QUICK FACTS ABOUT MALDIVES

Maldives are an archipelago of 1192 coral islands located in the Indian Ocean and more precisely in the Arabian Sea, to the South West of India

Capital:Male'

Language: Dhivehi is the official language of Maldives. It reminds me to some degree of Tamashek which is spoken by Tuaregs in the Sahara, especially the script. However since Maldives is a nation strongly geared towards tourism, English is widely spoken.

Currency: The Rufiyaa is the official currency in Maldives (MRF). However, dollars are commonly accepted for many transactions, including transportion by taxis. The exchange rate between dollar and Rufiyaa is US$1 toMRF 12.75

Time: Maldives are in the GMT+5 time zone

Population: An estimated 80 000 people live in Male' and 300 000 on all 1192 coral islands

Best Time to Visit Maldives: From December to April. It is also the peak tourism season. However, the monsoon months of June to October are... well... the monsoon months: rain, rain, and yes more rain. The weather is tropical and the average temperature is 30 Degrees Celsius.

Economy: Fisheries and tourism make up the bulk of the economic activity

Visa: A 30-day tourist visa is issued upon arrival

RESORTS IN MALDIVES I HAVE YET TO VISIT...

It is my sincere wish that in a future not far far away, I will sojourn on the sun-drenched, white sand beaches of one of these escapes...

A
Adaaran Club Bathala-- www.bathala.com
Adaaran Club Rannalhi-- www.clubrannalhi.com
Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi-- www.hudhuranfushimaldives.com
Adaaran Select Meedhupparu--www.meedhupparu.com
Alimatha Aquatic Resort
Anantara Resort and Spa Maldives-- www.maldives.anantara.com
Angaaga Island Resort and Spa
Angsana Resort & Spa Maldives - Velavaru--www.velavaru.com
Angsana Resort & Spa Maldives Ihuru--www.angsana.com
Asdhu Sun Island--www.asdu.com
Athurugau Island Resort

B
Banyan Tree Maldives Vabbinfaru-- www.banyantree.com/maldives
Baros Holiday Resort-- www.baros.com
Biyaadhoo Island Resort--www.biyadoo.com.mv

C
Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Huraa
Cinnamon Island Alidhoo
Club Faru, Farukolhufushi-- www.clubmed.com
Club Med Kanifinolhu-- www.clubmed.com
Coco Palm Boduhithi--www.cococollection.com.mv
Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu--www.cocopalm.com
Coco Palm Kudahithi
Cocoa Island-- www.cocoa-island.com

D
Dhiggiri Tourist Resort-- www.dhiggiriresort.com
Dhonveli Beach and Spa Resort
Dream Island Maldives

E
Ellaidhoo Tourist Resort
Embudhu Village-- www.embudu.com
Eriyadhoo Island Resort

F
Fihaalhohi Island Resort--www.fihalhohi.net
Filitheyo Island Resort
Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa-- www.fourseasons.com/maldiveskh
Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru-- www.fourseasons.com/maldives
Full Moon Beach Resort-- www.fullmoonmaldives.com
Fun Island Resort-- www.villahotels.com/fun

G
Gangehi Island Resort
Gasfinolhu Island Resort
Giraavaru Tourist Resort-- www.giravaru.com

H
Halaveli Holiday Village-- www.halaveli.com
Helengeli Island Resort-- www.helengeli.net
Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa, Rangali Island-- www.hiltonmaldives.com
Huvafenfushi-- www.huvafenfushi.com

I
Island Hideaway At Dhonakulhi Maldives Spa Resort & Marina--www.island-hideaway.com
Island of Bolifushi--www.bolifushi.com

K
Kandooma Tourist Resort-- www.kandooma.com
Kihaadhuffaru Resort
Komandoo Maldive Island Resort-- www.komandoo.com
Kudarah Island Resort
Kuramathi Tourist Resort-- www.kuramathi.com.mv
Kuredhdhu Island Resort-- www.kuredu.com

L
Laguna Maldives--www.lagunamaldives.com
Lily Beach Resort-- www.lilybeachmaldives.com

M
Maayafushi Tourist Resort
Machchafushi Island Resort-- www.machchafushi.com
Madoogali Resort
Makunudhoo Island-- www.makunudu.com
Medhufushi Island Resort
Mirihi Island Resort-- www.mirihi.com
Moofushi Island Resort-- www.moofushi.com

N
Naladhu-- www.naladhu.com
Nika Island Resort-- www.nikaisland.com.mv

O
Olhuveli Beach and Spa Resort--www.olhuveli.com
One and Only Kanuhura, Maldives--www.oneandonlykanuhura.com
One&Only Maldives at Reethi Rah www.oneandonlyresorts.com

P
Palm Beach Island--www.palmbeachmaldives.com

R
Ranveli Village--www.ranvelivillage.com
Reethi Beach Resort--www.reethibeach.com
Rihiveli Beach Resort--www.rihiveli-maldives.com
Royal Island Resort and Spa-- www.royal-island.com

S
Soneva Fushi Resort-- www.sixsenses.com/soneva-fushi
Soneva Gili Resort and Spa-- www.sixsenses.com/soneva-gili
Summer Island Village-- www.summerislandvillage.com
Sun Island Resort and Spa-- www.villahotels.com/sun

T
Taj Coral Reef Resort-- www.tajhotels.com
Taj Exotica Resort and Spa Maldives-- www.tajhotels.com
Thulhaagiri Island Resort--www.thulhagiri.com
Thundufushi Island Resort
Twin Island Resort-- www.twinislandresort.com

V
Vadoo Island Resort--www.vadoo.net
Vakarufalhi Island Resort--www.vakaru.com
Velidhoo Island Resort
Veligandu Island--www.veliganduisland.com
Vilamendhoo Island Resort
Vilu Reef Beach and Spa Resort--www.vilureef.com

W
W. Retreat and Spa Maldives-- www.whotels.com/maldives
White Sands Resort and Spa-- www.maldiveswhitesands.com

MALE' MANUAL

Prayer Times: Shops in Male' close for prayer time which can go from 10 minutes to an hour. The approximate times are noon, 3:30 pm, 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm.

Transportation: Taxis (readily available on the 2 sq. km island) are the best way to get around.

Eateries: Male' offers many nice restaurants.

• Kam Hotel is in a tiny street Meheli Goalhi, off the waterfront. Phone: 332 0611. Nice steak and seafood


• Salsa Cafe- Keneree Magu. Phone: 331 0319 Good Maldivian cuisine especially the Thursday morning breakfast buffet!


• Shell Beans on the waterfront AKA Boduthakurufaanu Magu Phone: 333 3686 is THE quintessential Maldivian coffee house


• Red Zanzibar is also on Boduthakurufaanu Magu. You will find that in Male', the waterfront is where its at! Phone: 334 0951 Outstanding pasta


• Symphony- Athamaa Goalhi. Phone: 332 62 77 Great reputation


• Thai Wok- Ameer Ahmed Magu. Phone: 331 0007 Great take out and delivery


• Olive Garden- Fareedhee Magu. Phone: 331 2231 Best pizza in town!!!


• Nasandhura Palace Hotel- Boduthakurufaanu Magu. Phone: 333 8844 Nice selection of Western and Oriental cuisine


• The Lighthouse- Lily Magu. Phone: 331 0900 The place for sandwiches


• Twin Peaks- Boduthakurufaanu Magu. Phone: 332 7830 Great reputation


• Salsa Royal- Orchid Magu Delicious pasta and great Thai cuisine too


• Jade Bistro is on Boduthakurufaanu Magu right before HSBC going in the direction of Hulhumale Ferry Station. Seafood as you've never had it before, a bit pricey though.


• Royal Cafe is the place where I had breakfast just about every morning until I left the Maldives. Great mas-huni. It's on Medhuzyaarai Magu, right after the Sultan's Palace and the Whale Submarine.


• City Snacks is right next to Bank of Maldives on the waterfront. Great freshly blended pineapple juice

HULHULE ISLAND RESORT or AIRPORT HOTEL runs a free ferry approximately every 15 minutes to and from Male'. The restaurant is very nice, a bit pricey.The Thursday Night Buffet offers the finest in Asian and Western cuisine and is reasonably priced.

WHAT IS THERE TO SEE IN THE MALDIVIAN CAPITAL?

--The National Museum inside the Sultan's Park (Make sure you put your mosquito repellent on when visiting Sultan's Park)
--The Local Market- Fresh fresh fresh produce coming from neighboring nations like Sri Lanka and India
--The Fish Market- From the Indian Ocean to your dinner table!!! Plenty of tuna (all day, everyday) but also red snapper (make sure you are there at 3:00 pm... Indeed before 3:00 you are not sure the fisherman have returned with the day's catch and after 3:30 pm, it is all gone!!! I promise!), and even octopus!
--Whale Submarine- For people like me who really want to see Maldives extraordinary coral reef but who are still at the "I-will-start-taking-diving-lessons-next-year" stage. Their office is on Medhuzyaarai Magu right next to the Sultan's Palace and the submarine is right off the coast of Male'. An unparallelled experience.
--If you have little ones be sure to visit Skippy and Male' Zoo/Playground.

• Skippy is an amusement park located on Boduthakurafaanu Magu inside Hajiya Alima's Centre, after the Hulhumale' Ferry Terminal. Children can play Bumper Cars, ride on the Big Bee, the Kiddie Airplane, the Kiddie Train, just to name a few. It's also a great place for children's birthday parties. There are lots of eateries in Hajiya Alima's compound with the Artificial Beach located at the very end.


• The Male' Zoo/Playground is on Amenee Magu, right by Stelco. The crocodiles and rich variety of birds are a must-see just as the huge aquarium of brightly colored fish is. Then there is the playground where families flock on the weekends. Children of all ages play to their heart's content. A really touching element is the unspoken rule of the older children helping the younger ones, climb, swing and slide, without ever being asked to do so. Refreshing! Pleasant! Heartwarming...

SHOPPING IN MALE'...

Majeedhee Magu is where you can find just about EVERYTHING. Chandhanee Magu and Fareedhee Magu also offer nice shops.


GROCERIES IN MALE'

STO People's choice is located inside the Trade Center on Orchid Magu

Fantasy is on Fareedhee Magu. Many Australian, Canadian and French goods. There's an exquisite new bakery just across the street from Fantasy called Baker's Fantasy. French pastry at its best!

Lilly Supermarket is on Majeedhee Magu and offers a variety of local and imported goods.

Red Wave 1 and 2 are both on Majeedhee Magu. Sosun Market is on Chandhanee Magu. These 3 markets are smaller than the aforementioned ones but also carry great products.

SHOULD YOU HAVE A HEALTH CONCERN...

Indira Ghandi Memorial Hospital is a Male's biggest health care facility and is located on Buruzu Magu. Phone: 331 6647

ADK is a private clinic on Sosun Magu. Phone: 331 3553

SPAs in MALE'... Jade Spa on Ameenee Magu, not too far from STELCO is a nice place to rest and relax...and be pampered!

It is Thursday afternoon, the last day of the week. The weekend starts now and ends Sunday morning when work resumes bright and early. So as they say in Male' "What to do?" Get on a speedboat and speed away to paradise...

MALDIVIAN CUISINE

Dining in Maldives...

Breakfast: Do you like tuna? If your answer is yes, pack up and get ready to go!!! Tuna is a staple food in Maldivian cooking. Two dishes that I personally could never get enough of are kulhumas and mas-huni (pronounced mas'-oo-nee'). Kulhumas is a tuna stew with all sorts of herbs and spices, with a distinctive tinge of Arabian and Indian accents. Mas-huni is the Maldives version of tuna salad if you will. It's made up of shredded onions and chilies and grated coconut and of course tuna. It is generally served with roshi or roti or chapati, which is a thin crepe. I must have eaten mas-huni for breakfast at least 6 days out of every week I spent in Male, and I was there for about a year.

Snacktime: Badjia was the other thing I snacked with at least once a day. That is what I will admit to at least. It is a deep fried triangular shaped pastry stuffed with tuna.

Anytime: Nothing quenches thirst like kurumba, coconut juice you drink directly from the coconut! No preservatives, no added sugar, no added flavoring. Simply delicious.