God scattered a handful of pearls across the Indian Ocean—This is the Maldives.
Who doesn’t yearn for the Maldives…
A place you must visit at least once in your lifetime.
With its colors spilled from God’s palette, it will surely not disappoint.
Only by being there in person can you truly feel its charm.
What would a wonderful holiday in the Maldives be like?
The Maldives is an archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean, located in Southeast Asia, 600 kilometers from India. Over a thousand coral islands, big and small, are scattered like pearls on either side of the equator, and this place is often called the last paradise on Earth in the Indian Ocean.
How to Choose a Hotel?
For a relaxing and private vacation experience with breathtaking island views, the quality and service of hotels in the Maldives are unforgettable. On the day we were leaving, my friend Kiki and I were sitting on the beach, having dinner and chatting. We mentioned that, despite visiting many countries and cities, there are very few places we feel reluctant to leave, and the Maldives is one of them.
Many friends, like me, find it incredibly difficult to choose a hotel.
In the Maldives, the “one island, one hotel” model means that choosing a hotel is essentially choosing an island. Everything—dining, entertainment, and activities—will be there. While the islands may look similar, interesting hotels require careful selection.
Since the Maldives generally follows the “one island, one hotel” model, it’s usually a free travel experience. So, how can you choose a desirable and reliable hotel?
- Budget. Your budget determines the level of the island and hotel you can choose, each offering different experiences. The difference lies in the hotel’s service and experience, as well as the vacation feel you want.
- Island Access. Islands in the Maldives can be accessed by speedboat, domestic flights, or seaplanes. Islands closer to the airport are generally accessible by speedboat, which is my favorite to avoid long travel.
- Room Type. Generally divided into beach villas and overwater villas. If you’re as greedy as I am and have five days and four nights, you might want to try both beach and overwater villas.
- Complimentary Services. Many hotels offer complimentary services before major holidays like the Golden Week. For example, the hotel I stayed at offered discounts on room types, free breakfast, or welcome gifts like champagne and chocolate. Be sure to carefully review and select these offers, as they can be quite valuable on the island.
Choosing an island and hotel for girls is like choosing a boyfriend—compatibility is the most important factor!
As a first-time visitor to the Maldives, I chose the Maldives Cissroad Resort, which just opened on September 1st this year. Being one of the first guests to experience the hotel, I feel extremely fortunate.
The Maldives Cissroad Resort is located in the South Male Atoll and features two main highlights: the brand-new SAii Lagoon Maldives by Hilton’s Curio Collection and the Hard Rock Hotel Maldives. The island also boasts a newly constructed commercial activity center with restaurants, shops, and a visitor center. For a private and immersive island experience, this grounded and diverse environment seems more suitable for me, ensuring that I won’t get bored within just seven days.
Global Warming and Coral Bleaching
This is an unavoidable topic. In Southeast Asia, some areas like Komodo in Indonesia are still relatively good, but other places like the Great Barrier Reef and Palau are experiencing varying degrees of coral bleaching. The situation in the Maldives seems especially severe based on recent observations.
The first time I visited the Maldives was in 2015, before I learned freediving. From my memories and photos, I recall the corals being quite beautiful at that time. However, it has gotten worse each year. After 2016, it became nearly impossible to find any intact hard corals. Coral breakdown and collapse have become the norm in the Maldives. Fortunately, even though the corals have collapsed, the fish are still around, and the Maldives remains one of the easiest places to see marine life.
After the global pandemic temporarily halted tourism, corals have shown some signs of miraculous recovery.
This image shows the snorkeling spots around the island. Aside from the area marked above (which I didn’t visit), I’ve explored the rest of the places, including areas that are generally not recommended.
In terms of safety, the area I marked is the best, with plenty to see—lots of coral and a good chance of encountering sea turtles. The area isn’t very large; for me, it only takes about 20 minutes to snorkel through, so I usually swim out a bit farther.
Under the pier is also a great spot, where you’ll find schools of four-line snappers—small but in massive numbers. If you get the chance to visit, you can definitely explore that area. Underwater near the water villas, especially in the direction of the sunset, if you swim east, you’ll find large drop-offs. Hardly anyone goes there, and it’s actually a bit scary if you’re alone—I only went once. But if you have a buddy, it’s a cool spot to explore, and the current isn’t too strong.
The area with the biggest waves is around the sandbar, where it can be a bit tough to swim.
Every night on the island, different activities are arranged. Even though the island is small, it has everything you need. We only stayed for four nights, but there were things like light shows, parties, karaoke, and even marine biology classes.
All these activities were organized by a tour guide named Ali. He was my favorite person to talk to on the island. He’s really into Chinese martial arts and even showed me some monkey staff moves. I explained to him that these were just classic moves of the Monkey King (Sun Wukong). Later, I showed him the movie Monkey King, and he was really captivated by it. He probably thought he was already quite skilled with his staff techniques, but after watching Sun Wukong’s moves, he felt humbled. It seemed to plant a seed in his heart.
