Posts Tagged ‘Maldives’

Maldives Top Five Scuba Dives

The maldives have long been known as wonderful vacation resorts beloved of scuba divers. The thousand or so islands each sit in lagoons of coral that have built up over a quarter of a million years. The shallow waters are abundant with sea life. Eveything from the tiniest nudibranch to the great Whale Shark can be seen here. The real stars for most people are the pelagic Manta Rays and the loggerhead turtles which are often found in large numbers. They are attracted by the abundance of food, as are plenty of sharks.

But when faced with such a mass of options, which islands shoul you choose? The readers of The Maldives Review have given their approval to the isllands of Dhiggiri, Kudahithi, Ellaidhoo, Fihalhohi and Filitheyo as the five Maldives destinations that tick the scuba diver’s boxes most fully.

According to editor Nicola Brown the scoring is based not only on dive quality, which in most cases in the maldives is a given, but also on accomodation qality, standard of food and drink on the island, party atmosphere and general levels of customer service.

Above all that, the standards of the Scuba dive center (invariably a PADI centres in the Maldives) are what mark out a first class scuba diver’s island as opposed to just a good one. The staff of the dive centre must be patient, professional, knowledgeable, environmentally aware, multilingual and also friendly too. When they can deliver on all those fields, then what you have is a top five maldives dive resort.

The Maldives – A Beach Paradise

The Maldives are a collection of over one thousand islands in the Indian Ocean, almost 500 miles south west of Sri Lanka. They epitomise the phrase “tropical paradise” and as a result are a popular destination for couples and families wanting a really relaxing holiday. The Maldives is one of the most isolated countries is the world, and also one of the most dispersed, with atolls (islands made of coral that encircle lagoons) spread out over thousands of miles.

Being near the equator, The Maldives has hot temperatures all year round. However, between June and October, monsoons are common due to interactions between the sea and air in Asia to the North. Rainfall is a lot lower between October and April so this is the ideal window for a holiday. Temperatures average 30°C in these months. This climate combines with possibly some the finest beaches on the planet. The spectacular formations of coral that have formed the islands have to be seen to be believed. The lagoons that form within the islands have a brilliant blue colour, and look as they do on the postcards. Palm trees swaying with the sea breeze help complete the idyllic setting.

Most of the islands are still uninhabited, so if you want to be completely isolated, you can simply hire a boat and explore. There can surely be no better feeling that lying on a beach with nobody for literally miles around. The corals that make up the island act as a food source for small animals which leads to a diverse range of animal life â?? perfect for snorkelling. If you travel at the right time you can also be lucky enough to swim with Whale sharks, the largest fish on the planet.

It’s no wonder why Maldives holidays are so desirable. It’s such a relaxing, paradisiacal place – a world away from the hustle and bustle of the West.

A Dining Experience In The Maldives

The thousand islands of the Maldives obviously have a lot to offer tourists who are seeking to experience paradise. But aside from the exquisite beaches, picturesque landscapes and the endless beauty of the surrounding sea, paradise can also be tasted in the variety of foods that the Maldives has to offer.

Cuisine in the Maldives is definitely wide-ranging from the local staples to Western fare, and a lot of Asian and Indian preparations in between. Owing to the geography, the sea provides abundant bounty to the islands. Fresh fish and other seafood are commonly featured in Maldivian cooking, complemented by various imported ingredients that lend it international flavour.

Tuna, swordfish, grouper, red snapper, and octopus are always available in the restaurants dotting the island’s tourist locations. For those who can’t eat seafood however, there are still plenty of choices that include vegetable dishes, chicken, pork, lamb, and beef. Most meats are imported from Australia and New Zealand and are top-quality.

If you want to taste a truly traditional Maldivian meal, try garudhiya with some coconut, lime, chili, and smoked or boiled fish. Garudhiya is a fish soup cooked with tuna, coconut, tubers, and millet. It is usually served with coconut syrup called dhiyaa-hakuru and some rice. Another delicacy that would sometimes come with this kind of meal is rihaakuru, which is basically a fish paste.

There’s also mas huni, a dish with fish, coconut, onions, and lemon. For breakfast, serving unleavened roshi is typical throughout the islands. Using curry is likewise very common in Maldivian cooking, and you can choose from fish, vegetable or meat curry dishes. Generally, traditional cuisine in the Maldives is a balance of sweet, citrus-y and mildly spicy flavours. Fresh tropical fruit like mangoes, bananas and papayas are usually available for dessert.

A recommended gastronomical adventure can be done in the capital Male, where a lot of cafes and teashops serve sweet treats, pastries and spicy savouries. A lot of the spicy delicacies have fish as the main ingredient. There are fish-stuffed pastries (bajiyaa), fish rolls (keemia), fishcakes (kulhi boakibaa), little fish-stuffed pancakes (masroshi), and fish balls (gulha). Sweets are mostly made of flour and sugar like the foniboakiba cake. Black tea, or kalhu sai, is commonly served with such snacks.

Most restaurants can be found in Male, but there are also a few dining places throughout the rest of the islands, although these are usually affiliated with the hotels and resorts. Because these places mainly cater to tourists, international menus are quite common too.

Restaurants in the Maldives serve Indian, Sri Lankan, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, continental, and “fusion” cuisines. Some of the most well-known dining places are The Garden, Salsa Cafe, Maayafushi, 24 Degrees in Taj Exotica, Thai Wok, and the unique underwater restaurant called Ithaa that is run by the Conrad Maldives (Hilton) Resort in Rangali Island.

Maldives Holiday Packages-Finding Great Hotels In Maldives Made Easy

Have always wanted to visit the beautiful island Maldives and was waiting for the right deal to come my way. When me and wife had our first anniversary in a week it bumped me to do something special for her. Surprising her with flowers and chocolates would not woo her, since it was our first wanted to take another step ahead. I chose the easiest option to google in for best holiday deals in Maldives. Have to love the internet, it has changed lives since the past few decades made life a lot simpler for humans today.

I bumped into a site which took me by awe and was attracted instantly to the offers they had to offer. Maldives indeed is a paradise on earth, beautiful beaches, huge trees, large and spacious villas it would be the perfect destination to rekindle the love again. Nowhere else can you experience such fantastic beauty, exceptional service, luxurious water villas and amazing white sandy beaches. She is an extremely crazy about white sand, whenever planning an event like this keep all our favourite things in mind and then choosing an ideal destination seems easy. Do your research and you sure will lay hands on one of the best deals online?

The ideal time to visit Maldives is any time of the year that is the beauty of this place as it stays sunny all year long. With Luxury Holidays Club you can get accommodation at these luxurious Water and Beach Villas for thousands of dollars less than normal. There are many other ideal holiday destinations which are worth visiting for as less as 329$. It is the perfect getaway on the budget. Joining and being their member gives additional benefits in terms of waivers and earning revenue if you send a referral. They also offer you 60% reduction in air fares for some of the flight deals as well.

The list of resorts were many we chose the Medhufushi Island Resort 5 star and trust me it was high class service in every sense. Imagine a place that is just out of this world with white sandy beaches surrounded by blue water and lagoons. You can see nature at its best and beauty unravelled till wherever your sight goes.

The hotel had everything we had hoped for from Private Water Villa, spacious and comfy. It had the most romantic setting ever. Private outdoor veranda and sun lounging area where we could spend the evening just gazing at the star lit sky. The food was scrumptious with so many cuisines to choose from; even the most whimsical ones would be appeased. The wine and dine section was unbeatable.

It was just the perfect ending to the celebration of our one year of togetherness, just time spent by ourselves. Life was bliss and the trip was the most unforgettable journeys of our life. Trust me getting affordable rates is not hard you should know where to find them and just take a break you have been longing for.

The Quiet, Yet Extraordinary Islands of Maldives

The Maldives, made of a group of atolls, are situated in the Indian Ocean and consist of over one thousand islets. In Maldive’s waters you can find an abundance of marine life, which makes this place the perfect place for scuba diving. The most beautiful things to be done in Maldives are the night dives when the reefs get very active. The Maldives are very popular especially because there you can find lots of predators, such as sharks. As mentioned above, the marine life is extraordinary and the reefs form exciting labyrinths for you to visit when scuba diving in Maldives; however you will not find too many shipwrecks there. There are some wrecks in Maldives but they are not very interesting so if you like these kinds of adventures when you go scuba diving you will not get that there.

The best period for scuba diving in Maldives is between December and March because the visibility is the best and the humidity is very low. Between May and August the visibility is reduced but on May you can meet whale sharks so if you would like to find them when scuba diving in Maldive waters consider going there at the beginning of this month. The diverse life existing in those waters determine more and more tourists to visit Maldives for scuba diving. Although corals were affected by El Nino, they are quickly recovering and the number of fish species is also increasing so you will find there an amazing life that will fascinate your eyes.

You can do both drift diving and shore dives if you want. Of course, when you do drift dives you will have to be careful with the depth and to get with you an SMB. If you want to visit wrecks when scuba diving in Maldives you can do that too but you will be more interested in the life found there than in the shipwrecks by themselves. If the main reason for your vacation to Maldives is to practice scuba diving then you should choose a liveaboard. This way, you will have access to more dive sites of Maldives and you will have the chance to get there at the proper moments for meeting lots of species of fish. You will have to pay more for these services but you will get to see great scuba diving sites depending on the weather conditions.

The Maldives Islands are quiet so you will be very relaxed on this scuba diving vacation if that is what you want. The Maldives is the smallest country from Asia when it comes to its population so it is no wonder it is a silent place to go for scuba. However the tourism system is increasing and nowadays this is the most important way for the country to make money. For those who want to get relaxed and forget about the routine of every day life, snorkeling in Maldives can be the perfect choice.