After extensively researching the Maldives, I thought I knew everything about it. While traveling there for my honeymoon, I learned a few more things that make it such a special place. Now that I’m back, the one question that I get is,
“Was it worth it?”
The answer is absolutely yes.
1. There won’t be many Americans
The time and money it takes to get to the Maldives from the United States make it an uncommon place for Americans to travel, so it wasn’t a surprise that we were the only ones at both of our resorts. It took about 30 hours for us to return home between a boat transfer, seaplane and flight. At our second resort, a staff member actually recalled that a month prior to our arrival there was a rare American sighting. Most guests come from Asia and Europe due to proximity, so it felt like a true getaway to be surrounded by the non-American travelers. The food at resorts also caters to the tastes of international guests, serving things like traditional English breakfast items to dumplings at all times of the day.
2. Complimentary resort lounges at the airport will make your day
When we arrived in the Maldives, getting through the airport and retrieving our luggage was a pretty quick experience. After exiting security, we were greeted by a resort rep who led us to a shuttle and transported us to the seaplane docking area. All the luxury resorts seemed to have private lounges. After realizing that it can take several hours for a seaplane to come, I was quite thankful for this experience.
3. The seaplane experience is its own mini adventure
Flying in a seaplane over the Indian Ocean was an experience in itself. At first, the small rickety plane made me nervous, but the bird’s eye view of the various Maldivian Islands and turquoise ocean kept me at ease.
4. Water villas are everywhere!
Most of the world’s water villas are located in the Maldives. Since the seaplane flies rather low, you can see the various designs of many of them. Some jetties are long, while other resorts have smaller curved ones. The second resort where we stayed, Constance Halaveli, actually had the longest jetty in the Maldives at just over a half mile or 850 meters.
5. Marine life is out of this world
Being in the Maldives was my first time in the Indian Ocean, and I saw ocean life that I had never experienced before. We stuck to snorkeling close to our villa, but still saw vibrant coral ecosystems, reef fish, starfish and stingrays — even a purple jellyfish. Whale sharks are also common in the area, and you’re basically guaranteed to see one if you sign up for an excursion.
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