Davina McCall: The Maldives are majestic

It's the most idyllic place for diving and looking for turtles

Saturday, 4 November 2006

'The Maldives are by far the most beautiful place in the world,' says Davina McCall. 'I went to Reethi Rah, which is one of the tinier islands. It was the most idyllic place for diving, snorkelling and looking at turtles.

1,000 get-away–from-it-all islands

Where?

Anchored in the Indian Ocean, 400 miles off Sri Lanka, the Maldives are an archipelago of more than 1,000 islands, 87 of them officially designated resort islands. There's usually just one hotel on each, you can walk around most of them in an hour – and they've been zooming up the holiday charts.

Why?

If work, the weather and life in general are getting you down and you're in dire need of some R&R, this is where you want to be. Do go if you're a water baby, beach bum or on your honeymoon. But don't go if you're a culture vulture, shopaholic, party person or a redhead who burns.

When to go?

The Maldives have a year-round season with temperatures averaging 24-30°C/75-85°F. The driest months are December to March and the wettest are June to November.

What?

If you're still looking for some activity, learn to distinguish a humbug damsel fish from an oriental sweetlips by taking a diving course.

They call the Maldives the nursery of the world's divers and nearly every hotel has a diving school.

Go snorkelling – it's a magical world down there, but don't forget that you'll still need sunscreen on your back.

A boat trip to the main island of Male offers a glimpse of the local culture – the lively fish market and cafés where men, never women, gossip over tea and samosas. Visit a 'local' island on a dhoni with it's curved prow for the obligatory visit to souvenir shops to buy lacquered wood, reed mats and other crafts.

There's not much action after dark, with nightlife restricted to hotel discos, folklore shows and crab racing. Alternatively, you could try night-fishing, where you chug off beyond the reef and, with a simple line and hook, try to bag a red snapper for your supper.

Tamzin Outhwaite says: The Maldives are idyllic – hundreds of little islands surrounded by their own lagoons. But if you go there, make sure you take loads of books or your boyfriend – not necessarily in that order – because there's nothing to do once you get out of the swimming pool.

Picking your spot

For barefoot travellers:
Ari Beach, on one of the more remote atolls, is the no-news, no-shoes island where you kick off your sandals as soon as your seaplane lands and wade ashore. You stay in thatched bungalows with open showers and loos and relax in hammocks slung between palms. There's a sand-floor bar, open dining room, tennis courts, dive school and not much else except miles and miles of empty beaches.

For budget-conscious Crusoes:
All-inclusive hotels could be the answer, where all meals and drinks (excluding champagne), watersports (except diving) and even excursions such as the night-fishing trip and visit to a local island are sometimes included in the price.

For honeymooners:
Go for small, pretty islands with thatched bungalows that sit over the lagoons. Here the two of you can watch dreamy sunsets undisturbed. Just 600 yards long and 180 yards wide, the island of Baros offers candlelit dinners with wine and other special deals for honeymooners.

For island-hoppers:
There are no inter-island ferries as in Greece, but Kuoni offers weekly cruises that visit six or seven islands on the Atoll Explorer. She's small, homey and laid-back, with no dress code, no cabaret and no karaoke. But she does have a Jacuzzi and a dive school on board.

For designer label tourists:
There's an ever-increasing range of top, five-star hideaways for those who can afford them. At Kurumba Village, conveniently close to Male, holidaymakers wander past mainucured lawns to dine on sashimi and lobster at candlelit beach barbecues, while at the glamorous For Seasons, they can nibble French cheese or Chinese porridge.

Other hotels on the A-List include the Banyan Tree and Lauguna Beach. Life's a little necessitites, such as Jacuzzis, air conditioning and big game fishing are, of course, part of the deal. Top hotels increasingly boast full-blown spas as well.

Vanessa Mae says: if I had the chance of a free holiday, I'd rush back to the island of Nakatchafushi in the Maldives. I had a snorkelling holiday there when I was little and I found it hard to sleep at night because I kept dreaming of the multi coloured fish swimming towards me.

Money matters

The official currency is the rufiya, but you're unlikely to see any. On the resort islands, everyone uses US dollars. Allow about £2 for a beer, £5 for a cocktail, £20-£25 for a three-course meal, £16 for a water-skiing lesson, £8.50 for an hour's pedalo hire and £40 for speedboat rental for a few hours.

Food & Drink

The five-star hotels have restaurants ranging from French and Italian to Chinese and Indian, but elsewhere don't expect a gastronomic experience. Apart from fish and coconuts, all foodstuffs have to be imported to the islands. Menus are westernised.

Shopping

According to www.boutiquesrilanka.com, the Maldives can be very expensive with many retailers/hotels taking very large margins on imports from neighbouring countries. Male is the ideal place, with a wide variety of goods. The S.T.O. Trade Centre has many shops in one place, and the duty–free outlets Islanders Maldives offer designer goods from around the world – clothes, sunglasses, jewellery, watches and cameras.

Note - shops are open from early morning to dusk or later, but will close for 10–15 minutes, five times a day, for prayer, also on Friday morning.

Health Plus

The islands are blissfully free of violence and health hazards, such as malaria or snakes. The people are gentle and friendly. Sun and the lack of shade are the biggest dangers. So slap on plenty of high-factor sunscreen and try to stay out of the sun, at least for the first days.

Top Island tips

• These are Islamic islands, so you can't take alcohol with you. But it is legally – and expensively – available in hotels. Also, leave Western women's magazines at home.
• Take a couple of good books with you – there are few attractions on offer.
• Take extra care in choosing your hotel as there are no cafés, bars or shops to sneak off to.
• Obey signs (in five languages) warning that topless and nude sunbathing are forbidden.
• 'Take only photos, leave only footprints,' they say. As a tiny nation of over 99 per cent sea water, environmental issues are paramount. Don't collect shells or coral and take your litter home with you.