What to see, what to do Maldives?
The 10 good reasons to go Maldives
Love
Intimate destination par excellence, many couples on their honeymoon come here.
Luxury
Here, luxury reaches new heights of creativity and funny ideas
The beach
Nowhere else will you find such white and soft sand
Lazing around
Let yourself be lulled by the indolent rhythm of life on a local or tourist island.
A shade of blue
The incredible clarity of the Maldivian waters offers a hypnotic palette of blues.
Diving
Colorful corals and marine variety make the Maldives a diver's paradise
The tropics
With its stable and warm climate, you can swim all year round in the Maldives.
The spa
There is no hotel in the Maldives that does not have its own spa and delicious treatments.
The manta ray
A diver's dream, the manta ray is easy to spot in the Maldives, even in PMT.
The sun
The sun shines (almost) every day and you will come back with a perfect complexion
What to visit Maldives?
Interview: My Maldives
With Astrid Latapie, author of the guide
Astrid is a tourism journalist who has been travelling the roads of South Asia for the past ten years. It is quite natural that her steps led her to the Maldives, to take advantage of a few days of rest after months of intense travels in India. Love at first sight was immediate. How to resist the hypnotic beauty of the archipelago and the kindness of its inhabitants?
See the video of the interviewGood to know to visit Maldives
Timetable
Shops are generally open between 9am and 7pm. Some open earlier, or once the owner is awake, others close later. The only rule is that all shops are closed on Fridays between noon and two. Even the restaurant hours of the resorts are adapted to allow their Muslim employees to go to the mosque.
To be booked
In the island hotels, group activities such as diving, sunset cruises and angling must be booked in advance. The number of places on the boats is usually limited.
Budget & Tips
The Maldives is one of the most expensive destinations in the world. Since the 1990s, the country has made a 180° turn towards luxury tourism. It is necessary to count at least 200 US$ for a night in average season and 500 US$ in high season. The only solution to reduce the budget is to go to a local island. The night is generally around 80 US$ for a double room with breakfast. But be careful with the cost of the transfer. The further away the island is from Malé, the more expensive the transfer will be.
Main events
Ramadan is the daily routine for Maldivians for 28 days every year. For a month, they do not eat or drink during the daytime hours. The end of Ramadan is celebrated with the Eid festival, which adds a special mood to the end of the fast, even in the island hotels.
Smokers
Maldivians are big smokers. In theory, smoking is forbidden inside restaurants, but as they are mostly open to the 4 winds, men smoke. In the island hotels, smoking is generally prohibited in the restaurants and rooms.
What's very local
Despite the humid climate and the presence of the sea, Maldivians wear decent clothes in their villages. Women cover their bodies (and often their heads) and men always wear a T-shirt. Shorts are not allowed in mosques and women must be covered from head to toe.
