Maldives. What's it like ?

In the Maldives all seems to breathe freedom and peace and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils.

Isn't that resort $30,000 a week?

Every picture I see makes me want to renew my SCUBA license and call in sick for the next year! They're beautiful tropical atolls and lagoons, dozens or hundreds of them, capped with the tiny tropical islands of everyone's dreams. Sun-drenched beaches backed with nodding palms, the equatorial sun beating down on you and baking all the stress out of your system, the warm tropical ocean overwhelmingly present as none of the islands are more than a few feet out of the water, the lagoon before you begging for a swim or snorkel...

And your millions of fellow tourists.

I suspect the reality doesn't live up to the tropical fantasy.

Maldives is currently embroiled in a political crisis, so I would avoid vacationing there for now.

The newest hotspot is Manjuyod Sandbar in Negros Oriental, which has been dubbed "The Maldives of the Philippines."

See it before it's gone, OP.

Aitutaki, Cook Islands instead. Cheaper, less crowded,

Looks lovely, making me feel even colder now!

It's Muslim according to the Constitution of Maldives, "the judges are independent, and subject only to the Constitution and the law. When deciding matters on which the Constitution or the law is silent, judges must consider Islamic Shari'ah". Article 15 of the Act Number 1/81 (Penal Code) gives provision for hudud punishments. Article 156 of the constitution states that law includes the norms and provisions of sharia.

It's gorgeous but tbh I can go to certain islands/resorts in the Caribbean that are almost as beautiful and pristine (even if it doesn't have quite that exotic allure) for about one tenth the flight time.

So it's not worth it to me, at least not at this point in my life.

I went a few years back on quick side trip from Singapore, just to have a look around. I couldn't afford to stay at the resorts, but visited a few of the local islands that have just opened up for tourists. Local islands are alcohol-free and the food is very average. The beaches are absolutely beautiful, although the local islands can get a bit more trash than the resorts. The capital Male was very tense with all the political upheaval, and apparently it's much worse now. It was interesting though - like a south Asian city dumped onto an atoll. It didn't seem as Islamic as I expected, though I've heard it's getting more and more radical - quite a few Maldivians went to join ISIS.

The resorts are almost completely separate from the rest of the Maldives - you fly into the airport and transfer directly to your resort, which is usually staffed with Bangladeshis - so you really don't interact with the locals, and local laws really don't apply. Most resorts are on their own islands, and having gone past quite a few on the local ferry, they do look as good as they do on the postcards.

I wouldn't go back. The country is totally fucked and places like the Cook Islands and French Polynesia can be just as nice without the religious restrictions.

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