Unmet expectations

A very important topic! I think anyone going to the Maldives for the first time should give it some thought.

This whole Maldives business is a puzzle with different pieces. Really different pieces: the island, the hotel, the staff and locals, you and your expectations and experience, the reefs, the ocean, the weather... and every piece has its own awkward edges. Whether and how they fit together depends on your skill at putting them together and your tolerance for imperfections.

I have spoken to hundreds of people who have holidayed there. For some, the Maldives is paradise; others come back saying, “Well... it wasn't what I had in mind.”

And notice: both types can be found among people who stayed at expensive resorts and among those who chose a local island.

The problem is not always the quality of the holiday. Sometimes it is the expectations.

My first trip to the Maldives was a real adventure.

I had organised everything myself for a completely unfamiliar destination. I knew next to nothing about it, and the price we were paying was about ten times lower than any Maldives offer I had seen.

My wife and I were prepared for all sorts of unpleasant surprises.

And it was probably that very lack of grand expectations that made the experience so impressive.

Since then, I have kept coming back. And I am still not tired of it. :)

Here is a colourful example of expectations and reality ;)

But let us look at where the disappointment comes from.

The first reason, in my view, is advertising and photos.

A strip of white sand, a palm leaning over turquoise water, a solitary villa and not a soul around.

The Maldives really does look like that. In many places.

But not everywhere!

The islands are different. The beaches are different. The reefs even more so.

On one island you can walk into the ocean over lovely sand; on another you need to watch out for coral and rocks. In some places you can swim with turtles just ten or so metres from shore; elsewhere you need a boat trip to see an interesting underwater world.

And do not assume that an expensive resort necessarily has a better reef than some tiny local island.

The second reason: you are expecting a different kind of holiday.

On a local island, you get the real Maldives.

People going to work, children playing in the streets, motorbikes, small shops, a mosque, fishing boats. Some islands now have quite a lot of construction too.

This is not a set built especially for tourists. It is where people live.

The hotels can be lovely, the rooms comfortable, the service wonderful. But do not expect everything to be organised like a five-star resort.

If luxury, privacy and service that makes the whole world revolve around you are important to you, a resort is probably the better choice.

But resorts vary enormously too!

Some offer magnificent beaches, incredible reefs and excellent facilities. Others may disappoint you, despite the considerable sum you have paid.

The third reason: the ocean is under no obligation to follow your itinerary.

You picture seven days of sunshine, water as smooth as a mirror and excursions exactly when you planned them.

But the ocean has not read your itinerary. :)

There may be rain, wind and waves. You may need to postpone an excursion. The water may be crystal clear one day and visibility worse the next.

That is part of the Maldives. Even in the best season.

So how do you avoid disappointment?

Before you book, think about what you actually want.

A lovely beach? A thriving reef? A luxury hotel? Peace and quiet? Lots of excursions? Getting to know the locals? Or simply doing absolutely nothing?

Then choose the island and hotel.

Not the other way round.

And do not spin yourself a lavish, expensive fantasy.

Do not set off thinking you are entering some perfect world where everything will be exactly as you imagined.

You are going to an incredibly beautiful place, but one with its own quirks.

And most of all, do not expect the Maldives to be the version someone else fell in love with. Discover your own Maldives!