Fashion Editor Harriet Davey’s Guide to the Maldives: What to Eat, Where to Stay and What to Pack Leave a comment
Welcome to Out of Office… Who What Wear UK’s chic travel guide that provides you with the most stylish take on any given destination by tapping creatives who know where to stay, what to eat and, more importantly, which items to pack. This month, Who What Wear UK Contributor Harriet Davey shares her tips for a luxury trip to the Maldives.
Everyone knows the Maldives is a bucket list destination, and it was only once I saw it with my own eyes, I fully realised why. Heaven on earth, it’s one of those places that actually doesn’t feel real to look at, and it far exceeds any picture I’ve ever seen online. With the bluest sea and the whitest sand I’ve ever experienced, whether intentional or not, I will now compare each and every trip to this one—because yes, it really is that beautiful. So let’s get into where, when and why I visited the Maldives.
While there’s actually around 1,190 islands islands in the Maldives (I had no idea about this until I started researching), roughly 200 are lived on by locals and only 100 have been made into resort destinations for tourists to visit. And with each resort taking over an entire island, you basically have to pick which one based on the type of Maldives trip you want. Which is weird to say, because before going, I only ever thought of it as a destination for those who are getting engaged, honeymooners and super relaxed couples trips. But there’s definitely a more lively, active side to the Maldives as well as being perfect for girls trips and families, too.
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I went in September 2025 during off-peak season, and contrary to popular belief, it didn’t rain. In fact, it only rained for about 10 minutes one of the days, so you don’t have to plan your trip around ‘dry season’. I stayed at both Nova and Kandima (I’ll get into these, next) and on two different islands, I loved them both for completely different reasons and would go back in a heart beat. Here’s my guide on where to stay, eat and what to do in paradise.
1. Where To Stay
I stayed at two different resorts while in the Maldives, Nova and Kandima, and I would fully recommend both. While I hope to visit many more islands in the Maldives at some point, this is my guide to the two I had the pleasure of staying on.
Boarding the sea plane from Malé to South Ari Atoll (the southern part of the Maldives) to go to Nova is something I’ll never forget. There’s around 10 seats per mini plane, your luggage is all loaded at the back where you can see it and our pilot (who you’re basically sitting with) casually flew bare foot. The breathtaking views are just that, and seeing my 6′ 4″ boyfriend on the tiniest plane was also part of the experience that I’ll never forget! As soon as we landed, the staff were there waving to us as though we were long lost friends—the most welcoming hotel experience I’ve ever had.
As one of the smaller, more boutique resorts, there’s 51 beachfront rooms and 25 overwater villas to choose from—we were lucky enough to have a water villa with a hot tub. Being able to wake up and jump in the sea or swim up to the beach bar to grab a cocktail in the afternoon was a highlight. And with the full island being walkable in around 10 minutes, it’s the most peaceful place where my crazy London heart rate instantly dropped.
Hopping on another sea plane to Kandimi (it was around a 50 minute trip between these two islands), with Maldivian’s being so welcoming, we got the same amazing greeting with hot scented towels and smiling faces on arrival. With two miles of white sandy beaches, Kandima is a lot bigger resort on the central-southwest side of the Maldives.
There’s around 270 rooms—including water villas, beach villas and studios that can host a lot bigger groups. We got to stay in another water villa and my favourite part of each day was hopping on a bike (these were waiting by our door on arrival) and cycling down the wooden path taking in the views and making our way down to breakfast. My usual London commute will never be the same again!
2. What to Pack
Something to note befre flying is that the weight limit for the sea planes—that you’ll most likely have to get once you land at Malé, the main airport in the Maldives—are less than your airline. While my main flight allowance was 23kg, the tiny planes are 20kg checked-in and 5kg hand luggage. As someone who over packs, I didn’t have any more hand luggage room to spread out, so I was charged for the additional weight—something I didn’t need to do as my eight pairs of heels I bought with me definitely weren’t needed.
When it comes to knowing what to pack, I would suggest a mix of casual and dressy outfits. Most restaurants are buffet style so people tend to wear their day clothes, however, for the restaurants you can book, these are your opportunity to put on your best outfits. I rented some dresses from Hurr, packed far too many silly little bags and went OTT on jewellery. The thing is, though, as someone who takes every opportunity to overdress, of course I tottered down each night in the heels I packed—I had to make the most of them after getting charged to bring them, didn’t I?
We spent most days in and out of the water so overpack when it comes to swimwear, make sure to bring clothes that you can cover up in on excursions (I had lots of linen shirts to make sure I didn’t get burnt) and of course every angle is a picture opportunity, so don’t underestimate how much you’ll actually want to put on a nice day dress or co-ord to be ready for all the “can you take a picture of me on this beach?” spots.
16Arlington
Minelli Midi Dress
This is the exact 16Arlington dress I rented from Hurr, so you can, too.
I take these YSSO earrings on every trip—they’re the easiest way to make any outfit feel fancy.
There’s something about a halterneck that always brings the holiday vibe—my brown top is sold out at Zara but H&M has a similar style.
Selfridges
Cabo Verde Plaque-Embellished Bikini Top
I never go abroad without Away That Day swimwear.
I find all my day shirts from the men’s sections and this one is on my wish list.
Although I packed far too many shoes, I basically spent the entire trip in flip flops.
Dragon Diffusion
Dragon Diffusion Santa Croce Big Woven Leather Bag in Natural
A big bag is perfect for stuffing everything in when you go on excursions—or when you plan on not moving from the beach all day, like me.
Nobody’s Child
White Square Neck Esme Mini Dress
Honeymoon or not, I feel like you have to wear white at some point in the Maldives.
3. Where to Eat
Nova
At Nova, there’s three restaurants and two bars (Wink, where we spent many nights listening to bands and sipping cocktails) and Solis (the beach bar that I swam up to daily).
This is the all-day restaurant along the beach front where you’ll go for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m often not a fan of all inclusive buffets but with an omelette bar, noodles cooked fresh and so many different options, I never got bored. Maldivian food includes a lot of tuna, coconut and spices so make sure to try the daily curries and local food.
The à la carte restaurant has to be booked and I’m so glad we tried it out, twice. The ribs and salads are delicious and it’s also where couples would go to have that Insta-ready romantic Maldives beach setting candle lit dinner for two.
Set in the middle of the Indian ocean, my first teppanyaki experience at Mizu was something I’ll be telling the grandkids about. Surrounded by white tip sharks (they’re friendly), the little restaurant only seats a hand full of guest so it’s an intimate dining experience. We were lucky enough to have a private booking, so it was so amazing to have each dish prepared in front of us for date night. From the sushi and fresh seafood to the noodles, the food was some of the best I’ve ever had.
Kandima
As a much bigger resort, Kandima has 10 restaurants and bars. You’ll want to head to Breeze Bar for the DJs each night, Forbidden bar to let the mixologists whip you up one of the specials and the beach club or main bar is where you’ll go for drinks throughout the day.
The all-day buffet restaurant is huge. Sat near the beach, pool and the lagoon, you can head there throughout the day to have the chefs make you some fresh pasta, pancakes or stir fry or head to the poke bowl bar to create your own meal. Again, another buffet that I could never get bored of, it’s also perfect for families as there’s a kids’ food station, too.
The Mediterranean restaurant along the beach is open for lunch and dinner and it’s definitely one you can get dressed up for. With steaks, seafood and pasta, it’s one of those restaurants where’s there’s too much to choose from.
If you like seafood with a view (you can sit outside on the rooftop overlooking the sea) then you’ll want to book in at Sea Dragon to pick your freshly-caught fish from the tanks. For those who aren’t a fan (hi) then I can confirm the homemade gyoza and Thai chicken curry are incredible. To start, we headed next door to Forbidden Bar where we took advantage of the small plate and cocktail pairings—wasabi cocktails are my new fave.
Another restaurant set on the white sandy beach is Smoked. For all things grilled, this is where you’ll want to book. The BBQ chicken, rib eye steak with grilled veg was a highlight and we got to experience the candlelit heart shaped dinner for two—proof you can do this without being on your honeymoon!
I was surprised to find a café at Kandima but I love how you can pick up a coffee, cake and snacks on the way to the beach or before a trip to see the turtles. This is also where we had a one-to-one art class overlooking the lake and it was the most relaxing afternoon.
4. Where to Shop
Let’s face it, if you’re wanting a shopping holiday, you’re not going to choose the Maldives. It feels like a crime to be in a shop with all the sun, sea and sand on offer but if you do fancy popping into get some gifts, there’s souvenir shops at Nova and Kandima. I visited all of them to see the locally made homeware (I bought some checkered coasters), the swimwear and accessories and to of course pick up the fridge magnet my grandma looks forward to receiving after every trip I go on.
5. What to Do
A lot of people think the Maldives is where you go to be horizontal on the beach, and while you can of course spend each day sunbathing with minimal movement, I was surprised by how active it actually can be.
Nova
My initial reason for visiting Nova was to try out the wellness retreat hosted by yoga teacher Yasmina Cherquaoui.With sunrise and sunset yoga classes along with nutrition workshops and sound baths, I would 100% go again this year. And even if you’re not on a retreat, you can book into different classes or have a massage at the spa (there’s a glass bottom view to the sea). The main things to do, though, are water based. My main recommendation would be to go on the manta ray excursion. The guide called them the ‘birds of the sea’ and this instantly put me at ease being in the water with these giant creatures—and I can honestly say it was an experience I’ll never ever forget. You can also go on turtle and dolphin watching trips, take out a clear kayak (again, highly recommend this) or simply hire a snorkel and go and find some Dory fish or sharks. Prefer to chill? Set up camp by the pool, bring a book and watch the hermit crabs walk along the beach.
Kandima
The more lively of the two resorts, this is the one to come to if you can’t sit still on holiday. With the only go karting track in the Maldives, you have to try it out—and no, I didn’t win, but it’s the taking part that counts. There’s also everything from paddle boarding, parasailing, surfing and jet skiing and again, you can also just grab a snorkel and go on your own adventure. I don’t have kids, but if you do, this is the more family-friendly resort with Kandiland water park along with an arcade with escape rooms, bowling and a film screening area.
We also had a private art class at Kula with champagne, the best couples massage at the esKape spa and a yoga class at sunrise on the beach. Every single activity is memorable and my only issue with Kandima is that there’s far too many fun activities to try, so I need to go back ASAP!
