The Perfect Honeymoon in the Maldives For Every Type of Couple

Turquoise water and ivory sand provide the perfect setting for the most romantic vacation of your life. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

The moment you realize you’re in for a magical honeymoon is most definitely the one when you step out of the airport and immediately onto a waiting seaplane. Yes, your next destination is so remote that you must travel there by seaplane.

Your pilots have that distinct “No shoes, no worries” attitude and are literally wearing no shoes as they whisk you up and over the 26 atolls of the Maldivian archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Related: Check Out These Amazing Views of the Maldives From Above

The Maldives have become a honeymoon hot spot over the past several years, due to their exotic location, their pristine beaches surrounded by crystal-clear emerald water, and concerns that they may one day disappear because of global warming.

This could be you. It should be you. (Photo: The Four Seasons)

You can craft a honeymoon to fit any personality here. If you want to huddle up in an over-water villa for 10 days, emerging only for meals, you can absolutely make that happen. For the more adventurous, the islands offer world-class scuba diving and surfing.

The perfect Maldivian honeymoon includes three days at one resort, four at another, and one day exploring the city of Malé, one of the most crowded metropolitan areas and islands in the entire world.

Related: The Top Honeymoon Destinations Pinned on Pinterest

Plenty of people, including the locals, will tell you not to bother with the Malé city tour at all.

"It’s so crowded," they wail. "There’s nothing to see."

Not so. If you can find the right guide, it is absolutely worth a zip around the island to see robed women and their children laughing and playing on the manmade beaches, and the fish sellers hawking their wares in Malé’s own smaller version of the grand Tokyo fish market.

Fishmonger carves tuna in the fish market. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

You’ll want to taste some of the local cuisine, including the ubiquitous fried snacks stuffed with minced tuna, garlic, and Maldivian chiles (hotter than the habañero), consumed daily at 4 p.m., that are affectionately called “short eats.”

My guide for the day was a kind and knowledgeable gentleman named Mohamed Shiyam ([email protected]), who toured me around on his motor scooter. He picked me right up at the ferry terminal and never let me out of his sight. Our tour took just a few hours, and then Mohamed put me back on a boat to the resort.

Malé’s manmade beach. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

For the most part, each Maldivian resort occupies its own very small island. If you hanker for novelty, it makes sense for you to switch resorts midway through your trip to keep boredom at bay.

Each island here is idyllic, remote, and picturesque. It is impossible to pick a bad island. With this in mind, you may decide to narrow down your choice of honeymoon resort by the types of activities you and your new spouse will want to enjoy on the island.

If You’re a Diver: Landa Giravau Four Seasons

A new friend you’ll meet on the Baa Atoll. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

Diving the Baa Atoll is an unparalleled experienced, even for the most experienced diver. The sea life in this UNESCO World Heritage Site provides an underwater safari for both divers and scuba divers. This is the place where you will capture an amazing underwater #travelbrag for your Instagram and Facebook.

The islands of the Maldives are known for all their marine life, but particularly for their sea turtles, whale sharks, and manta rays, better known as En Madi in these parts.

Related: The Top Ten International Honeymoon Spots

“Manta on Call” is a new program at the Four Seasons on Landaa Giraavaru island. While quite plentiful in the Hanifaru Bay of the Baa Atoll, manta rays can still be elusive creatures. This resort’s new program maximizes the efficiency of your holiday. Rather than your spending hours fruitlessly searching the atoll for mantas on a boat, this program gives you an old-school Nokia phone attached to a waterproof bag on a string (you put it around your neck) and then pings you when the manta scientists spot the fish. Then you run, not walk, to the jetty, hop on a boat, and take a 25-minute ride out to the manta feeding ground.

Manta on Call makes it easy to spot these magnificent creatures. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

The knowledgeable folks in the dive center will help you arrange most types of other dives from early morning to late at night.

On land, the Landa resort is a jungly paradise. Upon arrival, you’ll be presented with your very own beach cruiser emblazoned with your initials. Why walk anywhere when you can cruise? Rooms range from over-water bungalows to beachfront villas with private plunge pools.

Spend all day on a bicycle in the jungle. (Photo: The Four Seasons)

If you’re looking to indulge, ask about the island’s private nighttime yacht journey to a secluded sand bar, where a private chef will cook you a luxurious lobster dinner under the stars.

If You’re a Relaxation Junkie: Huvafen Fushi

Huvafen Fushi is home to LIME, one of the best spas in the world and one of the very few places where you can receive a massage in a glass-walled underwater treatment room as clownfish, stingrays, and sharks glide on by.

What’s more relaxing than an underwater treatment? (Photo: Huvafen Fushi) 

The spa boasts both over-water pavilions and underwater rooms for their sensual array of treatments. The relaxation lounge features unparalleled views of the Indian Ocean. Even the gym and yoga pavilion float gently over the water.

The rest of the resort is just as idyllic. In fact, the name of the island means “dream island,” in the local dialect. Chefs pop in and out from international Michelin-starred restaurants, and the staff is top-notch when it comes to requesting the perfect wine pairing straight from the island’s wine cave.

The view of Huvafen Fushi from above (Photo: Huvafen Fushi)

If You’re a Surfer: Hudhuranfushi Island Surf Resort

The Maldives offer three major surfing zones that span 300 nautical miles. One of the best resorts for surfing is the Hudhuranfushi (translated to English, this means “island of white gold”), which offers guests world-class waves within walking distance of their rooms. The consistent reef break here is one of the best in the Maldives.

If you fancy an active honeymoon, Hudhuranfushi Island Surf Resort is the place to be. (Photo: Hudhuranfushi Island Surf Resort)

The best part is that the resort limits the number of surfers allowed so that the waves never become overcrowded.

Related: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Other People’s Honeymoons

Another option for the honeymoon surfer is the Wavehunters live-aboard surf charter (https://www.wavehunters.com/maldives-surfing-male-central-atolls). They offer four different charter boats of different sizes and amenities, from simple to luxurious, that take clients to the very best surfing spots all around the Maldives.

How to Get There

American travelers will likely need to connect through Dubai or Hong Kong to reach the islands. Cathay Pacific recently began doing four-times-weekly service from Hong Kong to the Maldives, which has opened up the number of flights that connect into the country. Connecting through Dubai, Emirates offers twice-daily flights to the Maldives.

All international flights land at the small Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, which is a 10-minute boat ride from the capital city of Malé and a boat or seaplane ride away from the resorts. Make sure to arrange travel in advance with your hotel or resort.

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