When it comes to finding a good beach in the Maldives the majority of people will find this to be a particularly simple task, as this network of tiny islands doesn’t rise more than a few meters above sea level. In terms of the structure of the islands themselves, most will have one hotel or resort based on each island, with visitors landing at MaléInternationalAirport. The capital Malé lies on an island adjacent to the one on which the airport is located, and is home to around a third of the country’s total population of some 300,000 people.
The Maldives is made up of hundreds of little coral islands dotted around this part of the Indian Ocean, but only 92 of these are actually inhabited islands. With every resort largely tending to keep its own staff, most of the tourist activities on each island will be led by the staff there, meaning there is very little interaction between visitors to the different islands apart from when they arrive and depart. The larger islands will usually be able to welcome a few hundred people, while the more exclusive resorts will be especially luxurious and only welcome a small number of guests at a time.
Vilamendhoo Island
As one of the larger islands in the Maldives Vilamendhoo does offer plenty of beach to enjoy, with the circumference of this wonderful island surrounded in golden sand and clear blue waters. This is similar to the majority of islands in this country, so one of the reasons to choose this island is that it does offer one of the widest ranges of beach and water activities, including kayaking, wind surfing and diving.
Cocoa Island
This is one of the smaller islands, and with a long spit of sand with azure waters on each side it offers a particularly charming beach on which to relax. As with the majority of the islands the palm woods at the centre of the islands are where the buildings are, but on this island the accommodation is actually in huts built on stilts in the sand. Because the sandy beach drops off slowly there is plenty of shallow sea around this little island making it good for younger or inexperienced swimmers.
Angaga Island
Angaga is one of the islands that lies furthest away from MaléInternationalAirport, and as such it is usually reached by seaplane rather than the traditional motorboats that tend to ferry people between the islands. Around thirty per cent of the island itself is beach, with one side dropping quickly off into the Indian Ocean, while the other side of the island is a shallow lagoon. It also offers both sides of the accommodation experience, with villas on the islands and huts on stilts both available.
Bandos Island
Bandos Island offers a different type of beach holiday, whereas many of the other islands offer vast swathes of beach, the beaches around Bandos aren’t as wide as many others, but this also means it can be easier to find a little bit of beach away from everyone else. Inside the palm woods of the island there is a little more to explore than the smaller islands, although you will never find yourself getting lost on another of the gems of the Maldives.
Kanuhura
This is another of the larger islands in the Maldives, stretching to around a kilometer from one end to the other, with much of this is made up of beach. It is also one of the outlying islands of the Maldives, and is a short seaplane journey away from MaléAirport. As well as offering great beaches and the usual diving and water sports, this island also has the option of catamaran sailing, which adds an extra activity to the holiday.