Questions we are asked most.

Most visitors receive a free 30-day tourist visa on arrival, with a valid passport, a confirmed resort booking and a return or onward ticket. Every traveller must also complete the online traveller declaration (IMUGA) within 96 hours before their flight. Check the latest rules for your nationality before you travel.

Resort rates change by date, villa and availability, and we do not show live rates on this site. Our "from" price is an estimate for the entry villa, two adults, in low season, including the 10% service charge, 17% tourism GST and the green tax of $12 per person per night, but not transfers. When you enquire, we quote your real dates.

Yes, always. As a travel agency in Malé we book on the offline rates resorts give to agents, which are not sold on public booking sites. For the same villa, dates and meal plan, the price we quote is always lower than Booking.com, Agoda and Expedia. The estimated prices on this site are a guide built from public rates; your quote is the price that counts.

Overwater villas give you the lagoon from your deck and the famous view, and usually cost more. Beach villas give you more privacy, shade and space, and are better with small children. Many couples split their stay between the two.

Your resort collects you at Velana International Airport and takes you on by speedboat, seaplane or a domestic flight and boat. Transfers are charged per person, return. Seaplanes only fly in daylight, so flight times matter; see our transfer guide.

It varies a lot. Usually meals at some restaurants and a list of drinks are included, while premium wines, some restaurants, excursions and spa treatments are extra. We always show you exactly what a resort includes before you choose.

Yes, and it is a good idea on longer trips: for example a beach villa in one atoll and an overwater villa in another. Each move means another transfer, so we usually suggest no more than two resorts in a trip.

Yes, at resorts and on liveaboard boats. Alcohol is not sold on inhabited local islands, and you cannot bring it into the country.

Resorts are relaxed: swimwear by the pool and beach, light clothes in the evening. When visiting Malé or a local island, cover shoulders and knees, as the Maldives is a Muslim country.

Resorts price everything in US dollars, and cards are accepted everywhere. The local currency is the Maldivian rufiyaa, which you will only need on local islands.

December to April is drier and sunnier, and most expensive. May to November is wetter and windier but cheaper, and it is the season for mantas in Baa Atoll and for surf. See our guide to when to go.