Escape to a barefoot intelligent luxury where the most pristine beaches indulge your mind, soul and body. Taste the “No News” “No Shoes” all the way to Whatever/Whenever Maldives castaway experience. Let us be your way to immerse yourself to an exclusive oasis of serenity and beauty.
A holiday to Maldives takes you to a trip of a lifetime filled with surprises and excitement. Maldives is an archipelago of 1,192 coral islands grouped into 26 natural coral atolls in the Indian Ocean, located in the southwest of India and west of Sri Lanka, ninety nine percent of its 90,000 square kilometre is covered by the sea. Experience the finest of Maldives “One Island One Resort” with its turquoise lagoon waters in different shades of blue, the purest white sand beaches, the unique underwater dining and the world class luxury resorts.
Relax in an underwater spa looking out the coral reef and colourful tropical fish, enjoy a unique dining experience at an all-glass underwater restaurant, dance and jive to international DJs of underwater nightclubs, take a glass-bottom boat ride through the crystal waters, or gear up and take a dip for a fabulous snorkeling as you explore the aquatic life of Maldives, dive among corals, fish, eagle rays and manta rays. Romance is always in the air at the tropical paradise, Maldives private islands and secluded sandbanks are yours to take. Fancy a romantic walk in the evening with your loved ones by the beach, or watch your favorite movie in an open air private space under the bright sky full of bright twinkling stars as you feel the warm breeze touches your skin and embrace the tranquil sound of the waves.
Whether it is a family getaway, honeymoon holiday, birthday or wedding celebration, a rest & relaxation holiday, or a festival celebration, Maldives has amazing things to offer.
Make your Maldives plans with our enthusiastic, friendly, well-travelled and dedicated personal concierges here at Zeldiva Luxury. Here, your needs are second to none.
Maldives is considered as one of the world’s finest scuba diving destinations on par with Australia, Belize, Egypt, Indonesia and Thailand. Around 700,000 tourists visit the Maldives each year (2008) out of which 15% go to the Maldives specifically for scuba diving. Most of the holiday resorts offer scuba diving facility. Most of these resorts have PADI certified dive centres housing experienced PADI Instructors and PADI divemasters. There are a number of liveaboard operators offering scuba diving cruise holidays that take guests to many dive sites all over the Maldives. The presence of whale sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, reef sharks, hammerhead sharks and moray eels, and various other forms of smaller fish and coral species attract the scuba divers to the island.
Some of the most popular dive sites are: Diguru Guri Broken Rock, Gangehi Kandu, Hukrueli Faru, Kudarah Thila, Maalhos Thila, Maaya Thila, Mushi Mas Mingili Thila, Kalhahandi Kandu, Cocoa Corner (Cocoa Thila), Guraidhoo Kandu South, Banana Reef, Kuda Haa, Bushy Eastside, British Loyalty, Kottey Outside, Turtle Point, Bodu Hoholha, Maa Kandu Outside, and Mahaala.
Snorkeling involves observing the underwater depths with the aid of a diving mask, a snorkel and, usually, swim fins. Snorkelling in the Maldives does not require you to possess any specific qualification. Snorkelling is perfect for exploring the house reefs of resorts at a leisurely pace. Maldives offer a fantastic visibility and have some of the clearest waters on Earth with all year round water temperature at 20°- 30°C (68°- 86°F), and lagoons often reaching 32°C (90°F).
The wonder of the underwater will surprise you. Dolphins, beautiful anemonefish, hawksbill turtles, colorful giant clams, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, whale sharks, eagle rays, massive schools of fusiliers, clown triggerfish, various interesting butterflyfish and bannerfish, many octopus, stunning coral plates, morays, napoleons, reef fish of all colours and sizes, alone or in groups, micro creatures, squids and a lot more to see while snorkeling.
The dive centres also provide boat trips to different spots if you want to see and explore different sites. Liveaboards, apart from offering dive and surf packages, also offer snorkelling trips, so check with your tour operator/ travel agent for rates, timings and other details.
Surfing in the Maldives is influenced by two monsoons--North-East and South-West monsoons. North-East monsoon occurs from March till April, an optimal time in the Southern atolls for surfing. The South-West monsoon occurs from May to October, the ideal time for surfing in the Northern atolls or the Central atolls. The Southern hemisphere during the winter season from March to October, is the best place to take surfing trips. The storms bring the largest swells to the archipelago during this time. The biggest waves occur in June, July and August.
Maldives has some good surfing spots such as Pasta Point, Honkys, Sultans, Jailbreaks, etc. found in the North-Malé atoll and Shangri-la, Zubair’s, and Kottey found in the Addu atoll (Southernmost) as well as spots like Tiger Stripes, and Love Charms, found in Huvadhoo atoll. Thaa and Laamu atolls are also home to good surf spots.
If you wish to explore a wide range of surf breaks, the best thing to do is to book a surf package from a liveaboard (safari) as they will normally cruise to different spots per trip. But, if you wish to confine yourself to a resort and want to catch a good wave, resorts such as Chaaya Island Dhonveli Resort (home to Pasta Point) and Hudhuranfushi Island Resort (home to Lohi’s) among others are perfect destinations.
Maldivian resorts as well as private charter operations usually offer big-game fishing trips. Fishing enthusiasts can involve in the adventure of hooking a large yellowfin tuna, wahoo, marlin or a majestic sai-fish. The local law does not require the release of the fish after catching and so you can enjoy a delicious BBQ of your catch at your resort.
The healthy reefs around Kuredu Resort & Spa are a haven for fishing enthusiasts and the chances for a good catch are always positive and limitless. Experience the thrills of deep sea big game fishing from on board the ‘Noosa Cat fishing boat’ (fiberglass catamarans). With a big game fishing excursion from the resorts in Maldives you can enjoy the sight of the Maldives’ picturesque landscape, and with some luck, return with some big fish too and enjoy your BBQ.
Apart from big game fishing, there are a number of other types of fishing that you can try. They are: night fishing, line fishing, full day fishing, casting fishing, shore fishing, jigging/popping, and bottom fishing
Maldives, the tropical paradise offers a lot of adventurous fun activities for tourists. Most interesting of them are watersports, loved by swimmers and non- swimmers alike. Many resorts have water sports centres with professional instructors and guides that also offer courses of different levels for water sports that require skill and ability such as wind- surfing and wakeboarding. The following are all fun- filled water based activities to indulge in at your selected resorts:
Parasailing
Jet-skiing
Wakeboarding
Water-skiing
Catamaran sailing
Canoeing
Windsurfing
Kite surfing
Kayaking
Snorkeling
Kitesurfing
Scuba diving
Big Game fishing
Banana boat rides
Under-water walking etc.
Riding in glass-bottom boats or Dinghies
An ‘island-hopping’ excursion would take you to another resort, an uninhabited island and an inhabited island on board the traditional Maldivian dhoni (a multi-purpose sail boat with a motor or lateen sails) all in a day-tour so that can you explore the true Maldives island by meeting the locals and visiting historical places of interest. Snorkeling in the clear waters of a desert island, fishing and a barbecue on the beach are also a part of this excursion. Some resorts conduct the excursion by sea plane. You may request for a change in the itinerary from the resort to customize your excursion to fit your preferences. Some excursions include only visiting to Male for spending the day.
The Maldives is a world’s hotspot for dolphin and whale watching and ranks among the top five places for dolphin and whale watching. Varieties of playful dolphins and mammoth whales frequent the Maldives especially during May. There is no better tropical setting than the Maldives to discover diverse species of dolphins and whales. Presently over 23 different genuses of dolphins and whales have been recorded in the Maldives.
Species of dolphins that you can explore in the rich waters of the Maldives include: spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, spotted dolphins, striped dolphins, risso’s dolphins. Spinner Dolphins are the commonest species, and they occur here in their tens of thousands. They have a regular daily routine to their lives, feeding offshore at night, coming into the atolls in the early morning, and leaving again for the open ocean in the late afternoon. This dependable schedule means that it is very easy to find spinner dolphins at certain times every day. And as a result, many Maldivian resorts offer morning or afternoon dolphin excursions to see spinners.
Some of the whale species are: sperm whales, blue whales, bryde’s whales, cuvier's beaked whales, dense-beaked whales and the longman’s beaked whales--the rarest whale in the world.
