Centara Grand Island Resort 

Island Hopping

With over 2000 islands on offer in the Maldives, a great way to explore what some of them have to offer is to go island hopping. Whether it is to visit an uninhabited island or check out a neighbouring resort, boat trips leave daily from most islands. Private dhoni yachts can also be arranged for those looking for the ultimate romantic or Maldives honeymoon experience.

Male - The Capital

Male is just 10 minutes from the airport by boat and is the capital of the Maldives. The island is two square kilometres in area and home to 70,000 people and the pace of life in Male is unlike anywhere else in the Maldives. The busy island is now full of glass fronted buildings, shops, schools, hospitals, hotels and restaurants, with paved roads and people going about there everyday business. It is very easy to find you way around the island.

The Islamic Centre - Male

The Islamic Centre is located in the centre of the northern facade of Male. The building, with its golden dome, symbolises the religion of Islam, which has existed in the country for centuries.

Hukuru Miiskiiy - Male

Hukuru Miskiiy, the old Friday Mosque built in the 17th century, displays inticrately carved coral walls which are truly a sight to behold. The surrounding grounds are home to a graveyard where tombstones of many sultans can be found. One important part of the mosque is the minaret, a drum shaped tower from where the muezzin used to call for prayers.

Presidential Palace - Male

Mulee-agee, the former Presidential Palace was built around the turn of the 20th century by the Sultan for one of his sons and was later used as the official resident of the president and at present the president's office. The new Presidential Palace along Orchid Magu exhibits excellent craftmanship.

Popular Shopping Spots in Maldives

The shopping in Maldives is worth spending some time exploring. Local things to see include handmade artifacts as well as popular items including clothing, cosmetics, electronics, and accessories.

Chaandanee Mugu
The ideal place to be if looking for traditional and handmade crafts. The shops in the surrounding areas are filled with gift items as well. Local items including miniature dhonis made of wood are definitely worth purchasing for your private collection should you have one.

Majeedhee Magu
This impressive market has several shops which carries endless counts of garments, ornaments, bags, and electrical equiptment. Minus the 15 break for prayer, the market remains open daily until 11PM. There is also a nearby market that sells fresh vegetables and fruits as well.

Duty Free Shopping
In Maldives, duty free shopping is limited to the international airport only.



 

Watersports

The Maldives are a ideal holiday destination for some fantastic watersports ranging from sailing, windsurfing, swimming, canoeing, parasailing, deep sea fishing, jet skiing and waterskiing. You can also charter yachts or go on boat safari's to discover uninhabited Maldivan islands.

Surfing

Surfing is a new sport that has recently taken off in the Maldives. It is best to stay in a resort in the North Male Atoll, where the surf breaks are excellent and up to 2.5 metres high. For a surf holiday to the Maldives, Western & Oriental Travel recommend travelling between May and October.

Diving and Snorkelling

The Maldives are world renowned for their dive sites and coral reefs making it ideal for diving and snorkelling. It is possible to see an array of tropical fish, reef sharks and amazing coral. The highest visability that one could expect sometimes exceeds 50 metres. All luxury holiday resorts in the Maldives have professional dive schools with multi lingual instructors and can conduct courses for beginners aswell as advanced. Many hotel resorts have superb house reefs, which are just a short swim from the beach.

Submarine Trips

A recent introduction to the Maldives is the German built Whale Submarine, where it is possible to view the exotic coral reefs and magnificent tropical fish from the safety and comfort of an air conditioned submarine.

Shopping

Whilst on your Maldives holiday, Male is the ideal place to visit if you enjoy shopping. You will be able to find local handicrafts, reed mats, wooden boxes, jewellery, electonical items and souvenirs such as sea shells. Most of the shops are open throughout the day and close at dusk. Local markets can be visited, where you will find fruit, vegetables and home made food. It is a lovely sight, as is visiting them to see how the locals interact. 

The Maldives are located southwest of Sri Lanka, on the equator. There are 1,190 coral islands, forming an archipelago of 26 major atolls, 202 islands are inhabited, 100 are exclusive luxury island resorts.

You should be aware that in many resorts, the basic rooms may be a slightly lower standard than the classification we have rated the hotel resort. We have based ratings on the overall facilities and services provided and the general standard and comfort of the accommodation.
 

Citizens of the UK do require a visa for the Maldives, but these are free and obtained on arrival. A return airline ticket is needed, as well as a full passport valid for at least six months after the return date to the UK.

If you require more assistance please visit www.visaservice.co.uk or www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo for the latest Maldives visa information.
 

The electrical system in the Maldives is between 220V-240V AC.

The electical plugs used in the Maldives varies. Depening on you island and resort it is possible you will encounter either European, British or Indian plugs. Contact your hotel in advance to check which plugs they have installed and ensure you have the relevant adaptor if required.

Maldives has a relatively low crime rate and is considered safe. As with all travel, you are advised take caution when travelling alone, particularly at night.

The Maldives Islands are generally warm and humid, the sun shines all year round, with average temperatures around 29 - 32 degrees Celsius. The hottest month on average is April and the coolest December. The weather is determined largely by the monsoons, however, January to April are the driest months and May till October on average records the highest rainfall. December till April is a period of clear skies, low humidity and very little rain.

AVERAGE CLIMATE IN MALDIVES

The above table is a guideline and Western & Oriental Travel cannot assume responsibility for the statistical information.

The following immunisations are recommended  for travel to the Maldives, but it is best to consult with your GP for up to date information or phone NHS Direct on 0845 4647:

• Typhoid
• Tetanus
• Polio
• Hepatitis A

The Indhira Ghandi Memorial Hospital is located in Male, some resorts have in house doctors. For your safety, a decompression chamber is within easy reach of most resorts in case of a diving emergency.

Dress is generally very casual, t-shirts and cotton clothing is most suitable. In the capital Mahe, it is recommended that women do not bare too much, as this may cause offence.

Sun cream and a hat is also recommended as the climate is generally very warm and sun can burn visitors very easily.

Several airlines fly to the Maldives, the international airport being Male, with the journey taking about 10 hours 30 minutes direct from London with British Airways (from London Gatwick three times a week) or SriLankan Airlines (up to five times a week).

Other scheduled airlines flying to Male include Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi (from November 2011), Qatar Airways via Doha and Emirates  with connections from a range of UK airports via Dubai.

Upgrades are available on all airlines. Speak to our Maldives specialis for more information.

Dhivehi is the language spoken in all parts of the Maldives. English is also widely spoken by Maldivians. In the resorts, a variety of languages are spoken by staff including English, German, French, Italian, Hindi and Japanese.

We suggest that all our customers review foreign office advice for the Maldives before travelling. Please use the following link: www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo

The local currency is Rufiyaa and Laaree. One Rufiyaa is equivalent to 100 laarees. US$ is the most commonly used foreign currency. Credit cards are widely accepted including AMEX, Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, JCB and Euro Card. Payments in resorts can be made in most hard currency in cash, travellers cheques or credit cards. There are ATM's on the capital island, Male, easily reachable.

Airport Departure Tax amounts to approximately US$10 per person.

The currency conversion as of April 2011 is £1 = 21 Rifiyaa.

The Maldives uses Atlantic standard time which is +5 hours ahead of GMT. There is also a time difference between Male and many islands of 1 hour.

Osborne & Ebel / Crown Tours: Tel: 00 960 332 9889 

Hummingbird Maldives: Tel: 00960 333 5896 24 hour airport reps 00960 777 7543
 

Tourists are not allowed to bring alcohol into the Maldives. If you buy alcohol at duty free on an outbound flight, then products will be confiscated and bonded in custom on arrival and released on departure of your holiday.

Nudism and topless sunbathing are prohibited throughout the Maldives including on resort islands. The Maldives is a Muslim country and serious violations of law may lead to a prison sentence.

Transfers between airport and hotels are by speedboat, dhoni, helicopter, scheduled flight or sea plane depending on the island you are visiting. Transfer boat times differ according to sea conditions and the type of boat used.

If scheduled flights to Male arrive at night or depart very early in the morning or in the case of bad weather, it maybe necessary to overnight at the airport island hotel.

Seaplane transfers in the Maldives only operate during daylight hours. The below offers an idea of timings. If you are travelling from Male to resort by seaplane you may find you have to wait a while at Male airport for other international flights to arrive before your seaplane departs.

From Male to Islands:

First Departure: Approx 0600 hours
Last Departure: Approx 1600 hours - please note any international flight arriving after this time may require you to overnight in Hulhule Airport Hotel.

If your international flight is delayed and you miss your seaplane departure, you may need to overnight in Male at an additional expense. Transfers would be arranged the following day on the earliest possible flight, but again at an additional cost (your original seaplane flight would be treated as a no-show.) Guests will also not be refunded the night unused on their island.

From Islands to Male:

First Departure: Approx 0600 hours - please note if your international flight leaves Male before 0900 hours you may have to overnight in Hulehule Airport Hotel the night before.

Last Departure: Approx 1500 hours - please note this may be the latest time you can leave your resort. It may be necessary to book a day room at Hulehule if your flight leaves in early hours the following day, as there are very limited facilities at the airport.
 
Please be aware that a maximum of ONE suitcase per person weighing no more than 20kg will be allowed on seaplane flights, regardless of the international flight allowance, and luggage 'pooling' between passengers is not permitted.  Excess luggage will need to be stored at the International Airport at a local charge.

Hand luggage is also limited to ONE piece of no more than 5 kgs per person - any oversized hand luggage will be retrieved by cabin crew and strapped down at the back of the plane. Infants are not entitled to luggage allowance.

Boat transfers operate at all times of the day and night. Please speak to one of our Maldives Holiday experts for more information.
 

Ferry Service to the Capital: A ferry service is available from the airport to the capital every 15 minutes, changing to every 30 minutes after midnight.

Two Island Holidays : Combining 2 different islands is possible and you can obtain a totally different experience as every resort is different in terms of character, size and standard of facilities.

However please bear in mind that travelling times can sometimes take a while as you have to transfer to the second island via the airport - unless you charter a boat which can be expensive.