Choosing a Maldives Holiday Resort

If you are planning to go to the Maldives for a holiday vacation, you certainly have to put some thoughts into your resort selection before making any final reservation. Here are the ways to get the right resort on your very first attempt:

Location. You have probably heard this before, particularly when buying a home. Location is still the very first thing you have remember when selecting a resort. Choose a resort that is conveniently located to your itineraries.

Set your budget. A Maldives holiday can become very expensive if you have not carefully considered your budget. Once you set your price, you can substantially narrow down the list of your prospective hotels. Consider an all-inclusive resort; it can work out cheaper overall.

After determining your budget, try to look for a resort that offers activities that you are planning to do while in the Maldives. Are you going for some diving or snorkeling? Do you want do some water sports like jet skiing and parasailing? Some resorts actually offer these amenities. It would be much cheaper if you book from any of them.

Also determine which package is most suitable and fits your needs. Book 'room only' if you wish to spend most of your time outside the resort. Room only is the cheapest rate that resorts offer. 'Room and breakfast' is often the more preferred choice since no one really wants to worry about where to eat at the start of the day. Room and breakfast is best to those who want to spend the rest of the day in other places. 'Full board' includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.

If you just want to relax and spend the rest of the day within the surrounding areas of the resort, then a full board accommodation is a wiser choice. (Note: full board does not include drinks). 'All-inclusive' package includes all meals, alcohol and all/some activities. This suits people who do not want to worry about anything. So if you want to take some activities during the day, spend an evening by the pool and not worrying about the accumulating bills on your credit card, then this one is for you.

Amenities. Most resorts offer one of a kind luxury villas, ocean view rooms and beach villas a few steps away from the ocean. Thinking of total relaxation? Many Maldives resort have spa centers and health related services that will really give you a one of a kind vacation experience. These, of course, come with a price but if you are willing to spend on such luxury, take your pick.


Other Considerations

Season. The best months to visit Maldives are from December to April. These months offer the most hours of sunshine with the least chances of rain. Remember, Maldives is in the Indian Ocean so if you want to escape the chilling winter of America, here is the place to go.

Children. If you are traveling with children, choosing a resort with kid's club is worthwhile. This way, you keep your kids entertained while you relax or enjoy the activities you plan for your vacation.

Romance. If you are planning to spend your honeymoon in Maldives, there are several resorts that have packages for a romantic getaway. Prefer resorts from smaller islands as they are usually more quiet and intimate.

Party mood. As opposed to a romantic getaway, you can definitely feel the party mood on larger islands, especially at night.

A Quick Guide to Maldives Holiday

Located southwest of the tip of India and stretches all the way to the equator, the Maldives is a group of 1192 islands and islets, grouped into 26 atolls. The Maldives showcases its turquoise water, white sand beaches, crystalline lagoon, world class diving and snorkeling sites, pristine tropical islands and unique architecture, enough to be regarded as one of the best places on earth. It is even considered a paradise on earth.

Getting there...

Several international airline carriers fly regularly in and out of Male, Maldives. They are: Eurofly, Livington Air, Air Sahara, Australian Airlines, Condor, LTU International Airways, Martin Air Holland, Bangkok Airlines, Viva, Macau, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Indian Airlines and Srilankan Airlines. Also available are charter flights from First Choice, Blue Panorama Airlines, Belair, Malev, Edelweiss, Air Italy, Volare, My Travel, XL Airways, Transaero, Thomas Fly, Neos Spa and Monarch Airlines.

Upon arriving to the airport island, ferry services are available to transport you to the capital Male. Special air trips from Trans Maldivian Airways and Maldivian Air Taxi are also available.

(Regardless of nationality, all visitors are given free 30 days Visa upon arrival. No prior visa is necessary to enter the Maldives.)  

Where to stay...

The Maldives has several resorts and hotels that offer a wide range of services that fits to every guest seeking to have a one of a kind holiday experience. Whether you just want to stay and relax beside the pool, enjoy some featured water activities, walk barefoot on white sand beach that's just in front of your villa, be pampered like a royalty, drink a few bottles of beer and party in a different way, or just do nothing but adore the majestic beauty of an uninterrupted view of the neighboring islands, the Maldives resorts are just waiting for you. Resorts are located in different atolls all across the Maldives.

What to do...

The Maldives has captured the excitement and fascination of scuba diver and snorkeling enthusiasts around the world. With its top class diving spots, it is a wonder that must be discovered. The warm water throughout the year and high level of visibility, often exceeding 50 meters, make diving an experience that is sought over and over again. Every resort in the islands has professional diving schools and instructors that are ready to conduct courses for both beginners and advanced divers. If diving is not your cup of tea, then you can just take a dip on turquoise water. A short swim from the beach and snorkellers can experience the same pleasure from the surface.

Honeymooners and couples who are hoping to get married in a piece of paradise go to the Maldives. But if you want to relax and do nothing, the Maldives can be a very peaceful place to go to.

When to go...

On the map, the Maldives Islands are no less than a few splashes of ink. The country is situated southwest of the tip of India and stretches all the way to the equator. That said, the Maldives experiences a whole year of sunshine but the best months to go are from December to April (the rainy season is from May to November). These are also the times when people pack the hotels and resorts.

The people are predominantly Muslims but with Dutch, Portuguese and British influences.

Vegas Weddings for all Tastes

Vegas is almost as famous for weddings as it is for some of its more questionable roots and activities. In fact there are wedding chapels on almost every corner and in almost every major casino on the strip and beyond. There are themed weddings, elegant weddings, simple weddings, alien weddings, and all kinds of weddings in between. Other than gambling, it seems that Vegas knows the most about weddings.

If you're planning a wedding, thinking about a wedding, or simply want to avoid a wedding and would like to run away and get married, might I suggest one of the many wedding chapels in Vegas? It takes all kinds of people to put together a fairy tale wedding however it can be done in Vegas in a matter of minutes. There are even wedding chapels in Vegas that will rent you costumes in which to get married. There are also those that rent the dresses and tuxedos for the more traditionally minded among you.

There are all kinds of wedding packages that can be ordered from the plain Jane and simple Sue wedding packages that offer no frills and no fun to those with more bells and whistles than you can shake a stick at. Where I come from there are plenty of sticks to be shaken. From professional photography to full service spa packages before the wedding for the bride and the bridal party there are all kinds of luxurious wedding touches available to those that are willing to pay for the service offered.

Vegas is probably the only city in the world that has professionals dedicated to throwing bachelor and bachelorette parties for brides and grooms to be. It really does beat all you've ever seen and more than most have ever dreamed of. While many people had dreams of fairy tale weddings and mom and dad paying for it, there are just as many who have had romantic dreams of getting married in Vegas since the very first time they heard it mentioned in movies or on TV. There are those that want Elvis impersonators singing as they share vows and others that want him to officiate the services. With so many tastes and wedding wishes, Las Vegas has come through with shining colors as far as making dream weddings possible for all those who enter.

It would seem that in Vegas, no wedding request (as long as it is legal) is out of the question. From the simply elegant to the outrageously campy there are chapels of love for all persuasions from pink fuzzy carpet and candles to outrageous dungeon looking rooms and all kinds in between weddings have been performed for many different walks of life and to confirm commitments for all manner of people and relationships from many countries around the world. Vegas is one of the easiest cities in the world in which to get married and all kinds of people take advantage of that fact for a quickie wedding. The one rule is that all parties must be of legal age and must be consenting. Consent is quite recognizable on your wedding day in most cases.

If you're planning a Vegas wedding, you are not alone and I wish you the absolute best of luck as you begin your new lives in this infinitely fascinating city of many dreams.

Vegas Shows are Big Draw for Tourists

Other than gambling, one of the first things that many people think of when they think of Vegas are the many shows that are available to watch. Vegas rakes in a fortune each year off the shows that are offered each and every night. There are major headliners and limited appearances that make the shows the wonderful draws for tourists and locals alike to spend a night out on the town and the shows, dinner, and ultimately the casinos.

The goal in almost every effort put forth by the casino parent companies is to get more bodies in the casinos. The more warm bodies that are warming the seats the more money that is filling the coffers. The casinos like to bring in the money and they are willing to spend a little in order to make a lot. The acts that are highlights in this city are well established for the most part and enjoy their celebrity, their fame, and most often for the headliners, the fact that there is some sort of permanence to their existences and they are not required to travel and spend countless hours on the road away from their families and loved ones.

You will find the ultra famous rubbing elbows with those who are barely known and occasionally some impersonators. In Vegas and most of them are only too happy to be living the life they've chosen in this great city of lights. If you have the opportunity to check out one of the many shows in Vegas I believe you will find that these shows are amazingly well put together and quite entertaining. This isn't your small town little theatre or your community college stage. These shows are professionally done and in business to make money-and make money they do.

The shows bring in clients from all walks of life and financial backgrounds you will find the rich and famous sitting next to the middle class in the audience and all will be either laughing, crying, or cringing together. The shows are designed to elicit different responses from the audiences and to appeal to a wide cross section of the population.

If you are in the market for a Vegas show it is recommended that you book around the time or at the same time you book your hotel reservations in order to be sure you can get the tickets. Many of these shows sell out months in advance and for months at a time. The more popular the show the bigger price the tickets will demand and the bigger following the shows will have.

I also encourage you to take advantage of some of the free opportunities and events within the casinos where the shows you are planning to see occur in order to get an idea of the lay of the land before the time your show is scheduled to start. You should probably be early for the shows you wish to see and plan to stand in line a little while.

While shows are one of the biggest draws for people to visit Las Vegas and some people plan their entire trips just for the sake of catching one show, keep in mind that there are plenty more things to do in Vegas than simply watching a show or two. Take advantage of the many opportunities for entertainment that await you during your Vegas vacation.

Vegas Magic for the Family

One thing you may or may not have noticed about Vegas is that shows are more often than not, not made for family viewings. In fact, many of the most popular shows are decidedly not appropriate for children and younger audiences. Vegas has often become synonymous with sin or at the very least sex. While that is something that most definitely draws the box office dollars it is not something that makes watching shows in Vegas easy if you have children. Magic shows, however are usually a fairly safe bet from great entertainment and less adult oriented content.

One thing that is certain about children and shows though is that most children not only love magic, they also find it utterly and completely fascinating. David Copperfield is one of the most recognized names when it comes to magic and illusion. Your children will be delighted from the first act through the end of the show. This is one show that you won't have to worry about sending negative messages to your children nor will you have to worry about being bored for the sake of your children with this show either. His show may ultimately be the start of something magical in your own children, you never know. Check with the MGM Grand for show nights and times as this show plays two weeks every month but those weeks vary.

For a little more Xtreme Magic you should check out Dirk Arthur's show at Tropicana.  This show has no age restrictions and the costs are $29 for table seating and $34 for booth seats this show has all kinds of wildlife from beautiful women, lavish dancers, Bengal tigers, a white tiger, and leopards. This show is a very exciting show that displays the art of illusion in a rather extreme form (kind of like extreme sports, this is extreme magic). Show times are 2 and 4 pm Saturday through Thursday.

For a little more magic, the Rick Thomas show at the Stardust Hotel has a little bit of magic for everyone. From the exquisitely choreographed moves and the help of a few showgirl type dancers he has created one of the best daytime shows in Vegas. Not only is Rick Thomas an excellent magician and illusionist he is also an extremely talented showman. And anything that can keep the rapt attention of little ones (in addition to their quiet) is a really good thing while on vacation. You can catch his show Thursday through Tuesday at 2 and 4 pm in the Wayne Newton Theatre of the Stardust Hotel.



While these shows are hardly inclusive of every magic act playing in Vegas these acts are very much the ones worth mentioning. If you haven't seen any of these guys perform you really have no idea what you've been missing. David Copperfield is truly the Master but he very well may have some serious competition along the horizon.

Magic is one of those things that the child in all of us never really manages to outgrow. We see it in brief moments when we hold our children for the first time, when we see their eyes light up on Christmas, when we feel the beauty and perfection of one perfect snowflake. Magic is all around us and so easily missed, there is nothing quite like visiting one of these shows to remind us not only of the magic we're missing each and every day as well as the wonder that we left behind somewhere in our own childhoods.