Word of warning when booking - Dean Scott. Date of travel: Dec 2007
Maldives, what a beautiful place, the best place I have ever been. It was only spoilt by the fact we had to pay twice to go as the company we booked with "Online holidays Maldives" took our money but didn't book with our requested resort, to date no refund. The resort were we stayed was fantastic when they found out and I would like to thank the Thulaghri resort for a wonderful stay.

Maldives - Tiana. Date of travel: Oct 2007
Visit the capital island of Maldives, Male, 1 kilometre squared. The fish market paints a vivid picture of local life, shiny tuna fish are displayed in perfect lines. The ancient Mosque made entirely of coral is quite exquisite.

Mrs - Sharon de Wilzen. Date of travel: Apr 2006
Maldives must be one of the most beautiful spots in the world. I went to Kuredu and Kuramathi. Kuredu is a superb diving venue, as is all of Maldives. Kuramathi is a bigger island, sharing with the Cottage Club and Blue Lagoon where they hand feed the stingrays every evening. Paradise on earth! If you choose Kuredu and you can afford it, take the seaplane as the 4 hour boat ride to the island is not so pleasant.

Totally relaxing - Jenny White. Date of travel: Dec 2005
We stayed on Bodafinalu - Fun Island. We went with friends and it was everything and more. Fun Island is very small but the accomodation was fantastic. The bungalows were private, air conditioned, on the beach and very well appointed. The beach was almost deserted and swept clean every day. The snorkelling was amazing, with thousands of fish. The food was delicious and varied We didn't wear shoes for a week and lived in sarongs and bathing suits. It was absolute paradise with warm clear seas and fabulous sunsets. It was a long journey but worth it. For a totally relaxing holiday this is it! Tour Operator: Kuoni

Polly Fitzgerald. Date of travel: Aug 2005
We spent a week on the Addu Atoll of Gan. Having spent the previous week in Sri Lanka we found Gan to be similar to Sri Lanka but with all the peace and tranquility of the Maldives. We stayed at Equator Village Hotel, the only hotel in the Atoll, but were able to explore the other four islands of the atoll on bikes. The locals are extremenly friendly and love the British to the extent that we felt like Royalty! Nothing was too much trouble - lobster meal by the pool with candles and flowers, lending us a motor bike so we could explore the atoll at ease, and cooking the fish we caught on the night fishing trip for lunch the following day. There's plenty to do: snorkelling, fishing, diving, walking, cycling and visiting the locals in their villages. The hotel was pretty empty with between 10 and 20 guests so we had the pool, beach and gardens to ourselves. Check the return flight before you leave as we had an 8 hour wait in Male that was unnecessary! Tour Operator: Elite Vacations

Berry and Neil. Date of travel: Apr 2005
We started off on Kuredu then spent time on Kuramathi, and dived extensively around both islands. This is a holiday of a lifetime - we loved the gentle, hospitable Maldivians and the diving was fabulous. The resorts we went to offered comfortable accommodation in beach huts built to maximise privacy, and we enjoyed the catering. The diving staff were very professional, I think all of them were on contracts and came from all over the world. The attractions of the islands are not limited to diving - the snorkelling was brilliant, and we enjoyed excursions to fishing villages on other non-resort islands. We also had fun just walking around the Island - sunsets are great, night time entertainment was on offer. This is a wonderful holiday for divers, honeymooners and anyone needing to chill out. Don't bother to take your cellphone, forget TV and do take lots of sunscreen and a big hat! We lived in bathing costumes and sarongs - that's all you need.

Paul Mier. Date of travel: Jan 2005
Recently had a wonderful tour of the Maldives diving sites but had it tainted by creative billing by the resorts staff. A relatively older a cheaper resort, close by to Mali The Giravaru Tourist Resort is nothing special but does provide a dive shop that will take you to any or all of the major dive spots. However, any phone calls from the resort are charged at $10 US per minute, this is not displayed anywhere until your departure and any drinks at the bar will incur a $4US services charge on top of the inflated price of the beverage every two drinks. The Giravaru is, in short, a rip off. The food is rubbish and the hotel itself would be better suited to Outer Hebrides. If travelling to the Maldives, enjoy the dives but be wary of the hidden charges these parasites feel they have to inflict on everyone. Tour Operator: Self

Emma Flanagan. Date of travel: Jul 2004
I travelled in july last year and stayed at the Kuredu Island resort in the north llavanyii atoll, it was beautiful a large island but at no time did it seem overcrowded, plenty of choice of food, activites and evening entertainment. it is 35 minutes by sea plane from the aiport and approx 4 hours by boat excellant for scuba diving with there own pro divers centre excellant holiday i would rate this 10/10 Tour Operator: hayes and jarvis

Stuart and Julie Joiner. Date of travel: Jan 2004
We stayed at an island called Villavaru which is in south Ari Atoll. The island was very small, one resturant and one bar. It took about 10 mins to walk round the island: it was absolute paradise!!! We snorkelled and my husband went on a dive: it was amazing. The sea is so shallow in places around the island that you could walk out about a mile and it only reached your knees. The rooms were basic: no television or radio (Oh no, I hear you say). The Maldivian people were so friendly they would do anything for you. Hopefully we will go back next year! All in all it is like being in HEAVEN!!!! Tour Operator: Airtours

Emma Plain. Date of travel: Oct 2003
I travelled to the Giravaru Resort in the South Male Atol,I chose this based on price and location as it is just a 20 min speedboat transfer from the airport in Male.Overall the accomdation was fairly basic as is 3* but the complex itself is nicely looked after.The main problem I had is that the food is very repetitive with all meals inc breakfast featuring a fish dish,also the lunch is a set menu so if you had got up to late for breakfast and didnt like what was on for lunch then you wouldnt eat until the evening.Overall i would say its fine for a week but you could get bored for a fortnight as there is only 1 choice of restaurant and the island is so small it can be walked around in less than 15 mins! Tour Operator: Thomas Cook