Getting There

The Maldives, over the past few years have become all the more accessible from the U.K. due to demand from the European traveller seeking that island paradise.

Many charters provide direct flights from London Gatwick or Manchester on a weekly basis and these are ideal for those looking for a 7/14 night package. These operators include Monarch, My Travel, First Choice, Thomas Cook etc who in addition to their standard service offer a Premium Upgrade class that offers additional extras to that of standard economy class.

For those looking for a bit more flexibility, Emirates and Qatar airways offer virtually daily services from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow but although the standard of these flights is often better than the charters you will get a short stopover at Dubai or Doha(usually only 2/3 hours). These flights are ideal for travelers looking for a different duration, i.e., 10 nights. In addition these also work well if you are looking for a multi centre trip, i.e. 10 nights Maldives + 4 nights Dubai or Sri Lanka.

Transfers

Once you arrive at Male airport you may get the feeling of organised chaos. You have to remember you have just landed on a tiny island and if you are on one of the weekly charter flights there is you and 1000 other passengers to contend with. Don’t let this put you off as it is all part of the experience and dependant on your transfer type there will be ground representatives in the airport to guide you to the right place.

You will be transferring by Luxury speedboat which will take around 45 minutes in total and again this adds to a fantastic experience as you skim across the crystal clear waters. For anyone opting for the seaplane transfer (supplements apply) you will only be airborne for 10 minutes into Coral reef. Please note that if the Seaplane is full your luggage may turn up quite a few hours after you so it may be wise to place some beach wear, shorts etc in your hand luggage.