While the swanky resort islands of the Maldives are all remarkably gorgeous, palatial and, as many would unhesitatingly agree, are not any less real than your paradisiacal fantasies, the authentic Maldives lies far outside this rather fabricated bubble of idyll. To enjoy a glimpse into the authentic local island life, set out on a tour of the bustling Male Island — the home to the Maldives' eponymous capital city — which, unfortunately, is just the gateway into the island nation for almost all tourists to the archipelagic nation.