Glittering in the turquoise Indian Ocean are over one thousand tiny coral islands scattered in the range of coral atolls that form the Republic of the Maldives. The epitome of an island castaway, these islands have the most beautiful ice-white beaches, and coral reefs. The fantastic marine life and water sports make the Maldives the most amazing destination for your 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 of the most excellent dive sites in North Mal Atoll and the Maldives in particular. It is within easy reach of shipwrecks to explore, and is renowned in the diving world for its diverse range of marine life that are common and easy to see here, including white tip sharks, barracuda, and colourful reef fish. Bandos is also blessed with some excellent coral reef surf for the sport watersports enthusiasts amongst you.

The resort of Bandos is officially a 4-star and is currently equipped with 84 standard rooms on the beach front and an additional 19 that are slightly set back. The standard rooms alternate between double and twin bed layout to provide for families, some having ajoining doors which can be locked if you are not sharing ajoining rooms with family or friends.They are nicely furnished with tiled floors and balconies, but you might consider the bathrooms to be on the slightly smaller side. Some of these rooms face westwards into the sunset and are also blessed with one of the best sections of beach.

The Junior suites are nicely decorated and I was lucky enough to stay in one of these during my recent visit. For people with small children I would just point out that at high tide the beach in this area of the island is pretty much completely submerged. The Beach water villas are two-storey, with an upstairs bedroom and a sea balcony. These buildings have been carefully and tastefully done to give you that superior feel, with the bathrooms half inside and half outside, complete with thatched jacuzzi.

The resort has made a huge effort to accommodate families, with purpose-built childcare facilities and friendly female staff on hand to look after the children.

The Bandos resort accommodates visitors getting married with the “Kuda Bandos Sunset Wedding” which features a taste of traditional island ceremony, a sunset boat ride, unique cultural costumes, Maldivian drums and traditional style and ceremony. The ceremony is held on the beach of one of the uninhabited islands in the atoll – Kuda Bandos – and is followed by a private cruise for the newlyweds on a Dhoni (Maldivian boat). Later, the newlyweds can enjoy a romantic private dinner set on the beach of Kuda Bandos.

Jonathan is an enthusiastic diver and travels frequently to the Maldives to write articles on diving and about the Maldives in general. You can find more information about the Maldives at the Maldives Holiday Packages guide and about the superb diving island resort of Bandos Island Resort in particular.