Male, (pronounced: “Maa-lay”), is the capital of the Republic of Maldives and is where the majority of Maldivians live, although the population of 320,000 is spread out amongst 203 of the islands. This was mainly a nation of fisherman before tourism became a way of life when the first resort was opened in 1972. There are now nearly 100 different resorts scattered throughout the islands that make up the Maldives. Most visitors do not venture outside the comforts of their resorts but most hotels in the Maldives offer excursions to some of the nearby islands to sample some of the local culture and to see how people live and work.
Many of the visitors that travel to the Maldives each year are repeat tourists, tourists that have been before and simply fell in love with the place and had to go again. It’s easy to see why, with the combination of isolated tranquillity, exhilarating water-sports, relaxing spas, and calming beaches together with the luxurious modern resorts, you are bound to want to experience a holiday in the Maldives again. The resort complexes comprise hotels, bungalows and villas with luxury international facilities and many are thatched in a traditional local style and often on stilts overlooking the water. One of the charming facts about the Maldives is that no building is allowed to be built higher than the tallest Palm tree.
Although when you think of a holiday to the Maldives you think of sun, sea and relaxation, many of the hotels and resorts offer exciting night-time entertainment programmes which consist of cabarets, discos, beach barbecues and local music and dance such as Bodu Beru. The Bodu Beru is the best known traditional music where you will hear the lead singer chants the lyrics and a chorus whilst the rest of the band claps to the beat of the drum building the atmosphere and the rhythm into a frenzied crescendo. Fish plays a large part of the Maldivians staple diet, along with rice, which is understandable considering the abundance of tasty fresh fish ready to be caught. The national dishes include fried fish, fish curry and fish soup.
If you are looking for an idyllic paradise escape then you can find the perfect holiday online with The Internet Traveller and you can’t go wrong with a trip to the Maldives. Call us now to book your holiday to the Maldives or multi centre holiday on 0800 011 1001.
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