Maldives Travel Tips important for Your Holiday

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Plan your holiday according to the weather, the low season of Maldives starts from April to September where the price coming with good value. Unlike months from November to April is a high season so the price is higher for resort and activities.

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Don’t Plan your trip in the month of Ramadan, This month observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, a prayer. So don’t expect to get pork and alcohol and the availability of food during the daytime will be a challenge and many services and shops will be closed, especially during the time of prayer.

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You must pre-book transport before your arrival except for the public ferry. It is very difficult to come to the Maldives and organize transfer from the airport to the island by yourself. All transfers must be pre-booked to ensure a smooth transportation process. Also to prevent disturbing delays at the airport or even an extra night in Male.
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Some properties are only accessible by certain modes of transfer. Island transfer time depends on the selected hotel.

If your island is located close enough to Male, you can reach an island by a speedboat. The resort organizes a private speedboat transfer to pick you up from Male International Airport and immediately following to the hotel.

If your island is located in the far atolls, which are a long distance from Male, you need to book a transfer by seaplane or domestic flight.

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Arrival and departure date-time flight details are required to ensure proper scheduling of transfers to and from the resort.
You must send arrival and departure flight details directly to the property at least 72 hours prior to arrival. The resort will inform you about the best mode of transportation time and organize a trip on your behalf. Seaplane & domestic flight with speed boat reservations are automatically confirmed at the time of hotel booking.

Speedboat transfers can be as short as 10 minutes or as long as 3 hours. The ferry pier for speed boat transfers is just outside the arrival hall.

Seaplane transfers take from 30 minutes to 1 hour and operate on daylight only. They operate from 6:00 am until 4:30 pm. You must arrive in Male before 3:00 pm in order to catch the same day Seaplane transfer. Unlike Domestic airplane Operate 24 hours per day.

All Transfer will be combined and schedule transfer according to your international arrival and departure flight. Each passenger may carry 20kg of checked luggage and 5kg of hand luggage. 

Ferry boat or slow Boat (dhoni) Transfer by ferry boat is the cheapest transport option in Maldives.
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Make sure before your payment what is your invoice included? Does it includes accommodation only or accommodation with transportation, Food, ect..to avoid any miss understood.

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Don’t forget on Friday. It’s a day off in Maldives and ferries do not run. Always check the current ferry schedule with information from your guesthouse, as they can change regularly.

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While you plan a trip to Maldives, make sure you buy Sim Cards one of the first tasks post landings. This is one of the most important Maldives travel tips that you need to consider. Of course, the resort is providing free Wifi but in case if you are out for some tours or activity and you want to share your happiness with your friends and family. As well it’ll come in handy in case there is an emergency or you’re stuck somewhere.

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Every country has its rules and culture and Maldives as a Muslim country we have to follow some important steps during your visit. Ensure you are decently covered, especially knees, shoulders, abdomen, chest, and elbows while visiting the local islands. But when you stay at your resort you are free to dress as you wish. There is also a restriction on the public display of affection and homosexuality is a taboo as well.

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Choose accommodation and transportation which can satisfy your needs. If you are a family so go ahead with resorts that are friendly with kids and provide kids clubs, or if you are on love so look for an amazing resort for honeymooners and couples. You can refer to chapter2 for a list of Maldives resort for every kind (family-honeymoon-guesthouses etc….) with my recommendation.

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What’s Better for You? Go with All-Inclusive, Half board or Full Board

If you’re not frequently traveler, you probably don’t know what is included in each board basis. There can be a lot of confusion over half-board, Full Board and all-inclusive options. Although similar, there are some variations which you should take into consideration when choosing which basis is best for you.
 
So what is the deferent between All-Inclusive, Half board and full board? If you’re struggling to determine which board type is right for you, below we’ll reveal some of the main differences between all of them.

Half board holidays means breakfast and dinner at the resorts and you have to manage your own lunch. Drinks also tend to be sold separately, though there are some half board options that have them included in the cost.

Full Board Holiday means breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the resorts, but any snacks, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages will cost you extra. resorts usually offer tea and coffee, water throughout the day, maybe also juices or smoothies for breakfast. But for any other extra order, you have to pay, particularly alcoholic drinks.

All-Inclusive Holiday means that almost everything you would normally pay for on your holiday is included in your stay. This means breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks, and quite often some excursions and special activities.

What sets all-inclusive apart from the full board option, is that you will have your snacks and some resorts will have ice cream, poolside sandwich bars, and some others may offer a fully-stocked mini bar in the room so that you can eat and drink what you like free of charge.

Some other resorts can add special extras free such as yoga classes, tennis classes, art classes, and even water sport hire. And most of them offer free massages or discount vouchers for the spa, special excursion or a romantic private dinner for two.

So What’s Better for You? take your time and choose the right option for you before you book your holiday to get most out of your holiday you don’t want to end up paying far more than what you expected or restricted than what you want.

If you’re traveling with family, and you want to reduce the stress of family getaway and you don’t want to think twice about what you’re spending. All-inclusive holidays do tend to be the most affordable choice and more convenient, includes everything you really free to indulge and to sample many things. You can forget your wallet in the room as you’ll only need a little extra money for spending throughout the holiday. 

As all-inclusive packages do tend to vary quite significantly from one resort to another, it’s worth taking the time to compare the different options in order to choose the best one for you.

If you’re heading off on a couple’s holiday or looking for a budget holiday so you might find half board as a good option which allows you to explore a little more and enjoy more intimate dining options. Also, it is an ideal option if you are staying near the Male city you can enjoy your breakfast at the resort then try some of the local delicacies in some restaurant in Male city.

You can easily create your own budget-friendly lunches, with many offers you can refer to chapter3 where and what you eat in male. Enjoying breakfast and dinner at the hotel is really convenient and it gives you great flexibility compared to all-inclusive. again please take your time to compare options as, like all-inclusive packages, half board holidays do vary between resorts.

Keep in mind the full board option is good if you are non-drinking but if you are so, you have to know that the cost of the drinks is a little expensive so you may need to think about your choice.

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Keep USd for transactions, although Maldivian Rufiyaa is the national currency used in the Maldives, USD is widely accepted almost everywhere. Apart from the local islands. Most resort and travel expenses will be billed in dollars, and most visitors may never even see rufiyaa. As resort bills are settled by credit card and you’ll never need to pay for things in cash.

Most resorts and many local islands will accept the US Dollar and also Euros, Pounds sterling, Yen and other major currencies. If you’re staying in a resort, all extra costs like diving or other activities will be billed to your room, and you will pay before departure. So it is better to check with your resort before converting money into local currency because it is usually not necessary. The most resort is likely to convert it back to dollars, so you effectively lose out twice on the exchange rate. The same for the shops have things labeled in USD. 

So keeping cash is also important as there is a need to purchase odds and ends. And it is also difficult to find an ATM in the vicinity of Maldivian islands, thus it is necessary to keep the cash. For more information, refer to chapter1 All about Maldives.

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What to pack for Maldives trip and do it wisely

If you are heading to this wonderful destination, be sure to make it the best time ever with proper packing, so along with summer outfits, flip flops and bikinis here I list few essentials you should be carrying. So what to carry and what not to carry with you for the Maldives.

Alcohol, don’t try to sneak bargain booze into the country. The smuggling of alcohol into a country where it is prohibited because on arrival your luggage is X-rayed. Customs will politely confiscate bottles but return them unopened on departure or you may face a fine and may forfeit your holiday for the sake of a couple of slugs of alcohol.

Essentials to pack

Do carry a water-resistant or underwater camera with a polarizer to shoot all the action on land and underwater.

Maldives A sun-kissed beach destination. It is a tropical destination and the weather in Maldives is generally warm. So you should not be bringing warm or heavy clothes with you. So carry minimal tropical-friendly clothing, Light cotton garments, and smart evening wear as well swimsuits ( for private islands ).

Bikinis are not allowed everywhere in Maldives and try to follow the restriction for the country especially in the local islands except some “bikini beaches” which are specially meant for tourists to visit. But  you are totally free to dress as you wish such as bikinis in your private resort. Some ideas like Strappy Bikini as well as Tropical Bikini support and comfortable.

Here some ideal options like romper dress is super cute and comfortable outfits for hanging around the resort or while out exploring. 

A mini dress is perfect for a lovely dinner or a date night during your stay. Sun Dress makes the most of the sunshine in super cute summer dresses.

Wear Kaftans for beach and pool days good idea looks as bikini coverups.

Maxi dress, no wardrobe is complete without a couple of perfect maxi dresses. A gorgeous long dress is the easiest thing to style accompanied with a fun necklace that can be dressed up any style during the day or night.

It gets hot on those white-sand beaches and you will need a hat Wide-brimmed sun hat. Personal care products, and medical emergency kit. Surf wax sunscreen chooses the one that provides great protection and made from natural and organic ingredients as the chemicals in other sunscreens sure can cause damage to your skin. Don’t think to buy the sunscreen from the Maldives, as it is very expensive on the island. Then go on for sunglasses, toiletries, Insect repellant.

You might be spending most of the time barefoot. So leave those uncomfortable heels and go with ones at the bay Sandals and flip flops.

Finally, staying for more than one week in one resort may make you feel boring. There are many options you can combine 2 resort if you stay like 10 or more days. There are some resort connection can reach between them via speed boat then you can break your stay to enjoy more and changing the style.