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Luxury Maldives Travel Guide – The Luxury Editor

19 January 2024

An archipelago consisting of 26 separate atolls, the Maldives is made up of greater than 1000 coral islands. Influenced by numerous cultures over the centuries, together with Indian, Arab, African, Portuguese and Dutch settlers, it grew to become a British protectorate within the nineteenth century. The Maldives then gained independence from British rule in 1965 and has since developed into an impartial and fashionable vacationer vacation spot. Seen as the last word paradise spot with untouched white sand seashores, clear lagoons and low rise, typically over-water ultra-luxe lodging, it’s a frequent first selection for honeymooners and A-listers.

Helpful Information

Methods to get there

Count on to be on a aircraft for between 10 to 12 hours, adopted by a speedboat switch, home flight or seaplane to your resort (the latter a part of the journey is a picturesque expertise and really a lot a part of your Maldivian vacation journey). Malé is the primary worldwide airport, with direct flights from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Bristol. Many guests like to mix the journey with just a few nights’ stop-off in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha or Muscat. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways are among the many carriers who fly to the Maldives.

When to go to

The height vacationer season is January to March when the climate is mostly dry and there’s minimal rainfall. It’s a superb time for water actions as visibility is at its finest. And the temperatures are comfy, starting from 25°C to 31°C in the course of the day. Could to November is a quieter time, characterised by extra rainfall and better humidity, though showers are normally short-lived and adopted by solar. These looking for a stability of busyness and settled climate might select to journey in the course of the shoulder seasons.

Excellent vacation sorts

Romance is synonymous with this a part of the world, offering the proper setting to change off and join with each other in breathtaking and peaceable environment.

Households additionally love the Maldives, with all-inclusive resorts providing youngsters’ golf equipment and huge self catering villas — some with enormous slides proper into the lagoons.

Watersports are ample right here; snorkelling, diving and swimming the reefs permits guests to find a few of the world’s most vibrant tropical marine life.

Spa breaks are fashionable, with the remoted nature of the islands permitting travellers to concentrate on their private wellness in 5 star resorts.

Eco-friendly actions like coral planting and marine conservation initiatives are on the rise.

Eat

Ozen Life Maadhoo – M6m

Think about eating six metres beneath the ocean, surrounded by vibrant marine life, bathed within the aquamarine hues of the ocean. That is the fact of a meal at M6m, Ozen Life Maadhoo’s signature restaurant. Start your culinary journey with champagne and caviar on the upstairs lounge, earlier than descending into this magical world; a chic setting for any anniversary, proposal or bucket listing expertise. All tables are positioned to face the watery spectacle, so you’ll be able to benefit from the freshest seafood and wine pairings, whereas mesmerised by the view. M6m serves lunch and dinner, with the latter reserved for over 12s. Learn our overview of the Ozen Life Maadhoo

View Menu – theozencollection.com

Ozen Reserve Bolifushi – ORIGINE

Ozen Reserve Bolifushi provides a number of eating places, together with this multi-sensory eating expertise at ORIGINE. Most of the veggies and herbs come handpicked from the Chef’s Backyard, these are paired with the freshest native seafood and high-quality cuts of meat. The resort’s Elite Cellar Picks offers a selection of over 80 labels of wines to accompany your meal (the illuminated “Cuvee Library” assortment could be seen by floor-to-ceiling glass panels). Comfortable armchair-style seating, ambient lighting and glowing amber hues create a convivial and heat environment. Learn our overview of the Ozen Reserve Bolifushi

View Menu – theozencollection.com

Soneva – Flying Sauces

Observe a 200-meter path by zipline by a cover of timber, to achieve this eating platform and open kitchen. A part of Soneva Fushi, Flying Sauces is an unbelievable treetop culinary expertise set 12 metres above floor. It has the biggest assortment of wine and poo within the Indian Ocean, due to the resort’s library-like cellar and unbelievable views. When you’ve arrived and eliminated your harness, you’ll take seats round an enormous round desk seating as much as 12, for breakfast, lunch, excessive tea, or dinner, by Chef Rasal Jayawardene. Flying Sauces meals vary from one hour and quarter-hour to round three hours.

View Menu – soneva.com

Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi – Li Lengthy

This expertise is designed to really feel such as you’ve been invited to a meal at one among Shanghai’s noble residences. Select to dine in the primary restaurant or reserve the personal eating room, with a direct outlook on the lagoon. The timber building homes polished wood flooring, leather-based seating cubicles and conventional aesthetic parts reminiscent of carved screens. And there are a handful of candlelit tables exterior on the overwater deck. The kitchen boasts Maldives’s first traditional wood-fired oven by which most of its recipes are perfected; do attempt Li Lengthy’s signature roasted Peking duck and end your meal with a nourishing Chinese language tea.

Verify Resort Availability & Costs

View Menu – waldorfastoriamaldives.com

Learn our information to the most effective eating places within the Maldives

Do

Keep In an undersea villa

It’s all concerning the water within the Maldives, whether or not on it, in it, or on this case, beneath it. On the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort, you’ll be able to sleep 16 toes beneath sea degree. The en-suite main bedroom is ready in a curved acrylic tunnel that serves as your personal personal 180-degree aquarium. Upstairs in The Muraka villa, are two bedrooms and a toilet with ocean dealing with tub and an outside deck with an infinity pool. You’ll even have a butler on name 24 hours a day.

www.conradmaldives.com

Go snorkelling

Guide your vacation for the dry season, if you wish to get the absolute best snorkelling expertise. A number of the finest spots within the Maldives for this pursuit embrace:

Hanifaru Bay (a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve well-known for manta ray and whale shark sightings)
Maaya Thila (recognized for its ample marine life)
Banana Reef (one of many oldest and hottest dive websites)
Kuda Rah Thila (preferrred for each snorkelling and diving)
Fushifaru Thila (a part of the Lhaviyani Atoll, with vibrant fish, turtles and a few hammerhead sharks.

Take a flight in a seaplane

The seaplane is a key mode of transport throughout the Maldives, connecting the primary worldwide airport with numerous resort islands scattered throughout the atolls. However if you happen to arrived by speedboat, common aircraft, or wish to increase in your present expertise of flying by air and sea, you’ll be able to take a sightseeing journey for breathtaking views of the atolls, islands, and turquoise waters. Most resorts will organize these excursions, or you’ll be able to contact an area supplier to investigate about routes. Once more, you’ll discover the dry season to be the most effective time for this, as a consequence of secure climate and elevated visibility.

www.atolltransfer.com

Go on a submarine journey

Submarine excursions within the Maldives typically attain depths of round 100 toes (30 meters) or extra, offering a novel perspective on coral formations, marine life, and underwater landscapes. The length of the excursions fluctuate however sometimes lasts round 45 minutes to an hour. Appropriate for all ages and bodily skills, this can be a tremendous option to benefit from the immersive underwater spectacle with none bodily exertion or getting moist.

maldivestour.information

Have a spa underwater

Having slept underwater, why not spa underwater?! Huvafen Fushi’s remedy rooms lie eight metres beneath the floor, making a conscious and deeply calming setting by which to take pleasure in a therapeutic massage or signature ritual, incorporating strategies from the East and West. Beata Aleksandrowicz — a former Sunday Telegraph wellness contributor and Spa Awards decide — is the knowledgeable in-house therapist at Huvafen Fushi.

www.huvafenfushi.com

Play golf at Kuredo

A part of the Kuredu Resort and Spa, the Kuredu Golf Membership contains a 6-hole Par 3 academy course, a driving vary with 10 follow bays and a placing inexperienced — all surrounded by palm timber and the soothing sounds of the adjoining ocean. A PGA-qualified professional is available if you happen to’d like several tuition. There’s a golf store. And there’s a sports activities bar for after the sport, the place an enormous display screen reveals all the most important fixtures. The course has been in situ for 20 years now and has grow to be a bucket listing venue amongst golfers.

www.kuredu.com

Go sundown fishing

Take a two-hour journey into the far reaches of the Maldivian lagoons, as you drop strains into the depths of the reefs. Not solely is that this a scenic and satisfying exercise, it’ll offer you an perception into native tradition, as you pattern the historically practiced exercise. And you’ll style your catch the next day, because the chef prepares and serves it in your lunch or dinner. A information can be on the boat, together with a spread of beers, gentle drinks and all of the gear you’ll want to achieve success. It’s a sustainable pastime too, working on a catch-and-release foundation, aside from the allocation of 1 fish to maintain per particular person.

www.comohotels.com

Take a star-stuck astronomy dinner

The darkish skies of the atolls are made for stargazing along with your lover. Soneva Jani has harnessed this, with its So Starstruck Astronomy Dinner. The raised platform standing over the ocean, serves as an observatory, with its enormous 16” telescope and handful of eating tables. This guided expertise is led by the resort’s in-house Astronomer, with the chance to study extra concerning the night time sky and be amazed. Paired with a flowery meal and drinks, this can be a Bond-like, once-in-a-lifetime encounter with nature.

soneva.com

Sleep

Ozen Reserve Bolifushi

Ozen Reserve Bolifushi is an ultra-luxurious resort nestled in lush tropical vegetation and surrounded by white seashores and turquoise waters. This unique island provides 90 gorgeous villas, every with a personal swimming pool and delightful ocean views. Only a brief 35-minute luxurious catamaran experience from Velana Worldwide Airport, the resort welcomes you to expertise the epitome of rest and opulence. Villas function timber flooring, excessive ceilings, and spacious loos, offering an ideal mix of custom and luxurious. Some water villas even have slides main into the lagoon. Culinary delights await you with quite a lot of eating experiences, showcasing conventional Indian dishes, Center Jap delights by the seaside, and connoisseur seafood creations complemented by glorious wines and champagnes. For journey lovers, the resort boasts one of many best home reefs within the South Malé Atoll, making snorkelling and diving experiences extraordinary. A PADI-certified dive centre arranges programs and expeditions for exploration. Bask in rest on the spa, providing 100% natural remedies, or keep lively on the overwater gymnasium. Non-motorised water sports activities and semi-submarine adventures present ample alternatives for marine exploration whereas complimentary bicycles can be found for leisurely island rides across the island. Households are warmly welcomed with a Child’s Membership and Teen Lounge, the place common occasions and actions, together with the academic Island Treasure Hunt, preserve youthful friends entertained. Learn our knowledgeable overview right here.