The Maldives
Not one place but hundreds of islands. The holiday is in choosing the right one.
The Maldives is a chain of around 1,200 small coral islands, grouped into atolls and scattered across the Indian Ocean south-west of Sri Lanka. Most resorts have an island to themselves.
That is what makes a holiday here different. You are not really choosing “the Maldives”; you are choosing an island, and they differ more than the photographs suggest: in size, in style, in what is included, in how good the snorkelling is from the beach and in how you get there.
Auria Travel is an independent UK travel agency, and we arrange holidays to the Maldives for couples, honeymooners and families. Often the right holiday already exists with a tour operator, and our part is to help you find it and book it.
How Auria can help you choose
Here our value is less in designing a route than in asking the right questions. Do you want a lively resort with several restaurants, or a small, quiet island? An overwater villa, or a beach villa with a garden? Is a reef for snorkelling a priority? Are children coming, and how old are they? Would all-inclusive make the cost easier to plan?
From your answers our travel professionals narrow a very large choice of resorts down to a few that fit, and explain the differences in plain language, including what each board basis really includes. If a tour operator has the holiday as a package, with flights and transfers, we will book that. Where something more individual is wanted, such as two islands in one trip or a stop on the way, we can put it together.
Arrangements on the ground are light here, but they matter. The resort transfer has to match your flight times, so we check one against the other. Where it helps, we work with the resort and with trusted local experts so that the seaplane or boat is expected, the villa is the one you chose and any celebration has been planned for.
Ways to holiday in the Maldives
- Honeymoons and celebrations
- Private villas, dinners on the beach and time to do nothing. Many resorts add touches for honeymooners.
- Luxury
- From stylish small islands to the grandest resorts, with butlers, spas, private pools and fine dining.
- All-inclusive
- Meals and drinks paid for in advance, which makes a real difference where everything comes by boat. What is included varies, so it is worth checking.
- Families
- Some islands are made for families, with children’s clubs, shallow lagoons and villas with space. Others are for adults only.
- Diving and snorkelling
- Reefs, turtles and rays and, at the right time of year, manta rays and whale sharks. Some islands have a good house reef a short swim from the beach.
- Twin-centre
- A week on an island after a few days somewhere quite different, such as Sri Lanka or Dubai.
Tailor-made, without the complications
Tailor-made does not have to mean a complicated tour. In the Maldives it usually means getting a small number of things exactly right: the island, the villa, the board basis and the transfer.
It can also mean making more of the journey. The Maldives combines well with other places, because many flights from the UK involve a change on the way.
Sri Lanka and the Maldives
Temples, tea country and wildlife, then a week by the sea. A short flight links the two.
A stopover on the way
Two or three nights in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha, where many flights connect, to break the journey.
Two islands
A few nights in each of two different resorts, for a change of scene or to mix a simpler stay with a more indulgent one.
The end of a longer trip
A few days on an island to finish a journey through India or elsewhere in Asia.
Combines well with: Sri Lanka
Choosing your island
There is no sightseeing list here. What matters is how the islands differ.
Overwater or beach
An overwater villa has steps down into the lagoon and the view to itself. A beach villa has sand at the door and often more space and shade. Some resorts will let you split a stay between the two.
Getting to your island
Resorts near the airport are reached by speedboat. Those further away use a seaplane, which flies only in daylight, or a domestic flight followed by a boat. It affects the cost, and the first and last days of the holiday.
- The house reef
- On some islands you can snorkel over coral straight from the beach. On others the reef is a boat trip away. If the underwater world is why you are going, this matters more than almost anything.
- Size and atmosphere
- Small islands can be walked around in ten minutes and are very quiet. Larger ones have more restaurants, more activities and more people.
- Excursions and local islands
- Dolphin cruises, sandbank picnics, fishing at sunset and visits to inhabited islands, for a sense of Maldivian life beyond the resort.
- The atolls
- The atolls nearest the capital are the quickest to reach. More distant ones take longer and can feel more remote.
When to go
The Maldives is warm all year, with temperatures that change little. What changes is the balance of sunshine and rain, and the price.
- December to April
- The drier season, with the most settled weather and the calmest seas. It is also the most popular time and the most expensive, especially over Christmas, New Year and Easter.
- May to November
- The wetter season. Showers and breezier days are more likely, usually between spells of sunshine, and prices are lower, so it can be good value.
- For marine life
- Manta rays and whale sharks gather in particular atolls at particular times of year. If seeing them matters to you, tell us and we will plan around it.
Planning your trip
A few things worth knowing before you choose.
- Transfers
- Your transfer depends on the resort and is arranged with your booking. Seaplanes do not fly after dark, so a late arrival can mean a night near the airport first. We check this against your flights.
- How long
- A week is the usual minimum to make the journey worthwhile. Ten nights or two weeks is not too long.
- Board basis
- With no shops or restaurants to wander to, meals are taken at the resort. Half board, full board and all-inclusive packages vary widely in what they cover.
- Flights
- The flight from the UK takes around ten hours when it is direct, and longer with a change in the Gulf.
- Booking ahead
- The most popular villas and the peak weeks sell out early. Honeymoons and school holidays are best booked many months ahead.
- Budget
- The price of the villa is only part of the cost. Transfers, meals and drinks can add a good deal, which is why comparing like with like matters.
Thinking about the Maldives?
Tell us who is travelling, what you want from the island, roughly when you would like to go and the budget you have in mind. If you have seen a resort you like, tell us that too. We will come back with a small number of resorts that fit, and the reasons for each.
