Anastasia Smith
An abundance of artful creations of nature seems to have descended on the Maldives creating the incredible coral islands. The Indian Ocean offers many shades of blue with lush emerald palms and pristine white sands adding a striking contrast and when you go underwater the breathtaking hues of marine life await to mesmerize you. Yes, the Maldives is a destination for a lifetime. To make your holiday an epic one discover a few insights on how to select the best resort for your stay.
With the archipelago’s concept of one island, one resort, you are assured of a lot of privacy with only the house guests and staff being around. This also means you will be spending most of your holiday at the same resort. This makes it important to select and book the most suitable resort for your stay out of the best resorts in Maldives.
This important decision involves considering the resort's setting, the types of villas offered and the basis of lodging, water sports, excursions, spa facilities, and entertainment especially if you are travelling with kids. All these factors must be separately considered before you make the all-important decision.
As with most travellers who select holiday destinations overseas, one must plan a budget for this special trip to the Maldives and try to work within it. Yes, the perception is that the Maldives is a high-end destination especially when you are looking for a luxury resort. The resorts offer 4-star and 5-star properties with appropriate service levels and amenities offering different levels of comfort and indulgence to suit the desires of discerning visitors. As visitors looking for a memorable holiday in the Maldives consider the features that are of special value for this holiday and decide accordingly.
Hence when you compare resorts look at the experiences and the reviews of those properties. You are planning a vacation in the paradise island of the Maldives, hence consider making the most of your time here by going for experiences you would not want to miss and feel disappointed later. However, don’t fail to look out for those special deals many luxury resorts such as Grand Park Kodhipparu Maldives offer for summer vacation, early bookings and stay longer offers.
Ensure the selected resort has the kind of facilities you need depending on the group such as spa facilities, different dining options, bar facilities, kids’ clubs etc. in addition to a fully equipped Aquatic Sports Centre and underwater exploration facilities.
Although these are standard features in the Maldives, it is better to verify before you book.
Most resorts offer Overwater villas and Beach Villas each having its unique features suiting guests with different preferences. An overwater villa is a quintessential experience like living in the middle of a lagoon as they are built on stilts rising above water giving off a feeling of serenity with all the comforts you need. While overwater villas are slightly pricier than beach villas most visitors love this experience.
Beach villas are built a little away from the beach and close to the palms that fringe the white sand. These are ideal for exploring reefs and for watersports.
Having narrowed down your search to a few resorts consider the add-ons that must be factored into the budget like transfers from the airport in the case of the Maldives, some transfers cost a tidy sum.
Transfers from Velana International Airport (VIA, your airport of arrival in Male) to resorts can be using different modes depending on the resort selected.
Speedboat Transfer – These are used for resorts that are close to VIA and the transfer is efficiently booked and handled by most resorts, the cost is reasonable.
Seaplane Transfer – Used to reach resorts which are further away from VIA, the cost is much higher than by speedboat transfer. In the case of seaplane transfers, if the arrival flight is in the evening in Male, the guest must stay a night in the capital city and take the seaplane the following day as seaplane services are available only when there is adequate daylight. This stay is an additional cost to the guest.
Domestic Flight and Speedboat Transfer – these are remote islands where guests do a domestic flight to a base and take the speedboat from there to the resort.
Apart from speedboat transfer both other transfers are expensive and will raise your overall budget.
Look at the meal plan options available at the chosen resort. Some guests would prefer to go with an all-inclusive package rather than go for half board or full board. These decisions depend on the activities and plans guests have for their stay, the number of guests in the group etc.
Generally, guests staying in one villa are expected to have the same meal plan.
