Maldives Holiday – Why You Should Go?

When it is time to get that much-awaited holiday, there are various tourist destination spots around the world that you can choose to spend your precious days with. But if you love the sun, beaches, corals, sea life, art, old architectural building, don't go elsewhere as a Maldives holiday can bring you those vacation essentials you need. Yes, this popular tourist holiday vacation spot has varieties of happenings and lots of natural attractions that you will never feel anything except bliss and tranquility when you set your foot in this island.

The Location

Maldives is an archipelago seated just on the equator, South West from Sri Lanka. A group of coral islands consists this archipelago, making it the perfect haven for water sports enthusiasts. 200 of the islands are inhabited and you can find here most of the popular exclusive beach resorts. The other islands are uninhabited giving you those most pristine, undiscovered beach locations. Also, while the most ideal part of the year to go to Maldives is from December to April, the temperature and sunshine soak the archipelago all year long.

Hence, anytime of the year is alright to visit especially if you are after the warm temperature. You will also receive warm hospitality from the local people. There is no problem interacting with them since while their native language is Dhivehi, English is commonly spoken.

The Activities That Make Maldives Famous

The pristine waters that engulf the island are one foremost reason why vacationers and travelers love coming back to this holiday destination. In addition to that, the abundance of aquatic life, particularly the wide variety of fishes and corals, is a remarkable attraction to island. With all the waters around, there are so many marine activities you can do. You can try diving, snorkeling, fishing, scuba diving, and even reeling in with some fish species like tuna, sailfish, and marlin.

Deep sea fishing is also one of the favorite water activities. The locales' favorite however is hand-reel fishing, so why not do it too? And if you are in for a romantic stroll, you can do so by walking and picnic lunching on one of the various deserted islands near the area where you're staying.

You will also love a Maldives holiday because of the fact that the island's capital city is stretched into semi-urban ambiance, having a famous museum housing 7000-year old artifacts. The city is best explored on foot since it only takes about 20 minutes from the island. Bicycles are also available for rent and are the native's transportation mode.

Where to Stay

People usually go to an all-inclusive holiday on one of the many resorts found in Maldives. However, you can do your own holiday bookings should you decide to personally select which resort that fits most to your preference and taste. Don't worry as Maldives boasts of the many hotels or guesthouses found on most inhabited islands; thus, lots of options for you. When you arrive in the island, you can walk around and book in one of those places.

You can find that rates are mostly reasonable with breakfast as inclusive offerings. Most of these dwellings are accessible from the scattered quaint stores and local markets, so you can roam around to shop for handicrafts and local products which you can bring home as souvenirs.

Maldives Holiday: Traveling on a Budget

The first impression when we speak about Maldives holiday is it is expensive. While this is quite true, you can still go to the Maldives and experience everything that the county has to offer even if you are on a budget.

Take the all-inclusive package
Since you pay one set price for just about everything, an all-inclusive package allows you to know well in advance the amount you should spend for the trip. This frees you from the hassles and worries of thinking about the cost of travel and portage, as well as the extra cost and hidden cost of the services you avail once there.

Usually included in an all-inclusive package are flights, land and sea transfers, hotel accommodation, meals, drinks, gym, spas, water sports and access to game room.

When looking for one, be sure to clarify with your travel agent what includes in the package.

Be your own travel agent
Getting a travel agent to arrange your trip will save you a lot of time and trouble. But getting a travel agent is not a must. You can do the travel arrangements your own. With a little time on phone calls and some reading, you can actually get even better itineraries without paying for these extra services. Arranging your own travel will allow you to pick cheaper hotel deals and customize your trip based on your budget.

Do thorough research
An extra time online will give you a wider selection of packages, deals and promos where you can select the best without sacrificing your needs. Try to browse to as much websites as you can. You will be surprised how giving a little of your time in research will make a difference. In other words, shop around.

Consider booking a cruise
Technically, if you go to a place, you just need a bed where you can sleep and you'll be alright. In the Maldives, you really don't need to book a room where you will just spend 8 hours of your time unconscious. So why not consider taking a cruise? It is much cheaper. Plus, you enjoy the Maldives on a different angle as the ship visits the islands.

Find a moderately priced hotel
It is nice to browse and look at luxury hotels that offer top-class amenities and services. It is much nicer to stay at any of these hotels. But the fact is that once you are in the Maldives, you will only spend a little of your time in your hotel room. So why dream of a luxury accommodation you cannot even enjoy? The best Maldives experiences are found outside of your hotel windows; and not in the hotel room.

Of course, spending an evening and waking in the morning at a very comfortable bed are an added bonus but these are the things you can live without and can be compensated with enjoying the sun and other outdoor activities. So instead of dreaming the best rooms and hotel accommodation look for a less fancy hotel. They are priced cheaper but still offer the same Maldives holiday experience.

Finally, call the Maldives Tourism Promotion Board at 960-332-3228. They can give you assistance and provide helpful information about what to expect as well as ideas on where to get better deals.

Maldives Holiday: Travel Guide

Armed with the following information, you will be able to have a worry-free and totally relaxing holiday to Maldives:

When to come
The Maldives experiences a year round of tropical weather so you can go anytime of the year. Still, the best months to schedule a holiday are from December to April. These months experiences the longest hours of sunshine with a little chance of rain. However, these are also the popular times to visit so hotels and resorts can be fully booked and the prices are higher compared to other months.

What to bring
You don't really need many items to bring when visiting the country since the essentials are readily available at shops that are located on resorts. But to remind you of it, here is a list of the things that you should have:

Lotion
Sunglasses
Sunscreen with high spf
Bathing suits
Cap or hat
Insect repellant
Light cotton clothing
US dollars and credit cards

What to wear
Since it is generally hot and humid in the Maldives, it is advised that visitors should wear light t-shirts and shorts. If you are going there for a business meeting, the attire is usually casual. If you plan to visit during the rainy season, bring a light rain jacket. If you are in the capital, Male, wear modest clothes. The country is a Muslim nation so be respectful – nudity is prohibited.

Entry and Exit Requirements
Entering the Maldives can only be done by air since the country is composed of tiny islands. The entry requirements are few and simple. All you need to have is a valid passport. When you arrive, you are given free entry visa that is valid for 30 days – regardless of where you come from. Visitors are recommended to confirm their hotel or resort reservations before coming, however, reservations can be made right at the Tourist Information Counter in the arrival hall if you haven't had booked a resort or hotel. Be ready to have sufficient funds (US$25 per day of stay) and a return flight ticket. When leaving, prepare US$10 as exit tax.

Take note: if you are planning to visit the Maldives during peak season (December to April), make a reservation in advance as hotels and resorts are often fully booked.

Money
The local currency is called the Rufiyaah (about 12.75 Rufiyaah to a dollar). However, many resorts accept dollar as a form of payment. Larger resorts can accept euro, pound, yen and sterling. Bank and ATMs are only located on the capital, Male. Small shops usually don't accept credit cards so make sure you have cash when shopping.

Weather
The Maldives has 2 seasons: wet and dry. Wet season is from May to November; dry season is from December to April (which is also the best months to visit the country). Nonetheless, it experiences a year-round tropical climate due to its location on the equator. During the dry season, the country experiences a little rain and extra hours of sunlight. During the wet season, rains are expected but the temperature is still warm. The average temperature is 27.7 C (82 F). Temperature rarely drops to below 25 C (77 F).

Crime and Safety
The Maldives is a fairly safe country. While petty crimes do exist, they can be limited to Male and other inhabited islands. To be safe, just don't leave your valuables unattended.

Maldives Holiday – Take the Gateway to Paradise

Being scattered with different islands, Maldives is one of the best places you can go if you love the sun and water. Its setting makes for a perfect refuge for the people who just want to take a breath from the stressful hustle and bustle of the city life. It is the ideal vacation spot where you can do nothing but enjoy and relax and never think of the commitments you are doing all year round.

Lovely sunshine, warm seas, magnificent beaches, remarkable resorts, spectacular scenery, and the fresh, lush, and amazing vegetation are truly astonishing factors that make Maldives just the perfect island paradise anyone should ever experience with. With all the warm temperature running all year round, you can go there to take a Maldives holiday anytime of the year, though peak season usually starts December and ends April.

A Perfect Holiday for Nature Lovers and Adventurers

Maldives has been voted as one of the top holiday destinations in the 20 countries, which include Thailand, Malaysia, and Dubai, in the recent conducted poll. The reason is probably because the island is still left unharmed and unspoiled even with commercial resorts sightings giving all nature lovers and vacationers to savor the magical paradise the island brings. People love the sense of tranquility one finds in Maldives.

The beauty of beaches and resorts are unmatched. It is breathtaking that one can simply stretch on the warm sand and savor their hungry-for-picturesque-scenery eyes on the stunning appeal of the island even for hours and hours. Once you start roaming your eyes around and absorbing the picturesque scenery, you will never want to leave. Nature lovers will exactly understand that feeling of magic once they step their foot on this island.

What you can do with your Maldives holiday is bonus to your vacation. Water sports enthusiasts exactly love the feeling when they can do all the activities like wind surfing, water skiing, snorkeling, diving, sailing, parasailing, reeling in with marine fishes and a lot, lot more. If you are not just a nature lover but an adventurer as well, you can have the feeling too by trying out all these water activities.

The center of commercial trades is Male, the capital city of Maldives. You can take a stroll and visit the local fish market place, where varieties of sea foods and fresh, green vegetables can be found. You can also take yourself to some really good restaurants that overlook the seas. You can go to quaint stores to buy local products as souvenirs for yourself. Visit the famous, old mosque and the art gallery that houses some of the oldest of the oldest artifacts. Enjoy all the sights and when you get tired from all the walking and strolling, have yourself treated to the maximum. Resorts and hotels offer luxury spas.

How to Explore the Islands

Since Male doesn't have its own airway connection, it is by the airport of the island Hulhule where you can land and then from there you can take water travel to go to Maldives' capital city. You can go to other islands of Maldives by taking boat rides from Male.

There is no reason to worry over safety since the local tourism industry has managed transportations and accommodations well that you will encounter no troubles visiting Maldives.

Maldives Holiday Packing Guide

It's the night before you leave, all travel documents are tucked securely in an envelope; your booking in a hotel somewhere in the Maldives is confirmed; and everything is virtually set – except your luggage! You have carefully planned your trip for months but failed somehow failed to pack your bags.

Imagine this situation happening to you. The trip hasn't started yet but you have already bumped into a problem. What a way to start your vacation! Well, you will probably solve this seemingly simple problem. After all, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, but not after several hours of worrying and looking for the items you should bring that should have been prepared days before. The point is clear, put emphasis on everything, including the things that will fill your bag.

Here are some tips to remember when packing for a vacation:

Travel light – not because it is easier to carry a lighter bag but because carrying too much weight can be a real problem at the airport. Airline carriers have allowable weight limit to both check-in and carryon baggage - you need to pay for any excess weight you carry. You should also consider the size of your bag. You may not be carrying too much weight but if your bag is larger than the set size, you may have to buy a new one right at the airport or leave with nothing at all.

Different airline carriers have different policies about the allowable weight and size of you baggage. Be sure to check on it before you leave.

Pack wisely – For men, this is not a problem at all as they can exist with just an extra pair of shorts and shirts. But for women, packing for a holiday is totally different story. It is almost weird that women love to carry everything that can fit in their bags. And if there is no more room for other stuffs, they will take another bag and try to fill it to its limits. But regardless of gender, simple rules apply: bring only the things you need and leave everything that's unnecessary. You are going on a beach resort so leave your formal dress in your closet, forget your high-heel shoes and leave your blower behind.

Roll instead of folding your clothes – it saves you space and reduces unwanted wrinkles.

Identify what stuff goes to which bag – If you are traveling, you probably have at least 1 check-in luggage and 1 carryon bag. Take note: important travel documents, a set of clean clothes, vital medicines and other items you can't live without should be packed on your carryon bag. The rest of your stuff goes to your check-in luggage. Why? Bags can get lost while inside the terminal, on its way to the plane; so you have to make sure that the most important things are right beside you.

Create a checklist – There is no shame admitting that you can forget things. Who doesn't? To ensure that you have all the things you need are already prepared, use a checklist. After all, you cannot blame anyone for not remembering the things you should have brought along with you. Moreover, using a checklist will help you eliminate items that you really don't need in case everything doesn't fit inside your bag.

Use your checklist before you leave the resort at the end of your vacation.