Sun, sand and sea, a thousand ‘Robinson Crusoe’ islands, massive lagoons with different depths and infinite shades of blue and turquoise, dazzling underwater coral gardens; a perfect natural combination for the ideal tropical holiday destination.

General Description

A long chain of some 1,192 coral islands in 26 atolls extending over 500 mls N to S and 80 mls E to W. Male, the capital, occupies an island about 1 ml by ¾ ml and is an overcrowded home to a quarter of the country's 270,000 inhabitants. The airport is on Hulule island, 1 ml away, and has the biggest and best hotel in the capital – and the only place in Male to sell alcohol. All the resort islands comprise a coral base covered with sand and sparse soil supporting palms and other native trees. Some islands appear very natural while others are distinctly manicured. Islands are rarely more than a few feet above sea level, and vary in size from as little as 100 yds sq to 1 ml by ¼ ml. Of 201 inhabited islands, around 90 are developed as resorts. This Islamic country survived until the early 1970s on fishing and products of the coconut palm. Tourism – started in 1972 by an Italian – has brought relative prosperity to the country and Italy is still its biggest market. With constant temperatures around 30 degrees C and high humidity, a few light casual clothes will suffice. When visiting Male or other islands inhabited by locals, women should dress modestly. The resorts are much more relaxed. Anything imported (that's just about everything except local fish) tends to be expensive – especially drinks (including bottled water).

Public Transport

The workhorse here is the dhoni – a traditional wooden-hulled boat about 30 to 40 ft long. These have a roof for shade, wooden benches and a plodding diesel motor. All resorts have their own for excursions to nearby islands, picnics, snorkelling and diving trips etc. With no public transport, organised excursions are the only real choices for most people. Transfers from the airport to nearer resorts are normally by speedboats carrying 16 to 20 passengers. Float-plane air taxis serve the more distant atolls and transfers double as impressive sightseeing trips over spectacular coral reefs, lagoons, atolls and other islands. Two companies operate these services: Maldivian Air Taxi (MAT) and Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA). The Gazetteers gratefully acknowledge the assistance provided by MAT and TMA, without whose co-operation our research visits could not have been accomplished. Transfers only operate during daylight hours so international flights arriving later in the day normally require an overnight stay in a hotel in Male or at the airport. Likewise for departures.

Location

Location: In the Indian Ocean, S of India, 450 mls SW of Sri Lanka. 13-hr flight.
Position: Straddling the equator, surrounded by coral reefs and thousands of square miles of ocean.
Website: www.visitmaldives.com

Serving Airports

Male International (MLE)
Flight time from the UK: 10 hrs

Market/Suitability

Upmarket destination with many older resorts upgrading to 4- or 5-stars to preserve exclusivity. Many islands now have spas offering massages, beauty treatments, aromatherapy and even Ayurvedic treatments. A destination mainly for couples – particularly honeymooners.

Beaches

Generally good but varying from tiny narrow strips to huge expanses of fine white sand and crushed coral. Most islands suffer from erosion so many have to protect beaches with sea walls or groynes. These can greatly affect the visual impact of the island. Lagoons around the islands are tidal and can vary from huge to tiny, too shallow to steeply shelving. Distances to "house" reefs (the local reef just off the island) or the main atoll reefs can also vary greatly. If diving or snorkelling are a priority, detailed research and careful choice of island are advised.

Shopping

Not much of anything. Coral and other eco-products should not be purchased. Most souvenirs are imported from India or Sri Lanka. Film, cigarettes, chocolate and basic toiletries are usually available. Some resorts have only a tiny kiosk; others up to 5 or 6 outlets selling expensive jewellery or developing film. Take all your own necessities.

Entertainment

Daytime: all hotel-based, revolving around beach activities, water sports, swimming and snorkelling. All resorts have a dive centre (offering courses) and water sports but not all have motorised options.
Nightlife: varies from nothing at all to full-on action provided by professional "animation teams". Most hotels find a happy medium of fairly low-key folklore shows and self-made entertainments such as "crab racing".

Eating Out

Limited to what each hotel offers as there is nowhere else to go. Some small resorts only have one main restaurant and offer nothing more than full board; larger properties have a selection of restaurants, some with 24-hr coffee shops and a wide choice of food. A la carte options tend to be expensive – as do all drinks – so booking on a full-board or all-inclusive basis can avoid hefty extras bills. Buffets tend to be the norm. Some islands boast a resident doctor.

Accommodation

Varies from large international-standard 5-star complexes to small holiday villages built of coral-stone, wood and thatch. All resorts now have hot water and air-conditioned guest rooms. A local innovation is the "garden bathroom": usually just a walled, roofless shower section. Another local speciality is the "water bungalow". Built on stilts over the lagoon these usually provide high-quality accommodation but increase the ratio of guests to island size. Time, weather and constant use take their toll and older properties can get run-down if not well maintained and regularly refurbished. As with most things, you generally get what you pay for – it's just that the prices here start high and go higher.

Local Excursions

Barbecues on uninhabited islands; diving and fishing safaris; shopping trips to Male; visits to islands inhabited by Maldivians or to neighbouring resorts; photo and excursion flights by float plane.

• Bookmark this page –
• Print this page