What is usually included in a Maldives holiday package?

The Maldives holiday packages that are on offer are usually all inclusive making sure that once you arrive and enjoy your holiday, and have a wonderful experience. Typically you will find the following:

• Flights are included in the per person price usually including airport taxes. This does vary from time to time so check with the agent.

• Transfers to and from the airport on both sides of the journey.

• Your choice of just breakfast, half board or full board.

• And of course accommodation at the resort of your choice.

As a small bonus for getting all you need in one place there is usually a bit of a discount that applies as opposed to getting everything separately. On top of this discount which is common when taking a package, keep your eyes out for special deals where you can get this all inclusive bundle for an even better deal.

Some of Maldives resorts:

The Maldives islands are a collection of more than 1,000 islands and while many of them are completely uninhabited just short of 100 of these islands is their very own tourist resort. Each resort gives you the full range of activities plus a few extras unique to each island.

The Medufishi Island Resort is one of the half moon islands, packed with thick, lush vegetation and surrounded by sandy beaches and corals.  Taking one of the Maldives holiday packages you can expect to pay in the region of R 10, 000 to R15,000 per person for a full 7 nights, all inclusive.

If it is the Robinson Crusoe effect with a splash of pure luxury thrown in, flip through to the Conrad Rangali Island. Worth every cent, a 7 night stay can cost around R 20, 000 to R25,000 per person. Unforgettable clear waters just below your feet as you make your way along the walkways across the ocean from each of the villas.

A variety of things to do in the Maldives

From relaxation to enjoying a day at the spa, there is an abundance of ways to keep entertained. The Maldives is like the Mecca for divers who are serious about their sport. The underwater sanctuary offers a pure abundance of rich sea life. Scuba diving is also a common activity offered at many of the resorts.

When choosing between Maldives holiday packages, bear in mind that you should compare a few packages, especially from different agents and websites. Do you research and a little homework and you should be able to find some outstanding deals on holiday packages.

Layout of Maldives Island resorts

This collection of Indian Ocean islands consists of just over 1,000 islands, 89 of these islands are dedicated to various resorts, another of them contains the capital city, Malé where you will find the airport and all the administration centres for all the islands. Malé is practically bursting at the seams with various land reclamation projects on the go in an attempt to expand the city.

A large number of the islands are not populated at all, while some of them belong solely to the local residents of the Maldives. These islands do not accommodate tourists, and thus, allowing the locals to get on with their daily routine.

Maldives resorts you will definitely want to visit

Laguna Beach Resort is a popular destination for holiday makers as well as newlyweds on Maldives honeymoon packages who enjoy the privacy offered by its seclusion from the rest of the islands. The half an hour trip from the main island is enough to whet the appetite for what the Maldives has to offer. The clarity of the shallow lagoons is mesmerising and they are perfect for paddling with youngsters.

Let the spectacular beauty of the Kuredu Island Resort captivate you with its beauty and abundance of relaxing activities. Maldives resorts are well known for their top quality spas and therapeutic treatments.
If it is style, class and luxury you are looking for take a peek at what Anantara Resort has to offer. With a very strong tropical paradise influence, warm sea and plenty of activities you will be spoilt by the top notch service and treatments.

More than what you expected

The Maldives is well known as an excellent diving location. The visibility is excellent and the coral reefs are rich in tropical fish and underwater plant life. Many professional divers make their way to the Maldives and as a result it is offered on a recreational basis for holiday makers too.

Snorkelling is a great way to get your feet wet, getting glimpses of the aquatic life forms, relax on the beach or enjoy a multitude of spa treatments. Well known as a perfect getaway for honeymooners there are many Maldives resorts that specialise in romantic occasions, offering you your very own private slice of the Maldives sandy shore and a secluded bungalow. On the other hand there are others who are geared towards families offering everything from child care faculties and other family orientated fun and activities.

Keep an eye out for some fantastic Maldives specials

Choosing to holiday in the Maldives you will find that many agents have packages that include everything from flights right down to activities offered by the resorts. Since they get a hefty discount from the resorts for their bulk bookings they are able to pass some real savings down to the travellers. In amongst this there are various other Maldives specials available across the various resorts.

If you are going as a family take a look at resorts that let the children stay free with adults. Usually they need to be in the same room but this can make a large saving travelling with smaller kids. Discounts usually from 10% – 25% on an already discounted package are fairly common and may be abundantly available during off peak times.

Some packages contain everything all rolled into one. While diving is a professional and rather costly sport in the Maldives, finding a resort or package that includes these activities at good rates can result in good savings.

Keep your eye out for travel agents or Maldives resorts offering group discounts. The special may be packaged so that if you book a group and one stays for free for the entire duration of the stay or a discount will be applied to the overall total. In much the same way some of the Maldives specials allow for longer stay. Book a week and stay an extra night for free. These types of specials are particularly beneficial for shorter stays such as 3 or 4 days.

Other options that you can take advantage of:

• Extra low flat rates are offered out of season and sometimes as a promotion special for a particular resort or group of resorts.

• Opening specials for brand new resorts can save a lot of cash that can be well spent on extra activities including hiring equipment or shopping.

• Why not upgrade from bed and breakfast to half board for free? Many of the resorts offer various specials of this nature.

Your stay in the Maldives will be truly memorable and by ensuring that you take advantage of any number of the array of Maldives specials you will have the extra cash you need to enjoy some activities from diving, surfing or even a boat tour around the coral reefs and small islands that offer eye-fulls of enchanting scenery.

By researching all the available options you will find that a stay in the Maldives will be as cost effective and a magnificent choice.

A truly unforgettable experience

Considering Maldives honeymoon packages, there is no better gift to give yourself than the perfect getaway where memories will be forever imprinted. You will always have fond reminders of the start of your life together to reminisce over. Known for the perfect romantic location, the Maldives are also infamous for warm water, sparkling clear lagoons, coral reefs, generous in colourful sea life and beautiful Maldives weather all year round. But that is not all!

• The Maldives has become the number one choice for professional divers as a sort of diving Mecca.  The conditions are usually perfect, the water never too deep and the visibility good. Because of this there is always a diving instructor ready to give some lessons, you will readily find an outlet to rent equipment and your resort will be able to set you up  with a trained professional who can show you underwater scenes you have only dreamed about.

• The Maldives experiences monsoons and while these may bring the rain they also bring good surfing weather. The seas never get too rough and offer close to idyllic conditions for surfing.

• Lazing above a lagoon in a hammock strapped to tall palm trees is the perfect way to spend time with the one you love. With the sand just beneath your feet you are also able to gaze into the lagoon just inches away.

• While scuba diving may seem an extreme form of relaxation, snorkelling is a great alternative to enjoy the warmth of the water and have a sneak peak at what the sea bed has to offer. Once again, equipment is ready available for hire.

• Chartered flights and speed boat rides are usually the main mode of transport between the islands. As much as they are practical they are also fun and give you a real sense of freedom. Take a day trip to other resorts on nearby islands or spend a day in the capital.

Fit it all into your budget

If you are on your honeymoon you need to be sure that you have everything covered. By selecting one of the various Maldives honeymoon packages you can be sure that your transfers to and from the airport is taken care of.

All flights are included and meals can be customised. The packages deal with absolutely everything as well as trips to the spa, some popular activities and lots of information to ensure that you don’t miss out on the time of your life.

Don’t delay, compare and book your dream Maldives honeymoon package today.

This also means that practically every part of the Maldives is above sea level with plenty of shallow waters surrounding the islands. Within the atolls are sand bars, some elongated and some semi circular, as well as lagoons. These 1,200 islands are clustered within 19 different atolls of which only approximately 200 of the islands are inhabited, while 89 are dedicated to resorts, each resort having their very own island.

Where on the Maldives map is the capital?

The capital of the Maldives is an entire island called Malé. This is located in the Malé Atoll just above the centre of the Maldives islands cluster. While the city has grown due to the increase in tourism and the resulting administrative activities there have been many projects attempting to reclaim the sandy, low lying areas to expand the island.

The airport as well as administrative areas and shopping centers are all located on this small island making even the furthest island less than 2 hours away by boat.

Before making your trip to the Maldives, map out your route in the northern atolls such as the Alif atoll, not only is there another airport for better access to the uppermost islands, you will find resorts such as The Angaga Resort and Spa and Athurugau Island Resort which are both more or less 85 kilometers from the northern airport.

The Kuredu Island Resort, a very common choice for visitors to the Maldives, can be found in the Llaviyari Atoll so it is relatively close to the airport and can be accessed by boat or even by sea plane. Getting to see the Maldives from the sky is an incredible experience, just wait until you step onto the island and feel the freedom and crystal clear beauty of the luxury and style offered by this very popular destination.

When you are looking around for a great place to stay on the Maldives map, be careful not to skip over the South Kaafu Atoll where you will find the very well known Anantara Resort. A mere 19 kilometers from the airport, the boat trip out to this Indian Ocean treasure is an experience all of its own. The islands have gained their popularities with newlyweds and couples for the great selection of romantic offerings including private beaches and top notch service.

While there are many great attractions on the islands, the Maldives map shows you just how broad an area they expand and how rich the sea life is not to mention the lushness of the vegetation on land. Its situation is perfect for great weather all year round and an opportunity to visit must not be missed.

The east monsoon season brings very little rain and these winds also don’t affect the seas as much keeping the visibility good for divers and snorkelers. This runs from December to April. Since it is winter in the northern hemisphere, it is also the time with the most visitors. The good weather, excellent conditions for water sports makes the Maldives a sort after holiday destination.

The west monsoon season usually starts in May and lasts up until November. During this time there can sometimes be  fair amount of rain. This is usually not a problem as the average rainfall for the year is only 2 millimetres, so you are very unlikely to get drenched during your stay. Even during this time the temperatures are very warm averaging over around 25 degrees Celsius, making the occasional rain a very warm welcome. Surfers find that this is the best time to come since the Maldives weather is mild enough to produce good waves.

Maldives Weather – Packing Suggestions

The best advice is always to travel light. Pack a small selection of mix and match cool cotton clothing that can protect you from the sun, but allow your body to breathe. You will find that much of your attire will be beach clothes and swimming gear. If you plan to spend time in the capital it is important to remember that the culture is conservative and to cover up well out of general respect.

Weather patterns in the North and South of the Maldives

The Maldives actually covers a large expanse of the Indian Ocean, with the equator running through them. While there are very general patterns in the Maldives weather, there are also some differences between the northern atolls and those found further south.

• During the rainy season there are more rainy days in the southern atolls. Also, the total rainfall is higher than up north.

• The northern atolls do experience rain and while there are fewer days where it rains, the rain falls a lot heavier.

When is the best time to travel?

While the temperature in the Maldives is relatively constant, the main deciding factors are the monsoons and the rain that are associated with them. Between the east and west monsoons are transition periods which offer the best in comfort for visitors. Booking your Maldives holiday packages in advance is a good idea as you will be able to claim your place.

Maldives weather can work in your favour, and a planned trip will ensure you have options and activities to attend for the rainy days. All in all the Maldives weather makes it a popular holiday destination.

The average flight time is round 20 hours. The shorter the flight to Maldives, the more you can expect to pay while the more stops during the journey the less expensive the tickets are. There are a number of other upsides to extra stopovers in that you are able to tour some countries during your brief stop. Mauritius does not require pre approved visas and if you plan the flight well, through your travel agent, you will be able to hire a taxi and tour the city for the day before continuing with the rest of your journey to paradise.

For South Africans having chosen to holiday in the Maldives they have surely made a great choice. Here are some tips for dealing with the long flight to the Maldives.

• Opt for a flight that has more than one stop and make arrangements to spend time in the country where you are stopping over. Bearing this in mind carry some light hand luggage to make the day’s adventure comfortable. This also minimises jetlag.

• Do not carry cash, instead use internationally accepted credit cards. International airports are equipped with ATM’s where you will be able to draw some money to enjoy the sights of the city.

• If the airline allows it, book your luggage right through to the Maldives, collecting only in Malè.

• Ensure that if you need a visa for a stopover that it has already been arranged through your travel agent and also don’t forget to include items that you might need to freshen up.

By the time you arrive in the Maldives from your flight you will be excited and ready to begin your adventure. Make sure that you have booked a your Maldives holiday package that covers a minimum of 5, but an average of 7 days before packing up to leave the islands again as you would want to explore and make the most of your time on holiday.

Flights to Maldives can be a little long, and for this reason the airlines are well aware of these facts and try to encourage you to make use of your trip while at the same time the very best is being done at all times to ensure that your flight is comfortable and that you are relaxed upon arrival. Have a wonderful flight to Maldives, and enjoy your holiday.