Bandos – Maldives Holidays
More than a thousand tiny coral islands scattered like glitter in the turquoise Indian Ocean, make up the Republic of the Maldives. These islands are the epitome of an island castaway. Beautiful ice-white sands, coral reefs, and fantastic marine life and diving make the Maldives as beautiful a getaway as you are ever likely to experience.
I have been to the island resort of Bandos several times now and it one of my favourites, if not thee favourite. Located within North Mal Atoll, the Maldives Holiday resort of Bandos is one of the closest to the capital island of Mal which is very convenient for those of you who want to explore more of the cultural side of the Maldives capital, which is more westernized than the remaining islands. Transfers from Mal are by boat and take approximately 20 minutes.
Bandos has some excellent marine life in abundance, including white tip sharks, barracuda, and many thousands of species of colourful reef fish. As well as having shipwrecks to explore, the coral reef also provides some good surf here for the water-sports enthusiasts. Bandos has an excellent PADI dive center here which caters for divers of all abilities, including beginners. Its got to be the best place in the world to pass your initial PADI open water dives, the only thing is you may get distracted by the stingrays and sharks gliding by!
Bandos is designated as a 4-star resort and is currently equipped with around 100 standard rooms. These rooms alternate between twin and double bed layout and are nicely furnished with tiled floors and balconies, but you might consider the bathrooms to be on the slightly smaller side. Many of the standard rooms face west and provide good sunsets and are additionally gifted with one of the best sections of beach on the island.
There are 48 Junior suites on the resort which are stylishly decorated with nice color schemes and solid wood four-posters. I was lucky enough to stay in a Junior suite during my stay and in the section in which I stayed in, the beach was almost completely submerged at high tide. I heard a couple of people complain about this but then these rooms do not cost as much as the Water Bungalows so I personally was very happy, but then I love being right next to the water.
The resort is popular with families, so kids who are not quite old enough to take part in some of the older activities can probably find other children their age to play with. Visitors with young children should be aware that the lagoon tends to deepen quite quickly.
The Bandos resort accommodates visitors getting married with the “Kuda Bandos Sunset Wedding” which features a taste of traditional island ceremony, a sunset boat ride, unique cultural costumes, Maldivian drums and traditional style and ceremony. The ceremony is held on the beach of one of the uninhabited islands in the atoll – Kuda Bandos – and is followed by a private cruise for the newlyweds on a Dhoni (Maldivian boat). Later, the newlyweds can enjoy a romantic private dinner set on the beach of Kuda Bandos.
Jonathan is a frequent traveller to the Maldives and enjoys writing about his diving and holidays. Read more about the beautiful Maldives islands at the Holidays to the Maldives guide and about the lovely island resort of Bandos maldives and many others, including Baros, Filitheyo, and Club Faru.