Maldives- Honeymoon Bucketlist Destination

The island nation of the Maldives is so popular with honeymooners looking for seclusion, serious scuba divers, those looking for relaxation and those that get caught up in the amazing photos of the Maldives with picture-perfect powder sugar white sand beaches, overwater villas and spectacular sunsets dipping below the horizon.

Lily Beach- white sand framed by blue water

Before you get excited I want to share some logistics with you as traveling to the Maldives requires time, patience and cash:

There are no direct flights from the USA to the Maldives, located near the Indian Ocean, about 500 miles southwest of Sri Lanka- approximately 9,782 miles from the USA depending upon where you are starting from to the Male International Airport (MLE) – sample from Atlanta to MLE 23 hours, JFK 18hours, Dallas 24 hours, LAX 22 hours – so at minimum I suggest to my clients to allow at least 10-14 days travel time. I recommend a stopover in Qatar, Abu Dhabi or Dubai to break up the travel time – from any of these stopover destinations it is about another four hours to Male Airport and a short seaplane flight on to your resort.
TimeZone Maldives are 12 hours ahead of the center of the USA.
Maldives require passports be six months beyond the return date / visas are free and issued upon arrival and valid for 30 days.
The best time to visit the Maldives is between November and April- although the island nation is warm and sunny year round, there is a dry and rainy season. Like most destinations, the best weather is also the busiest time of the year and resorts are the most expensive. Visitors are likely to find better pricing from May to October because it is considered the rainy season with the islands seeing 5-10 inches of rain per month and strong winds- but if you are a surfer this is the perfect time for you to visit.
Resorts are expensive but keep in mind that for the most part each resort inhabits its own island, so you do not have to contend with throngs of people even during the busiest time of the year- Hotels are spectacular with over water private bungalows – Lily Beach Resort & Spa one of my clients favorites – here guests love the Deluxe Water Villas where they can relax on their private deck or cool off in the private plunge pool and enjoy uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean, original all inclusive in the Maldives, offers premium liquors, live cooking demonstrations at Lily Maa in the evening complete with fresh fish options, house reef right off the beach, snorkeling with whale sharks and manta rays, sample inclusion of 2 inclusions with platinum plan – another popular resort is Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa – far north of the Maldives – very private, offering large spacious villas with separate living room and bedroom, premium liquors, offers various meal plans as well as white platinum all inclusive. Once you land in Male, resort teams will meet you and escort you to the seaplane terminal for your final flight out to your resort – from Male to Lily Beach Resort & Spa it is about 30 minutes and up to Hideaway Beach Resort it is about one hour by seaplane.

Deluxe Water Villas at Lily Beach Resort

6. The Maldives are 100 % Islamic population so local customs must be considered when you venture off your resort.

7. Safety – Currently Maldives are at Level 2 with the US State Department – the same as UK, France, Spain and Italy

8. So romantic – just imagine private massages on the beach, followed by private dinner, morning tea from your infinity edge pool, arrange for a private movie screening –

romantic massage and dinner on the beach

Morning Tea at Hideaway Beach yes please!

So if you have the time and proper budget, Maldives might be the perfect honeymoon destination for you-many of my clients will just take a mini-moon directly after their wedding, saving their vacation time and money and take their proper honeymoon to the Maldives later celebrating their one year wedding anniversary.

Considering the Maldives and want to learn more ? Email Linda@honeymoonsinc.com