Wait what? You are going to the Maldives WITH kids? – A question we were asked by almost every single person when they found out that we were planning a trip to Maldives with the kids. Maldives is often perceived as a honeymoon destination or even a romantic getaway and sure, Maldives is that and more. But, it was also the perfect destination for us to visit with the girls. It was the perfect family holiday we have had and it was the perfect kid friendly getaway we have been to.
I want to share some information on our trip to the Maldives. Wondering how we booked our trip? Why this trip was such a success with kids? How we can help you, if like us, you are also planning a trip to Maldives with kids?
Things you should know if you are planning a trip to Maldives with kids
Maldives comprises of 1192+ islands. There are three ways to get to your resort from Male airport:
1) Domestic flight
2) Speed boat
3) Seaplane.
Each island houses a resort or maybe two. You would need to visit another island through a speedboat or a seaplane – depending on how far they are. You are able to split your stay between different islands/resorts. However, keep in mind that this will add onto your cost to visit Maldives. Plus, you can loose half a day to a day in transit to transfer onto a different island. For these reasons, we decided to make the most of the days we were there and stick to one island/resort.
Why did we pick Maldives?
We wanted to visit Dubai because one of our girls heard that Dubai had the “World’s biggest waterpark”. She had been asking to go to Dubai for over a year now and we finally decided to go. Dubai is a long flight from North America. And so, we wanted to combine this destination with some other destination to make our trip worth while. Maldives was high on our list and a quick search showed multiple non-stop flights to Male from Dubai. While there are many other destinations you can visit from Dubai, I am sure, you are here because you too are planning a trip to Maldives with kids.
How did we book our trip to Maldives?
Seeing the price difference of booking a package to Maldives from North America is absolutely surprising. These packages are generally cheaper when booking from many other places around the world. Lucky for us, my husband has a dual citizenship for Canada and India. We picked a fantastic travel agency that books trips to Maldives from India. My husband was the primary name on our booking and we were able to secure this trip for a lower price than what we would have otherwise paid on Expedia or other travel portals.
TIP: To book from another country, you may need a dual citizenship for at least one other person from your group. Speak with your travel agent to get more information on this.
What resort did we pick?
I was quite certain to visit a resort that had great food options, an amazing kids club, numerous activities throughout the day, a good house reef, a mix of accommodation options that included over water bungalows with a pool and a beach villa with a pool but most importantly – one I would need to get to by a seaplane. Every time I envisioned a trip to Maldives, I saw myself going to the resort on a seaplane. Narrowing down all these must-haves, we chose Dusit Thani.
There are so many things we loved about this resort. We chose the pure indulgence package that this resort offers. This package was absolutely worth it and to read more about this, click here. The food is beyond phenomenal, the people are so warm and welcoming and the activities on the island are abundant. When we visit a place, we love to speak to the locals to understand their experiences. Every single staff we spoke to about the resort absolutely raved about how good the management was at this resort. Management cares for their staff and keeps them really happy. Staff is paid really well and given airplane tickets to visit their families back home. They are treated with so much love and respect and their loyalties are very evident through their smiles. Learning this about the resort only made me happier to be staying at Dusit Thani.
Another thing I really need to mention here is the beautiful house reef that surrounds Dusit Thani. There are many area where you can snorkel from around the resort and we tried all of them. We saw beautiful fishes, octopus, starfish, sea cucumbers, moral eel and so much more right from these spots. If you want to check out this resort, make sure you Click Here!
What rooms did we pick while we were planning a trip to Maldives with kids?
Overwater bungalows can get quite pricey. Keeping this in mind, we decided to split our stay between a deluxe beach villa and an overwater bungalow. We wanted to have a private pool for both villas so this narrowed down our search for the right room.
TIP: Speak to your travel agent to understand the different villa options and to pick what is right for you and your family.
Things to keep in mind: Dusit Thani offers water villas and ocean villas. Water villas are located partially over water and partially over land whereas, ocean villas are completely over water. Beach villas also has options depending on where the pool lies within the villa. We wanted to have a beautiful view from our pool and chose the deluxe beach villa. It was steps away from the beach and the sunsets we saw from the pool were magical!
Deluxe beach villa with a pool versus an over water villa with a pool
Accommodations played such a huge role in planning our perfect trip to the Maldives with kids. While both these choices are absolutely fantastic and you can’t go wrong with either or, our favourite was the deluxe beach villa with a pool. This villa had so much space around it. I was always nervous when we stayed on the overwater villa that they might go too close to the edge.
Our first three nights at the deluxe beach villa were beyond amazing. Although we loved the over water villa, if we were to go back, I would likely book our entire stay at the deluxe beach villa. That being said, if you are like me and one of the biggest reasons to visit Maldives is to stay on the overwater villa, by all means, do it! Click Here to read more on each of these rooms and why we prefer the deluxe beach villa.
Why was this trip such a success with kids?
We have traveled to many places across the world and stayed at many different hotel and resort brands. We have left our girls at many kids clubs on these resorts. BUT nothing has ever come remotely close to the kids club we saw at Dusit Thani. The staff is so caring for the kids. They keep in touch with you through WhatsApp and even send you photos of the kids throughout the day. They are open from 10am-6pm with an hour for lunch when they close their doors. The girls would not want to leave at the end of the day. Their days were filled with indoor play, outdoor play, splash pads, cupcake decorating workshops and so much more. This was our time to snorkel and just spend some time together without feeling guilty of leaving the girls in a new environment.
Would we go back to the Maldives?
Yes, yes, YES! The world is so big and there are so many places for us to explore. But, once a while you come across destinations that make you want to go back. Maldives was definitely one of them! If we can, we will go back and absolutely go back with the girls. They talk about this trip even now and they talk about how amazing everything was. From the food to the drinks to the people to the kids club to all the activities. Maldives is truly a dream destination and Maldivians are some of the kindest people we have met.
So, are you planning a trip to Maldives with the kids? Are you unsure if this is the right destination to visit with your family or with little kids? I hope I have convinced you that this trip is extremely possible with kids. The kids will love their kids club and you will get lots of time to spend with your significant other.
As always, if you have any questions on visiting Maldives or planning a trip to Maldives with your kids, make sure you leave us a message below or reach out to us via DM.
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