I’d never been to the Maldives before. So let me dispel some myths. No, the Maldives is not just for romantic couples. No, the Maldives Islands aren’t going to sink with rising sea levels. And no, it’s not completely out of budget.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Maldives, or where they are located. They are a tiny dot (technically an archipelago) in the Indian ocean (if you scroll out a lot on Google Maps), these 26 atolls, or 1190 islands, are stunning from above. Whether you fly into Male airport or take a seaplane to one of the Islands, the views are incredible. Their formation came from prehistoric volcanoes, that went extinct and the coral continued to grow, slowly the material from the reefs became tiny islands.

We are spoilt in Dubai, with our home being on most peoples ‘must visit’ bucket lists, but that’s not to stop us from having travel bucket lists of our own. And how many can get on there, there are so many options near us, too many to name.

But should the Maldives vacation be on your list, perhaps we should prepare the ultimate Top 10 Maldives Islands to visit to help you navigate the 132 Maldives resorts in the Maldives (at the last Wikipedia count)? I’m sure there would be a few volunteers from Lovin Dubai HQ to try them out. That list is perhaps for another day.

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For now, fresh from a 4 day trip to Kandima in the Maldives, here are 23 reasons all Dubai residents need to visit this resort at least once!

1. Before You Even Get To Kandima, The Maldives Themselves Are A Sight To Behold – It Is A 30 Minute Sea Plane Followed By A 20 Minute Boat Trip From Male

2. Kandima, One Of Many Resorts Owned By Pulse Hotels

…and it is basically the Jumeirah of the Maldives, so they know what they’re doing.

3. The Kandima Resort Was A Deserted Tropical Island Until This Project Was Designed 6 Years Ago, Launching Officially Only 4 Years Ago

4. Kandima Has 264 Rooms Made Up Of Water Villas, Private Ocean View Villas On A 3 Kilometer Island

5. Kandima Has A Full-Size Football Pitch Where Former Liverpool Star Daniel Agger Held A Match Against The Locals On A Recent Trip

6. This Island Has An Ibiza Vibe With A ‘Forbidden Bar’ And Doesn’t Shut Down At 10pm Like Some Of The Others

7. The Islands Has No Cars, You Get Around On Bikes Or Buggies

8. You Might Also Spot Katie Price On Kandima Who Likes The Privacy And Is A Regular

 

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9. There Is A Purpose-Built Play Area For Kids Called Kandiland, One Of the Largest In The Maldives

10. There Is An Infiniti Pool, Also One Of The Largest In The Maldives

11. Kandima Has 61 Aqua Villa’s In The Traditional Maldives Style

12. The Resort Has Kept Its Tropical Island Feel And You Can Get Lost Amongst All The Trees And Windy Pathways

13. For Those Looking For Wellness, There Are Massages, Yoga, Spa And Walking Meditation On The Beach Options

14. The Island Hosted Miss World Australia Finalists In 2018

15. There Is An Art Cafe And Kandima Hosts The Annual Kula Art Festival

16. There Are Two Private Lakes On The Island

17. A Near-By Island Used To Have Inhabitants Before It Was Ruined By The 2004 Tsunami So You Will See Some Historic Ruins As Well

18. ‘Aquaholics’ Is The Resorts’ Very Own Water-sports Company With Parasailing, Jet Ski, Kayakking Skydiving Options

19. If You Go Snorkeling Off The Coast You Will Very Likely See Some Turtles

20. And You Are A Short Boat Trip Away From Being Side By Side With Dolphins

21. There Are 10 Dining Options On The Island With Locally Sourced Crab, Octopus, Squid And Lobster All Favorites

22. If You Decide To Get Married Here You Won’t Be Alone, 45 Chinese Couples Got Married On The Same Day In A Custom Built Chinese Temple, Along With Many Smaller Private Weddings

23. The Island Was Used As The Backdrop For A Recent Sony Music India Video With Over 13 Million Views To Date

The ‘Maldives’ in a word is reason enough to want to plan a trip. These are a few more to give you excuses when, why and where to book.

The best months are September to May, but I went in June, typically monsoon season, and the weather was amazing, 30 degrees every day.

One other reason why now is a good for a Maldives vacation, that could have been reason 24, but 23 has a nice ring to it, is that the Kandima resort has their own clinic, with PCR tests available.

Keep an eye on the Kandima website for offers, but a quick search showed up that the prices are pretty reasonably compared to the most expensive resorts, and for what they have on this island as well.