18 things that will surprise you about the Maldives

There’s more to this Indian Ocean paradise than white, sandy beaches – Chris Leadbeater finds out what else the Maldives has to offer. 

1. Bargain break

There is a tendency to view the Maldives as a desert-island preserve of Russian oligarchs, models and people who own yachts the size of Leeds. But it can be surprisingly affordable too. Seven nights, half board, at the four-star Sun Island Resort and Spa, flying direct from Gatwick on Jan 28, is £1,588 per person; thomascook.com. 

2. Parrotfish

Yes, yes, the Maldives does beach breaks. But you can be active too. Sort of. Biyadhoo is a three-star retreat which places an emphasis on snorkelling and scuba diving. Seven-night, full-board stays in February from £1,715 – with flights; kuoni.co.uk. 

3. Hurawalhi

Sick of eating in silence with your partner? Stay at the Hurawalhi resort, where the 5.8 Undersea Restaurant sits – why yes – 5.8 metres under the sea. There’s your conversation starter. Seven-night stays in March from £2,914 per person, flights extra.

4. Sub-aqua serenity

Dinner under the waves is one thing. A massage is even better. Deluxe hideaway Huvaven Fushi has a spa which sits below the surface - ensuring reef views from the treatment table. Double rooms from £1400 per night. huvafenfushi.com

5. Bring the kids

Brochures portray the Maldives as a place for making children, not entertaining them. But Steppes Travel sells a 10-day "Maldives Family Holiday" to Soneva Fushi - which has a "Den" full of child amusements. From £2,800pp, with flights. steppestravel.co.uk

6. Reverse honeymoons

“The Maldives - not just there for the nicer things in life” is a tagline you will never read. Still, while the islands are famed as a honeymoon haven, they also do break-ups. The country has the world's highest divorce rate - 10.97 per year per 1,000 inhabitants per year.

7. Second place

Is any other place on the planet more reliant on tourism than the Maldives - a country where the geography veers all the way from sun to sand and back again? Yes. Macau - the enclave which is kind of Chinese, kind of not - just pips the Maldives to the post. It has casinos. Lots of them.

8. Zero latitude

The Equator runs right through the Maldives. You can’t see it, it’s invisible, but you can stay pretty close to it. The island of Fuvahmulah sits at a latitude of 0.16°S. Its Marina Boutique Hotel has double rooms from £45; marinaboutiquehotel.com

9. Manta ray

Want to get close to the fins and flat faces of the beasts which haunt the seabed? Try an eight-day “Marine Wildlife of the Maldives” scuba safari. From £2,599 a head, with flights; exodus.co.uk

10. Metropolis

OK, so that description of Malé is pushing it. But the Maldivian capital “city” is a busy place, and its fish market, on the north edge of the island, is as good a snapshot of real life in the country as any. You want tuna? They got tuna; visitmaldives.com

11. Posh shopping

The key avenue in Malé is Majeedhee Magu, which cuts across the island/city’s one-mile width. It isn’t quite the Champs-Élysées, but if you fancy a shopping spree while in town, this is the place. Bags, phones, watches? Yep, all that; visitmaldives.com/male

12. Unesco sites

There aren’t any. But the Eid and the Friday mosques – both historic coralstone jewels, both in Malé, both striking – have been on Unesco’s “tentative list” of sites under consideration since 2013; en.unesco.org/countries/maldives

13. Hunting high and low

A holiday that combines the world’s highest and lowest countries? Really? Yes. Responsible Travel’s 29-day “Summit to Sea” odyssey splices trekking in Nepal with a Maldivian dhoni cruise. From £3,190 per person, flights extra. responsibletravel.com

14. £36,000

What we said at the top about the Maldives being surprisingly affordable? You’ll be a different sort of surprised if you rent the Four Seasons Voavah, a private island which sleeps up to 22 in seven rooms, for US$46,000 a night; fourseasons.com/maldivesvoavah

15. All aboard

Why confine yourself to one Maldivian island when you can tick off hundreds? The regular “Maldives Dhoni Cruise” run by Explore pokes about the Meemu, Vavuu and Felidhoo atolls for eight days. From £1,775 a head, with flights; explore.co.uk

16. We all live in a...

...erm, bright red submarine. Is that right John? Just sing it Paul. Fushifaru, a newly opened hideaway on Lhaviyani Atoll, has just such a vibrantly rouge craft for showing guests local marine life. Villas from US$381 (£289) per night; fushifaru.com

17. Traffic calming

The Maldives is the third safest place on the planet for driving a car, behind only San Marino and the islands of Micronesia. There are 1.9 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants a year. Is this surprising? Surprisingly high, you might say, for a country of barely any roads.

18. Cycle paths

That said, you can ride a bike. How? Where? Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa offers a cycle tour which takes guests out by speedboat to pedal around 10 miles of trails on five neighbouring islands. Double rooms from £710 per night. shangri-la.com/male/villingiliresort