Introduction
Happy Holidays from MALDIVES! Maldives is one of the most exciting places to visit in the world. It’s a beautiful island paradise with a stunning beach, emerald waters and sandy shores for swimming in, snorkelling and scuba diving. Here are some tips for your holiday.
When planning your Maldives getaway for 2021, don’t forget to prepare the whole family for unforgettable underwater adventures. Ensure your kids are ready to explore the vibrant marine life with youth snorkel sets. Our collection features a variety of youth snorkel sets designed for comfort and safety, allowing young travelers to immerse themselves in the beauty of the Maldivian waters.
Maldives Holiday Tips
There are 2 things you need to do to get the Maldives to be a holiday destination of choice:
1. Developing a great holiday culture, and
2. Developing a great beach resort experience that makes the Maldives an ideal holiday destination from April through October.
The first is simple: you need to develop a culture of hospitality that embraces the local customs, traditions and values as well as the needs of tourists (and locals). There is no better indication of this than by trying on traditional maldivian outfits at the local markets, where you can also make your own maldivian sandals. That’s right: when you go shopping in the local markets, you can wear your traditional maldivian outfit! This would be considered pretty weird in most parts of the world, but here in maldives it is pretty normal (after all, this is one of our most popular holidays).
It’s important to note here that while we consider ourselves part of this community and work very hard to make sure our holiday experiences align with local customs — we should not be seen as outsiders or intruders on their community. You should feel welcome and respected in your country regardless of what culture or race you belong to.
The second component is equally important: an experienced resort that caters to tourists from all over maldive islands will be able to offer amazing beach resorts with stunning views but also rooms with private balconies offering breathtaking ocean views at reasonable prices. The key is making sure your resort has resorts for every budget even if it’s smaller or bigger than others… because none of us are going anywhere anytime soon!
Getting to the Maldives
It’s that time of year again. And whether you are a (holiday) planner or just looking at the calendar, it’s a great time to take stock of your holiday plans and see if there is anything that can be tweaked.
The most common question I get from people who want to visit the Maldives is: “Where can I go for a holiday in the Maldives?” I always answer this question with “the best place in the world for a holiday”, but I get so many different answers to this question that it gets very complicated.
You could possibly go on an island such as Baa Atoll, which lies 3 hours off the South-East coast of Aoya Island, or do an island excursion on Maugala atoll; but these trips are only offered by some tour operators. Or you could head to Maafushi Island, which is located in the northern part of Maugala Atoll. But these trips are also only offered by some tour operators.
And then there are the islands which have been chosen specifically for their natural beauty: Anantara offers guest houses with beautiful beaches and diving spots at Malé and its neighbors Tambdi-na-Sar; while Nadi claims to be “the world’s first eco-resort island” and offers tours around each of its 7 islands (including some not located in the Maldives).
But there is one other option, which is still available by any tour operator: you can visit an island called Sigiriya, located in Chawang district on Anantara Island. This is not a resort but it does offer great views and diving spots around it — including one impressive dive site named Sigiriya Rock (2,150m).
So here are all of my recommendations for what to do when planning your vacation to the Maldives:
• Be aware that travel agencies will have several itineraries depending on your interests and needs — so be sure to read up on all of them before signing up for any holiday package. • Consider booking through an agency or through a travel broker. They know what they are doing and they can offer you better prices than direct offices (which generally charge more commission). • Ask if they offer discounts on packages sold through travel agencies or direct offices (and also ask if they offer discounts when buying packages from other companies); this way you might gain some savings
Where to Stay in the Maldives
I have been in the Maldives for 10 days now and I have got to say that it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The island of Hadda has a definite ‘sexy’ edge to it. You won’t find any plastic surgery on this island and if you do, it’s not as obvious as it is in some other places. It doesn’t look like a place where someone went to make themselves look better, but more like a place where people go because they love being there. There are no tourists in Hadda, so you can get away from the crowd and be more alone with nature.
The island has plenty of restaurants and bars, but there are also many small shops which sell unique products from around the world. You can buy beautiful hand-made textiles, such as cushions made from poached coconuts or large wooden chests filled with artfully gathered seashells and small trinkets. These pieces are quite expensive, but if you are looking for something unique or special – you’ll be happy that someone has taken the time to create it for you.
Another big thing about Hadda is its isolation. If you have never been away from civilisation, or if you have had a bad day – walking to your hotel can be a very long way – then Hadda will feel like paradise (which is what I always told myself when we booked our holiday). If you want to just escape into your own little world – why not do that?
It was great being able to walk around without having to worry about anything else; not worrying about crowds and noise; just enjoying the silence of this island that felt so perfect…
Diving in the Maldives
So you have a couple of weeks to make your holiday plans. Which ones should you choose? Well, it depends on what you’re looking for, but the following are certainly worth considering:
The Maldives is a beautiful place, but they aren’t so nice to tourists (so make sure you don’t get caught in the eye of a hurricane). It is also very difficult to get around — roads are all closed off — so unless there is an official holiday (which there isn’t), you’ll probably have to take a bus or ferry.
With that being said, there is still plenty of fun to be had. The island is full of gorgeous beaches and resorts, and some things are better than others. If you want the best, then head for the southern end and stay at one of the resorts or hotels on Kauai (Kauaïa island). The tourist industry provides some great opportunities for adventure — snorkelling or scuba diving or even kayaking (though please be aware that it makes getting around more difficult than it otherwise might be). Other options include visiting a temple (like Bua Temple) or going horseback riding. If all else fails, try out one of the many nightclubs — they seem to have lots of live music.
Shopping in the Maldives
If you are planning a holiday to the Maldives, then you might be in for a bit of a shock. This is a country that has been completely off the radar of tourists for decades — and not just because it’s an island state.
Maldives was under British rule until independence in 1948, and it was only when the country became independent that tourism began to take off. Since then, Maldivian tourism has boomed, and island resorts have become some of the most expensive in the world.
Travellers can expect to pay around $300 per day for a hotel room and up to $1000 for a four-star resort — prices that are easily out of reach for many tourists who are used to spending much less money on their holidays.
Nightlife and Entertainment in the Maldives
As a tourist destination, the Maldives is well-known for its beautiful beaches and diverse culture, but tourism doesn’t account for all of the Maldivian lifestyle. The vibrant nightlife and entertainment found on the island of Fuvahmulah mean there are plenty of reasons to visit during your vacation.
The following is an excerpt from the Manta Trust ‘Maldives Holiday Tips’ brochure:
Enjoy a relaxing evening on Fuvahmulah with a drink at one of Fuvahmulah’s bars or restaurants. Island Bar is an iconic bar in this area with its unique design and tropical atmosphere. The island is also home to numerous nightclubs, including Ellefson, a popular nightclub where you can relax while listening to live music and watching local DJs.
It is worth mentioning also that most islands are open 24 hours per day and there are no restrictions on who can visit at any time (so, for example, you could easily be out drinking at midnight).
If you have heard about Fuvahmulah before but haven’t been there yet, it might be worth looking into doing so again during your vacation. It can be described as a small island paradise with amazing beaches and perfect weather conditions every day of the year!
Other Things To Do in the Maldives
I’ve been to the Maldives a couple of times and wanted to share some useful things I’ve learned about the place, especially for holiday travelers. For starters, if you have time to spare during your stay, why not go snorkeling? And why not dive into an wreak?
The Maldives is one of the most beautiful places in the world. You can see it from space. As a vacation destination, though, it’s often forgotten. Its remote location adds a touch of seclusion that adds to its allure; but being remote also means that it tends to be overlooked by tourists who head straight for other popular tourist destinations.
That was certainly the case for me when I first visited — I seemed to be missing out on something special when I went as a tourist and didn’t have time to spend with my family or friends. But with a little bit of research and planning, I was able to have a great time in paradise while enjoying myself and not worrying much about what was going on outside my hotel room window or looking out over my balcony. There’s still plenty else you can do in the Maldives; check out this guidebook for some ideas (and even better, take advantage of some early bird deals).
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Happy Holidays from the team at maldives.com! We hope you’ll have a wonderful time in the Maldives this holiday season with your family, friends and colleagues. Happy holidays to everyone!
Are you a developer who develops mobile apps? You probably know how important it is to improve battery life on your devices, right? It’s a lot better than getting an iPhone 6s and losing some juice in the process.
You might be asking yourself, “How can I get my app to last longer on my device?” And if you’re like most developers, it’s probably because you just don’t know where to start. If you have been thinking about this problem for a while, here are some useful tips for improving battery life on your apps that might help make your users happier than ever:
1) Use the proper size fonts for text
If you use larger fonts for text in your apps, then that means fewer pixels — which means more battery life. And if users are more likely to read text (which is why we recommend having lower images sizes), then you can make them happier as well by using larger font sizes. Here’s how:
2) Use different font styles
Why do so many developers use bold and italic copy in their apps? Because they think it automatically makes their content more interesting. But that’s not true — there are a lot of things that brands do better when they use their own custom fonts instead of generic ones. Here’s an example:
3) Change font styles when necessary
If you want consistent typography across all of your app’s text (and ideally in other places too), then try changing font styles when they need to be different (such as when the user types something that should be bolded). Here’s an example:
4) Add extra padding around form fields
Many developers think that since form fields have lots of space around them, there isn’t any more space for them within their app. But what happens is usually when users scroll down an empty form field it goes away, but then comes back again after scrolling up a couple of lines (like what happens with web forms). As a result of this dead zone effect, many users start scrolling up or down on big lists of items looking for something simple like “Contact us.” Then again, if we’re talking about mobile apps here…
5) Change icons on buttons or dialogs based on whether they’re clicked or not