Maldives - The Island you must visit 🏝️

What is that one thing in your life that takes you away from everyday stress? For me it is the beach 🏖️. As they say, "an ocean breeze puts a mind at ease". My mind goes into instant relaxation mode when I lay on the beach listening to the steady lapping of waves. This quarantine period at home brought back all the memories from my honeymoon trip to the Maldives. Right from the ocean villas to the pristine beaches, the trip was an experience like no other. So I decided to not only share my trip experience but also provide some insights for anyone that wants to jump in the Maldivian waters in the near future just like I did.

Before I jump into the details, I wanted to give a quick snapshot of our trip.


Location: Maldives
Date Visited: February 2019
Number of nights: 4 nights
Resorts visited: Adaaran Prestige Vadoo & Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi


1. How did we go about the booking process and how many days in advance did we book?

We got married in February 2019 and planned on going for our honeymoon immediately after the wedding since we didn't have a lot of vacation on-hand. The research began about 7-8 months before our trip and my husband was researching a lot of options. 

My husband had just one requirement and that was to stay in an ocean villa and experience the luxury with a beautiful ocean view. Maldives is one of the few islands that has ocean villas which is why we shortlisted the island for our honeymoon. The best months to visit Maldives is from mid-November to mid-April since the weather is beautiful however visiting Maldives during this time period comes at a premium price. The months of May through October is considered the monsoon season and prices are relatively cheaper during this time period.

Honeymoon villas in Adaaran Prestige Vadoo

2. Which website did we use and were there any hidden costs?

Hidden costs are extremely frustrating for anyone especially when we expect a particular amount but end up paying a lot more than that. We used Booking.com to process our booking and had a seamless experience confirming our stay since we had the entire cost shown upfront without any hidden fees. 

Keep in mind, Maldives has a 12% tax and we also had a 10% property service charge and shuttle fee included in the price which might vary depending on the resort you choose. For example, if the price for 4 nights ocean villa is $4300 then with taxes and other fees mentioned above, you will end up paying roughly $5300 for 2 people which would include everything. It is important to keep these charges in mind while researching as you will see them at the checkout page before you make your payment. 

Almost all of the resorts require you to travel either via speedboat or seaplane to the resort from Male Airport and the cost of this transportation is included in the resort price. Depending on which resort you choose, it is important to see if it is a speedboat transfer or seaplane transfer since seaplane will be more expensive. We chose Adaaran Prestige Vadoo and Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi resort and our 4 nights were split between the two resorts.

Resorts in Maldives are affordable depending on your budget. If you do not wish to splurge on an ocean villa, there are beach villas as well as garden villas in select resorts. In addition, there will be an option to choose all inclusive meals and drinks. We chose the ocean villa with all inclusive meals and drinks and felt that it was the most logical option and ended up paying just for water activities at both the resorts. Oh! That reminds me you can only enjoy alcohol on these islands. No alcohol is served on the main island of Male. If you are someone who doesn't drink you can opt out of this option and pay for your meals at the resort. The plethora of food options these resorts provide is INSANE!

Ocean Villas in Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi

3. What did we experience after landing at Male Airport?

If you are visiting Maldives chances are you will land in Velana International Airport which is the major airport of Maldives located in Male. We cleared immigration and customs and noticed various counters with resort names outside written on them. Our resort informed us before hand the counter number that we must get to after landing and we headed there. We were then taken via speedboat to Adaaran Prestige Vadoo which was our first resort. 

4. Quick overview of both the resorts.

Adaaran Prestige Vadoo: This resort is situated on 2.8 acres of land with only Ocean Villas. They do not have beach or garden villas. The entire property gave a cozy vibe with exceptional service.

Ocean Villa at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo

Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi: This resort on the other hand is situated on 83 acres of land with garden villas, beach villas and ocean villas. If you are on a tight budget, you can either choose the beach villa which offers uninterrupted views of the ocean or the garden villa which has easy access to various parts of the resort. 

Ocean Villa at Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi

5. Let's get to the fun part. What activities did we do during our stay in Maldives?

Where do I begin! You will run out of time but will not run out of things to do during your stay at any resort in Maldives. The best thing I experienced was the underwater world and got my scuba certificate. The ocean is a beautiful place to be and there is an entire world of species under water from underwater coral gardens populated with colorful fishes, reef sharks, turtles and if you are lucky STING RAYS! (Just be careful you don't want to get too close). If you are afraid of being underwater, snorkeling is another option that I did multiple times during my stay. It is a magical world out there. 

On the other hand, if you want to be away from water and be a sloth bear and chill like I did a few times, you can relax on the beach while sipping on a Piña colada 🍹. Soak all the vitamin D and watch the beautiful sunset! 

View from Ocean Villa - Adaaran Prestige Vadoo

Rejuvenation is key 🔑 and the tranquilizing Maldivian massage with aromatic ayurvedic oils should definitely be on your list of things to do in Maldives. The sound of the ocean waves 🌊 in the background while getting a relaxing massage is an experience that cannot be explained in words.

Massage view at Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi

6. Lastly, what do you pack for this amazing vacation?

Sunscreen – Always remember tanning is fun but longer exposure to sun rays is not! Make sure you have a sunscreen with a SPF of 50 at least. 

Sunglasses – You want to protect your eyes from that radiation! Actually, lets be honest what’s a picture without a pair of good sunglasses? My favorite Burberry Polarized sunglasses. 

A beach/dry bag – You would want to carry an empty bag to throw your gadgets before you dive in or just for your lip balm (we all know how important that is!). 

Bikinis/swimwear – I would throw on a salmon pink, a beige, a turquoise blue (with some tassels, of course!) and a floral Red swimwear! You should try Aerie –! I love them 😊

Beach essentials

AND OF COURSE IF YOU LOVE TAKING PICTURES LIKE I DO – Don’t forget your underwater Cameras!!!

Now I know you got a little excited to plan this trip and hop on a plane but hang on let the Coronavirus phase get over and before you know it, you will be in paradise. In the meantime, stay safe, wash your hands regularly, maintain social distancing and show some love by liking and sharing this Blog. 😊

View at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo