maldives

Now that i have my shiny new housing i would like some where to take it!!

i was thinking about the maldives as it is pretty close to us here in the UAE but i am unsure which resort to stay at. My wife dives but the kids are very young so the place would need to have enough to keep them entertained as well - or the dive sites close enought that we do a dive and return to the hotel / dive centre.

anyone have any suggestions?

cheers.

anyone have any suggestions?

 

cheers.

I have been to a few.

Kuredu is an excellent place to go. But stay in either a water bungalow or a beach villa. Some great diving just a short boat ride away.

The house reef isnt as good as many as Kuredu has a lot of sand and areas for swimming and snorkelling, more like coral gardens than drop off, which would be great for your children. Having said that it does have a small wreck on its house reef. Kuredu express is minutes away as well. If you can get around the back of the island it is pretty good around there. I only snorkelled it, but had a marlin eyeing me up at very close range for 5 minutes. I have no kids so dont really know what is and what isnt good for them to be honest.

Stew

I have been to a few.

 

Kuredu is an excellent place to go. But stay in either a water bungalow or a beach villa. Some great diving just a short boat ride away.

The house reef isnt as good as many as Kuredu has a lot of sand and areas for swimming and snorkelling, more like coral gardens than drop off, which would be great for your children. Having said that it does have a small wreck on its house reef. Kuredu express is minutes away as well. If you can get around the back of the island it is pretty good around there. I only snorkelled it, but had a marlin eyeing me up at very close range for 5 minutes. I have no kids so dont really know what is and what isnt good for them to be honest.

 

Stew

I disagree. It is my opinion that Lars runs the place under a regime of fear that is reflected in the morale of the staff. Better to go to the Constance Resort on Halavelli or the Conrad on Rangali. Both are in Ari Atoll and have great diving on the doorstep and your family will love both the place and the happy atmosphere.

I disagree. It is my opinion that Lars run the place under a regime of fear that is reflected in the morale of the staff. Better to go to the Constance Resort on Halavelli or the Conrad on Rangali. Both are in Ari Atoll and have great diving on the doorstep and your family will love both the place and the happy atmosphere.

I am a little confused. Who is Lars? There is no Lars as faar as I can see on the homepage. I am going there for a few weeks in April so I was just wondering...

I am a little confused. Who is Lars? There is no Lars as faar as I can see on the homepage. I am going there for a few weeks in April so I was just wondering...

Lars is the owner. His brother is called Mats.

I was there quite a few years ago now, and dont know who ran it then or now. What you say John about Ari ( south Ari ) i would totally agree with. 2 weeks at the Hilton would be very nice. I am sure Shaff will pop his head in on this topic and give the OP some sound advice.

Stew

Thanks for the info on that. I've already booked since friends of mine are instructors there.

I was on Vilamendhoo in 2006 when Werner Lau still was there. Great spots and a great housereef.

Don't know anything about babysitters though.

Was on Veligandu - Rasdhoo Atoll a few years ago.

Great resort - good house reef accessible in just a short swim even for snorkeling.

Saw turtles, dolphins, rays (sting, eagle & Mantas) white tip Sharks, even before I put on any scuba gear !...

But the best is that it is close to the Hammerhead point dive.

Early morning blue dive with a good chance of seeing hammers.

Hi folks,

Two cents....

From my own (limited) diving experience of the Maldives all I would say is that if you are going to base yourself on an island- research your prospective island resort v. carefully before you go -particularly if you are going with family - or non-diving 'better half'. One thing I can say- all island resorts are different-there is no set standard- and what one person thinks may be great-another one may not like!!!

Factors to consider:

1. Diving-obviously!! Have to say -for me- any dive in the Maldives is a brill dive-especially with camera- Fish Fish Fish everywhere!!!!! If its the real biggies your after eg. mantas/whale sharks- their actual locations can be very season dependant as far as I understand it. I would never assume that you will automatically see Mantas and Whale sharks on every resort in the Maldives. (This is not so much an issue of you go live aboard -methinks??) Also consider if resort has good house reef- which will also present some cracking opportunitys for photos. Alot of the dives from the centers I have been on have been no more than 25mins away from the resort, run two dives daily- with reasonably quick turn around- max. dive time is 1 hour- max. depth allowed 30 meters. Some resorts supply nitrox- some dont- some resorts supply 11 litre air cylinders only- which can be significant if you like your air!

2. Do you like lively atmosphere-many people?? or pure peace and quiet-and fewer people??

3. Facilitys/Staff/Food/Level of service/Type of accomodation/Wntertainment etc. Again, very significant for non diving partners-if with kids etc.

4. Budget. On resorts the dive center charges for you actual diving- but your boat trips to and from site can incurr extra charge by the resort! Check prices carefully. Check with dive center.

5. Listen to the other guys/gals on this forum. Particularly Hani Amir and Sheff- they are Maldivian. Also check Tripadvisor.

Good luck Alastair- choose well- and remember -research-research-research!!

Dam