Paradise Maldives: is the rest on the islands really so good and what pitfalls await tourists? The article contains reviews of vacationers in 2020, information about the weather, leisure and prices, as well as tips. Relevant information about holidays in the Maldives now, with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Maldives is one of the few tourist destinations whose photographs from advertising brochures are completely true. In terms of natural beauty, they have no competitors - the islands have fine white sand, tall palms and the clearest water in the entire Indian Ocean. The shallow waters are great for swimming with young children, and the climate is so mild that you can forget about the problem of acclimatization.
Holidays in the Maldives now
The Maldives is a dream self-isolation! While there are very few tourists, the island you have chosen for your vacation will be almost entirely at your disposal. Only rare tourists will share the beach and meals with you.
As of November 2020, the Maldives is a truly safe holiday destination. At the moment, the borders of the island country are open to Russians, and a visa is not required. Here are the requirements for incoming tourists:
- PCR test certificate in English with a negative result. By the time of arrival at Male Airport, the analysis must be no older than 96 hours.
- At the airport, the temperature is measured for tourists. If symptoms of the disease are found, then you will have to pass a paid test (including for all satellites).
- Complete an online health declaration 24 hours before arrival and 24 hours before return flight. You need to attach a PDF file with negative results for covid to the questionnaire. Everything must be in English. After filling out the form, you will receive a QR code. Save it to your phone or print it and show it at passport control.
- You must have a hotel voucher, return tickets and insurance covering your COVID-19 treatment.
- Wear a mask at the airport and during transfers.
Read more about the conditions of entry to the Maldives here.
Meals are highly dependent on the hotel. Some tourists complain that the selection is poor and the buffet has been canceled. Others write that the assortment is good, and the buffet is on the spot - everything is as usual. So choose a hotel based on current reviews.
Valuable advice from tourists: while there are few vacationers, the hotel staff either themselves, or at your request, upgrades the room category. A great opportunity to live in a luxury water villa for the price of a standard room! You can read on Vinsky's forum which hotels will definitely upgrade their rooms to more expensive ones and where there is good food.
Of the minuses, not all infrastructure is available to vacationers. Tourists write in their reviews that due to the pandemic the spa and library are closed, diving does not work. But excursions are still held!
Elenadent: "There are very few people in the hotel, all the beaches are for you. The coronavirus only influenced the fact that the buffet switched to a restaurant menu and the waiting time for your order is 15 to 40 minutes. But this is a trifle that you quickly get used to."
boyarina.morozova: "No more than 20 people rest on our island, and we practically do not meet or contact them. In the restaurant we communicate only with the waiter, who works in a mask (all over his face) and gloves. In the restaurant, each room is strictly our own table and our waiter, who serves us daily. The buffet was removed with the advent of quarantine, in the morning we choose the menu for the whole day and then they take everything out to us. Vacationers are not forced to wear masks and their body temperature is measured once a day. and napkins. The minimum probability that we can become infected with covid is on the island, which, of course, cannot be said about the airport and the plane. "
VovaVV: "The Maldivians took a very responsible approach to safety in terms of covid - starting right from the plane (they take out a maximum of 29 people in one bus), airport, all transfers, hotels - everywhere you wear masks, everywhere you handle your hands, and everywhere you glad :-) There are many of ours, almost all of them are packers, there are "not ours", but they are not numerous and from different countries. It can be assumed that these are individualists from Europe through Istanbul. There are no Asians at all. "
How to plan your Maldives vacation in 2021
Where to find cheap tickets? This is most conveniently done using the search engines Aviasales and Skyscanner. To find the best price, check both and see tickets for different dates. Read also the instructions on how to search for cheap flights correctly.
If you plan to go on vacation to the Maldives in 2021 on your own, then budget for the flight costs of at least 22-30 thousand rubles - this is how much the cheapest round-trip air tickets cost per person when departing from Moscow and St. Petersburg. You can also inexpensively fly to the Maldives from many other cities of Russia: Yekaterinburg, Samara, Kazan, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Ufa - ticket prices in 2021 start at 30 thousand rubles. You can see which cities have the cheapest flights to Maldives on this page.
Last Minute Tours search Travelata and Level.Travel - they will find the best option. Usually, prices for weekly tours for two start at 130 thousand rubles.
Holidays in the Maldives: what to do
Of the 2000 islands, a little more than 80 are available for tourists; you can move between them by seaplane, boat or boat. Usually the hotel occupies the whole island, so the beaches are not crowded here. The infrastructure is diverse: there are high-class hotels, there are simpler ones, you can also stay in so-called guest houses at a lower level (although they are located on inhabited islands).
The cuisine in the Maldives is not spicy, but, according to tourists, there is nothing enchanting, mainly fish, rice, vegetables, fruits and juices. Water sports are very well developed: fishing, yachting, diving, snorkeling, catamarans and water skiing. You can play games: beach volleyball, tennis, badminton, billiards, golf. In the evening, it's good to just walk around the island, watch the sunsets, dine or take part in local entertainment.
The rich world of flora and fauna will be a pleasant addition to a carefree beach holiday - in the Maldives, according to tourists, there are funny flying foxes hanging from tree branches and constantly jostling each other. One of the popular entertainments of local residents is feeding mantas (stingrays), which flock to the shore in the evening. While swimming, you can see many species of fish, sometimes small sharks swim, which do not pose a danger to people.
The indigenous people are Muslims, they behave in a friendly and unobtrusive manner. Almost a third of the Maldivians live in the capital, Male. If you are planning a trip somewhere outside the hotel, then you definitely need to cover your legs and shoulders, minimalism in clothes is not welcomed by locals.
Maldives weather
Temperatures in the Maldives are comfortable all year round; warm clothes are not needed. The main influx of tourists is from November and December to mid-spring. In February and March, there is practically no precipitation, the air temperature is + 30 ° С, the water temperature is +28 ... + 29 ° С. In April, the air warms up to + 32 ° С.
According to tourists' reviews about the weather, it is better not to plan a vacation in the Maldives from May to September, since at this time the weather deteriorates - the wet season lasts. It rains more often and in large quantities, the humidity reaches 85%. But you can also rest during this period, the puddles dry out very quickly, and the water resembles fresh milk.
November December
Water temperature + 28 ° С, air temperature + 29 ° С. There is a lot of precipitation, but from the second half of December, clear weather sets in the Maddives.
January February
Water + 28 ° С, air + 30 ° С. There is not a cloud in the sky, sometimes there may be slight waves on the ocean, but most of the time the water surface is calm and calm, the water is transparent like glass.
March, April
It gets hotter, the air warms up to +31 ... + 32 ° С, water up to + 29 ° С. Sometimes there are strong winds. It rains at the end of April.
May
The transitional month from the dry season to the rainy season, the weather in the Maldives at this time is unpredictable: sometimes it is stormy, precipitation falls mainly at night, but it also happens during the day.
June August
Daytime +30 ... + 31 ° С, water +27 ... + 29 ° С, windy. Monsoons bring tropical showers that fall in the afternoon and pour for 2-3 hours, or fall at night. The sea becomes muddy and unsuitable for diving, storms.
September October
Air temperature + 30 ° С, water +27 ... + 28 ° С. Storms are less frequent, in October the intensity of rains gradually decreases, and precipitation is predominantly nighttime.
You can also read a more detailed overview of the weather in the Maldives by month.
Beaches
Maldives beaches are some of the best in the world. The sand is white and fine, like flour, the water is clear and transparent, the lush greenery of the tropics is all around. Nice beaches on Fulhadhoo Island, Byadu, Fihalhohi, Maadhoo, Four Seasons Hotel in Baa Atoll in the Maldives and Four Seasons (Kuda Huraa) in North Male Atoll.
On some islands, construction work is underway, which disturbs the peace of vacationers, the cleanliness of the beach suffers. On the territory of Hilton Maldives Iru Fushi Resort & Spa 5 (Nunu Atoll), active development is underway, the beach itself leaves much to be desired: first, it is stranded for a very long time, then immediately the depth, there is no reef of its own. Fun Island 3 (South Male Atoll) beaches are also damaged by construction, and there is little vegetation on the island.
Maldives hotel reviews - 2020
A unique feature of the Maldives is that each island is occupied by one hotel. However, tourists, having paid a considerable sum for the tour, are often at a loss to find the worn-out furniture in the rooms or the humming refrigerator.
So, according to the reviews of tourists, the Fihalhohi 4 * (South Male) has a good beach, but gray washed laundry and a complete lack of entertainment. Hotel Island Resort 4 * (North Male) disappointed vacationers with unkempt territory and old furniture in the rooms. Annoyed by mosquitoes, with which no one fought. In the hotel Adaaran Select Meedhupparu 4 * (Raa Atoll) tourists did not like the food and old furniture.
Some of the best tourists in their vacation reviews call hotels Kurumba Maldives, Sun Island Resort, Paradise Island Resort & Spa, Anantara Veli Maldives Resort and others.
If you decide to go to the Maldives on your own, book hotels on Rumguru - there you can find a hotel with a good discount. Look for apartments, bungalows and villas on Airbnb - there are many interesting offers.
Maldives price reviews in 2020
On those small islands, where the hotel occupies almost the entire territory, high prices for accommodation, food, drinks and excursions, since the tourist has no alternative. Only people with good income can afford to rest here. Prices are approximately as follows: a bottle of water costs $ 3-5, a cocktail - $ 10-15, a bottle of beer - $ 10, a bottle of wine from $ 50, excursions on average from $ 150, two-hour snorkeling - $ 40, SPA services - $ 100-150 dollars. Read more about how much a vacation in the Maldives costs.
But on more or less large islands, where locals live and there are guesthouses, prices are lower and you can relax on a much more budgetary basis - but for this you need to go to the Maldives on your own.
Tour prices to the Maldives during the New Year and Christmas holidays and during the May holidays are 30-50% higher than usual. You can save a little by going out of season (May - September). The hotels are making attractive offers, the prices for accommodation are reduced by 30%. If you choose a cheap air flight, then the savings will be significant. We recommend looking for tours on the Level.Travel service - it finds the best deals.
Reviews about excursions
According to tourists, excursions in the Maldives are not the strongest side of the holiday. As a rule, travelers are offered a trip to Male, a dolphin safari, snorkeling with manta rays, a fishing island and a desert island.
The capital Male is a lively big city with shops and bazaars, there are no special attractions in it, but for a change you can visit, see the Islamic Center with a golden dome, buy souvenirs. But shopping lovers will be slightly disappointed, there is nothing interesting for them there. All other excursions are in one way or another related to swimming in the sea and buying souvenirs.
Diving reviews
The Maldives is the perfect diving destination. It's hard to find an island that doesn't offer school services, there is training for beginners and a well-represented professional association. The most transparent water is from January to April, in December there can be waves due to windy weather. From June to September, the sea is rough and the water becomes cloudy.
Wedding and honeymoon in the Maldives
The Maldives is the best place for a romantic honeymoon. The wedding ceremony costs a lot of money, but the emotions received are worth the money spent. It is better to book the service in advance.
Useful tourist tips
Tourists in their reviews recommend stocking up on sunscreens and medications. In the Maldives, the sun is active, it is easy to get sunburn even in cloudy weather. There are no pharmacies on the islands, and everything is very expensive in hotels.
For diving and snorkeling, you will need a medical certificate, it is better to do it at home. There is no need for special vaccination, it is usually recommended to be vaccinated against hepatitis A and B and take out insurance. Travel insurance →
In addition, there are quite a few rules and restrictions on the islands that must be observed so as not to spoil your vacation with unnecessary fines:
- You cannot import alcohol, drinks bought in duty-free are taken away. The hotels have everything, but very expensive.
- It is forbidden to export corals, shells, turtle shells, you will have to limit yourself to a souvenir from seafood.
- Garbage and other violations of environmental rules are punished here with severe fines.
- You can only sunbathe topless on Kuramati Island, in other places it is prohibited.
Otherwise, vacation in the Maldives is truly a heavenly pleasure and will bring many positive emotions.
