Maldives travel guide

Bandos Island is occupied by Bandos Resort. When it opened in 1972, it was the second resort in the Maldives and today it's one of the biggest with dive center, medical clinic (with decompression chamber) and even a mosque (relax, alcohol is still available). There are many bungalows types, from unimpressive clustered ones to African inspired huts with sea view to iconic overwater bungalows. The white narrow beaches are exceptional stunning, even for Maldives standard, with tall leaning coconut palms and plenty of shady spots. The shallow clear lagoon has sand bottom and friendly reef sharks. The house reef is also rich on fish and even have bigger big reef sharks, but for live corals you need to snorkle along the outer edge to where the reef has an overhang.

Bodu Hithi Island is a private island occupied by the luxurious Coco Resort. There are overwater bungalows as well as well equipped beachfront bungalows with private mini pool. The beach on the east side is the best, but will be mostly in shade from midday. On the rich and expanded house reef you can encounter sea turtles, rays, and reef sharks. Sometimes you can even spot them from the boardwalk leading to the overwater bungalows. If money is no issue, you can also join a snorkeling tour to a manta ray cleaning station.

Shallow waters, vibrant reefs, countless wrecks, tremendous biodiversity and crystal clear visibility... the Maldives ranks as one of he best places in the world for diving. Eagle rays and manta rays abound, there are numerous shark stations not to mention turtles and the might whale shark. Diving from many islands is easily arranged and tremendous value for money considering the quality of the diving. But those without PADI need not fear. Snorkelling is just as rewarding if not cheaper and easier access. Don't like getting wet? Dolphin spotting cruises leave every day. The bounties of the Maldivian waters are so amazing you don't even need to get wet!

For holiday goers to the Maldives, the fact that alcohol is banned on the inhabited islands can leave the partier in us all a little down. Sure, there are open bars on the private, fancy-pants resort islands, but they're incredibly expensive. Luckily, there is a compromise for those hoping to save a few bucks by staying on islands like Maafushi. Enter the Floating Restaurant & Bar. Anchored just off the shore of Maafushi, this yacht seems to fall into some sort of legal grey-area. They shuttle diners to and from the island (for free) so that they can enjoy overpriced food and semi-cold beer and spirits. Is it inconvenient? Maybe. Is it overpriced? Perhaps. But how can you put a price on the experience of enjoying a semi-illegal beer, sitting on a yacht watching the sun set over the idyllic Maldivian islands?

Once upon a time, if you mentioned the word "budget" and "Maldives" in the same sentence, you would be laughed out of the travel agency. But those days are no more. With holidays on private Maldivian resort islands easily costing into the thousands of dollars, local islands like Maafushi are finally offering an alternative. No, Maafushi will never win the "prettiest island in the Maldives" competition, but it serves a purpose. With over 30 hotels and guesthouses (and growing) there is competition on the island and this drives prices down. The same could be said for dive shops, restaurants and water-sports. Plus the fact you can take the cheap public ferry instead of expensive private speedboats or floatplanes and Maafushi is quite a bargain!! Maafushi makes for a practical base to explore paradise.

Malé is a strange sight when you first see it: Highrises shooting straight up from the azure sea like a tropical Manhattan. It's a congested place with 133.000 people on only 5.8 square kilometres, making it one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The amount of motorcycles seems almost the same and you’re puzzled why anyone would try to drive a car through the narrow streets. So it’s no wonder why the overwhelming majority of vacationers will avoid Malé like the plague, but any capital city is an integral part of a country's identity and should not be missed. And while Malé is not the postcard image of the Maldives, it actually is a nice encounter. The main square, National Museum and both the new and old mosque are all worth a look, but what probably is the most exciting place is the harbour with several smaller indoor markets. In the late afternoon, when the market close, fish guts get thrown into the sea, which attracts dozens of big stingrays. They literally crash on the rocks, while munching away.

Across the road from the harbour lies the indoor Fish Market. It takes up the bottom floor of the building and is a busy place. Tuna is the most usual catch, but also octopus, sailfish, and more exotic species can be found. Along one side stand all the fish gutter guys, who can gut and fillet a fish in less than 30 seconds. The Fish Market is busy all day, but come in the morning if you want to see some of the real big fish.

Sometimes, a country can almost be idenitfied up in one iconic image. Although not endemic to the Maldives, it hard to see a picture of an overwater bungalow without thinking paradise. True, these swanky hotel rooms are a little out of the budget of most travellers, but for that once-in-a-lifetime/special event type life moment, the experience might just be worth it. Luckily for those with somewhat shallower pockets, day trips to the resort islands are also possible from residential ones, so at the very least you can get a nice little selfie, sitting on a dock next, toes dangled in the water, and of course overwater bungalow seeming swaying to the waves in the background. Priceless on a shoestring.

Thoddoo Island is an inhabited island with about 1400 people and about 1 km across. A third of the island is taken up by the village, another third is dense bush, while the last third is covered in manicured plantations of papaya, banana, coconut and watermelon. There are two gorgeous guest beaches, where bikinis are ok. The local people are friendly, though a bit reserved and will look right past you. Most women wear black chador and even niqab, and the few mosques call to prayer the mandatory five times a day. Selection of guesthouses is good, and since there are no fancy resorts with overwater bungalows, Thoddoo seems to attract a more independent crowd. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach Thoddoo Island from Male by public speedboat.

Thoddoo has two guest beaches where bikinis are ok. The smallest one is on the northeast side, where you can catch the sunrise. The beach is wider, though shorter than the other, Sunset Beach. There are several hammocks in the shade and some swings - one is even right in the water for that Instagram photo. Snorkelling is best at the sprinkle of corals about 100 m north of the beach, look for the dark patches.