoyable if done correctly as currents are real. Novice divers may be better off on the house reef, at least at the beginning. Therefore, look for a resort with a good house reef if you are a beginner. The shop then may take you to places with lesser currents, provided they know what they are doing. Read reviews of the dive shop as diving in Maldives can be very operator dependent.

Where to stay

There are over 150 resorts in Maldives. Most of them have overwater bungalows and most will appear very similar to each other. We went to Conrad Maldives on Rangali island and Noku Maldives. In Conrad, one of the features that attracted us was that there are two islands. There is more privacy on the smaller one as all service buildings and on-land bungalows are on the larger island. The second feature was the underwater restaurant which was the only underwater restaurant in Maldives at the time. Noku, as a smaller resort attracted by a more intimate atmosphere and a double price/luxury ratio. We could afford the largest overwater bungalow with a private pool which would be double if not triple price at the large big name resorts.  Both islands  have a good house reef for snorkeling and diving. We had decent snorkeling right in front of our overwater bungalows, better in Noku though. The dive shop at Conrad takes divers for diving on outside thilas (underwater islands) while in Noku we mostly dived around nearby islands with almost no current. Service was similar at both places while Conrad had more trained staff and corporate hospitality standards. Our recommendation for how to choose a resort would be to look for the following features:

• Bungalows

Frankly, if you decided to go to Maldives it makes more sense to stay in an overwater bungalow. The overwater bungalows are a hallmark of Maldives and it is what makes it different from other places. Generally, prices became more affordable as more resorts are built, especially after the pandemic. While checking overwater bungalows try to see as many pictures as you can find on the net. Read reviews on Tripadvisor and other similar sites. Pay attention to the water level and distance from the shore. A good place is further from the shore with a good water level that does not expose corals and sand during low tides. Is swimming and snorkeling good in front of the bungalow? You cannot stand on the bottom if it is densely overgrown by corals. On the other hand, there will be no marine life if there is no coral at all. The best setting is to have coral bommies (patches) with sandy bottom in-between. Check the bungalows if they are large enough, well maintained and decorated to your liking. Are they private enough? Are there partition walls on the decks and how much space is between the bungalows? Some resorts place bungalows at an angle and the deck sides do not align to each other. This gives a better sense of privacy. Further away and bungalows at the end of the chain have more privacy as well. Check if they face east or west for sunset vs. sunrise. We always Google for resort maps wherever we go and try to see which bungalows we would like. Some resorts may accommodate your request for a specific bungalow if you email them in advance.

• Beaches

Is there enough beach length and width to spread all guests? Some beaches may have negative features such as distracting break walls or a boat traffic in front of the beach. Again, check the map, verify where is the boat jetty and the beach, read reviews.

• Restaurants

Are there several restaurants for variety if you like variety? Is it a good restaurant if it is only one on the island? All-inclusive and half-board options are all over the map. Sometimes they save you money, sometimes not. Also, check if the tax and service charge is included or excluded in the price. Expect these surcharges to be close to 25%.

• Privacy vs. amenities

Small boutique resorts will appeal to quiet couples and may offer a better price/luxury ratio. There is more privacy, less noise and commotion. However, smaller islands may have less amenities. Again, check maps and aerial views if you can find them on internet. If entire island is packed with buildings you may need to look elsewhere. Also, do not assume that there will be no small children in an expensive resort unless it is adults-only. On the other hand, if you travel with kids check if resort would be suitable for them. In some resorts some sections are adults only.

• House reef and diving

Is there a good house reef to enjoy snorkeling? There will be a dive shop in every resort (or almost every) but the quality may differ. Do your research.

Language

Official language is Dhivehi, but English is commonly spoken as in India and Sri-Lanka.

Electricity in Maldives is 240 V, 50 Hz, but there can be several types of plugs. UK socket with three thick slots is the most common, but an odd island may have the Indian or EU type of sockets. It is better to take a universal adapter that can plug into several types of sockets.