Can i take alcohol to maldives

Here you get more understanding for local life and the culture of the Maldives. While on the trips you will not be able to drink alcohol, but you can make up for this once back in your resort. Contact us today to book a holiday on a fantastic resort island, where you can drink plenty of alcohol in the Maldives. The UK's most exciting travel specialists. Not Just Travel are experts in tailor-made holidays to worldwide destinations.

Our expert Travel Consultants provide first hand knowledge, expert advice and access to the very best deals. Head over to our Maldives Holiday Quote page for a hassle free, expert quote on your next Maldives holiday. Alcohol in the Maldives Bringing alcohol in the Maldives is strictly forbidden. Email: susan notjusttravel. About Us The UK's most exciting travel specialists.

Long words or slang may not be in their repertoire. Male: Male is the capital of Maldives and is on an island about 1 mile long and half a mile wide. It's a minute ferry ride from the airport island, so you can easily visit for a few hours if you have a long wait for your flight. Male has a shopping district for tourists, and an ever-growing number of restaurants and outdoor cafes.

There are also hotels offering day rooms or overnight rooms for guests awaiting flights or transfers. The fishing quay and fish market are worth a visit when the catches are coming in, in the late afternoon and evening. It has roads and cars and commercial traffic. Medical: Most resort islands have a first aid room, sometimes with a nurse or even a doctor. Otherwise the best medical expertise is usually found at the dive base where first aid skills are mandatory for diving instructors.

In the event of a serious problem requiring hospitalisation, guests can be evacuated by seaplane daylight only or by boat to Male. The Indira Ghandi Memorial Hospital government owned or the ADK Hospital private are both well equipped and run, with operating theatres and with physicians in all major disciplines. If suitable treatment is not available in Male then evacuation to Singapore or Dubai or direct to UK is recommended. It is important to have good medical insurance in place.

Even the costs of evacuation to Male can be considerable. Money: The official currency of Maldives is the Rufiyaa, but you won't need to use it. US dollars are the preferred currency all over Maldives, and you can use them if you visit a souvenir shop on a local island, in Male and at the airport.

On your resort island, everything is signed for and billed to your room and most people pay by debit or credit card at the end of their stay. The only time you'll need to hand over cash is if you want to tip any staff, and they will prefer USD too, so it's a good idea to take small denomination notes with you.

The notes need to be crisp and clean, as Maldives banks won't accept old and tatty notes. Please note , travellers cheques are no longer accepted by Maldives banks so your island resort won't take them.

Also, while thefts are rare, please take care with your cash and valuables - most islands have in-room safes or will have safe facilities. Nightlife: Don't expect loud parties and clubbing in Maldives. Evenings usually revolve around drinks in the bar but most islands have discos and live music on some evenings. There may also be cinema nights, barbecues, cocktail parties and bodu beru perfomances traditional Maldivian dancing and drumming.

Larger islands usually offer more in the way of nightlife and some have designated nightclubs. The W resort has an underwater one! Passport: These now need to be machine-readable passports and have at least six months' validity remaining after departing Maldives. Religion: The country's religion is Islam, in its gentlest form.

Women have equal opportunities in education and at work; many are businesswomen or Government Ministers. Many girls wear a baruga headscarf, usually in pretty colours, but often wear it with jeans and most wear 'western' style clothes. Drinking alcohol is forbidden in local communities and the annual fast at Ramadan is followed diligently.

Ramadan will not affect guests on resort islands other than mealtimes are sometimes slightly changed. Repeat guests: Remember to tell us if you are a repeat guest at a particular island as you will usually receive special treatment such as a complimentary meal. Sharks: There are several types of sharks in Maldives - we've mostly seen black-tip or white-tip reef sharks - but there is negligible danger from them; there is just too much else in the ocean for them to eat, which they find far tastier and conveniently bite-sized than humans.

No tourist has ever been harmed by a shark in Maldives waters. It's often said that, in Maldives, even the sharks are friendly, but it's more accurate to say they're arrogantly indifferent.

The first time you see a shark swimming somewhere below you does get the heart racing, we admit! But they will stay well away from you and you'll soon find yourself wishing you could get a little closer to these magnificent creatures. Obviously, it's not a good idea to provoke them and definitely don't try to feed them. Shopping: There's not much of it in Maldives! It's wise to stock up on simple items like toothpaste and sun cream before you leave home because they are necessarily quite expensive in the resort shops.

Honeymooners may also receive complimentary excursions or meals - it varies depending on the resort. Please notify Magic of Maldives at time of booking. Telephones: You can phone home direct from all resorts. Your mobile will work but can be very expensive. T ime: Maldives is five hours ahead of GMT, but some resorts set their own time, usually an hour ahead of Male time.

They do it so the sun rises and sets later, giving you more of a full day. How much to tip? Some like to leave small tips daily but it's also common to tip at the end of your holiday. Transfers: All transfers are arranged by your resort and will be included in Magic of Maldives prices. On islands closer to Male it will be by speedboat, those further away will have a seaplane or domestic air service flight. Some islands offer a choice of transfer options.

The hotel will arrange the arrival and departure transfer around the scheduled timings of the long haul flight, but it won't always coincide exactly and you may have a wait. Seaplanes can only fly in daylight so bear this in mind when choosing international flights. If your flight lands in very late afternoon or the evening you may have to spend your first night in the airport hotel or at a hotel on Male.

Similarly, on departure, if you have a night flight, you may leave your island in the afternoon and have several hours wait at the airport. You can use the facilities at the airport hotel for a charge or book a day room. We can book these rooms for you in advance.

Transport: There is no public transport system in Maldives, other than the ferries around Male, so once on your island, it's not easy to move off it or go island-hopping, other than on excursions arranged by the resort.

If you want to split your stay between different islands, we can arrange transfers between them. Vaccinations: No vaccinations are required for visiting Maldives, but it's a good idea to keep the usual vaccinations up to date: tetanus, polio, Hepatitis and TB. Check with your doctor what you may need at least 8 weeks before you travel. Latest health and travel advice for Maldives can be found here. Visas: All visitors are issued with a free day tourist visa on arrival.

Weather: See our When to go page for information about weather and the seasons. Weddings: It's not possible to get formally married in Maldives but many resorts offer blessings or renewal of vows ceremonies, which can be a lovely way to celebrate your special day.

Many also have photographers available for some stunning mementoes. You can often plant a palm tree with a plaque to commemorate the occasion, which is a great excuse to visit again and again to see how it grows, while you can also plant your own coral 'nursery' at some resorts and see your own piece of reef build up over the years. Wildlife: Apart from the thousands of species of fish just a few yards off shore, you're most likely to see birds, bats, geckos and other lizards around the island.

The tiny geckos you may see are useful because they eat mosquitoes, and we think they're very cute, with their little chirruping noise. There are also some slightly larger red and green lizards sorry, no idea what they're called!

They will usually run away from you as fast as they can but, when they stop, they look like they're doing press-ups! Most islands also have fruit bats and often there will be a resident heron or two, wading in the shallows fishing for his lunch. Our guide to Maldives. B Banned Items: Alcohol except on resort islands and safari cruise boats , drugs, pork, pornographic material, idols of worship, spear guns and dogs are not allowed inside the country.

C Children: Though Maldives is often thought of as a romantic honeymoon destination, it's also the perfect playground for children. These goods will be returned before departure.

The state religion of the Maldives is Islam. Therefore, the sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited. Re: Duty-free alcohol allowed? All luggage is x-rayed before passengers leave the Customs hall and any alcohol discovered will be removed. The law prohibits smoking in public transport vehicles or vessels and public transport facilities. There are a few traditional all-inclusive islands, but the more common arrangement is full-board and half-board options.

Full-board means breakfast, lunch and dinner are included; half-board is just breakfast and dinner. Alcohol is typically not included in either. The point of the Maldives is that it is not a single large island but is, instead, a collection of thousands of tiny coral islands. Each island is surrounded by a lagoon of shallow water though the Indian Ocean, with its deep blue water, lies beyond.

It is the clearest water you will ever see.