Asia Pacific Superyachts Maldives - Travel Guide

The choice of islands is vast but all offer tranquility and soft white sandy beaches
lapped by waters of delicate hues of blue, ranging from turquoise to the deepest aquamarine.

Resort Bookings

Asia Pacific Superyachts Maldives can book you into any of the hundreds of resorts and hotels in the Maldives islands. We can assist you in finding the perfect holiday get-away to suit your personal taste and budget.

Malé International Airport (Hulhule Island):

Malé's International Airport is situated on its own island which from the air looks like a giant aircraft carrier. The Airport is actually built on two islands connected through reclamation. It is an international airport which can handle the largest of aircraft and fully equipped with all the modern facilities. Located just over a kilometer away from the capital Malé, the airport is connected to the rest of the country and resorts by boat and seaplane.

Facilities available at Hulhule include:

88 transit hotel rooms, Business Centre, Internet Centers, elevators, rest-rooms, telephones, banks, postal and telecommunications offices, over 100 duty-free shops in both terminals, food and beverage outlets, 24-hour medical centre and a children's play area.

Clothing:

The Maldives is hot throughout the year. Light, summer cotton and linen wear is ideal. Pack lots of T-shirts, beachwear, light skirts, cotton shirts, slacks and shorts. At the resorts where you'll have to walk on soft sand most of the time, going barefoot may be ideal for some. However, on visits to inhabited islands, where most of the streets are of compact sand, or in the capital Malé where most of the streets are paved, casual shoes or sandals are easier for walking.

Currency & Banking:

The local currency is the Rufiyaa. The exchange rate is MRf. 12.75 = US$ 1. Always exchange your money at authorized money changers. Travelers Cheques and all major credit cards are accepted at all hotels and resorts. All resorts deal in foreign exchange and will accept payment in any major European currency.

Banking hours are Sunday to Thursday: 8.00 am to 1:30 pm. Visitors should be in possession of at least US $25 per day of stay in the Maldives. There are no restrictions on the amount of currency you can bring in.

ATM & Credit cards:

Most major cards are widely accepted in the Maldives. MasterCard, Visa and American Express are accepted at our offices and ATM machines. HSBC, Bank of Ceylon and State Bank of India Male' Branch accept VISA/MASTER Cards for cash.

Geography:

The Maldives Archipelago comprises some 1,190 islands (202 of which are inhabited) in a chain of 20 coral atolls, located in the Indian Ocean 416 miles/670 km south-west of Sri Lanka, covering an area of 116 square miles/300 square kilometres. Protected from monsoon devastation by barrier reefs (faros), none of the islands rises above 1.8 m.

Tropical crops include breadfruit, mango, banana, cassava and screwpine. Ten percent of the total surface is arable and three percent is forested.

History:

The Maldive Islands, settled by its original Dravidian inhabitants from southern India perhaps as early as the 4th century BC, came under the domination of Indo-Aryans mainly from Ceylon who arrived 400 years later. The king converted from Buddhism to Islamin AD 1153, ordering the population to do likewise. The islands were ruled as a Muslim sultanate, with a brief interlude under Portuguese control from Goa (1558-73).

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