The one where the resort is the entire holiday, and that is the point. Kids' clubs, house reefs a few metres from the sand, and nothing at all to organise once you arrive.
Pick one, or pick two and split the days between them. Each card says roughly how long it is worth and how many things there are to do.
Ages 0-12 · 5D4N · 9 things to do
One island, one resort, a lagoon you can stand up in and a reef at the edge of it. The least logistics of any trip in this guide once the transfer is done.
The transfer is the trip's hard part and its biggest hidden cost. Speedboat resorts are far easier with children than seaplane ones.
Things to do on KlookAdd Resort islandAges 5-12 · 5D4N · 8 things to do
Guesthouses on inhabited islands like Maafushi, at a fraction of resort prices, with a designated bikini beach and day trips to sandbanks.
Local islands are conservative: cover up away from the tourist beach, and alcohol is not sold.
Things to do on KlookAdd Local islandAffiliate disclosure. The “Things to do” buttons above go to Klook and earn this site a small commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. They do not affect which destinations are listed or what is written about them.
When to go. Driest and calmest January to April. May to October is wetter with more wind and choppier transfers.
Choose where you are staying, then pick from what is reachable from there and the app builds a day-by-day plan around it.
4.5 hrs · flight, then boat or seaplane · Ages 0-12 · 5D4N · 9 things to do. One island, one resort, a lagoon you can stand up in and a reef at the edge of it. The least logistics of any trip in this guide once the transfer is done.
Ages 2-12
The reef without getting in, which for a nervous four-year-old is the difference between seeing it and not.
Ages 7-12
Many resorts keep one on staff and run a free coral session. Ask at check-in; it is rarely advertised and it is the best hour of the week.
Ages 3-12
Free at most resorts and genuinely good at the family ones. Check the minimum age before booking, not after.
Ages 0-12
Waist-deep and clear for a long way out. Non-motorised watersports are usually included in the rate.
Ages 6-12
Reef fish and turtles a few metres from the sand. Bring your own child-sized masks — resort rental sizes run out.
Ages 4-12
An hour at dusk with spinner dolphins alongside the boat. Almost every resort runs one, and it almost always delivers.
Ages 6-12
Hand lines off a dhoni at dusk, and the kitchen will cook whatever is caught. The most reliably successful hour of any Maldives trip.
Ages 0-12
Most resorts run one at five, included or nearly so. An hour on the water at the best time of day, and toddlers usually sleep through it.
Ages All
Reef fish and lobster grilled on the sand, once or twice a week at most resorts. Book it at check-in; the good tables go first.
4.5 hrs · flight, then public ferry · Ages 5-12 · 5D4N · 8 things to do. Guesthouses on inhabited islands like Maafushi, at a fraction of resort prices, with a designated bikini beach and day trips to sandbanks.
Ages 7-12
Green turtles graze the seagrass off several inhabited islands. Guesthouses run a short boat trip most mornings.
Ages 6-12
Most inhabited islands have an old mosque built of cut coral. Cover shoulders and knees, and ask before photographing anyone.
Ages 0-12
The designated stretch where swimwear is fine. Elsewhere on a local island, cover shoulders and knees.
Ages 4-12
Maafushi is a kilometre end to end, with a school, a harbour and children playing football on the sand street. Half an hour, and the reason to stay on one.
Ages 0-12
Most nearby resorts sell a day rate including lunch and the pool. The cheap way to get one resort day into a guesthouse trip.
Ages 3-12
A boat to a strip of sand with nothing on it. Take shade of your own — there is none.
Ages 9-12
South Ari atoll has them year round. Confident swimmers only, in open water, and choose an operator that keeps its distance from the animal.
Ages 6-12
Shredded tuna with coconut and onion, scooped into a flatbread. Ask for it without chilli and children take to it.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Entry | Visa on arrival for Singapore passport holders. Traveller declaration submitted online before departure. |
| Time | Three hours behind Singapore. |
| Money | US dollars are used everywhere in resorts. Rufiyaa only matters on local islands. |
| Water | Bottled or resort-desalinated. Never the tap on a local island. |
| Transfers | Speedboat for near atolls, seaplane for far ones. Seaplanes fly in daylight only, so a late arrival means a night in Malé. |
| Local islands | Conservative dress away from the designated beach, and no alcohol sold at all. |
| Cost | The transfer is charged per person and is often the largest single line after the room. Ask before booking. |
