The Maldives conjure up images of pristine beaches, reef-ringed atolls, and luxurious bungalows on the water, where lucky guests can observe fish through glass floors and jump into the sea from their deck.
We were travelling to Sri Lanka so thought might as well go to Maldives as well. Indians don't require visa so it was a easy decision to finalise. The Maldives was a logical and obvious addition to my itinerary. We were split whether to go for a local Male hotel or a resort island. I was travelling with my parents and sister.
We chose the "HIGH LIFE". Olhuveli Beach and Spa Resort was a great choice. Like all resorts, the hotel is on its own private island that boasts over water bungalows, their own restaurant, bar, spa, and operated tours. All the meals were included in our stay at the resort which is the way most of the resorts work as going to the mainland costs around 250$ per person per round trip which is REALLY expensive and not worth it. The drinks were really expensive. The beach was awesome.
There is no alcohol – As the Maldives is a Muslim country, you can’t get alcohol anywhere in the country, except on the resort islands which have a special exemption. When you arrive at the airport they have lockers where you can keep your duty free or any alcohol you are travelling with. Pretty neat I would say. No wastage. (Though there is a special barge for drinking off Maafushi, at the time of my visit, it was being repaired for the foreseeable future.)
Flying is not cheap – Flying is incredibly expensive here. Flights from Malé to surrounding atolls can cost up to $350 USD each way per person. The resorts usually provide for transfer this is just the case when you are going to other atolls to visit.
Take lots of USD – Though the Maldives has its own currency, US dollars are widely accepted, and you often get a better price if you pay in USD. This varies from one restaurant or shop to another, so I carried both currencies with me and paid in whatever currency had a lower price.
Male as a city is not something I would recommend. We were stalked by a guy from the ferry where he gave us his card just in case we wanted to buy souveniers. He followed us around for almost the whole time we were there. At the end we complained to a police officer we saw and he asked him to move away. It was really scary as it was just the ladies (me,mom and sister) going around the city as my dad was waiting at the airport with all our bags. Another thing that happened was at a shop we went too - this shopkeeper was a wholesaler which we were ready to take but we tried bargaining and then decided that okay we ll just take it at the price he was giiving - but he lost his shit. He started saying that I am not going to sell to you - Indians - blah blah . We didnt argue much and just left. The guy that was stalking us was right outside the shop so we figured he must have said something. Anyway. IT WAS BAD and the city isnt pretty. So yeah...go enjoy the resort and other small islands.
It will be a real VACATION!