- Let's take a look at the map
- How New Year is celebrated in the Maldives
- What else to do during your Maldivian vacation?
- Economical on a note
The Maldives archipelago, lying almost on a level with the sea southeast of the Indian Peninsula, is often compared to a handful of precious pearls scattered on the velvet ocean surface. There are also more than enough other epithets for the islands among tourists, because in the picturesque atolls everything is conducive to a comfortable rest against the background of ideal landscapes: high-quality service, and luxury hotels, and delicious food, and the weather without shocks and sudden changes in temperature.
Is the New Year celebrated in the Maldives? If so, what does the holiday look like and is it worth flying to the end of the world, neglecting an excellent opportunity to go skiing in Europe or taste once again your best friend's Olivier?
Firstly, it hasn't hurt anyone to bask on the hot ocean beach in the midst of a frosty winter, secondly, the famous salad from childhood can be prepared on any other day, and, finally, it's easy to go to the ski slope at another time, and not devote to it long-awaited winter weekend.
Let's take a look at the map
You can easily find the Maldives archipelago in the equatorial waters of the Indian Ocean between the Indian subcontinent and Madagascar. The weather on the atolls is determined not only by the geographical latitude, but also by the winds:
- It's time for New Year's holidays to fall during the dry season. From November to early spring precipitation on the islands is minimal. The monsoon blows from the northeast in winter. Showers are rare, usually at night, and are short-lived.
- The air temperature at the height of the Christmas week rarely drops below + 22 ° С during the day and + 19 ° С at night. Typically, thermometer columns are kept at + 26 ° С and + 24 ° С, respectively.
- The water stays warm and comfortable for swimming throughout the year. In the period from late December to early February, the ocean in the lagoons warms up to + 26 ° С.
Weather forecast for Maldives in January
Surfing in the Maldives on New Year's Eve may not work out as the best waves are in the summer months when the southwest monsoon blows. But all hotels lease equipment for this sport on request at any time of the year, and therefore, if the waves do not pump up, you can arrange for yourself such a New Year's entertainment.
For divers in January, a special expanse comes. The water temperature at this time is kept at + 26 ° C, and the ocean remains the same warm at a depth of several tens of meters. Visibility reaches 25 meters or more, and therefore New Year's dives can significantly diversify your holiday program in the archipelago.
How New Year is celebrated in the Maldives
The bulk of the population of the Maldives professes Islam and does not celebrate secular Christian holidays for quite natural reasons, but this does not concern tourists at all. For them, the hotel staff puts on amazing performances, decorates trees, gives gifts and develops a special menu for a gala dinner.
Traditional farewell to the old year in Maldivian looks like this. On the morning of December 31, a team of Santa Claus, Snegurochka, elves and other smart young people begins to drive around villas and bungalows in hotels where animation is provided in a small electric car that can easily pass for a sleigh. Photos with children and their parents, distribution of gifts, dancing and reading poetry are included in the compulsory program, and until the evening, guests admire the decorated garlands and other festive illumination of palm trees and other living and artificial trees. In some places between the atolls, a water sled with Santa and his assistants on board is seen.
Towards nightfall, guests gather on the beach, where the staff set the tables and the bartenders flaunt each other in their ability to mix special holiday cocktails. The dinner menu includes champagne and seafood, sweet rice and tropical fruits. In front of hotel guests, performances unfold, the participants of which are magicians, fire eaters, dancers and acrobats. Many hotels with 4 * and 5 * invite real celebrities of European and world level for a festive concert: dancers and classical musicians, jazz singers and circus performers even from Du Soleil. Fire shows, fireworks and sand discos begin at midnight.
What else to do during your Maldivian vacation?
The dry, almost calm and sunny weather in the winter in the Maldives allows you to engage in all kinds of water sports and lead an active lifestyle so as not to get bored. Take snorkeling, for example. Practice shows that even people who are very far from scuba diving and diving into the ocean with their heads on these islands fall in love with snorkelling.
In the ocean off the coast of the Maldivian atolls, you will see a huge number of colorful marine life - fish and rays, turtles and even reef sharks. A mask and fins can be rented at the hotel, and the first snorkeling lesson is usually offered by the hotel staff for free
The services of spa centers are no less popular, where you can tidy up your body and soul after a New Year's party, or just soak up the pleasant shade, allowing professionals to take care of yourself. Massages and medical wraps, lifts and peels, beauty and beauty treatments - in the range of spas in the Maldives, you will find a sea of all kinds of pleasant surprises.
Cosmetology procedures are based on natural products - essential oils, ocean water, fruit juices and algae. A spa for two is especially popular, because a lot of newlyweds fly to the Maldives to celebrate the New Year
A winter vacation tour to a distant archipelago is a great reason to become a real diver. You can take a dive course in almost any hotel, and many of them offer the services of Russian-speaking instructors.
Top 15 attractions in the Maldives
Economical on a note
The main argument "for" flying to Male on the eve of the New Year is the opportunity to find yourself in a sunny tropical paradise and enjoy the ocean, ideal beaches, great service and a varied menu of local restaurants. But the Maldives is always very expensive, and during the New Year holidays, the already considerable prices begin to skyrocket, like seaplanes over the atolls. If you are ready to shell out a lump sum, choose a resort island and enjoy a paradise vacation.
A tour to the inhabited islands, where the Maldivians themselves live, will be much cheaper. Hotels there are inexpensive, but it is difficult to wait for special comfort and service in them. Prices for tours to such hotels can look quite affordable, especially if you take care of planning your vacation in advance and try to book inexpensive air tickets during the period of special offers and sales.
