Luxury Maldives Holidays

The Maldives is a year-round destination, with temperatures hovering around 30°C throughout the year.

With the perfect combination of minimal rainfall, low humidity and clear skies, November to April is the best time to visit the Maldives. The surrounding waters are also at their clearest, meaning this is the optimum time to go snorkelling and diving among its iridescent coral reefs, too. November to April is also the most popular time of year to visit Dubai, so if you want to escape the city when it's at its busiest, then the Maldives will be ready to welcome you while its islands look their best.

May to October sees a little more tropical rainfall, but there are still plenty of sunshine hours to enjoy. We know Dubai can get extremely hot during the summer months and with so much fine weather to be had in the Maldives, it's an excellent place to visit at this time and will certainly be cooler than Dubai. With the extra annual leave you'll have during Eid al-Fitr in May and Eid al-Adha in July, the Maldives is a great place to hop over to for a few days.

Getting to the Maldives from Dubai is easy. There are regular direct flights to the Maldives' international airport in Malé, which take a little over four hours. Depending on which resort you stay in, you'll then take a speedboat, seaplane or domestic flight to your paradise resort.

If you are travelling for anywhere else in the Emirates, get in touch and we can discuss your flight options with you.

If you're a British passport holder, you will need a visa for the Maldives. However, this is issued free of charge when you arrive in Malé. You'll also need six months validity on your passport from your departure date.

In fact, visitors of all nationalities to the Maldives will be issued a 30-day visa free of charge on arrival.

No vaccinations are currently recommended for the Maldives. If you’re entering the Maldives from a Yellow Fever zone, possession of a valid Yellow Fever inoculation certificate is required.

However, as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, you do currently need to present a negative Covid-19 PCR test on arrival in the Maldives, taken no more than 96 hours (some resorts may require a shorter timeframe) prior to departure. Speak to a health professional for the most up-to-date travel health advice, as well as for information on booking a PCR test.

Capital: Malé

Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa, although US dollars and credit cards are widely accepted

Language: Dhivehi (although English is widely spoken)

Religion: Islam

Time zone: GMT +5

While the Maldives is certainly blessed with beautiful beaches and it will difficult to peel yourself away from these postcard-perfect stretches of sand, the Maldives has so much more to offer. Its iridescent lagoons are a haven for snorkellers and divers with myriad marine life to discover.

Snorkelling or swimming with manta rays is one of most unforgettable activities you can do in the Maldives and while they visit the Maldivian archipelago throughout the entire year, they visit different atolls at different times of year. The plankton-rich waters of Hanifaru Bay in the Baa Atoll is one of the places to see them (between May and October) but if you want to find out where's best to stay to swim with manta rays at a particular time of year, get in touch with one of our travel specialists.

Elsewhere, there are incredible sandbank picnic experiences, sunset cruises, an array of water sports and plenty of eco-friendly activities to get involved in. Find out what other things you can do in the Maldives by clicking here.