We are going to go with my mom to the Maldives after visiting Sri Lanka. She is 73 and in amazing shape and wants to snorkel in the Maldives as it one of her travel destination dreams therefore I want to make the best choice as we live in the United States and will most likely not be going back. Her priority is a great house reef for easy snorkeling access. We have checked out Mirihi but they said they have a minimum of one week stay. We are looking at probably 4 nights maximum and would probably rather take a boat but could take the sea plane if we have to. The other place that seems to recommended a lot is a hotel with a wonderful reef but the majority of the visitors are German. As we obviously don't speak German I don't know if that would be a social, fun environment if we were the only Americans. We also looked at Angsana Ihuru which looked nice but the style seems a little too contemporary and I read some issues regarding the erosion and the sandbags. Since we are a couple and will be with my mom we don't want a place for honeymooners only and we definitively don't want a place for kids and families. I work with children so on vacation would like a little break. We will be traveling in March which should a good time of year. With great snorkeling as well as a relaxed casual atmosphere as the top priority and recommendations will be greatly appreciated. I really want to fulfill my mom's bucket list dream. What is funny is that for me, I would rather go the India to see the tigers but since we are going to do so close to Maldives I really want to do this for her.
HELP!!!-Need to pick the right hotel
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With that little time, I would definitely recommend an island with a boat transfer rather than a seaplane transfer. Seaplanes will eat into your time as (a) they don't go as reguarly and so you often have a little bit of sitting around waiting for your flight, and (b) coming back to Male they leave a big buffer of time to guard against weather delays making you tight for your flight.
The islands that I have been to that have a heavy German clientele all have plenty of English spoken even among the guests. Don't let that stop you.
A big filter will be your budget. Some of the nicest resorts can be super pricey. For example, given your requirements, Cocoa Island and Baros would seem to be strong fits.
Bruce
www.maldivescomplete.com
Bruce- Are budget is approximately $1,000 per night for the three of us. Do you recommend Angsana Ihuru as I know that is a speedboat trip as well.
Typo- Our budget approximately $1000 for the three of us sharing a room, at least half board.
I don't have personal experience with Angsana Ihuru.
$1000 per night should give you pretty good choice. One thing to watch out for is many resorts don't have the facilities to accommodate 3 adults in one room. They often require the third adult to take a second room. On top of that, the third person has to pay a 'single supplement' which is extra money to account for the fact that the room is not being fully utilitised. Your best deal will be a resort that will accommodate 3 adults in a room.
Bruce
www.maldivescomplete.com
www.otel.com/hotels/maldives.htm
Paradiseislandresort.net from $250/nt
great beach snorkel PADI operation at great value above
good personal experience for me at
super discounts usually get some cash back.
Happy Hunting,
This five star resort called Paradise Island has the local name Lankanfinolhu. Paradise Island, opened in 1994 is located in North Male' Atoll, which is 9.6km from ...
www.paradiseislandmaldives.net
www.booking.com/hotel/mv/paradise-island-resort-spa.en.html
Best site to check hotels for current reviews some discounts
though personally usually get BEST deals on Otel.com
up to 75% off sometimes...
I can recommend Taj Exotica - I don't snorkel but the surrounding waters were teeming with fish. This was in 2007. Can't recommend Taj Vivanta which I stayed last year. Haven't stayed in Ihuru but have stayed across at Banyan Tree - BT villas would be too small for 3. Other resorts which I can recommend would require a plane ride.
Both Taj Exotica and Paradise Island have very weak house reefs and snorkeling on offer.
Bruce
www.maldivescomplete.com
Bruce- What do you think about the Coco Palm Hotels?
I've been to CP Dhuni Kolhu and loved it. What really stood out was the food. Some of the best I have had in the Maldives. The reef is good, but the amount of sealife in it and in the lagoon was also exceptional. I've not been to Bodu Hithi.
Bruce
www.maldivescomplete.com
Comment has been removed by Fodor's moderators
Bruce- Unfortuntely for me food is the least important part of a trip. I am a super picky and very plain eater. Where would you pick if snorkeling is the most important thing, even if the resort is not as a nice or if we have to go by seaplane.