Showing all posts tagged "Luxury Travel Experiences"
How to plan your vacation to Maldives
Do you want to go on an utterly romantic trip? Perhaps, you wish to organize a family trip to a luxurious destination? The Maldives is the perfect destination for luxury, indulgence, and beauty. But what are the ins and outs of planning a trip to the Maldives? What do you need to know and avoid? How do you have fun in the Maldives? Let’s discuss this.
Image via Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas
How to book a resort in the Maldives?
If you are looking for a luxury travel experience, you cannot do better than the Maldives. Most resorts like the Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas offer comprehensive packages for a full experience. Find out if they offer a couple of free snorkelling sessions and facilitate excursions. How about food and meal experiences? How about island hopping or moonlight cruises? Before you book your hotel, make sure they cater to your needs. This way you can spend a significant time at the resort, basking in luxury.
Why do you need to check water activities before booking?
Before you book your resort, check if you have easy access to snorkelling. Ask if you can reach the reef by swimming or whether you need to book a ferry to get in the water. Water sports are part and parcel of Maldives fun. Find out if the resort can facilitate Jet Skiing, Kayaking, whale, and dolphin watching, paddleboarding and more. See if you get to spot whale sharks, manta rays and dolphins.
What are the visa requirements for the Maldives?
You will get an arrival visa to the Maldives for 30 days. However, you need a machine-readable passport that is valid for up to 6 months. You should ideally carry proof of your resort accommodation and return ticket for better assurance. This way, you’ll pass through immigration easily.
How is the internet availability in the Maldives?
Most resorts offer WiFi to guests, but this can be unreliable at times. You are better off buying a local SIM card with enough data to last you the duration of your holiday. There are a couple of mobile network shops at the airport. The shops are on your right when you walk to the domestic terminal. There are two mobile network options to choose from - Dhiraagu and Ooredoo. Both offer coverage in the islands.
What are the unwritten rules to remember in the Maldives?
Never plan your vacation to the Maldives during Ramadan. You won’t find any staff at the resorts and shops closed during the day. If you plan on exploring areas outside the resort island – pack some clothes that cover your shoulders and below the knees. They are not big fans of public kissing either. You can dress as you please (except being topless if you’re a woman) at the resort. You’ll get alcohol and pork dishes at the resort but not elsewhere. Also, avoid buying black turtle leather. This is illegal, not to mention unethical. While you can enjoy alcohol at the resort, it is better to avoid taking alcohol into the country.
What to pack for a trip to the Maldives?
Pack for tropical weather. Take plenty of sunscreen as these things are expensive out there. Pack swimwear, maxi dresses, pashminas, shorts, and light tops. Don’t forget your sunglasses and hat. Carry a waterproof beach bag. You can do it with flip-flops and sandals in the Maldives. Don’t forget your prescription medication and bug repellent. Buy a UK 3-pin adapter plug for your electronic devices. It makes sense to carry some US dollars to make payments. Snorkelling gear can be expensive at some resorts. It is better to carry your own if possible.
Posted on February 21st, 2023
How to Spend Your Vacation in the Maldives—Where Tropical Charms Abound
There is not much planning you have to do in terms of how to enjoy your time in the Maldives—the place is a tropical paradise and all you need is a bit of fine-tuning with your plans. Knowing the best times to go, where to stay and what the best activities are can certainly improve your experience. Check out this article on how to spend your vacation in the Maldives to learn more.
Photo by Asad Photo Maldives via pexels.com
The Best Times to Visit the Maldives
As a tropical destination, the Maldives experiences only the wet and dry seasons. During the monsoon, the weather can be quite wet with winds and rains picking up occasionally, although it rarely rains all day, and you can expect the sun to shine on just about every day of the year. Apart from the weather, which is quite uneventful, you can decide when to go to the Maldives if you are looking at improving your travel costs. Seasonal rates can fluctuate, and you can expect some good rates when travelling outside of the high season.
There’s peak season when the sun is at its best and off-season, which is when the rains hit. The time in between these two is called shoulder season and is tipped to be the best time to visit the islands. You will find that rates are much less at this time of the year since tourist arrivals are low—with not much difference in the gorgeous weather.
Shoulder season in the Maldives is from March to April with costs increasing closer to Easter. The high season is from November to April. And off-season is from May to November.
Best Places to Stay in the Maldives
The Maldives consists of over 1,000 coral islands and many of the resorts there occupy entire islands. Therefore, choosing to stay at a luxury tourist resort in the Maldives can be very rewarding. Also, as a premier holiday destination, the place is home to several international chain resorts offering discerning travellers luxury travel experiences at some of the best international chain resorts such as Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas. Choosing an all-inclusive stay at one of the resorts can be very beneficial as you will be able to enjoy a range of discounts and benefits that will help to stretch your holiday budget.
Choose Your Hotel Transfers After Careful Consideration
Your long-haul flight will land in Male, the capital island. From there, you must transfer to your Maldives resort. To do so, there are several options; speedboat transfers, seaplanes and local ferries.
The seaplane is certainly an exotic way to travel to your hotel in the Maldives and will give you a fabulous bird's-eye view of the area. However, the seaplane can be costly and does not support the same luggage allowance as your long-haul flight. Therefore, you end up paying hefty fees for excess luggage. Check your seaplane luggage allowance to avoid surprises. Speedboat transfers are just as thrilling but can be as expensive. The least expensive option is the local ferry, although it is not the best. The local ferry runs on a very erratic schedule and can often get delayed. The plus point is the low fares, which are a huge change to what you would pay for a seaplane or speedboat transfer. The local ferry runs through the local islands, and you would have to get off at the nearest one to your chosen Maldives resort and request a pick-up from there.
Respect the Culture
The Maldives is a 100% Islamic nation and follows strict laws; therefore, you must make sure to respect these laws and avoid getting into trouble, or worse, deported. Pork is banned and cannot be brought into the nation, the same applies to liquor although the latter is served at your private island resort. You must dress to cover shoulders and knees in public, and women should cover their heads as well when visiting the mosques.
Packing for the Maldives
Pack for the tropics with plenty of shorts and cotton t-shirts, but also take along a few long pants, skirts, and shirts or kaftans for covering up when visiting the sights and local islands.
Pack a good swimsuit for swimming as you will spend a lot of your time in the sea and pool, take along shades, a cap and plenty of sunscreen to make sure you don’t end up nursing a nasty burn throughout your holiday.
Pre-Plan Your Tours
Check out the available attractions and let your Maldives resort know which tours you wish to take. Snorkelling and scuba diving are top attractions as are sunset cruises, dolphin-watching tours, and island-hopping adventures.
Enjoy your time in the Maldives!
Posted on December 22nd, 2022