The airport in the Maldives presents a funny contrast. Bleary-eyed arrivals fresh off their third flight grin with anticipation as those on their way out, sporting a tan, look on in envy. Travelers already fortunate enough to spend a few days in the epitome of paradise know what these excited resort-goers are in for—the trip of a lifetime.
Most visitors to this tropical island nation, especially Americans on the other side of the globe, will only venture here once. Distance, exorbitant cost, time off work—all these factors make it a special occasion spot reserved for honeymoons and milestone birthdays or anniversaries. But I’m one of the really lucky ones. As a travel writer, I spend roughly a month per year in the Maldives, and this is my main piece of advice: Go big or don’t go.
Splurge on that resort—the one you daydream about from your desk, suspended overwater with rainbow-colored fish flitting across the glass-bottom floor. The private island oasis that comes with a 24-hour ice cream room stocked with freshly made cones and buffets beside the beach, where Champagne is on free-flow and omelets come with a dollop of caviar. White-sand retreats that have butler service so warm that you tear up as they wave goodbye to you from the wooden jetty.
With roughly 180 resorts spread across its atolls, there are dozens of worthy five-star escapes to choose from. After visiting more than a quarter of the country’s resorts, a few of my favorites are: Patina Maldives, Six Senses Laamu, Joali Maldives, Soneva, The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, Kudadoo Maldives, and Gili Lankanfushi. Yes, you’ll need to seriously save up, but you can book a few of these with points.
Once you arrive at the idyllic island of your choosing, you start to see in technicolor. Shades of blue you didn’t know existed, sand so white you need sunglasses to look at it, and sunsets that shift from pink to red to purple, like the insides of a ripe plum.
And while R&R are the destination’s lifeblood, there is also an encyclopedia of activities to fill your days. Many of the resorts operate on “island time,” giving guests an hour of extra sunlight per day. So, whatever you do, don’t sleep in. Wake up with the distinct call of the Asian koel and walk the silica shores as hermit crabs scuttle by and baby blacktip reef sharks play in the lapping waves.
Days here are designed to do as little or as much as you want. But in a place you may never set foot in again, I suggest the latter. Every resort has a weekly calendar of scheduled activities—some free, some chargeable—that guests can join in on. Complimentary activities range from morning stretching with a sea breeze to late-afternoon volleyball in the sand to learning about local culture through a Boduberu drum session.
One to two of these selections per day pair perfectly with feet-in-the-sand beach reads and laps in the infinity pool. But since this may be a one-time-only experience, booking a few chargeable experiences is well worth the price tag. If your pockets are only deep enough for one, make it a snorkeling or diving session. At resorts like Six Senses Laamu, guests can book a guided snorkeling excursion with the resort’s marine biologist to see turtles and manta rays. I’d recommend staying in the Baa Atoll at resorts like Soneva Fushi or Anantara Kihavah Maldives, where you can snorkel with hundreds of manta rays feeding on plankton from May to November.
If muscle-melting massages are more your style, the Maldives has some of the best in the world. Schedule in for a heavenly hammam treatment at Joali Maldives, one of just a few in the country with this traditional treatment. Or, try a lava shell massage at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort’s overwater spa, where heated clam shells gently work out the knots from your flight. If you’re staying at the all-inclusive Kudadoo Maldives, endless massages, facials, and scrubs are included.
And when you find yourself back at the airport, nursing a sunburn and dodging the latest flight full of smiling arrivals, try to smile back.
