11 Things to know before visiting Maldives

Maldives is made up of about 1200 different small islands but only about 200 are inhabited and most of them have private resorts build on them. The different islands are made of corals and that is one of the reasons the sand in the beaches in Maldives is different to most other beaches.

The Maldives is a Muslim country and also the smallest Muslim country in the world. Due to Friday prayers the weekend falls on Friday and Saturday. When you are making the itinerary keep in mind not to visit any public places on Friday and especially on Saturday as the locals tend to go out and about on this day which makes the locations very crowded.

It goes without saying that a country which is surrounded by the sea depends on fishing. Accordingly their main food is fish and other seafood. Their food is greatly influenced by their neighbouring countries, Sri Lanka, India and even Arab. There are plenty of coconut trees in the islands hence coconut is infused into the food in various forms such as scraped coconut and coconut milk.

One of the biggest advantages of Maldives is that the tropical sunny weather prevails through most of the months. You are able to sit and relax by the beach enjoying a nice drink while your eyes feast on the stunning view of the Indian Ocean

One of the main attractions in the Maldives is the numerous water sports that are available in the islands. Most of the private resorts and hotels such as Amilla Fushi Maldives have staff that is able to teach you, provide you with equipment and knowledge on how to do different water sports. Snorkelling, scuba diving, surfing are a few of the water sports that are available in the Maldives.

Being a Muslim country one of the most strict rules they have is that alcohol is prohibited outside of resorts and hotels. You cannot purchase or consume alcohol in public as it is against the law. One can consume alcohol only at hotels, restaurants and luxury water villas in Maldives . The island nation has a strict policy on alcohol as it is forbidden by religion.

Being a Muslim country Maldives is quite conservative when it comes to certain practices. Even though it is a tropical island you are not allowed to wear summer, revealing clothes out in public. You are not allowed to wear revealing bathing suits in public either. The private resorts are where you can relax and enjoy the sun, sand and the sea away from the watchful eyes of the public.

December to April are the most popular months to visit the Maldives and the prices on flights, resorts, restaurants and everything else invariably goes up. If you can only visit the Maldives during this time you should make the reservations in advance.

Since the resorts are located on individual islands once you arrive at the airport you need to get a seaplane or a boat to get to your destination. These are frequent but expensive.

The stunning sparkling blue waters and the pristine white sands that convinced you to make a trip to the Maldives look exactly the same when you are able to see it for real.

The open-air markets in Male are a great way to spend a day out and about with the locals. The markets have an array of different shops that you can buy goods and food from.