Temperatures are consistently between 26 - 32 Centigrade - and the tourist seasons are dictated by the change in the monsoons.

The SouthWest Monsoon runs from May to November and while generally dry and sunny there can be sporadic rain and cloudy days. The NorthEast Monsoon runs from December to April and is the tourist high season - with little rainfall and constant sunshine with blue skies. Poorer weather can arrive at the change of the monsoons and can produce longer periods of inclement weather and reduced snorkelling visibility.

High Season runs from December through to the end of April - however unsettled weather can be experienced in November/December just as the monsoon changes direction. Lower pricing traditionally starts in May - however late May/June can also be affected by the monsoon switching direction once again.

Maldives comprises 1,191 islands in the Indian Ocean. The earliest settlers were probably from southern India. Indo-European speakers followed them from Sri Lanka in the fourth and fifth centuries BC. In the 12th century AD, sailors from East Africa and Arab countries came to the islands. Today, the Maldivian ethnic identity is a blend of these cultures, reinforced by religion and language.

Originally Buddhists, Maldivians were converted to Sunni Islam in the mid-12th century. Islam is the official religion of the entire population. Strict adherence to Islamic precepts and close community relationships have helped keep crime low and under control.

The official and common language is Dhivehi, an Indo-European language related to Sinhala, a language of Sri Lanka. The writing system is from right to left. English is used widely in commerce and increasingly as the medium of instruction in government schools.

Some social stratification exists on the islands. It is not rigid, since rank is based on varied factors, including occupation, wealth, perceived Islamic virtue, and family ties. Members of the social elite are concentrated in Male'.

The early history of the Maldives is obscure. According to Maldivian legend, a Sinhalese prince named KoiMale was stranded with his bride--daughter of the king of Sri Lanka--in a Maldivian lagoon and stayed on to rule as the first sultan.

Over the centuries, the islands have been visited and their development influenced by sailors from countries on the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean littorals. Mopla pirates from the Malabar Coast--present-day Kerala state in India--harassed the islands. In the 16th century, the Portuguese subjugated and ruled the islands for 15 years (1558-73) before being driven away by the warrior-patriot Muhammad Thakurufar Al-Azam.

Although governed as an independent Islamic sultanate for most of its history from 1153 to 1968, the Maldives was a British protectorate from 1887 until July 25, 1965. In 1953, there was a brief, abortive attempt at a republican form of government, after which the sultanate was re-imposed. Following independence from Britain in 1965, the sultanate continued to operate for another 3 years. On November 11, 1968, it was abolished and replaced by a republic, and the country assumed its present name.

At Purely Maldives we welcome guests from around the globe - so we prefer to concentrate on getting the choice of accommodation correct for you - that is why we offer accommodation only prices on our webpages.

We are able to offer flight inclusive holidays from the UK. The major hub is London Heathrow with a very wide selection of airlines and timings - however flights can also be arranged from London Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow.

British Airways operates a direct flight (no stops or plane changes) from early November until Easter however the quality of their seats/dining/entertainment does not match up to the high standards of Qatar or Emirates. All other flights will fly via either Dubai (Emirates), Doha (Qatar), Colombo (Sri Lankan), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines) or Abu Dhabi (Etihad) - stopovers can range from 70 minutes with Sri Lankan (a small airport) or a minimum of 90 minutes with Emirates (a larger multi-terminal airport), or you could arrange a stopover of a number of nights to break your journey up.

Flights from Male back home again run through the day and night - the earliest time for a Male departure to coincide with a Seaplane transfer is 0900. There are various late evening transfers with Emirates and Etihad - however your island check out time will normally be 12 noon so you may find you have been transported back to the airport with some spare time to fill. The last Seaplane departure from any island will likely be around 1645.

       
Male International Airport now renamed Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (Maldives)

Male International Airport (MLE) is the main international airport in the Maldives. It is located on Hulhule Island in the North Male Atoll, near the capital island Male.

Male airport is the main gateway into the Maldives islands for tourists. It is currently the only airport in the country offering international flights (a small number of flights also operate from Southern India, Trivandrum into Hanimaadhoo in the Northern Atoll of Maldives).

Male Airport International Terminal Departures

Male Airport International Check-in Counters

Arrivals Hotel Counters

Male Airport Seaplane Terminal

Covid19 2020/21/22 Situation

We are pleased to advise that all airlines and islands are attuned to the changing situation in the Maldives and in the wider world. If border restrictions are imposed by the Government of your home country or the Maldivian Government which bar your travel then airlines and islands will be happy to assist with adjusting your travel dates (normally with absolutely nil charge).

If you were unfortunate enough to test positive for COVID when going through the process of securing a PCR certificate within the days before your Maldives holiday then again the airlines and islands would assist with adjusting your travel dates (normally with absolutely nil charge).

We are happy to confirm that the Maldivian Government has made a Covid insurance policy available here https://myallied.mv/type/inbound-allied/new
and here is a link to a leaflet about their policy: Allied-Inbound-Brochure-1.pdf

How to Book

As there are so many variables involved in booking rooms in the Maldives, we prefer to be involved in all arrangements rather than leave our customers to an automated booking system.

Therefore to make a booking, please send either an enquiry from the island page you have chosen, or send us a general e-mail explaining your arrangements to [email protected] We will then send back a formal quotation in PDF format to confirm the pricing you have requested.

Once you are happy, please click on the red 'Make a Payment' button within the PDF.

You will then be automatically directed to our Online Secure Server with Sage Pay to make your deposit payment if more than 50 days away from your arrival date. If you are within 50 days then we will require the full amount due.

We will then secure your room/s with the island, and send you confirmation as soon as possible to enable you to book air tickets if you are arranging those yourself.

All islands require payment in advance - this is how we manage to keep our prices low.

We can make arrangements for Air Travel from the UK - if you travel with British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Sri Lankan or Turkish Airlines we can normally book your flights and not require an additional deposit. In peak season it may be necessary for your flight payment to be earlier than your accommodation payment (45 days before arrival).

Our Online Secure Server does not record your credit card details and therefore does not detect the type of card you are using.

If you are making a deposit payment we do not charge for credit card transactions.

If you are using a Credit Card for your balance payment then please enter the full amount due (including credit card processing fees) as our system will not add them on automatically.

We are also happy to accept payment with a cheque or transfer from a UK bank account. We can also accept International Bank Transfers - however, please ensure the transfer fees have been paid by yourselves.

Sometimes the payment link within our PDF's does not work well with older Apple devices - in this case, please follow the link below which is routed to the same payment page.

General Rules of Cancellation
We manage to keep our accomodation prices low, but may need to impose charges due to cancellation close to your arrival date. Additional terms may apply for the Festive Season and Chinese New Year etc. - some 5 star islands impose more onerous cancellation terms (Gili Lankanfushi, Soneva Fushi etc), please make a specific request if you would like to understand the cancellation terms which would apply to your specific island and dates. In all instances, we suggest you secure travel insurance when you make a booking so as your own liability is kept to a minimum in the case that you need to make a late cancellation due to illness or a medical emergency.

a)            Cancel more than 50 days from arrival – nil further charge.

b)            Cancel 49.9 to 40 days prior to arrival – 50% charge.

c)            Cancel 39.9 days or less – 100% charge.

d)            'No show' – full charge and no refund due.

Importantly though – despite the above rules – if you have an exceptional case we may be able to waive the above charges if you are needing to move your dates due to serious illness, bereavement or COVID circumstances.

Also, if you have only paid a deposit, but still need to make a change of room or dates, this can likely be achieved with a nil administration fee if outside of 45 days. If you need to fully cancel your booking the same deposit (minus a £50/$50 fee for consumer protection) can be used by yourself or a nominated family member for up to 10 years after the original travel date. Some islands are excluded from this deposit flexibility such as Meeru, Reethi Beach, Vilamendhoo, Veligandu, Chaaya Reef Ellaidhoo, Chaaya Dhonveli and Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa.

Flight cancellations are separate from the above percentile calculations - we need to approach an airline in every individual case to calculate cancellation or rebooking fees for every date in question.

Terms and Conditions

Our Price Guarantee

We have been dealing with Maldives accommodation for over 30 years and this has allowed us to build some great relationships with the resort islands which provides us with the best rates plus the most up to date special offers.

If you have not yet booked with Purely Maldives, but you believe you have found a better offer, please allow us the opportunity to match or beat the price you have received by sending in your quotation so as we can check things out. Our first check will be to ensure that your comparison quotation includes all of the obligatory taxes and transfers as some of the large online companies omit these fees in an attempt to appear lower priced (our quotes always include these). We will not attempt to match the pricing of the few fraudulent Maldivian agents (and one who appears to be based in Turkey) who offer below cost price quotations but then cancel your accommodation once the full balance has been paid.

Once your booking is confirmed with the small deposit, your accommodation and flight cost (if booked) is fixed and will not increase (once we receive invoicing from the island which generally takes around 10 days). It is possible that your accommodation cost will drop in the future if the island needs to increase sales - this will not affect your pricing as your room was secured with the special offers relevant at the time. If any price differential is large we are happy to ask the island whether they will consider applying the new special offer to your booking - but there are no guarantees.

Please, in any instance of price uncertainty just drop us an email - we are always happy to talk things through with you.