Maldives: Is it Worth the Hype?

Maldives: Is it Worth the Hype?

The Maldives has been on my travel wish list for YEARS, so when I got the opportunity to visit with some of my lovely Designer Travel colleagues, I was VERY excited.

I knew it would be beautiful with ridiculously blue water, powder-white beaches and those picture-perfect sunsets.

What I hadn’t expected was just how much more the Maldives had to offer…

We stayed at two very different resorts, Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa and Lily Beach Resort & Spa before finishing with a visit to Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa.

We packed SO much into the week: I snorkelled incredible reefs, searched for dolphins on a luxury yacht, ate incredible food, played golf and padel, watched a film on the beach under the stars… and somehow ended up swimming in the open sea with sharks and stingrays. Yes, ME. 😂

Safe to say, the Maldives turned out to be so much more than I ever imagined.

But first, we had to get to our little slice of paradise…

The seaplane experience ✈️

After arriving in Malé, we transferred to the seaplane terminal and Hideaway’s private air-conditioned lounge, where snacks and soft drinks were included, before our 1-hour-15-minute flight north.

Yes, it is a longer transfer, but absolutely worth it and what a way to arrive... Tiny islands, coral reefs and every shade of blue imaginable beneath you. 😍

Hideaway Beach Resort – 5★ barefoot luxury 🏝️

Hideaway was our home for the first three nights, and my first impression was simply WOW.

It’s one of the larger Maldivian islands, taking roughly 50 minutes to walk around, or you can hop on one of the bicycles provided with each villa. Despite being almost at full occupancy during our stay, it never felt busy or crowded.

That was probably what I loved most about Hideaway. It has a gorgeous barefoot luxury feel, with so much space and privacy. It’s peaceful, relaxed, and somewhere you can completely switch off.

However, there is also plenty to do at Hideaway too, with a real emphasis on sports including golf, padel, tennis, a great gym and a wide choice of watersports. I can see this being a real plus for families with older children or teens who like to keep busy.

While some of our group headed off paddle boarding, I chose a slightly more relaxed option… my private pool, a glass of bubbly, sunshine overhead and the beach just a few steps away. Absolute bliss

Evenings were fairly low-key, which for me makes Hideaway particularly well suited to couples and honeymooners looking for a peaceful escape.

The food was SO good, the staff were brilliant, and the All Inclusive offering was excellent too. Taittinger Champagne was included and freely available throughout our stay, which certainly didn’t go unappreciated! 🥂❤️

I stayed in a Superior Beach Residence with a private pool, two separate sleeping areas and direct beach access. And I mean direct through the garden and straight onto that ridiculously soft white sand.

Not a bad commute

We also viewed some of the incredible Signature Collection residences, including the huge three-bedroom Grand Beach Residence, where we were treated to a floating breakfast in the pool.

All in the name of research, obviously.

That house reef… 🐠

Hideaway is incredibly proud of its house reef, and having experienced it, I can see why. You can walk straight in from the beach and within just a few steps you’re snorkelling on the reef.

Now, I’m not exactly the world’s most confident snorkeller, but with our instructors alongside us,s I ventured out and saw tropical fish, sharks and even a turtle.

For me, Hideaway really had that perfect balance of luxury, space, incredible food and plenty to do without ever losing that peaceful island feel.

I genuinely didn’t want to leave. But next up was Lily Beach and a completely different side of the Maldives.

Lily Beach Resort & Spa – a livelier side of island life 🌴

Lily is a much smaller island than Hideaw, ay and straight away it felt very different. It has a much livelier, more sociable feel, with a friendly buzz around the restaurants, bars and pools. We saw noticeably more families here, although we also met honeymooners, so it certainly isn’t just a family resort.

There’s plenty to keep everyone busy too, with sports facilities, a kids’ club and watersports, and I clearly embraced Lily’s playful side because at one point I found myself pedalling around the lagoon on a giant pink flamingo pedalo. As you do in the Maldives.

One of Lily’s biggest selling points is its Platinum All Inclusive Plan, which is seriously comprehensive. Premium drinks, a huge wine selection, Champagne, dining options, a replenished minibar, non-motorised watersports and three excursions are amongst the inclusions.

It reinforced something I quickly learnt on this trip: not all Maldives All Inclusive packages are the same. It’s always worth looking at what’s actually included rather than simply comparing the words “All Inclusive”.

And Lily was also where I apparently decided to become brave…I SWAM WITH SHARKS! 🦈

A couple of days earlier I’d been nervous about snorkelling off the beach. Now I was heading into the open sea to swim with nurse sharks.

The weather was absolutely fine when we left Lily, but by the time we reached the Shark Bank, huge black clouds had rolled in. Then came the biblical sideways rain. 😂 Thankfully it passed pretty quickly; the sea settled… and then we looked into the water....

Sharks. LOADS of them. I genuinely wouldn’t like to guess how many. Nurse sharks were gliding through the water alongside huge stingrays and tropical fish. Our instructor described the nurse sharks as “the puppies of the sea”, which made getting in sound marginally less terrifying.

So… I got in. Into the actual deep blue sea. With the actual sharks. And stingrays.

And it was phenomenal.

Swimming amongst them was a proper bucket-list moment and something I genuinely never imagined I’d do. And yes, I returned with all my fingers and toes.

Manta rays & a little bit of spa time

The wildlife experiences continued on our final full day at Lily when we headed out in search of manta rays and whale sharks.

We found manta rays at a cleaning station, where tiny cleaner fish remove parasites from them. Watching these huge, graceful creatures was incredible.

The whale shark clearly hadn’t received our itinerary and failed to turn up. But that’s wildlife: nothing is guaranteed, which makes the encounters you do have even more special.

Back at Lily, I managed to squeeze in some more essential “research” with a Balinese massage in the overwater spa. Through the glass floor beneath me, I could watch sharks and angelfish swimming past while I had my massage.

Only in the Maldives

The Platinum Plan is a huge selling point for Lily, but the staff really stood out too. We met guests who return year after year, and I could completely understand why.

Hilton Maldives Amingiri – ending on a high ✨

On our final day, we waved goodbye to Lily and got a short 25-minute seaplane transfer back to Malé, before taking a 25-minute luxury speedboat transfer to Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa.

And what a way to finish the trip. Hilton Amingiri is absolutely stunning. It has a more contemporary, polished style of luxury, with gorgeous villas and suites and some seriously impressive facilities.

What particularly impressed me was its focus on families. The facilities for children and teenagers are fantastic, yet the resort still feels incredibly luxurious something it balances really well.

There’s a lovely atmosphere too high-end without feeling overly formal, with almost an Ibiza beach-club vibe in places. As evening arrived, there was live music, and we finished our visit with dinner at the beach shack under a full moon.

We also got lucky with gorgeous blue skies and hot sunshine, and some of my favourite photos from the entire trip were taken right here.

What about the weather? ☀️🌧️

I travelled in September, during the Maldives’ lower season, so I was curious to see what the weather would actually be like.

We genuinely experienced a bit of everything.

Hideaway gave us plenty of hot sunshine with just a couple of quick tropical showers. Lily was a little more mixed, with a bit more cloud and rain, including that spectacular storm at the Shark Bank, before Hilton gave us glorious sunshine and brilliant blue skies again.

All on the same trip.

That’s tropical weather for you. I definitely wouldn’t look at an app showing rain symbols every day and assume it means a week of non-stop rain. Conditions can change between islands and sometimes from one hour to the next.

Would I travel to the Maldives in low season again? Absolutely. The weather can be a little more changeable, but the lower prices can make a huge difference and, as we found, you can still get plenty of glorious sunshine.

So… is the Maldives worth the hype?

Absolutely, 100% yes!! I went expecting beautiful beaches, turquoise water and a week in paradise, and I definitely got all of that… and soooooo much more. 🩵

What really stood out was just how different each island felt. Each had its own personality, atmosphere and reasons for choosing it, and that’s why getting the right island for the type of holiday you want is so important.

Whether that’s peace and privacy, a livelier, more social atmosphere, amazing snorkelling, great family facilities, a short transfer or a really comprehensive All Inclusive, there really is an island for every traveller.

I came home with so many wonderful memories, far too many photographs, a massive obsession with turquoise water and, apparently, newfound ability to swim with sharks. 😂

Would I go back? YES - in a heartbeat 🩵