My Photography & Travel Guide to The Maldives
For most people, the Maldives is a "Bucket List" destination. If you want to relax on incredible beaches that look like one of those desktop screenshots that you constantly look at on your computer, then you have found the place to visit. The Maldives is a place meant for slowing down and just enjoying life. So your days on the islands will be spent on the beach, swimming and relaxing!! It does not get much better than that, right?
“Let the waves hit your feet, and the sand is your seat.”
The Maldives is made up of more than 1,000 islands that sit in atolls and are surrounded by some of the best beaches in the world. The Indian Ocean's white sandy beaches have waters that are an incredible combination of blue and green colors. It's heaven on earth!!
The Beach In Front of Our Villa at the Park Hyatt
What most people do not realize is that the islands stretch more than 800 miles. So this is important to realize before booking your hotel accommodation as some hotels are much harder to reach than others.
The View from Our Cottage
The Maldives is definitely a place made for relaxation. But you can also snorkel, scuba-dive, swim, take marine tours to see dolphins, and witness some truly unforgettable sunsets.
One recommendation that I have is to try to stay on more than 1 island if you can. In the Maldives, most resorts are situated on their own private island — in fact, one island, one resort is what you commonly find for hotels within the archipelago. Each island is unique and moving around helps you relive the excitement of discovering somewhere new in the Maldives. I can’t recommend it enough.
How to Get There?
Getting to the Maldives is part of the adventure. Most people will fly to Dubai, Abu-Dhabi or Singapore and then take a short flight into Malé, the capital of the Maldives. You will need to plan how to get to your specific resort, usually through your hotel, prior to leaving.
Getting to your hotel is half the fun and involves either hopping onto a speed boat from the airport or flying to one of the further islands in the atolls on a seaplane. Either way, you'll have plenty of time to sit back and enjoy those views. It is the appetizer or amuse-bouche for your vacation.
Usually, your hotel will contact you to arrange your transfer to the hotel prior to departure. This is something that has to be reserved in advance. Don’t leave this till the last minute.
If you’re moving between islands, let the hotels know where you’ll be arriving from and leaving. You won’t have much control over the time if you’re flying in between islands as the flights are scheduled.
WHERE TO STAY
Each hotel is on its own island, and each one has unique features and characters. They are NOT all the same – despite what the water villa and snorkeling photos might have you believe. So if you like scuba diving, for example, make sure the hotel you have chosen has scuba diving options.
St Regis Maldives
Peak season in the Maldives is from December to April. Of course, the prices during this period will reflect this! While the weather is amazing during peak season Maldivian weather is pretty good all year round.
The Park Hyatt
We stayed in 2 hotels on our most recent trip to the Maldives. We started our trip at the Park Hyatt in Hadahaa, which is at the southernmost tip of the country and ended at the St Regis Vommuli. Both of these hotels, like most hotels in the Maldives, are incredible.
Park Hyatt Maldives in Hadahaa
The Park Hyatt Maldives is a hotel which has been on my radar for years. It’s a bit of an adventure getting to the Park Hyatt. But well worth it!! Getting to the hotel involves a commercial flight on a turboprop aircraft from Malé, a buggy ride, and then a 30-minute boat transfer.
The Park Hyatt is 20 Minutes from the Equator by Boat
Once we landed, we were met at the international arrivals area of Malé airport by a Park Hyatt representative who took our bags and walked us across the covered walkway to the domestic terminal next door. From there, we flew on a Dash-8 plane for about 1 hour and landed at a small airport in Kooddoo. Another Hyatt representative was waiting for us at arrivals. He helped us with luggage, and we hopped in his golf cart for a short ride to the speedboat. We then took a speedboat about 35 minutes south to the resort.
The Park Hyatt
The location of the Park Hyatt is stunning and its blue waters are full of sea life. Being so remote makes it very quiet and private. I loved the white sandy beaches, and the snorkeling was simply incredible.
After staying 5 nights at the Park Hyatt, we traveled to our second hotel - the Saint Regis Vommuli, which is located much closer to Malé.
The Saint Regis Maldives
The St. Regis Maldives is one of the most picturesque hotels in the world. The Points Guy has a wonderful review. During our stay, we were lucky enough to meet the Architect Wong Chiuman, who designed the hotel. I loved listening to him explain and talk about his design. It is truly a masterpiece.
To get to the Saint Regis, once you land in Male, or in our case, land back in Malé, you will take a seaplane to the resort. You'll be greeted by a St. Regis butler as you exit customs and taken to an air-conditioned car to the seaplane terminal on the other side of the airport. The entire experience of getting to the hotel was just wonderful.
The St. Regis has a lounge in the Male Airport, for you to wait for the seaplane with a seating area and some complimentary snacks. They will also check you into the hotel while you wait. Our butler even recorded a welcome video, which we watched in the lounge. He also realized we would be celebrating my wife's birthday during our stay, so before landing, they had prepared our room with decorations to help celebrate. What an incredible, thoughtful touch!
WHAT TO SEE AND DO
The Maldives, in my opinion, is a place to relax. It is not a place to go to with long to-do lists. Your days will be spent on the beach or poolside, reading and drinking Pina coladas. If you decide you want to do something more active, I would encourage you to snorkel or scuba dive.
We took a guided tour with a marine biologist to see dolphins, which was simply incredible. We went out for about 2 hours, and at first, we did not see anything. But on the way back to the hotel, we literally saw dozens and dozens of dolphins swimming around our boat. I would also definitely try to book a romantic dinner on the beach.
Photography Gear
In terms of photography gear, I would keep it very simple. I would bring 1 body with a wide-angle lens, i.e., 15-35 or 24-105mm. I would also bring your ND filters for some long-exposure photos and a tripod or platypod. If you like to swim, I would also bring a camera that you could use to take underwater photos of marine life. I had a GoPro Version 4 (there is now Version 12), so I am sure the quality of the images has greatly improved.
If you decide that you want to photograph the Dolphins, then I would recommend bringing a longer lens like a 100-400mm. They are really hard to photograph since you have no idea when they will jump out of the water.
I recommend going to the Maldives. It is truly one of the most beautiful locations on earth. If you are traveling from the US or Europe, I would stop in Dubai for 2-3 days to relax and enjoy the city before heading to the Maldives. Here is my Dubai Blog Post.
You want to arrive rested and ready to relax.
I hope you have found this Photography Guide on the Maldives helpful. You can find my other Photography & Travel Guides by Clicking on this Link