Every resort is its own island, so the hotel is the entire holiday. Transfer type, meal plan and the house reef decide whether it is the trip of your life or an expensive three days in a room. We know these islands; we’ll tell you which.
Flight time1.5–3.5 hrsKochi 1.5, Bengaluru 2, Mumbai 3, Delhi 3.5 — all non-stop to Malé
Visa for IndiansFree, on arrival30 days. Confirmed hotel booking + return ticket required at immigration.
Best monthsNov – AprDry, calm seas. May–Oct is monsoon: rates fall 30–50%, showers pass quickly.
Time difference30 min behind IST
CurrencyUSD at resortsEverything on the island is billed in US dollars
Hotel market178 one-island resorts · 16 hotels · 973 guesthouseswhole country · Maldives Ministry of Tourism registry, 2025
01
Chapter One
Notes from us, on Maldives
Things we’d tell a friend before they booked. Specific, opinionated, occasionally inconvenient.
i.
The transfer is not a detail. It is the second-biggest cost.
A seaplane return for two can cost as much as a night in the villa, and seaplanes don’t fly after dark — land after 3 pm and you spend a night in Malé. Short trips and late flights: pick a speedboat resort. Four nights or more: the seaplane resorts are worth it.
Kochi–Malé morning flight + speedboat = on the beach by lunch.
ii.
Half-board is usually right. All-inclusive sometimes. Room-only almost never.
There is nowhere else to eat, and resort dinners are priced accordingly. Half-board (breakfast + dinner) suits most couples; all-inclusive wins if you drink or if the resort’s AI package includes excursions. We price both for your dates and show the difference.
Taj resorts do excellent Indian food — a relief by day three.
iii.
Overwater villa for two nights, beach villa for the rest.
Overwater is the photo and the price. Beach villas are larger, more private, and often sit on a better snorkelling spot. Mixing two nights over water and two on the beach costs less and gives you both. Resorts allow it; packages rarely offer it. We do.
Ask for a reef-facing water villa, not a lagoon-facing one, if snorkelling matters.
02
Chapter Two
Where to stay in Maldives
The area decides the holiday. Pick one, then we pick the hotel.
No — a free 30-day visa is stamped on arrival. Carry your hotel confirmation and return ticket; immigration asks for both.
How much does a Maldives trip really cost?
It varies several-fold between islands and seasons, and the transfer and meal plan add materially on top of the room — which is why package prices mislead. Tell us your total budget and dates and we will quote two or three islands live, with the transfer and meal plan included, so the number you see is the number you pay.
Speedboat or seaplane?
Three nights or a late-afternoon arrival: speedboat. Four nights or more, and arriving before 3 pm: the seaplane resorts have the better reefs and villas. Seaplanes do not fly after dark.
Is pure-veg / Jain food available?
At Taj Exotica, Taj Coral Reef and Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, yes, without fuss. Most other luxury resorts manage vegetarian well and Jain with advance notice, which we put in writing at booking.
Start today
Tell us your dates. We’ll send Maldives rates within the hour.
Hotel, visa guidance, transfers and a GST invoice in INR — one WhatsApp thread, one person, start to finish.
