A Real Couple’s Guide to Honeymooning in Maldives
Sure, most of the wedding planning attention focuses on your big day, but there’s no reason why you two lovebirds can’t go ahead and start dreaming up your perfect warm-weathered honeymoon. Not only is it your first trip together as a married couple, but it’s also a chance to relax after all the stress that led up to your wedding, and trust us — you’ll need a little R&R. Picture it: visions of sunny beaches, an over-the-water bungalow and lots of fruit-filled drinks. If this sounds like your ideal romantic vacay, listen up! We talked with Katie-Ann and Bryan Roach, a real-life couple who shared their tips and tricks with us on how to have a dreamy Maldives honeymoon.
Where to stay
“We chose to go to Maldives because we wanted to go to a place where we knew there’d only be a small chance of rain at that time of the year (late November/early December), and we also wanted an over-water bungalow! Our travel agent suggested Seychelles and Maldives for that time of year, but Seychelles does not have any over-water bungalows, so Maldives was an easy choice.
My husband’s family has used Corsi Travel for a lot of their trips, so we reached out to JoBeth Corsi and she helped book our getaway. She had to coordinate with someone who specializes in trips to that part of the world, but it worked out so well! We ended up booking a bungalow at Six Senses Laamu seven or eight months in advance but started planning it about a year before.”
Places to go
“If you stay in an over-the-water bungalow, you will barely leave your room since you can just climb right down the stairs and go snorkeling. Snorkeling equipment was included in the stay and it was so neat to see the wildlife, so we definitely recommend taking advantage of that. We saw a ray swimming in the wide open ocean, and so many beautiful fish and coral! They also provide bikes for everyone with personalized license plates so you can get around the island more easily.
We recommend taking a seaplane to a bigger island from Male, then taking a boat from there to your resort. Also, go snorkeling in the house reef – that’s where we saw the ray.”
Things to eat + drink
“Our breakfast and dinner was included in our stay. Lunch was on us but we would usually eat a big breakfast, go to the ice cream bar for lunch (they had literally 50 homemade flavors) and then do dinner at one of the restaurants on the island. One night we also did a private dinner on the beach with our own personal chef who cooked the menu of our choice.
My favorite dinner was a place called Zen (Asian cuisine). They had great sushi and the most delicious homemade noodles. All dinners were by reservation only to make it more private and peaceful while they have so many people at one restaurant at a time. However, the first reservation wasn’t until 6pm and we normally eat around 5pm, so it was a little late for us. With all the snorkeling and bike riding, you get hungry.”
Travel tips + tricks
1. Do your research. “Really know what kind of place you want to stay at and do your research. Start early, know all the details and use a travel agent if you want to go to a unique place so it can be amazing!”
2. A bathing suit is a MUST. “I took all my new monogrammed essentials (hat, bathing suit, luggage!) because that’s just what a new bride does! But definitely bathing suits, camera, Lilly Pulitzer and my favorite Kate Spade sunglasses.”
3. Talk to the locals. “In the Maldives, we just talked with some of the workers who lived there. A lot had come in from Sri Lanka. Get to know them. Everyone who works there has to live on the island but once a week they could see their families and children. Sometimes they would go to a neighboring island where their families lived or the family would visit them on the island.”
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(Photos via Katie-Ann and Bryan Roach)