SOUTH ATOLL

The great thing about staying in a resort in South Atoll is the opportunity to snorkel with whale sharks. The snorkeling in South Atoll is usually better, but that may depend on the quality of your particular hotel's reef. During my first trip to Maldives, I split my time between two hotels. I personally enjoyed experiencing two hotels for more variety in meal options and water activities. If you are spending more than one week there, then it might be worthwhile. If you are spending only one week, then the cost of flying from one hotel to another might not be worth it. You would have to fly from your hotel back to the capitol of Male and then from there fly to your second hotel.

The other half of our stay was at Lux* South Ari Atoll Resort. The friendliness of the staff, attention to detail, and the size of the island were impressive. I enjoyed taking strolls around the island and capturing every angle of picturesque beauty all the while searching for their hidden bottles ("message in a bottle") for opportunities to win prizes. The hotel has a marine center that takes you on snorkeling excursions with whale sharks.

For more detailed information about my stay at Lux*, read more here.

luxe tips

If you are flying from LAX (Los Angeles), you might want to consider spending 2 days in either Singapore or Dubai to shorten the travel time. Otherwise, you might be looking at 30+ hours of travel time to get to Maldives since there is no direct flight.
If you are spending more than a week in Maldives, I would recommend splitting your time at two different resorts for a different experience. However, the flight from one hotel to another could be pretty costly.

WHEN TO GO

December to March is high season with the best chance of good weather. Normally, I would not recommend going during peak season due to the expensive rates and crowds. However, Maldives is one of those places where if you are spending that kind of money and you get a lot of rain, then the water will not be the beautiful green/blue you were envisioning; the water will be choppy making snorkeling or other water activities difficult, and honestly there is not much you can do except hang out in your expensive room. Nonetheless, plenty of people travel off peak and enjoy great weather, so you may get lucky as well.

TRANSPORTATION

Once you fly into Male, Maldives, a representative from your hotel will be waiting for you to help assist with transportation to your hotel. Depending on where your hotel is, you will either fly (plane versus sea plane) or take a boat ride to your hotel.

WHERE TO STAY

Baros - amazing housereef, beautiful room with plunge pool (read more here)
Anantara Kihavah villas - large deck from private pool, iconic swings by the ocean, underwater restaurant
Gili Lankfanfushi - waterslides from bungalows, iconic hammock in the ocean from "backyard"
Lux* South Ari Atoll - great for families, large resort with pools (read more here)
Six Senses Laamu - beautiful sundeck from bungalow
Mirihi resort - great house reef