FAQ

Atoll, transfer method and minimum child age are checked against official resort sites, Booking.com and each island’s fact sheet. Price ranges and the 0–100 scores are currently editorial estimates, still under review — treat them as directional, not exact quotes. If something looks clearly wrong, tell us via the feedback link in the footer.

The hard part of picking is not "too few options" but "too many, and they look alike". The tool filters on the hard criteria, then takes the few best matches and explains why each fits and what to consider — so you can decide in minutes instead of reading dozens of posts.

Yes. The Browse page has every resort, filterable by atoll, budget, transfer and experience. After the quiz, the list sorts by your match and flags things like over-budget or no-speedboat.

Yes. On the results page you can edit any answer in place and the match recalculates immediately — no need to redo the quiz. Tap the heart on an island to keep it on the Saved page; your answers are also remembered locally for next time. All of this lives in this browser, so it is lost if you switch devices or clear the cache — save the islands you care about separately.

No. This site only does matching and information — no bookings, no payments. Once you have a direction, book yourself via the resort site or an OTA.

They just open a search for the resort by name on that platform, for a quick price check — the price you see there is the platform’s normal price, with no markup, and we don’t earn anything from them. It has no effect on the matching — the ranking only uses your answers and the fixed rules. You can ignore these links entirely and book via the resort’s own site or whatever platform you prefer.

The price is an estimated per-night room rate range, split into low and high season, excluding flights, taxes, all-inclusive packages, water activities and transfer costs. Most Maldives resorts add ~10% service charge on top, plus 17% GST (the Maldives sales tax, raised from 16% in July 2025) and a green tax (a fixed ~$12 per person per night, free for children under 2). Together these can be ~30% of the room rate — best to confirm at booking whether they are already included.

Hard to give one number — it varies enormously — but you can break it down: round-trip flights (economy typically $600–1,200 depending on origin and season) + room rate ($500–1,200+ per night, usually 4–5 nights minimum) + taxes and service charge (~30% of the room rate) + water activities / diving (a few hundred to a few thousand dollars — see "Water sports & diving costs"). Roughly, a budget-to-mid 4–5 night trip lands around $1,500–3,000 per person total, mid-to-high around $3,000–6,000, and ultra-luxury or long stays have essentially no ceiling. The "budget per night" you pick in the quiz is only the room rate — don’t forget flights, taxes and activities when planning the total.

No single answer — pick by your rhythm. A water villa wins on privacy, stepping straight into the sea, and sunrise / sunset views, but it typically costs 30%–80% more than a beach villa (more again with a private pool), and most are not suited to leaving kids unsupervised. Beach villas sit closer to the main restaurant and kids’ club, with a yard and direct beach access — better for families and elders. A common move is two nights beach, two nights water, but note the changeover day means packing up and a possible midday gap. What really decides your snorkelling is whether the island’s house reef is good, not water villa versus beach.

Depends whether you weight weather or budget. November to April is the dry season — more sun, clear water, the best snorkelling and diving conditions — and also the highest prices and the peak you most need to book early for: Christmas/New Year is the single busiest stretch, with a second wave in some years around other major national holidays. May to October is the wet season, usually short showers rather than all-day rain, with more wind and humidity, but noticeably lower prices, quieter islands, and it is the season for mantas (Hanifaru Bay, Baa Atoll) and surf. To balance weather and crowds, March and early April are usually the sweet spot. Month-by-month detail is in "Seasons & weather".

Depends on the resort and your habits. On-island prices are high — an ordinary bottle of wine often runs $60+ — so if you plan to drink, eat full meals and do water activities every day, a package is usually better value and saves the running mental tally of signing every chit; if you just want to relax and eat lightly, half board (breakfast + dinner) may be enough. Note that packages vary a lot in which restaurants, drink brands and activity allowances they cover — "all-inclusive" does not mean "nothing more to pay" — so check the specific dining policy before booking. Whether water activities cost extra is covered in "Water sports & diving costs".

With elders, infants, a short trip, or a late flight — prefer a speedboat island (North / South Malé Atoll), which runs all day and gets you there the same day. For northern high-end atolls arriving in daylight, a seaplane is the main option, but it is not kind to those prone to motion sickness. Times, costs and watch-outs for all three transfer types are in "Getting to the island".

A central speedboat island is fine for 4–5 nights; a northern or southern atoll needing a seaplane / domestic flight is better at 6+ nights, or transit is too big a share of the trip. Also note most resort packages are priced by consecutive nights — stay-4-pay-3 or stay-7-pay-5 deals are common, and booking just 2–3 nights can cost more than 4 consecutive nights, so compare the total.

Maldives resorts are essentially "one island, one resort": the whole small island is a single resort, a 15–30 minute walk around, and you cannot wander out on your own the way you would in a city. Everything happens on-island — snorkelling, non-motorised watersports like kayaks and SUPs, fitness classes, spa, bars — plus paid excursions, diving and fishing (see "Water sports & diving costs"). Hopping is awkward: neighbouring islands in the same atoll can sometimes be visited by boat for a booked restaurant meal, but switching resorts across atolls basically means another full transfer, so it is better split into two legs of a trip. If you want to head out for meals and shopping yourself, consider staying on Malé or Maafushi (local islands), but the water and privacy are not in the same league as a resort.

Most resort snorkelling areas have no lifeguard — you judge the risk yourself. Before entering, ask the water sports centre about the day’s tide, current and recommended times, and do not swim far in unfamiliar water. Scuba and other qualification-required activities are run by the dive centre with an instructor throughout. Buy travel insurance that covers water activities before you go, rather than deciding on the spot. Certification requirements, how long to wait after diving before flying, and per-activity costs are in "Water sports & diving costs".

First the hard limits: some high-end islands have a minimum child age (Baros and Milaidhoo are 8, Kandolhu is 6, rising to 8 from 2027) — if you enter the child age band in the quiz, these islands are auto-filtered or flagged. Then the soft factors: the kids-club age range and opening hours, whether villas have a fenced pool or an unguarded water edge, whether connecting rooms or an extra bed are possible, and the speedboat time (a long one makes nap timing hard). Beach villas usually suit young kids better than water villas. With very young children, excursions and snorkelling trips often have age or height limits — ask the water sports centre before signing up.

The quiz asks about the elders’ mobility. Choosing "prefer less walking" or "sensitive to bumps" makes the system dock points from islands needing a seaplane or long bumpy transfers, and moves speedboat-direct islands with buggy pickup up the list. How each transfer type affects elders is detailed in "Getting to the island".

The Maldives has one of the world's most open entry policies — most nationalities get a free 30-day tourist permit on arrival with no visa to arrange in advance. Check your own country's specific rules before you go. Within 96 hours of departure you must file the online "Traveller Declaration" on the official site immigration.gov.mv — it is completely free, so do not use the paid look-alike sites. On entry you may be asked to show a return ticket and resort booking; a phone screenshot is fine. Passport validity is best kept at 6+ months beyond your departure date. On prohibited items: you cannot personally bring in pork products, alcohol (without a permit), pornography or non-Islamic religious books; e-cigarettes (including liquid and accessories) have been fully banned to carry or use since late 2024; cigarettes have a duty-free limit of ~200. Entry rules can change — the fuller list and latest requirements are in "Practical info".

Wi-Fi: nearly all resorts offer it free, covering villas and public areas — fine for streaming and sharing photos, less reliable for video calls or livestreaming; for mobile data, buy a Dhiraagu or Ooredoo tourist eSIM / SIM at Malé airport. Plugs: the Maldives uses UK three-pin (Type G) throughout — bring one adapter, a multi-socket one is handier. Payment: on-island everything is priced and settled in US dollars by card (Visa / Mastercard most common); carry some small-denomination US cash for tips and local-island purchases. Before departure, check the service charge (~10%) and tax (17% GST + ~$12 per person per night green tax) are itemised on your bill.

If you mention a honeymoon / anniversary at booking or check-in, many resorts add a little for free (petals, a cake). Some require a marriage certificate from within the last six months to a year for honeymoon-exclusive perks; rules vary, so confirm with the resort or your travel agent at booking rather than finding out on arrival. The fuller list of honeymoon add-ons and prices is in "Honeymoon & proposals".