The Maldives is stunning, but let’s be honest, every picture basically looks the same. So how can you decide on the right private island? Having investigated hundreds, first hand, here we share our top 5 resorts to help you find the right one for you. The Maldives are where people come to experience island life at its most relaxed — and most beautiful.
Tourism in the Maldives includes ecotourism, natural beauty, scuba diving, snorkeling, underwater scenery and listed as best recreational diving destinations in the world.
Here are our top 5 islands in Maldives
Fihalhohi Island
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Fihalhohi Island offers a great holiday with family and you will see the tropical natural beauty of the Indian Ocean.
Alimatha Island
Photo credit: visitmaldives.com
Alimatha Island of Maldives is rated as one of the best dive sites in the country and famous for its white beaches and aquamarine lagoons.
Ambara Island
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Ambara Island is located in Felidhoo Island. Our Vaavu Atoll sightseeing planner makes visiting Ambara Island and other Vaavu Atoll attractions simple and helps you make a travel plan personal to you.
Biyadoo Island
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Biyadhoo Island is located 29 km from Male International Airport and famous for water sport activities such as windsurfing, canoe paddling, snorkeling, scuba diving and Catamaran.
Halaveli Island
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Halaveli Island is a real paradise of the Maldives where the blue sky is as blue as the sea and the white sand of the beach are as white as the clouds in the sky.
Many people think about the Maldives as a dream holiday destination and never turn these dreams into reality because they believe that a Maldives holiday is too expensive. But with little research, we say that you can easily find deals that fit your budget! The differences are huge in service and in price level between the islands, there are 6-star luxury resort islands but fair hotels at affordable prices too. We recommend to set your maximum budget first, find a few hotels you like and start comparing prices on booking sites. It is always worth giving chance to travel agencies’ package prices. They might have good offers on complete (flight+hotel) options.
Maldives is an all-year destination with a hot, humid climate with two seasons. The monsoon season starts in May and ends in October. The rainiest months are June and July. The dry season runs from November to April. The best weather you can except between December and April
Singapore, an island city-state off southern Malaysia, is a global financial center with a tropical climate and multicultural population.
One of the main attractions in Singapore is its cultural diversity. Singapore is also environmentally friendly. The dominant language which is English also helps to boost tourism in the country which is one of the main incomes for the country. The transportation system in the country is also excellent which makes traveling convenient and easy. It is one of the easiest and most comfortable countries to navigate in Southeast Asia. ‘
Marina Bay Sands
Marina Bay Sands is located at Bayfront MRT Station and steps from the lively Central Business District. The opulent Marina Bay Sands resort complex includes a high-end luxury hotel, a mall with a canal running through it, the ArtScience Museum, and the Marina Bay Sands Skypark
Outside of Marina Barrage, Singapore has a number of nature reserves such as Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Singapore is one the second city in the world with the primary rainforest located within the city, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, a mangrove forest that protects a number of migrating birds. The National Parks Board has guided tours by park specialists on selected weekends.
Gardens by the Bay
Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning 101 hectares of reclaimed land in the Central Region of Singapore. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden.
It covers 1.28 hectares and it is the larger of three cooled conservatories. In 2015 broke the Guinness World Record as the World’s Largest Glass Greenhouse. It includes several heritage gardens, an aerial walkway, plant sculptures, and at least ten dining establishments.
Gardens by the Bay is just one of the many initiatives towards a cleaner and greener future.
The Gardens by the Bay also boost the city’s surging tourism industry, which is a big part of the overall Singapore economy.
The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a 160-year-old tropical garden located at the fringe of Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping district and one of three gardens, and the only tropical garden, to be honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Singapore Botanic Gardens’ sprawling grounds are perfect for picnicking, jogging, or escaping the city buzz. 60 acres of land were transformed from a disused plantation into the popular recreational garden you see today. The National Orchid Garden, which boasts the world’s largest orchid display, with over 60,000 plants and orchid plants. The Swan Lake is home to numerous species of aquatic plants and fishes.
Orchard Road is Singapore’s retail heart, with discount outlets, department stores and upscale boutiques, alongside luxury hotels, with over 5,000 establishments offering the ultimate lifestyle experience to tourists and locals alike.
To take a break from shopping and enjoy a bout of artistic immersion, visit the ION Art Gallery. This gallery features a range of international and local exhibitions.
The Singapore Flyer is a giant observation wheel at Downtown Core, Singapore. It opened in 2008, with construction having taken about 2½ years.
Designed by Arup and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with a capacity of up to 7.3 million passengers a year, the normally constant rotation of the wheel means that a complete trip lasts approximately 32 minutes.
The Flyer’s 28 air-conditioned capsules are mounted outboard of the rim of the wheel structure, providing continuously unobstructed views. Wheelchair ramps and lifts, handicapped toilets, and a dedicated parking lot for the disabled are also provided.
In 2014 Straco Leisure Pte. Ltd. announced the acquisition of Singapore Flyer.
Discover Raffles Singapore and enjoy the hotel’s spacious, comfortable rooms. Raffles Hotel is a colonial-style luxury hotel. It was established by Armenian hoteliers in 1887.
A unique dining experience at Raffles Singapore with five restaurants and six bars – including the iconic Long Bar, famous for its Singapore Sling.
Following restoration works in 2019, the hotel now boasts a whole suite of new amenities and a fresh new look.
Chinatown in Singapore is a sharp contrast to the rest of the city, with low rise buildings and culture bursting. The narrow roads includes Chinatown Food Street, with its restaurants serving traditional fare like Hainanese chicken rice, noodles and satay. You can find souvenir shops and indie boutiques in the area, offering clothes, crafts and antiques.
You can spend a whole day exploring from the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum, to a walk down South Bridge Road, and don’t forget to check out Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore.
Sentosa is a sunny island, home to exciting events, themed attractions, award-winning spas, lush rainforests and golden sandy beaches. Here you’ll find one of the largest oceanariums on the planet with more than 100,000 marine animals and the world’s largest wind tunnel for indoor skydiving. The 18-foot-tall acrylic ‘glass walls’—allow you to enjoy panoramic views of the South China Sea and Siloso Beach.
Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay, located within the Singapore River Planning Area and at the fringe of Singapore’s Central Business District.. Clarke Quay is also the name of a road along the quay, part of which has since been converted into a pedestrian mall.
Southeast Asia’s first and only Universal Studios theme park, featuring 24 rides, shows and attractions in seven themed zones. Universal Studios Singapore is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island.
Guests can also immerse in a celebratory atmosphere with the Hollywood Dreams parade, which features amazingly detailed floats, special effects, a custom musical score.
Merlion Park is a famous landmark and a major tourist attraction, located near One Fullerton, near the Central Business District.
The Merlion is a mythical creature with a lion’s head and the body of a fish. The original statue of the Merlion used to stand at the mouth of the Singapore River. Later, the statue was relocated to a new pier specially built on the other side of The Esplanade Bridge adjacent to The Fullerton hotel.
Located along the Singapore River, this museum shows the history of the Asian civilizations. It is one of the pioneering museums in the region to specialize in pan-Asian cultures and civilizations. The museum specializes in the material history of China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia.
You’d find the offices of the Colonial Secretary, Legislative Chamber, and Surveyor-General, all located there.
Want to learn more about Singapore? Check our other posts about Singapore.
Taiping is a charming old tin-mining town in Perak, northern Malaysia, between the strong mountains of Ipoh and the murky seas of Georgetown. This small city is not known as a popular tourist spot, but it contains such a rich history of the country, the first railway, the oldest museum, good food, and scenic views of mountains, lakes, the first zoo, the oldest prison. and centuries-old rain trees.
The name Taiping is made up of two Chinese characters (tai – ‘great’) and (ping – ‘peace’). The area developed quickly in the 19th century when tin was discovered. The discovery of tin deposits in the area attracted settlers from China.
The months of June to August may be more convenient due to the slightly warmer and drier weather.
Taiping Lake Gardens opened in 1880 becoming Malaysia’s first park, built on the site of an old tin mine, its sprawling 62-hectare forest and lake offer a perfect spot for a picnic, chill out or relax. There are plenty of well-maintained tracks around the lake or you can rent a variety of small boats from the Pusat Rekreasi Dayung. There are lots of various plants, iconic rain trees that are dramatically bent downwards towards the lake that makes walking around it a wonderful experience.
Check this video taken from DJI Phantom 3 Profession from Mode Media MY
The Lake Gardens are also popular with cyclists as well as groups of martial artists.
Taiping Zoo
Taiping Zoo is Malaysia’s oldest zoo that houses more than 1,000 animals or 180 species of amphibians, mammals and reptiles. The zoo is located nearby Taiping Lake Gardens. It is also one of the popular things to do in Taiping, and the zoo has active participation in conservation and breeding efforts.
Perak’s oldest church
All Saint’s Church along Taming Sari Street is Perak’s oldest church. It was the first church in the Federated Malay States, founded in 1886. The church features a timber facade and gothic architectural design, with a small adjacent cemetery. Its cemetery is laden with beautifully crafted tombstones of European settlers.
Muzium Perak, otherwise known as the Perak Museum, was the first museum established in Malaysia in 1883. Located at the intersection of Jalan Muzium and Jalan Taming Sari, it sits directly opposite the Taiping Prison.
The 8474 exhibits displayed show Malaysia’s history, zoology, and geology, amongst many other parts of old history that have long been forgotten. Some of the exhibits show the culture and products of the indigenous tribes of Perak, including the Senoi and Negrito tribes.
Explore Taiping for FREE with an electric shuttle bus
After Taiping was established as a Heritage town, the shuttle buses were gifted to Taiping by the Japanese government. Not only are the shuttle buses convenient for tourists to go sightseeing in, the buses are also environmentally friendly. Buses stop in a total of thirty-nine places including Taiping Museum and Taiping Lake Gardens.
Visitors can board the bus along the Taiping Heritage Trail, the Zoo, Clock Tower, or Museum.
Founded in 1884, it is the oldest hill resort in Malaysia. It is approximately 1250 m above sea level. The name Maxwell comes from the first British resident of assistant of Perak. The hill was supposed to be a tea plantation, but the tea plants didn’t grow very well here, so the British planters moved to Cameron Highlands instead.
You can see different types of trees and plants here due to the slightly lower temperatures from the rest of the mainland.
Malaysia’s first railway station was situated in Taiping and was opened in 1885 when the Taiping-Port Weld Railway Line, Malaysia’s first, was opened.
Located about an hour drive away from Ipoh, Taiping Railway Station has been a heritage building in town, in which it acts as part of the history. The station remains in the state as a heritage site and serves as a tourist attraction.
Taiping Railway Station has a gallery explaining the 33 things that happened first in Taiping.
Covering an area of more than 40,000 hectares, Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve is recognized as one of the most well-managed expanse of mangrove swamps in the world. Established in 1902, it is the largest mangrove reserve in Malaysia. Mangrove forests are considered as one of the most productive ecosystems in the world and have a well-established ecological, economic and cultural importance.
The state of Perak has received various international awards for its excellent maintenance of this mangrove.
The Burmese Pool is a large rock pool along a stream at the foothills of Bukit Larut, an especially popular weekend nature attraction among locals.
The area is popular with the locals who come here to bath in the river. Burmese Pool got its name from the natural rock pool fed by a waterfall.
Opened in 2015, by Malaysia’s largest bottled water manufacturer, dedicated Kidz Zone and 18-Hole Mini Golf, an ideal family retreat, the Spritzer EcoPark has a mini-golf course, and a rainforest walk with scenic views of the park. Entry to both the EcoPark and the bottling plant is free.
Watch this video from Malaysia Truly Asia to find out what are the must visit places when you are in Taiping.
Love the content. My husband and I run a diving center in Cyprus. We want to offer something more than diving to our existing customers. Anyone have any ideas? It can’t be coffee.
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Love the content. My husband and I run a diving center in Cyprus. We want to offer something more than diving to our existing customers. Anyone have any ideas? It can’t be coffee.