Barefoot luxury · Indian Ocean
Maldives
Overwater Villas & House Reefs
- Best time
- November to April
- Location
- Indian Ocean
About Maldives
The Maldives is 1,192 islands strung along a double chain of atolls, of which about two hundred are lived on and rather fewer are resorts. Nowhere in the country is more than about two and a half metres above sea level, which is why the water is that colour: it is shallow, sandy-bottomed and lit all the way through. The choice that actually shapes the trip is not the villa but the house reef — a good one starts at the end of your deck, and a bad one means a boat ride every time you want to snorkel. Come between November and April for the dry monsoon; May to October is greener, cheaper and windier.
Good to know
- Flight time
- 2h 45m from Bengaluru, 3h 45m from Mumbai
- Currency
- Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR); USD accepted everywhere
- Language
- Dhivehi; English at every resort
- Visa
- Free visa on arrival, 30 days
What you'll do
The four we'd book first
The house reef at seven in the morning
Down the villa steps with a mask on before anyone else is up — reef sharks, turtles and the whole drop-off to yourself.
The seaplane in
Twenty to forty minutes over the atolls in a De Havilland Twin Otter, barefoot pilots, and the best view of the country there is.
A sandbank with nothing on it
Dropped on a bar of sand a hundred metres long with an umbrella and a cool box, and collected three hours later.
Manta and whale shark season
South Ari atoll has resident whale sharks all year, and Hanifaru Bay in Baa fills with feeding mantas between June and October.
Curated itineraries
Maldives packages
A seaplane in over the atolls, a villa with a ladder straight into the lagoon, and a house reef you can swim before breakfast.
Signature7D | 6NAtoll Days
- Three nights in an overwater villa
- House reef snorkelling straight off the deck
- Sunset dolphin cruise on a traditional dhoni
- North Malé Atoll
Atoll Days — Maldives, 7D | 6N, from ₹1,34,900Per person, starting from*
₹1,34,900, reduced from
₹1,91,600
Honeymoon7D | 6NMaldives for Two
- Overwater pool villa with a glass floor panel
- Private dinner on a sandbank, just the two of you
- Seaplane in over the atolls
- Baa Atoll
Maldives for Two — Maldives, 7D | 6N, from ₹1,89,900Per person, starting from*
₹1,89,900, reduced from
₹2,69,700
Family7D | 6NMaldives with the Family
- Two-bedroom beach villa with a plunge pool
- Junior marine biologist programme
- Glass-bottom boat and a coral planting session
- South Malé Atoll
Maldives with the Family — Maldives, 7D | 6N, from ₹1,74,900Per person, starting from*
₹1,74,900, reduced from
₹2,48,400
Luxury8D | 7NThe Overwater Collection
- Private seaplane charter between atolls
- Two-storey overwater residence with a butler
- A day on a private yacht with a chef aboard
- North Malé Atoll
- Baa Atoll
The Overwater Collection — Maldives, 8D | 7N, from ₹4,24,900Per person, starting from*
₹4,24,900, reduced from
₹6,03,400
Adventure8D | 7NManta, Whale Shark & Wreck
- Resident whale sharks at Maamigili
- Night dive at a manta cleaning station
- The Victory and Kudhimaa wrecks
- South Ari Atoll
- Malé Atoll
Manta, Whale Shark & Wreck — Maldives, 8D | 7N, from ₹2,14,900Per person, starting from*
₹2,14,900, reduced from
₹3,05,200
Culture8D | 7NMalé, Local Islands & Atolls
- The 1658 coral-stone Friday Mosque in Malé
- Guesthouse stays on three inhabited islands
- Whale sharks from a local dhoni off Dhigurah
- Malé
- Maafushi
- Dhigurah
- Thulusdhoo
Malé, Local Islands & Atolls — Maldives, 8D | 7N, from ₹1,49,900Per person, starting from*
₹1,49,900, reduced from
₹2,12,900
*Per person on twin sharing. Prices move with season and availability — we confirm yours in writing before anything is booked.
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Plan this trip
Tell us how you'd like to see Maldives.
Any of these six is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Send us the dates and who's travelling, and a planner will come back with a version built round you — usually within twelve hours.