Maldives

Five days in the Maldives, two nights on the sand and two over the lagoon

A five-day, four-night Maldives stay for Indian travellers: two nights in a beach villa with time on the house reef, then two nights in a water villa over the lagoon, at one resort so you move rooms, not islands. Built around a direct flight to Malé from Delhi or Mumbai.

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Quick facts

Checked

Trip length
5 days, 4 nights
Best time to go
November to April
Visa for Indian passport
Free visa on arrival for 30 days, with no need to apply beforehand. You need a passport valid for at least 1 month, a confirmed return ticket, a prepaid booking at a registered resort or hotel, and enough funds for your stay. Every traveller must also file the IMUGA traveller declaration online within 96 hours before arriving.
Flight from Delhi
About 4h to 4h 30m direct to Malé
Flight from Mumbai
About 3h direct to Malé
Currency
Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR), but resorts price in US dollars and take cards. Carry some US dollars in cash for tips and small purchases.
Getting by in English
Dhivehi is the local language. English is used across the resorts, at the airport and in Malé.

What is included, and what is not

Included

  • Visa (issued free on arrival)
  • Resort stay on twin sharing: 2 nights in a beach villa, 2 nights in a water villa
  • Return transfers between Malé airport and the resort, by speedboat or seaplane as the resort runs them

Not included

  • International flights
  • Meals, unless your quote names a meal plan
  • The Maldives Green Tax and resort service charges, unless your quote includes them
  • Optional excursions such as a sandbank trip, sunset cruise or diving
  • Travel insurance
  • Anything personal: laundry, minibar, tips

How you pay

  1. When you book. ₹5,000 booking fee to confirm the booking. It counts towards your trip total; it is not an extra charge. It is non-refundable (see section 10 of the Cancellation & Refund Policy).

  2. Between the 7th and the 10th day after booking. Enough to bring what you have paid up to 50% of your trip total. This pays for your hotels, and for your visa if we are arranging it or it is included in your package.

  3. 30 days before you travel. The rest of your trip total.

Flights, only if you ask us to help with them: paid in full when we book the tickets, at the fare on that day. Flight payments are separate from the instalments above and are not part of your trip total.

Booking 45 days or less before you travel? The gaps are shorter. The full schedule is in our payment terms, and what happens if plans change is in our cancellation and refund policy.

The journey, day by day

Read it through at your own pace. If you would change anything, tell your curator at the end.

Day 1

Arrival in Malé & Transfer to Your Resort

A blue and yellow seaplane moored at its wooden dock in Malé, Maldives
Settle In

Land at Malé's international airport and transfer straight to your resort. Resorts near Malé are reached by speedboat, usually within an hour; resorts in the far atolls by seaplane, which flies in daylight only, so a late flight to a seaplane resort means a night near Malé first. Check in to your beach villa and keep the rest of the day slow.

  1. Arrival

    Land at Malé and meet the resort's transfer desk at the airport.

  2. Afternoon

    Speedboat or seaplane to the resort, then check in to your beach villa.

  3. Evening

    Sunset on the beach and an easy first dinner.

Day 2

The House Reef & a Slow Beach Day

A snorkeller diving down beside a coral reef with a shoal of striped bannerfish, in the Maldives
Reef & Rest

Most resorts sit on their own reef, so snorkelling starts a few steps from the beach. Ask the dive centre where the entry points and currents are before you go in, then spend the rest of the day on the sand.

  1. Morning

    Snorkel the house reef with the resort's own gear or yours.

  2. Afternoon

    Free time on the beach or by the pool.

  3. Evening

    Dinner at the resort.

Day 3

Move to Your Water Villa

Thatched overwater villas on a wooden walkway above a turquoise lagoon beside a white sand beach, in the Maldives
Over the Lagoon

Today you move rooms, not islands: from the beach villa to a water villa on stilts over the lagoon, at the same resort. The deck steps down into the water, so the lagoon is your pool for the next two days.

  1. Morning

    Check out of the beach villa; the resort moves your bags.

  2. Afternoon

    Settle into your water villa and swim off the deck.

  3. Evening

    Dinner at the resort.

Day 4

A Sandbank Morning & Sunset from the Deck

Aerial view of a white sandbank in shallow turquoise water, with people swimming and sitting on the sand, in the Maldives
Islands & Sea

A free day. Many resorts run a boat out to a sandbank, a strip of white sand in open water, for a morning swim; it is an optional extra, booked at the resort or added to your quote. Come back for the afternoon and watch the sunset from your villa deck.

  1. Morning

    Optional: a sandbank trip by boat (extra unless added to your quote).

  2. Afternoon

    Free time in and over the lagoon.

  3. Evening

    Sunset from your water villa deck.

Day 5

Last Morning & Departure

A curved row of overwater villas on a calm lagoon, with the sun low over the sea, in the Maldives
Wrap-up & Return

A last swim off the deck, then the transfer back to Malé for your flight. Allow for the speedboat or seaplane when you choose a flight time; seaplane resorts need a daytime departure.

  1. Morning

    Breakfast and a last swim from the deck.

  2. Midday

    Transfer back to Malé airport.

  3. Departure

    Fly home.

Trip Complete

Memories made, photos taken, hearts full.

Want it changed? Tell your curator.

A slower pace, another night somewhere, a different hotel, a day you would rather skip. Write it here in your own words, then plan it with your curator: four short questions, and a person reworks the trip with you.

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or send it on WhatsApp yourself

Questions Indian travellers ask

Do Indian passport holders need a visa for the Maldives?

Indian passport holders get a free visa on arrival for 30 days, with no need to apply beforehand. You need a passport valid for at least 1 month, a confirmed return ticket, a prepaid booking at a registered resort or hotel, and enough funds for your stay. Every traveller must also file the IMUGA traveller declaration online within 96 hours before arriving.

What is the best time to visit the Maldives?

November to April, the dry season, has the calmest seas and the most sunshine. May to October is the wet season: still warm, with more rain and rougher water.

How long is the flight to the Maldives from Delhi or Mumbai?

About four to four and a half hours direct from Delhi to Malé, and about three hours direct from Mumbai.

Is a speedboat or a seaplane better for reaching the resort?

It depends on where the resort is. Resorts near Malé use speedboats, which run day and night and usually take under an hour. Resorts in the far atolls use seaplanes, which are scenic but cost more and fly in daylight only, so a late arrival means a night near Malé first.

Why split the stay between a beach villa and a water villa?

A beach villa puts you on the sand and close to the reef; a water villa puts you over the lagoon. Two nights in each, at the same resort, gives you both without the cost of four nights over the water, and you move rooms rather than islands.

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