The things no one tells you about visiting this bucket-list paradise

Sparkling cyan water, kaleidoscopic coral. Iconic thatched bungalows floating over otherworldly marine life.

The Maldives rightly features on travel bucket lists the world over. Some 34,000 Australians ticked it off theirs in 2023, according to the Maldives’ Ministry of Tourism. That’s just one 10th of the number heading to Fiji annually, and a fraction of the 1.2 million Australian tourists counted by the Bali Tourism Office last year.

The beautiful Maldives are on many people’s bucket-lists, but getting there from Australia isn’t particularly easy.Credit: iStock

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the Maldives twice – once before COVID and once at the end of 2023. On both occasions, the same issue strikes me. Getting there is an expensive, time-zone-warping, flight-jigsawing effort from Australia.

Here’s what you need to know.

The flight options

There’s no easy way to fly to the Maldives from Australia without at least one red-eye flight and a stopover in Asia – some routes have two stopovers (via Singapore and Sri Lanka).

Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines fly economy seats from Sydney to Velana International Airport in the Maldives capital of Male, for between $2000 to $3000 return. It can be as costly or more than flying to Europe or America. Typing “Maldives” into an itinerary is like putting “wedding” into a Google search. Prices ramp up to premium because people are prepared to pay almost anything.

AirAsia X’s nearly flat flatbed seat.

AirAsia X is the cheapest option (going for less than $1000 return on sale) if you’re already stretching your budget on a fancy resort stay, and don’t consider travelling there as part of the luxury holiday experience. You get only what you pay for – meal and drinks (including water) in economy are additional costs, and legroom is minimal. There are no entertainment screens in any part of the plane.

However, its bargain business class has generous seats that recline to almost entirely flat. On my most recent trip home via Kuala Lumpur, I spent seven solid hours slumbering away in a “Premium Flatbed” and woke supremely refreshed for the morning landing in Sydney.

The new Maldives airline Beond, which began services last November, previously announced it would offer non-stop flights to the islands from Perth, starting this year. There’s no sign of them being launched yet.

The time cost

Prepare for at least 20 hours in travel from the east coast, less from Perth (about 13 hours) – then add a few more to get to your island from the capital, Male. Time zone differences, island transfers and wait times mean you’ll lose at least one day either side of your trip. On my recent return, I left the island via seaplane at 3pm on Monday afternoon Maldivian time, spent 18 hours in a Kuala Lumpur airport hotel and reached Sydney at 7.45am on Wednesday morning.

The part no one talks about

The capital city of Male is a stark contrast to the Maldives you have seen on Instagram. About 150,000 people live on an island of just 8.3 square kilometres with zero space to build out. Signs of growing pains are everywhere in the higgledy-piggledy buildings and cramped streets.

Growing pains: Male, the capital of the Maldives.Credit: iStock

Most luxury resorts immediately whisk you away from the international airport via speedboat or seaplane to circumvent this reality. But on my first visit in 2018, we flew in from Kuala Lumpur after dark, too late for a seaplane transfer.

I booked a Male hotel overnight that is not cheap. It looks fine online, but in the sunburnt flesh is a dilapidated, poky building with creaky, winding stairs and bars in the windows looking directly into another apartment block’s peeling walls. The worst part is walking through the street in the morning. Many male eyes openly trawl over my bare legs and arms. This is a strictly Muslim, conservative country, and in Male, tourists should dress for it.

The upshot

Indonesia and Sri Lanka have perfect waves, but you must live a little rougher to catch them. Fiji is easily accessible with great snorkelling, but feels (and is) closer to home, less exotic.

The upside: Endless, empty waves.Credit: iStock

The magic of the Maldives is exactly what puts it out of reach for most: a far-flung world full of unfamiliar creatures and accents, trimmed with luxury. There, we surf endless and empty waves, gazing in wonder at the acrobatic displays of spinner dolphins, waving to the triangular wings of manta rays. When the sun falls in hues of fairy floss, we sprinkle lemon juice on Maldivian lobster and zonk out in hammocks in between.

Reaching this after two flights, many time zones, weird hours in airports and dodgy city layovers is like slogging through purgatory to reach paradise. The journey and the price tag won’t kill you – but feeling like you’re “dying to go” might be a good mindset to start with.

The writer travelled with assistance from Anantara Resorts, Niyama Private Islands and AirAsia.