Maldives

The Maldives has two monsoons pulling in opposite directions: one gives glassy water, the other manta rays. How to choose between them, month by month.

The transfer is the second-biggest line in a Maldives budget and the one people forget. How seaplanes, speedboats and domestic flights compare in 2026.

Overwater or beach villa, all-inclusive or half board, adults-only or not: the decisions that determine whether a Maldives resort suits you.

Where to find manta rays and whale sharks, how the Hanifaru Bay rules work, what dives cost, and which atoll to choose for the animals you actually want to see.

Since 2009, guesthouses on inhabited islands have created a second Maldives at a fraction of resort prices. How it works, what it costs, what you give up.

Every nationality gets a free visa on arrival, but there is a mandatory online form, a strict customs list and local rules worth knowing before you land.

The Maldives beyond honeymoon resorts: how a 2009 guesthouse law opened a cheaper trip across 1,190 islands and 26 atolls.

Five Maldives resorts worth the money, plus what a trip really costs once transfers, green tax and the 17 percent GST are counted, and how to pick an atoll.