Ten Mistakes to Avoid in the Maldives

Welcome back to The Velvet Runway and this feature with my top tips about Ten Mistakes to Avoid in the Maldives.

In my previous travel post about How to Plan the Perfect Vacation in the Maldives, I promised to follow up with a post about the mistakes to avoid when planning your dream vacation, and here is my list of the ten mistakes to avoid in the Maldives.

Some of these tips are specific to the Maldives, but many of them also apply when planning a trip to other destinations.

Ten Mistakes to avoid in the Maldives

1 Not doing your research beforehand

The Maldives has its own currency, voltage and entry requirements and you need to be aware of these when planning the perfect Maldives Vacation. To help you, here are a few facts you should be aware of (correct at the time of posting).

• A 30-day visa is issued on arrival, provided that you have a valid passport, an onward ticket to continue your journey and a reservation at a tourist facility or enough funds to cover your stay in the country.
• All travellers are required to submit the Traveller Declaration within 96 hours of the flight time, during arrival and departure to and from the Maldives. (https://imuga.immigration.gov.mv/ethd)
• As the Maldives is a Muslim country, bringing alcohol into the country is not permitted, and although you will find alcohol at the resorts, you won’t find alcohol in Malé and local villages
• If you need regular medication a valid medical prescription, issued by your registered medical practitioner, is required. Without one you may not be able to take the medication through customs.
• The Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) is the local currency, but most tourist resorts also accept dollars and euros. All major credit cards are accepted in the country.
• Local time is 5 hours ahead of GMT
• The electricity is 240 volts and you should remember to pack an adapter!
• The international dial code is +960, and you should check with your phone provider whether calls and messages to and from the Maldives are included in your subscription. If not, your service provider may be able to suggest a weekly top-up plan or prepaid SIM cards are available from two mobile service providers at Malé airport.
• A service tax of 10-12.5% is added to almost everything, but, in some cases, the people serving you personally will expect a tip. I would recommend leaving a tip for housekeeping at the end of your stay, as well as your waiter and bar staff (especially if you are on an all-inclusive formula as the tip can’t be added to your bill!). Acceptable currencies for tips are US dollars, local currency and Euros.

2 Picking the wrong time of year

The Maldives is warm for most of the year, so the main consideration when you’re booking a trip is choosing between the wet season and the dry season, rather than fall, winter, summer, or spring.

The dry season is between November and April, and is the best time to visit if you’re looking for a relaxing beach holiday, and also the best time for some of the watersports and big game fishing. However, the sunnier weather also attracts more tourists which means that it is likely to be “busier” and therefore more expensive.

The wet season is between May and October, but although flash storms are more frequent at this time of year, it’s also not uncommon to have several days of uninterrupted sunshine. If you’re looking for a beach vacation, you should be aware that there is more risk of rain at this time, but there are also fewer people and you are more likely to find a bargain.

If you prefer calmer waters and gentler watersports, such as snorkeling, scuba diving, or canoeing, the dry season will be your best choice, when visibility is also at its peak.

3 Visiting Only One Island

The Maldives is a nation of islands in the Indian Ocean, that spans across the equator, and it is comprised of 26 atolls and over 1000 islands. Each island is generally home to only one resort, so if you want to get a true flavour of the Maldives, then you should consider “island hopping“.

You could choose to visit multiple islands by staying at more than one resort over the course of your vacation, or you could take a day tour to an adjacent atoll or you could plan some time in the capital city, Malé, which has a completely different vibe to the resort islands.

If you choose to visit Malé or local villages that are not part of a resort, please be aware that the Maldives is a Muslim country, and that wearing clothes that are revealing in public is considered disrespectful, so keep bikinis and coverups for the resort only! Similarly, alcohol consumption is not permitted.

4 Not finding out more about the local culture

The country’s culture and traditions are in large part due to its geographical location, and comprise a unique melting pot of Sri Lankan, Indonesian, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Indian and African influences, and many of the resort staff will come from nearby Sri Lanka.

The Maldives also has its own unique culture and traditions, which have been shaped by the island environment and the seas that surround them. The language is Dhivehi and the current unique script, Thaana, was developed from Arabic numerals around the 16th century.

Unsurprisingly due to their geographical location, Maldivians are master boat builders, and the traditional Maldivian boat, dhoni is perfectly adapted to the various conditions of the seas.

They also have a local cuisine based heavily on fish, fresh fruit and vegetables and coconut!

If you want to find out more about the local culture, try sampling the local cuisine (although I did draw the line at curry for breakfast, the butter chicken was the best I have ever tasted), and you can also arrange a day trip to a nearby village island to learn more about the traditional way of life.

We arranged a one night stop-over in the capital, Malé, on our way home, and this has a different vibe to the resorts.

5 Assuming that the Maldives is only for honeymoons and anniversaries

Many people associate the Maldives with honeymoons and wedding anniversary, and while it is, of course, a wonderful place for a romantic event, it is also a great destination for families, for a girls’ trip or just about any other occasion!

Many resorts cater specifically for families and some offer a kid’s club to keep the younger members of the family entertained.

The Maldives is a place where you go to relax and recharge, and we all need that, whether it’s for a romantic occasion or not. The idyllic resorts that cater for your every need and the spectacular scenery of the white sandy shorelines, coral reefs, crystal-clear turquoise waters, not to mention the delicious food and cocktails can be enjoyed by everyone et any time!

6 Assuming that the Maldives is out of your budget

The Maldives has a reputation for being an exclusive, luxury destination. But, it is possible to find some great deals, if you search around, and you can even find air-fare bargains, especially if you are willing to consider connecting flights and are flexible about dates.

As for island life on a budget, you don’t have to charter a luxury yacht, rent the most luxurious villas or participate in all the activities on offer to make the most of your Maldives Vacation. You can simply choose to relax on the beach, snorkel in the shallow waters near to the shore, and explore the island by bike or on foot.

You also don’t have to wine and dine in the most expensive “à la carte” restaurants, which brings me to my next point…..

7 Not considering an all-inclusive resort

I always love to plan a vacation step-by-step from the flights, the transfers, the accommodation and organise my own meals.

However, to get the best value-for-money, I booked an all-inclusive package and I would definitely recommend this option, as firstly, you are on an island in the middle of the sea which means that imported food and drink will be expensive.

And secondly, let me repeat, you are on an island in the middle of the sea, and as each island is usually only home to one resort, your choice of restaurants and bars will be limited anyway, and this is the perfect chance to enjoy the local cuisine .

8 Not taking reef safe sunscreen

The Maldivian islands straddle the equator, which means that the sun is exceptionally strong, so you will absolutely need to wear waterproof sunscreen and constantly reapply it.

However, the Maldives has one of the most delicate environments anywhere on the planet, with an abundance of coral reefs, which are the foundation of the islands. So, your sunscreen must be reef-safe. Although, you can purchase reef-safe sunscreen at most of the resorts you can expect the price to be significantly higher that at home, so make sure to pack plenty!

Also, be sure to pack sunglasses and sun hats or baseball caps.

9 Not taking reef shoes, an underwater camera and a waterproof bag

One of the mistakes to avoid in the Maldives is not packing for an island destination. You should take reef shoes to protect your feet from rocks, broken coral, sea urchins or any fish that might want to nibble your toes!

That being said, please be careful to avoid stepping on coral as if you touch coral you may kill it. Corals may look like rocks but they are actually living animals, whose bright colors come from a symbiont that lives inside the coral polyps called zooxanthellae, and which provides the coral polyps with most of their food. The coral polyps protect themselves (and the zooxanthellae) from infection with a mucus layer.

If you touch coral, even accidentally, you could damage this protective layer, which could expose the coral to pathogens and will also trigger a stress response, causing the coral to eject their zooxanthellae. This event is called “bleaching” because without the pigmented zooxanthellae the coral polyps lose their color (and up to 90% of their food supply), and consequently may die.

When you’re planning your trip to the Maldives, it’s worth investing in an underwater camera, preferably one with a video function so you can take videos of the marine life while snorkelling. We invested in a “GoPro” (US here) camera, and were delighted with the results!

Another essential item to have on your packing list for the Maldives is a waterproof bag, even if you plan to spend most of your time on an island resort, as this will enable you to safely take your phone and other valuables to the beach.

10 Taking heels!

Now, I will admit that I am a lover of heels, but quite honestly, where are you going to wear them in a sandy resort?

Heels are of no use, and actually a hindrance, in the Maldives since you will mostly be walking on sand or wooden planks, swimming or snorkelling, cycling or taking a boat trip! Even for a romantic dinner, a simple flat gold sandal or “exotic” flip flips are all you need!

I spent my holiday either barefoot, or in flip flops or the sandals called “tropeziennes” that France is famous for!

Final Thoughts about Ten Mistakes to Avoid in the Maldives

A final tip, depending on the time of year you are traveling is not to miss the bioluminescent light show, which is most visible during plankton high season (mid-summer to mid-winter), when bioluminescent plankton line the shores and create a glow-in-the-dark effect at the water’s edge after dark.

If you are planning to visit the Maldives, make sure to keep the above things to keep in mind. To be fully prepared for your trip – and this applies to any destination – make sure to do your research first!

We hope you enjoyed this feature about Ten Mistakes to Avoid in the Maldives, and you can have a look here for more of our travel tips.

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