Over a thousand small coral islands make up the Republic of the Maldives and are scattered like glitter in the turquoise Indian Ocean. Beautiful sparkling white sands, coral reefs, and fantastic marine life provide one of planet Earths most beautiful settings for a holiday.

The Maldives island resort of Bandos is located in the North Mal Atoll, which is the closest atoll to the capital of Mal. Transfer from Mali, which is where the main airport is, takes roughly 20 minutes by boat and allowing you to easily nip back during your stay if you wish to explore the capital city which is more westernized than the remaining islands.

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!

Read more...