Sun Island Resort & Spa

Sun Island Resort and Spa

The Sun Island Resort & Spa in the Maldives is located on the island of Nalaguraidhoo, one of the many gorgeous tropical islands in this island nation. Sun Island has all the creature comforts and facilities you could need to have a great holiday in the Maldives.

Sun Island Resort & Spa Accommodations

There are four different types of accommodation at the Sun Island Resort & Spa: The Deluxe Room, the Super Deluxe Room, Water Bungalow and Presidential Suite. In total, there are 350 rooms and they vary in amenities and comfort depending on your budget. The Deluxe Room, Sun Island’s cheapest accommodation starts from EUR 111 per night, which is quite affordable in terms of the Maldives. For the quintessential Maldives experience, you should choose the one of the Water Bungalows, located on a wooden pier straddling out over the amazing blue waters. These rooms feature direct access to the lagoon, satellite TV and a private sundeck to mention just a few amenities.

Sun Island Resort & Spa Activities

Perfect for couples, families and groups, the Sun Island Resort and Spa offers an absolute wealth of activities including boating, canoeing, volleyball, surfing, sailing, snorkeling, tennis court, fishing trips, scuba diving, jet skiing, windsurfing and even crab racing! There are in fact, too many activities to mention, but pretty much anything you can think of, you can do at the Sun Island Resort. The resort’s dive centre offers a variety of PADI-certified courses, day trips and night dives suitable for all levels of diving expertise. The Resort’s Spa boasts all kinds of treatments and facilities including a sauna, gymnasium, beauty parlour, Jacuzzi and massage parlour. The hotel also has comprehensive meeting and conference facilities, in case you want to bring the whole company for an unforgettable team-building experience.

Crab Race Winner at Sun Island Resort

Sun Island Resort & Spa Nightlife

For those concerned with action after dark as well as during the day, the Sun Island Resort will not disappoint. There are nightly events that include karaoke, live music, disco and a traditional Maldivian night with local dancing.

Sun Island Resort & Spa Food & Drink

The Sun Island Resort has 9 restaurants and bars in total, meaning that even if you stay for three weeks, you will never grow tired of eating here. On top of that, all the food is excellent! The restaurant options include a poolside bar, a beach bar, Italian and Japanese over-water restaurant, Indian Restaurant and a Fresh Fish Grill. There are a variety of plans at Sun Island, including Half Board and All Inclusive, but you should note that All-Inclusive does not mean you can eat at every restaurant. If you are enticed by the variety of restaurants, it’s better to book room-only and pay-as-you-go in the restaurants each night. For more information about the Sun Island Resort & Spa, click here. Or if you have been to Sun Island Resort & Spa and would like to leave a review, please click here

Anantara Maldives

The Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa in the Maldives takes the idea of a luxurious holiday to a whole new level.

Anantara Maldives Over Water Villa

With 70 beach villas and 40 over water villas dotted around the private, Dhigufinolhu Island in the Maldives, The Anantara Dhigu Resort is an enchanting holiday destination, reached by a 35-minute speedboat ride from the Male International Airport.

Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa has everything you could need to make your next holiday to the Maldives one of the most special holidays of your lifetime, perfect for a honeymoon or even a renewal of vows.  For the truly lucky ones among us, Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa could become a regular holiday spot as you will undoubtedly want to return, year after year.

Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa Villas

 There are several different kinds of villas to choose from at Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa, depending on your needs, wants and of course, your budget.  No matter what decision you make, chances of disappointment are slim to none.  All of the villas at Anantara are equisitely decorated, combining Western comforts with Asian style and design.  All of the beach villas are beachfront and have their very own stretch of beach, or a private pool.  Again, the choice is yours to make.  Inside the villas, guests enjoy the modern conveniences of flat screen televisions and coffee machine, not to mention the 24-hour room service.  If you can’t relax here, where can you?

Anantara Dhigu Activities

For those of us who seek a little more adventure on their holidays, Anantara does not disappoint.  The hotel offers a complete range of aquatic activitites, from scuba diving and snorkeling to Kayaking and Windsurfing.  Most anything to do with water, you will find it here at Anantara.  There is also a complete spa, fitness center and childcare centre, as well as a range of daytrips and excursions like the Male Shopping trip.

Anantara Dhigu Dining

Dining at Anantara is another of the great pleasures that await you in this island paradise.  The resort offers eight restaurants, including an open-air waterside cafe, the Fusion Grill bringing spices from around the world together with locally-caught fresh seafood, an intimate Italian bistro ideal for romantic dinners, the poolside bar complete with swim-up section where you can quench your thirst as you bask in the sunshine and the resort also offers special candelit dinners on the beach where you will be treated to some of the finest food in the world as you gaze at the stars.  A truly magical selection of restaurants are here at Anantara Dhigu Resort in the Maldives.

For more information about Anantara, visit their website at http://dhigu-maldives.anantara.com/

W Retreat & Spa Maldives

W Maldives Retreat & Spa

The W Retreat & Spa Maldives, a member of the W Hotel Chain opened in 2009 and instantly sprung to fame as one of the Maldives’ finest resorts. Located on the Fesdu Island in the North Ari Atoll, the resort is a 30-minute journey by seaplane from the Male International Airport.

W Maldives Features

The W Maldives offers every amenity and luxury that an exigent traveller might request, from private whirlpool Jacuzzi tubs in the guest rooms, all with an unbeatable ocean view to some of the best restaurants in the Maldives. An enormous variety of activities are offered to guests of the W Maldives, including snorkelling, kite surfing, windsurfing, catamaran sailing, water aerobics, yoga and sports fishing. The resort also boasts a full spa, dive centre and health club.

 W Maldives Accommodation 

W Maldives Retreat and Spa

There are four different room types on offer at the W Maldives: Beach Oasis, Ocean Oasis, Seascape Escape and Ocean Haven, with the latter being the most luxurious. All the rooms have a private pool and sundeck and a plethora of indulgent amenities. The Ocean Haven, however, takes luxury to a whole new level, offering a private bar, barbecue area, 50” flat-screen TV and some of the most spectacular decor you will ever set eyes on. To say that the W Maldives is like something out of a glossy brochure is a gross understatement, but it is difficult to put into words the sheer beauty of such a resort.

W Maldives Retreat and Spa

Eating and Drinking at W Maldives

W Maldives has six restaurants in total, including a swim-up bar, over-water sunset caviar bar, a simple Thai kitchen, a seafood restaurant serving only the freshest fish of the day and a sexy cocktail bar. The variety and selection mean that you can spend a week or two relaxing at the W Maldives and still look forward to a varied nightlife, if you can tear yourself off the sundeck or out of the hammock, that is!

Getting Married at W Maldives

W Maldives is one of the premier hotels in the Maldives and prides itself on being the perfect choice for couples looking to take their vows in paradise. The hotel will take care of everything for you, making your wedding an absolute breeze to organise.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

Conrad Maldives Resort

The Conrad Maldives, a member of the Conrad branch of the Hilton Group is definitely one of the Maldives’ premier resorts, if not the best one in the entire archipelago.  The Conrad Maldives straddles two private islands in the Ari Atoll of the Maldives, some 30 minutes by seaplane from the international airport at Male.  The hotel offers the utmost in luxury to the discerning Maldives traveller.

Conrad Maldives Features

As you might expect, the islands on which the Conrad Maldives is located are some of the most beautiful islands in the world, fringed by perfect white sand and swaying palm trees.  The scuba diving close to the resort is some of the best in the world and the dive centre at Conrad Maldives is equipped with the best dive equipment available and the highest trained diving professionals and instructors.  The hotel also offers a variety of top-class restaurants, a complete spa, fitness centre, sailing, windsurfing and canoeing.

Conrad Maldives Spa

Conrad Maldives Accommodation

Conrad Maldives has a total of 150 guest rooms, including 50 water villas, 21 spa water villas and 79 beach villas.  All of the accommodations offer the ultimate in comfort, luxury and amazing views.  All the villas are spacious and airy with a clean, stylish feel to them that inspires total relaxation, romance and rest.  Conrad Maldives is the perfect place to get away from it all and reconnect with yourself and your loved ones.

Praise for Conrad Maldives

Conrad Maldives has been given more awards than you can probably imagine.  In fact, the Conrad chain is probably one of the most prized hotel chains in the world.  In particular, Conrad Maldives has been bestowed the following accolades:  Best Spa Hotel in Asia 2008 by Smart Travel Asia, Hideaway of the Year 2008 by Hideaway Magazine and the Best Wine List in the World 2008 by Wine Spectator Magazine.  A visit to Conrad Maldives will leave you certain that there will be more prizes to come for this magnificent hotel.

Dining at Conrad Maldives

Conrad Maldives offers a great selection of gastronomic experiences.  Perhaps the most famous is the hotel’s unique underwater restaurant – the only one of its kind in the world.  Imagine sipping champagne and chowing on lobster as a huge Manta Ray glides overhead.  It’s very much like how dining in a aquarium might be, but this is under the ocean!  Space is limited at the Ithaa Restaurant, so book in advance.  Other restaurant experiences include the Sunset Bar and Grill, the Atoll Market complete with eight specialist kitchens spotlighting cuisines from around the world, the Koko Grill and the Wine Cellar, an amazing restaurant proud to be the winner of the Best Wine List in the World.  Wherever you choose to eat or drink in the Conrad Maldives, you will not be disappointed.

Conrad Maldives Ithaa Underwater Restaurant

Flights to the Maldives

Going to the Maldives on your next holiday? Then it’s about time that you also start searching for discount flights to Maldives. There are dozens of airlines that operate flights to and from the Maldives everyday, and finding a good deal wouldn’t be that hard.

Where do Maldives Flights Arrive

At present, all flights to the Maldives arrive at the  only international airport inthe country, the Male International Airport on the island of Hulhule which is connected to many major world cities, including London, Singapore, India, and many other places. Gan Airport, the country’s domestic airport, is currently being upgraded to international standards so it will be able to accommodate more international flights to the Maldives.  Currently you might use Gan Airport to catch a seaplane or air taxi to another of the many islands in the Maldives.

Maldives Flight Prices

Since there is only one international airport in the country, the price of a ticket for a flight to the Maldives will only differ on your city of origin, the season you purchase your ticket, and the airline company. One of the best ways to get on a flight to Maldives is by planning your vacation out of season. Airline companies may offer reasonable ticket prices at different times of the year. On the other hand, you can also opt to look for discount flights of various airline companies. Checking websites of various airline companies can help you learn about various promotions and compare prices as well.  You might also consider waiting until last minute because some travel companies offer cheap last minute deals to the Maldives.

Weather and Climate in the Maldives

The Maldives is an island country located in Southern Asia.  Being in a tropical area of the world, Maldives weather  is usually warm, humid, and ideal for a great tropical vacation.

Coconut Tree on Beach in the Maldives

Geography

The weather of Maldives is greatly influenced by various geographical elements. The landmass of South Asia, located at the north of the country, affects the heating of the islands and the water and the shifts of Himalayan jet stream gives the country very moisture-rich air. This mixture of warm and cold air makes the country a birthplace of low-pressure areas.

Seasons of Maldives

Maldives weather has only two seasons: the dry and rainy season. The country receives an annual rainfall average of 2,540 millimeters in its northern area and 3,810 millimeters in the south. The temperature of the country measures between 24 and 33 degrees Celsius.

Rainy season usually occurs at the end of April until the end of October.  The rainiest period of this season is September/October, sometimes referred to as the Maldives Typhoon Season, although storms rarely last more than a couple of days at most.  There is no hurricane season in the Maldives.  Hurricanes are strictly a phenomenon of the western hemisphere.

Dry season in the Maldives begins in the first week of December and ends in March.

During the months of October and November, the country goes a transition period from the rainy to the dry season, wherein the  Maldives weaher is usually cooler than the rest of the year.

The weather patterns in the Maldives, however, do not always conform to the seasons. Rain showers may fall over the country for an entire week even during the dry season.

Resorts in the Maldives

Your visit to Maldives is only as good as the resort you spend your holiday in.  After all, who likes having their holidays ruined by poor facilities and other problems? So, here are some things to consider when looking for a good Maldives holiday resort.

Hilton Maldives

Maldives Resort Facilities and Activities

For those traveling with their family, it would be great to stay in a Maldives resort that can cater to both parents and kids. Having a day care center or kid’s club will allow the kids to enjoy their day at the beach, while mom and dad can go shopping in boutiques or spend a romantic time by the beach.

If you’re traveling with a group of friends, it would be great to stay in resorts that serve great cocktails and have good entertainment where you can dance the night away under the stars.

But aside from all the partying and relaxation, a good Maldives resort should also provide other services that their guests could enjoy such as snorkeling and scuba diving.

Maldives Resorts Price range

Spending a night in a decent Maldives resort would cost you at least 190 USD a night, while more expensive resorts may have rates that go above 500 USD.

Choosing my Maldives Resort

Luckily for you, choosing a Maldives Resort is easier than ever before.  There are hundreds of resorts on the islands and nearly all of the main hotel chains are represented in the Maldives.  And, the large hotel chains usually choose the Maldives to build their very finest hotel or resort.  Some of the most popular resorts of the moment are the W Maldives, Conrad Maldives, Anantara Resort and Spa, Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and the Hilton Maldives.  You can see reviews for these hotels at www.MaldivesReviews.com

Conrad Maldives

Liveaboards in the Maldives

Maldives Liveaboard Blue Lagoon

Maldives Liveaboards or Live Aboards, as they are sometimes known, are medium sized power boats that cruise around the Maldives, embarking on a series of water sports, principally scuba diving.  The Liveaboards have a number of rooms or cabins and provide all-inclusive accommodation to guests on board.  Most Maldives Liveaboards offer one- or two-week trips.

Maldives Liveaboard Season

The Maldives Liveaboard season is technically a year-round season.  While there are climatic changes in the Maldives, the islands’ proximity to the equator means that water and air temperatures are always warm and scuba diving is always possible.  However, depending on the time of year, the Liveaboards tend to visit different dive sites in different areas of the archipelago. 

You will hear two seasons mentioned when looking into liveaboard holidays in the Maldives: the Northeast Monsoon and Southwest Monsoon Seasons.  The NE Monsoon runs from December to April and the SW Monsoon from May to November.  The NE Monsoon is the dryer of the two seasons.  However, all marine life can be found throughout both seasons, just in different parts of the Maldives.

Maldives Liveaboard Activities

Traditionally, Maldives Liveaboard holidays are scuba diving holidays.  However, other activities can be enjoyed aboard the liveaboards, including snorkeling, water skiing and banana boating.  Guests aboard liveaboards also partake in dry-land activities including cultural visits to traditional Maldives villages, picnics on desert islands and shopping trips in Male.  Now that surfing and fishing are become more popular in the Maldives, there are also liveaboards that offer surfing and fishing holidays.

Maldives Liveaboard Facilities

Maldives liveaboards range in comfort level from quite basic to absolutely luxurious, depending on the travelers’ budgets.  There are some boats that offer in-room Jacuzzis and on-board spas, while others offer simple en-suite bathrooms.  All the liveaboards offer three meals a day and a couple of snacks and have full bars, although drinks prices are not usually included in the price of the accommodation.  They also have all the diving equipment, including first aid supplies and divers’ oxygen.  Most liveaboards travel with another, smaller boat called a Dhoni, from which all the dives are taken and where all the diving equipment is stowed.

Maldives Liveaboard Prices

The price of a liveaboard holiday in the Maldives varies tremendously.   Trips last 7 or 14 nights and depending on the boat and the season, the trip costs from around USD$1,000 to USD$1,800 per person per week, based on double occupancy.  Single occupancy supplements apply.  On top of this, you need to pay for your flights to the Maldives.  While this may seem like an expensive trip, it is one of the most economical ways to see the Maldives.  Many resorts in the archipelago charge upward of USD$500 per night and that doesn’t include the scuba diving or any activities, so a liveaboard holiday is really good value!

For more information about Maldives Liveaboards, or to book your Maldives Liveaboard Holiday, visit www.MaldivesDiveTravel.com.

Maldives Fishing

Fishing in the Maldives - Blue Fishing Boat

The Maldives is home to some of the planet’s most spectacular marine life that ranges from whales and dolphins to the smallest coral-dwelling invertebrate and everything in between. This incredible aquatic diversity makes the Maldives one of the world’s premier scuba diving destinations and now, the Republic of the Maldives is also becoming an important place on the world fishing map.

Sports Fishing in the Maldives

When sports fishing in the Maldives, you can experience the ways the locals fish, with a traditional line and weights, or you can use the modern equipment you are probably already used to. Fishing Tour Operators are increasing in the Maldives as people begin to consider the Maldives as a fishing destination. There are even several fishing liveaboards (like the scuba diving liveaboards) that you can spend a whole week on, trawling around the archipelago in search of the best sportsfishing.

Maldives Fish Species

If you are lucky enough to go fishing in the Maldives, you will be fishing for Sailfish, Tuna, Swordfish, Marlin, Wahoo and Barracuda, among other fish species.

Spear fishing in the Maldives

Spear fishing is banned in the Maldives as the waters here are protected by the Maldivian Government. Interestingly enough, the first scuba divers to come to the Maldives were from Italy and their main reason for coming to the Maldives was to hunt. They flocked to these densely populated waters with their spear guns and began to hunt the larger marine animals in the waters, namely the sharks, rays and large pelagic species. Later on, when the Maldives became popular with German tourists, they brought it to the Maldivian Government’s attention that this barbaric sport could indeed cause fish populations to dwindle and also discourage other tourists from visiting the Maldives due to these barbaric fishing activities. So, 1998 the ban on spear fishing in the Maldives came into force.

The Maldives Fishing Industry

Sardines at Male Fish Market

Fishing is one of the most important industries in the Maldives, along with tourism. A large percentage of Maldivian people make their living from fishing in the Maldivian waters. Fish is also the main source of protein for the islanders, so demand for the Maldives’ fish is generated both locally and abroad. Fish exports from the Maldives are consistently growing, with the most commonly exported fish species being several varieties of Tuna, Snapper, Mahi Mahi and Sailfish. There is even a tuna cannery on the island of Felivaru, which provides a lot of jobs to the locals.

The Maldivians who fish independently bring their catch in every day to the fish market at Male where they sell it to all the hotels and resorts from around the archipelago. A typical day’s catch can be from about 300 – 100 pounds of fish, although as time goes by, the catches are getting smaller. All fish in the Maldives must be caught by line and pole; net fishing is prohibited as a way of protecting these amazing waters. All species counts are greatly decreased from what they were years ago, particularly sharks and lobsters – despite being protected by law. Female lobsters are not to be fished, but it still happens.

With a rapidly-growing population in the Maldives and a booming tourism industry, the demand for fish in the Maldives is increasing rapidly, as the supply is decreasing – even more rapidly.

Getting Married in the Maldives

Maldives Wedding Ceremony

 As the cost of getting married increases along with the pressure to throw an incredible wedding that will cost tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds, more and more people are looking into the idea of getting married abroad.  It can be a daunting prospect, with so many things to organise, but most people who have taken the plunge and had their wedding on foreign soil actually say that it is easier than getting married at home. 

Why have your wedding in the Maldives

The Maldives is the ultimate beach destination.  Just a quick look on the internet or in glossy travel brochures will let you know that these are some of the best beaches in the world.  As well as the best beaches, the Maldives has many of the world’s finest beach resorts, many of which are not just located on the best beaches in the world, but are also very skilled at planning wedding.

How much will a Maldives wedding cost?

Of course, how much you spend on a wedding depends on many things.  How many people will you invite?  What level of service do you want?  How many nights will you be spending in the Maldives and will you pay for all your guests accommodation?  As a rule of thumb, people who opt for a foreign wedding tend to foot the bill for all their guests.  At the same time, weddings abroad tend to be much smaller affairs, with just 10-30 of your closest friends and family as the guests instead of the hundreds of people we usually invite to our wedding when staying at home.  Costs you need to take into account would be flights to and from Male, the Maldives’ international airport, hotel accommodation which can range from US$300 to US$1500 per room per night.

Maldives Wedding Packages

Maldives Bride

You will find that many of the resorts in the Maldives offer special wedding packages, including things like spa treatments, honeymoon suite upgrades, welcome parties for you and your guests.  There are even tour operators in the UK that organise holidays with the wedding package included.  You should be aware, however, that the ceremony offered at all hotels in the Maldives is not legally binding since it is a Muslim country.

Maldives Wedding Ceremonies

The Maldives is a Muslim country, so the wedding ceremonies performed at the hotels and resorts in the Maldives is not legally binding.  However, you can have an authentic Maldivian wedding ceremony if you so choose, although remember that this would be a Muslim ceremony, so this might be against your religious views.    A real Maldives wedding must be held in  a mosque and presided over by the Atoll Chiefs.  There is a lot of tradition surrounding the ceremony which you have to abide by, including a white dress for the bride  and a black and white suit for the groom.

After your wedding in the Maldives

The really great thing about getting married in the Maldives is that you don’t have to worry about organising a honeymoon.  Simply extend your holiday a little futher after the wedding and then you are already on honeymoon, with as many or as few of your friends as you like!