The Maldives: A Slice of Paradise.
📅 Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Malé ✈️
Taking a direct flight from Hong Kong usually means arriving at night,
Since speedboats to the smaller islands don't operate late, most travelers spend their first night in the city center.
🏨 Accommodation Recommendation
For my first night, I stayed at the Turquoise Residence by UI in Hulhumalé. The main perks are its affordability, complimentary airport transfer, breakfast, and proximity to the beach, but cleanliness is just average. You can explore other options based on your personal needs.
📌 Practical Tips
✅️To catch a stunning sunset from the plane, choose a seat on the left side
✅️Direct flights from Hong Kong usually land at Terminal 1 (International). Boat counters for transfers to the city center or local islands are mostly in Terminal 2. Once you exit the arrivals hall, turn right and walk straight to the end—you'll spot T2 and the various boat company transfer counters
✅️Upon arrival, the official exchange rate is roughly 1:15 (USD:MVR), but accommodations or city currency exchanges might offer a black market rate of 1:18-1:21. Of course, always be careful and use reliable exchange channels!
✅️Hulhumalé feels much quieter than Malé, but still has plenty of restaurants and supermarkets. Hulhumalé Beach is gorgeous, but there are quite a few mosquitoes. The ride from the airport to either Hulhumalé or Malé takes about 10-15 minutes.
✅️As the Maldives is an Islamic country, it is recommended for tourists not to dress revealingly when visiting the city center or local islands. I personally wore a UV-protection jacket + short sleeves + long pants to respect the local culture.
✅️People on the street might stare at you, but don't worry too much, locals are generally very friendly. But always stay alert.
✅️Many restaurant menus don't include the 6-10% service charge and taxes in their listed prices, so brace yourself and your wallet😆.
Day 2-6: Heading to the Local Island Fulidhoo 🛥
After a morning stroll in Hulhumalé, the hotel shuttle dropped me at Malé Airport to prep for my speedboat ride to Fulidhoo Island. Essentially, all speedboats to the islands depart from the airport. The small island also has public ferries to enter, running three times a week (usually Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays) from 10:00 to 13:20. Cost: about $4 USD* about 55 MVR. But beware that the public ferry terminal sometimes changes, and is affected by weather, and you need to go to the terminal early to buy tickets. This time I contacted the hotel to book the speedboat for me, $45 USD one way.
🏨 Accommodation Recommendation
Atoll Retreat
The most famous spot on the island is the Kinān Hotel, but it was fully booked when I tried, so I went with the highly cost-effective Atoll Retreat instead. It's centrally located on the island, making it extremely convenient to go in any direction. Their paid water activities were actually cheaper than what I found online, the staff service is excellent, and they're very willing to help. The rooms are perfectly clean, but to be eco-friendly, they don't provide disposable items. The towels had a slight smell, so bring your own if you mind. The biggest downside is that there are tons of ants at the main entrance🤣 (but none in the room!) You are required to take off your shoes and walk barefoot to stay inside. You can borrow life jackets and snorkeling gear for free, but it is recommended to prepare your own gear.
📌 Practical Tips
✅️Entering shops and hotels on the island requires taking off your shoes, but restaurants and supermarkets do not
✅️The island accepts USD, but certain restaurants only take the local MVR currency. I recommend exchanging money in the city center first since there don't seem to be any exchange shops here. If you pay in MVR, some shops' exchange rates can vary from 1*16 to 24, which is relatively higher, so check first before shopping
✅️Bikini Beach is the most beautiful, facing the sunrise direction; Beach West is the dirtiest, facing the sunset direction.
✅️Except for Bikini Beach, bikinis are strictly prohibited on other beaches. Respect the local culture!
✅️Near the jetty beach, you can already spot many Stingrays and Nurse Sharks🦈
✅️There is a mosque on the island that regularly broadcasts prayers, near the Bikini Beach direction. If you're afraid of the noise, it's recommended not to choose accommodation near that direction
✅️The seawater here is super beautiful~☆ I personally love the small island, very quiet and chill. But infrastructure is limited, and there are many construction sites around, leading to a lot of flies
✅️If you want to buy souvenirs, buying them on the local island is a good choice. Airport prices will be 2 to 3 times more expensive than on the local islands.
🍴 Food Recommendation
Stayed for 5 days, and almost went to all restaurants🤣 I personally think most of them are really delicious! Meal prices are mostly reasonable and not expensive, but drink prices tend to be higher. 🫶My personal picks:
For the cleanest vibe♡ Kunaa cafe & bistro , Faru Cafe
For the best value♡ Cafe De Orzo (I went a full 3 times!)
Other restaurants near the beach mostly have more flies, ants, or birds.
Day 6-8: Heading to the Resort Island Summer Island Maldives 🛥
After experiencing the local island, I took a speedboat back to the airport, then hopped on another speedboat to the resort island! (That's half a day of speedboat rides🤣 but I don't get seasick so I'm very okay. If you get seasick, it is recommended to switch to a resort island with seaplanes, though the price will be correspondingly higher)
📌 Practical Tips
✅️While waiting at the airport, might as well walk around. The scenery is beautiful, and there is a small post office to send Postcards oh
✅️The airport has restaurants and snack shops, and you can pay in USD or MVR
✅️T2 restrooms are very clean, free to enter
🏨 Accommodation Recommendation
Summer Island Maldives
Staying in a dream overwater villa, I felt extremely happy☺️
The resort's overwater villas were a bit older than imagined, but the scenery was absolutely stunning! The included meals, facilities, and service were all great, offering high cost-effectiveness. A leisurely walk around the island takes about 30-45 minutes. The environment near the overwater villas is more beautiful, while the area near the beach villas tends to have more mosquitoes and bugs, and the seawater has more floating leaves or garbage.
📌 Practical Tips
✅️The transfer speedboat is comfortable and offers free drinking water, but you cannot take the water bottles away
✅️The speedboat fee to the island is USD 195 round trip / per person
✅️A Green Tax of USD 12 is charged per person per night
✅️To respond to environmental protection, no disposable items are provided
✅️There is only one small souvenir shop and restaurant on the island. If you need snacks or drinks, it is recommended to bring your own before arriving
✅️The island provides free offshore snorkeling (but borrowing gear requires a fee, you can bring your own) and recreational facilities like pool tables, badminton, and a gym
✅️Paid activities include Spa, water activities (like sailing, banana boats, diving, etc.), details can be checked after arrival
Day 8-9: Return to Malé for a Tour
Finally, after fully enjoying the resort island, it's time to prepare for the return trip. Before leaving, I stayed in the city center for a day to properly explore the city center island
🏨 Accommodation Recommendation
Summer Beach Maldives
The hotel I stayed at this time is located in Malé, in the opposite direction of Hulhumalé. The hotel provides airport transfer, breakfast, and disposable items, giving it a more premium feel. But the single room space was quite small, and there's a mosque nearby with broadcasting activities, causing a lot of noise (it gets quieter after 10 pm). If you don't mind the noise, I highly recommend this accommodation.
🍴 Food Recommendation
I personally liked Nouvelle Grill & Restaurant
Beautiful view, menu prices include taxes, and the food is delicious
BTW Maldivian tuna is very famous~
📌 Practical Tips
✅️Malé also has a small Artificial Beach, but unlike the beauty of Hulhumalé Beach, there are many residents swimming and playing here. Watching the waves nearby is also quite healing.
✅️Attractions:
King Salman Mosque
Masjid Al-Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al-Auzam
Sultan Park
Republic Square
Fish Market (You can go Stingrays Watching nearby)
Villingili Ferry Terminal (Recommended by locals, but I didn't go)
✅️The human touch has appeared😆 as expected of the city center
You can walk between attractions, but be careful of vehicles on the road
✅️Warm reminder again: Many restaurant menus do not include the 6-10% service charge and taxes in their prices, so prepare your mindset and your wallet😆.