7 things nobody tells you before the Maldives

The Maldives look exactly like the photos — that is the easy part. What the photos do not show is the logistics: an archipelago of 1,200 islands where your hotel literally is the island. That changes a few things worth knowing before you pay the deposit, not after.

1. The transfer is a trip of its own — and a cost of its own. From Malé airport you reach the resort by speedboat or, for the far atolls, by seaplane. The 30-minute flight over the atolls is spectacular, but starts around €250 per person return and is billed separately from the package. Always ask what the transfer costs before comparing two offers — a cheaper room on a farther island can end up the more expensive holiday.

2. The overwater villa is not automatically the right choice. It is the destination's signature image, but it has drawbacks nobody mentions: full sun with no vegetation for shade, and sea access down a ladder into the deep lagoon — less than ideal with small children. Beach villas have gardens, shade and a gentle entry into the water. The ideal combination, if the budget allows: half the stay on the beach, half on the water.

3. All inclusive means something different here. On a one-island hotel there is no restaurant across the street. With breakfast only, every lunch and dinner is bought from the only supplier there is — the hotel — at remote-resort prices. For most travellers, full board or all inclusive works out cheaper than the first comparison suggests.

4. Tap water is not for drinking — it is desalinated, fine for the shower, not the glass. Serious resorts provide bottled water free; check the offer, because at €5 a bottle it adds up.

5. The season has two faces. November–April is the dry season, with clear skies and mirror lagoons. May–October brings short afternoon rains, but also prices 30–40% lower and the same 29-degree water. For diving, low season is often better — the plankton brings the mantas.

6. Local islands are a different world. The Maldives is a Muslim country; on inhabited islands alcohol is forbidden and dress matters. On the resort island, the resort's rules apply. If you want to see the real life of the archipelago too, a local-island excursion is easy to arrange — tell us and we will build it into the package.

7. The house snorkelling gear is souvenir-grade. If the reefs are why you are going, bring your own mask. The serious diving equipment you rent from the resorts' dive centres, which are almost always excellent.

The Maldives remain our safest "wow" in the portfolio: nobody has come back disappointed. But the difference between a good stay and a perfect one lives exactly in these details — and in matching the right island to the right person.