As one of the world’s most popular honeymoon destinations, the island archipelago of Maldives provides its vacationers with a variety of intriguing and exotic accommodation options. While most beach holiday destinations offer the predictable types of accommodation from beach cabanas to resort guestrooms the Maldives goes the extra mile when it comes to capitalising on its exquisite landscapes to provide a more eclectic collection of accommodation types to suit various tourists. Maldives pool villas are one such example which re-imagined the traditional beach villa and added a personal pool to the guest premises for a touch of luxury and privacy. Establishments across the country such as Naladhu Maldives and others also offer villas that take this concept a step further by offering visitors a beach house or a pool residence where a makeshift household is available for group travellers and families.
Perhaps the most photographed and documented accommodation variety in the country are it’s over water villas which provide a luxurious sanctuary on the water. Held up by stilts the rooms or chalets stretch out from the beach to the resort lagoons of many a hotel with wooden paths connecting guest quarters with one another and the mainland. Nature lovers, on the other hand, can select a garden bungalow that offers holidaymakers the refuge of their private garden instead of the traditional beach bungalow overlooking the ocean or the hotel pool.
Most of the room types discussed above can be rather costly so a new breed of Maldivian vacationers are opting to stay in city hotels or affordable guesthouses and choosing to enjoy the beaches of the country via boat transfer. Encompassing the contemporary creature comforts of any city hotel the guesthouses and cheap hotels located in Hulhumale offer budget travellers the chance to experience a Maldivian vacation minus the frills of a beachside room. Tours to islands and water sports hubs are within easy distance of Hulhumale so visitors need not venture far. Avid divers, however, can opt to stay on board a cruise ship which sails from one diving hotspot to another. In addition to offering luxury accommodation, the cruise vessels also provide tourists with the opportunity to engage in activities such as island hopping and of course snorkelling.
Fritzjames Stephen is a travel writer, who writes content based on the myriad of experiences and indulgences that the world has to offer travellers across all walks of life.