Who never dreamt of white sandy beaches and swimming in crystal clear turquoise water, while the sun is shining upon your face and you forget for a short time all problems in the world. Floating in the middle of the ocean or chasing after sea turtles while you are snorkeling.
Watching pictures of Maldives always include a huge resort somewhere anchored in the ocean and an enormous traveler’s budget.
I desired to go to the Maldives infinitely and therefore I had to dodge all the expensive resorts.
At the end I chose two islands for myself:
Guraidhoo (Kaafu Atoll) and Maamigilli (Ari Atoll).
You won’t meet nearly any tourists and have the chance to get close to the locals, exchanging stories and laughing together with them.
In Guraidhoo there are some fantastic surf spots only for yourself, so if you can – go and chase some breaks.
Plenty of watersports activities to do, I was so excited and wanted to experience all of them in one day.
To be honest I thought I’d become a beach bum and relax all day long, but I was wrong.
If you love the sea as much as I do, I promise you – snorkeling in the idyllic and diverse underwater world will make you speechless since it includes coral reefs in crystalline waters, sea turtles, manta rays, fish species you have never seen in your life and many more. 
In Maamigili I stayed in Whale Shark Inn for roughly 40$ per night, it is of course smaller than all the fancy-schmancy resorts, but for my part there are no complains about the cleanliness of the accommodation, you could even eat from the floor.
The service was very personal and professional. Nafiz will implement all your wishes.
At the end I spent everyday snorkeling or going out on tours watching whale sharks and manta ray.
You can’t get bored in the Maldives, except you just want to leave all your cares behind and relax.
I had to take plenty of hopping on and off ferries, speedboats and dhonis to get from one island to another island. The seaplane is another option. Attention: Please look at the timetables, the speedboats and ferries to your destination might not be available everyday.
I suggest if you are a person who tends to be seasick, choose only one island to stay on.
I made the mistake to choose two islands within my short time span in the Maldives. Even though it looks like from Maamigili it’s easy-peasy to reach Guraidhoo, I got totally fooled.
There is no boat with a direct fare from one island to the other one.
So I had to go back to Male and taking the speedboat to Maafushi, from there a hotel employee of my stay picked me up to Guraidhoo.
Believe me, it is very time-consuming and nerve-jangling.
Nevertheless, I am more than grateful for my experiences on the Maldives.
The best part: the locals are warm-hearted and help you wherever you will need help. On the last day in Guraidhoo I went on a dolphin tour. The guy who led the tour pushed his boundaries and waited until dusk, but unfortunately I didn’t see any dolphins. So I went snorkeling all day long while he waited for me on the boat.
The highlight from the day: At one spot a blacktip reef shark was swimming below me and my heart beat crazily while my body was pumped with adrenaline.
Some interesting facts: The Maldives can be proud of a 98% literacy among adults. In 2009 a water cabinet was held at the bottom of the ocean to raise awareness of their concerns and the climate change.
Maybe I could help you to decide whether to go or not.
PS: Don’t get confused by the underwater pictures which date back to 2014, I was there in July 2016.
I borrowed the water camera from Nafiz and somehow the date setting was wrong.
