Getting to the Maldives

When traveling from Europe to the Malé International Airport, you’ll find that there are only a few nonstop flights. However, the few airlines that do provide those nonstop flights like to offer competitive prices, meaning that if you have the availability to book early, you’ll be able to avoid changing planes in the Middle East halfway there.

BMI Baby, British Airways, and SriLankan Airlines all fly nonstop, taking about 10.5 hours each way.

Condor Airlines flies nonstop, taking about 10 hours each way.

There are some seasonal charter flights nonstop that originate in Paris, Brussels, and Milan, but for the most part nearly everyone is going to have to change planes in the Middle East, either in Qatar, Abu Dhabi, or Dubai. Luckily, the airlines representing each of those cities are excellent and very comfortable for long-haul flights.

Also, you’ll find that flights head to Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai from most major cities in Europe, taking roughly 6 hours. The layovers are usually about an hour or two, with the onward flight to the Maldives taking about 5 more hours. Prices start at around US$1,000 for the roundtrip flight, and tend to be very competitive since there are so many airlines to select from. Because of that, it’s a good idea to book as early as you can since there are rarely fare sales that bring prices down a bunch, and if the planes are filling up on your desired days the price will go up.

When considering distance and time difference, it’s important to keep in mind that every flight will be an overnight flight. This doesn’t change whether it’s a nonstop or changing planes in the Middle East. Fortunately, most flights seem to leave Europe in the sometime in the late afternoon, so you end up changing planes around midnight, or they leave Europe late in the evening, so you change planes at about 6am.

Once you do land at the Malé International Airport, you’ll be greeted by employees from your chosen resort. Some of the larger resorts will have their own private lounge, while the smaller resorts just have roving employees that wait for your arrival.

The resorts that can be found closer to the airport will put you on board a private speedboat for a journey that generally lasts 20 minutes to an hour, while the more remote resorts will do the same for a sea plane (which takes off of the water and then lands back on the water) for an amazing flight to the hotel, which is tends to be one of the highlights of an entire holiday, and because of that, is a great way to begin a tropical escape. What you’ll want to keep in mind is that this transportation does comes at an extra cost and must be arranged in advance, and that the sea plane flights in particular are a bit pricey, usually running about US$400 or higher roundtrip per person.

If you’ve heard about alcohol prices being expensive in the Maldives, you’ll want to note that it’s very true. You’ll also want to note that the country is also extremely strict about allowing alcohol brought into it from inside luggage or duty-free containers. If you show up with alcohol, it will be confiscated and kept for you until you fly out, so best not to bring it at all.

Photo by Craig Grobler on Flickr