The Maldives is one of those dreamy destinations that sits atop many travelers’ bucket lists — white sand beaches, crystal clear turquoise waters and insane over-the-water bungalows at some of the most exclusive and expensive resorts in the world. But there is a way to experience the Maldives without mortgaging your house… if you can get there.
Admittedly, “there” is a long way away. The Maldives is a nation of islands located 1,200 miles southeast of the tip of the Indian subcontinent in the Indian Ocean. It’s comprised of 1,192 islands clustered in 26 atolls (island groups) that stretch 540 miles. The vast archipelago is intersected by the equator, which means it boasts warm tropical weather year-round. Only 200 islands are inhabited. Of those, about 164 have been developed as tourist resorts and do not have local populations. One resort on one island is the norm in the Maldives.
To learn more, read our “10 Things to Know about Vacationing in the Maldives” article before deciding on your itinerary.
Why did we choose Fiyavalhu Resort Maldives?
Fiyavalhu Resort Maldives is located on the island of Mandhoo in the South Ari Atoll. The 44-villa resort shares the island with a local population, the first arrangement of its kind in the Maldives. However, the islanders are very private people who live a simple life on the island, and wish to keep it that way. As tourists, you’re asked not to wander the island. Instead, the resort leads a 30-minute guided tour twice a week.
We chose Fiyavalhu for several reasons. First, accommodations for our family of five were more reasonably priced. As compared to the large over-the-water bungalows at other resorts that can easily run $2000 (or more) per night. We also were looking for a resort with on-site diving instruction, as my husband and son wanted to learn how to scuba dive. And finally, we wanted to be in an atoll where we’d have the opportunity to swim with whale sharks and manta rays during the month of December, when we were visiting.
KidTripster Tip: Whale sharks are year-round residents in the Maldives; however, they frequent certain areas at particular times of the year. If you have your heart set of swimming with these giants, contact the resort directly to make sure that the sharks’ timeline aligns with your vacation. And know, despite your best planning, it’s possible that you may not see whale sharks. So prepare yourself and your children for that reality. While whale sharks are the world’s largest fish, it’s a very big ocean, and finding them is not guaranteed.
How do you get to Fiyavalhu Resort Maldives?
Often, the most spectacular places on earth do take a little work to reach… ok, a lot of work.
From the west coast of the United States, it’s a minimum of 30 hours, including flight time and layovers, to Malé, the capital of the Maldives. From there, we hopped on a 25-minute regional flight to Maamigili (arranged by the resort). Then we got on a bus for a short drive to the port where we boarded a boat for a 40-minute ride to the island of Mandhoo.
KidTripster Tip: You don’t need a visa in advance of your trip. Instead, you’ll be instructed to complete a Travel Declaration Form online via IMUGA at least 96 hours prior to your flight. However, you can’t fill out the form without something called a PNR number which is listed on your boarding pass, That means you may need to wait until you get to the airport. Upon completion, you’ll receive a QR code, though we were never asked for the code, presumably because our scanned passports synced with the electronic declaration forms.
KidTripster Tip: Try to time your arrival at the resort during the day. We arrived at night. The boat ride was in the dark, and our check-in felt very hurried as dinner service was ending, and we were getting rushed to the restaurant.
What to do?
The word “fiyavalhu” means footprint in the local language, as in footprint in the sand. Go ahead, sink your feet into the soft white sand. Feels good, right. You could plant yourself on a lounger all day, but you’d be missing out on one of the the most vibrant underwater playgrounds on the planet.
The on-site water sports center at Fiyavalhu Resort Maldives is operated by a separate vendor, Dive Club Maldives. Ideally, you’d want all your recreation to be included in a resort stay, but it’s not. Dive Club Maldives has a menu of options and prices, and perhaps not surprisingly, the options aren’t cheap. But how many times are you going to find yourself in the Maldives?
[ Related: 7 Reasons to Visit the Maldives ]
In the ocean
Right off the beach, there’s a coral reef teeming with a stunning array of colorful tropical fish — parrotfish, Picasso triggerfish and more. Honestly, the snorkeling here is excellent. We found it comparable to other top snorkeling spots that we’ve visited like Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and French Polynesia. The water clarity is astounding. The resort’s also planting artificial reefs that guests can help tend during certain times of the year.
KidTripster Tip: Bring your own snorkeling gear. You’ll use it daily.
You can rent stand-up paddle boards, kayaks and jet skis or opt for a ride on tubes or the banana boat.
Dive Club Maldives offers on-site scuba diving instruction. The instructor, Shiva, was truly exceptional. During the first lesson, he took the time to explain the gear and the basics, before taking my husband and son on their first practice dive, right from the beach. The next day, they dove a different reef from a boat. My husband was a little nervous about diving, but with Shiva’s encouragement, he (and my son) declared the diving to be the best experience of the trip. Shiva also provided photos and videos of the dives so that my husband and son could focus on the experience. Take a look here:
KidTripster Tip: Dive Club Maldives also offers Bubble Maker lessons for younger kids.
KidTripster Tip: Make sure to do your diving early in your trip. You’ll need at least a day to reduce the nitrogen in your body before you’re able to fly.
We also booked daily snorkeling excursions with Dive Club Maldives. One day, we went snorkeling with green sea turtles. Another day, we went on an all-day hunt for whale sharks. Sadly, we didn’t spot any even though we know that they were in the area. Our favorite excursion was snorkeling with manta rays — not just any rays but the Giant Oceanic Manta Rays with wingspans up to 26 feet. It was an amazing nature encounter. Take a look here:
KidTripster Tip: By downloading an app to your phone, you’ll be able to get the GoPro photos and videos immediately after your dive lessons and excursions at no extra cost.
KidTripster Tip: Dive Club Maldives offers a dolphin cruise, but wait to book this one. You may see dolphins, like we did, on your other excursions and have no need to pay for a dedicated excursion.
On land
If you need a break from the saltwater of the Indian Ocean, take a dip in the Fiyavalhu Resort Maldives’ 25-meter infinity pool overlooking the island’s lagoon. Just a few steps away, you’ll find a small kids club, fitness center, and game room with billiards, ping pong, and table games, including Carrom — a popular game in India that my husband grew up playing.
Each night, there’s a resort activity, like an outdoor movie, karaoke session or crab races.
Where to stay?
At present, Fiyavalhu Resort Maldives does not have over-the-water bungalows; instead, it offers villas. With five people in our family, we chose to stay in the 2-bedroom family villa. There’s only one on the property, so if you need to accommodate a larger group, book early.
The two rooms were connected; one bedroom had a king-sized bed and the other had a queen-sized bed plus a twin. Each room had a desk, sofa and full bathroom plus a private outdoor shower. That was an especially handy feature, as the family villa was literally steps from the beach!
Every morning, I woke early to the sound of harmless fruit bats cackling in the trees and the waves washing up on the beach. The sunrises were worth getting up to see!
Check out our tour of the family villa:
The resort offers five other categories of rooms: pool villas with private pools, beach villas, deluxe beach villas, garden villas, and deluxe garden villas. Each of these can accommodate either three adults or two adults and 2 children.
The housekeeping staff was outstanding. In addition to daily room cleaning, there was an evening turndown service that cleared away the day’s beach towels and sand.
Where to eat?
Positioned facing the ocean, Koveli is the main restaurant at Fiyavalhu Resort Maldives. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meals are served buffet style. The options here were plentiful and surprisingly diverse, with both Maldivian cuisine as well as a wide-ranging international menu. Nearly all the fruits and vegetables served are grown in the resort’s garden. We were very pleased with the quality of food, and the service was impeccable.
At Fiyavalhu, guests can either opt for a half-board (two meals per day) or full-board (three meals per day) option. With two sons with big appetites, we opted for the full plan.
Riya Cafe is an à-la-carte restaurant adjacent to the pool. It serves non-alcoholic drinks featuring local fruits and vegetables along with snacks and small bites.
The resort also offers an option to dine privately on the beach under the stars. We took advantage of this gorgeous setting on our last night in the Maldives. It was dreamy.
It’s worth noting that the Maldives is a predominately Muslim country. At our resort, the menu was halal-certified, a guarantee that the food was unadulterated and prepared in accordance with Islamic law. It’s one reason why the resort attracts many Muslim guests from the European Union in addition to many Russian guests. It makes for a very international feel at meal times.
In the Maldives, public alcohol consumption is illegal. The rule does not apply to resorts located on their own islands, which is the vast majority of them. Because Fiyavalhu shares its island with locals, no alcohol is served on the premises. That being said, if you really wanted a drink, the resort would ferry you to a boat just off the dock, where alcohol can be served. During our stay, we never saw anyone go to the boat.
Finally, during our stay at Fiyavalhu, we took a cooking class with Executive Chef Anwar Javed Kahn. He taught us how to prepare Bosh Mashuni (tuna salad), Garudhiya (tuna soup), Lonumoris Prawns Curry, and Huni Folhi (coconut crepes). We then shared these dishes over lunch. I’d highly suggest this activity.
What about extra fees?
Yes, the Maldives is expensive, and then there are those extra fees to know about. A Tourism Goods and Service Tax (TGST) of 16% is levied on all goods and services at tourist establishments, including the dive center. There’s also a Green Tax of $6 per person per day. Make sure to account for these extras when budgeting for your trip.
KidTripster Tip: The local currency is the Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR). However, we never needed local currency, as credit cards are widely accepted.
Final thoughts
Our trip to the Maldives was a bucket list experience, enhanced by the attentive staff and laid-back, family-friendly atmosphere at Fiyavalhu. We have only two regrets. First, we should have broken up our travel to the Maldives with layovers in connecting cities. And secondly, we wish that we would have found a whale shark. I think our bad luck was atypical, and you’d be likely to have an encounter here as much as anywhere else in the world.
Finally, I leave you with a sobering reality. The Maldives is the lowest-lying country in the world. As such, it’s highly susceptible to the effects of climate change: sea rise, sudden storm surges and flooding. At the current rate of global warming, experts say that 80% of the Maldivian islands will be uninhabitable by 2050. That’s a shocking prediction.
In our family travels, I’ve made a point of taking my children to places around the world where they can see the effects of global warning firsthand in hopes of bringing understanding and spurring action. Undoubtably, the Maldives is certainly a place worth saving.
For the purposes of this review, the writer received a discount on her stay and water excursions for the purposes of this review. All opinions are her own.
