Bandos is one of the original Maldivian resorts, and as soon as you arrive by speedboat it’s obvious why this location was chosen as a key tourist resort. The reef is one of the best in the North Malé atoll, with over 40 different dive locations further afield. The island has perfect white sandy beaches and an abundance of tropical vegetation. The hotel provides a complete holiday experience, and is ideal for both families and couples. Facilities include a sports complex, a PADI Dive Centre with its own decompression chamber and a huge range of available watersports.

Spa

Rejuvenate your body and mind while enjoying a perfect holiday in Bandos, through a splendid spa treatment at Anggerik Spa. The private villas and cabanas at our spa offer intimacy and privacy.

The Eastern architecture is just a glimpse into the time-honoured Asian therapies. From facial treatments that revitalize the skin, to ancient Balinese therapies, Anggerik Spa provides a healing experience for all. An exclusive spa package for couples offers a romantic spa journey while children relish the Junior Spa treatments for young guests. Our experienced and skilled therapists ensure a healing, soothing and charming spa experience.

Dive

It would not be an exaggeration to claim that Bandos has the best dive centre in the entire country. Dive Bandos is one of the longest established centres in the country and our professional staff will ensure that you experience the lush underwater gardens, colourful fishes and magnificent seascapes in total safety. The Dive Centre is a spacious facility complete with air-conditioned audio visual classrooms, library, hot water showers and spacious storage rooms. Located nearby is the Sundowners Bar for your relaxation after an invigorating dive. It goes without saying that the equipment we employ is the best and features internationally reputed brands such as Mares, Scubapro, Aqua Lung, Dive Rite and Suunto, to name but a few. It should also comfort our customers to know that we have an in-house service shop to ensure that all our equipment is up to standards.
Dive Bandos has a fleet of up to 4 modern, spacious fibre glass dhonis, all equipped with life vests, first aid equipment, DAN Oxygen Kits and radio to enable communication with the Dive Centre and the island. The experienced and well-trained boat crew are always ready to help you in any way they can. All our staff are regularly trained in emergency first aid techniques.

Paradise Club

For those guests who seek a more professional path to keeping fit or even relaxing, the sports complex at Bandos, Paradise Club is the answer to keeping fit both physically and mentally. Our gymnasium, equipped with state of the art equipment and staffed by qualified friendly instructors, is open to all our guests free of charge. Come on in and enjoy a free aerobics session with our instructors, or indulge in a game of badminton, beach volleyball or tennis in our flood-lit courts. The club even has its own swimming pool.

For those wishing to take it a bit easier we have billiards facilities. One can also lounge about in our TV room where we feature major news, sports and entertainment channels. Also featured are table tennis and board games.

Watersports

In a country that is more water than land, the possibilities for fun-filled activities in the water are almost inexhaustible. Whether it is the turquoise of the lagoon, or the azure blue of the rich coral reefs, or even the darker blue of the ocean, the waters surrounding Bandos will certainly yield some recreational value for our guests.

The water sports centre at Bandos is staffed with professionals who are highly skilled in their craft and are fluent in English, Japanese and German. Some of our most preferred activities include snorkelling, windsurfing, catamaran sailing, water skiing, parasailing, banana boat riding, wakeboard, knee board, fun tubes and canoeing. What’s important to note here is that this is not an exhaustive list and the possibilities are most certainly unlimited. The Water Sports Centre here at Bandos also offers top notch catamaran and windsurfing facilities, while boasting of quality equipment such as Hifly, North-Sails and Topcats.

We can also organise snorkelling trips to our house reef where, surrounded by the beauty of brightly-coloured coral formations and other underwater flora, you will have the opportunity to mingle with multi-coloured tropical fish.

Kids Club

At Bandos we think of making your holiday as hassle free as possible, and for those families travelling with young children the Child Care Centre and Kids Club will prove to be a blessing. Now you can enjoy your holiday comfortable in the knowledge that your children are in the capable care of our professional child minders and baby sitters.

The facilities are free of charge and the staff of Kids Club provides baby-sitting services free of charge, for children between 1 to 12 years, between 0900hrs to 1700hrs, although a small charge is levied after 1700hrs. The Kids Club is equipped with a nursery full of toys and a large playground outside so that even your children would be guaranteed an enjoyable holiday experience.

Excursions

To make your holidays enjoyable at Bandos Island Resort and Spa, and to help you discover the magic of Maldives, We have designed an exciting range of excursions

Some of these include Island Hopping; Mal’e Shopping;night fishing with Kuda Bandos Barbeque;and the Sunset Dolphin Cruise. All our excursions are carefully selected for specific days of the week, tailored to guest travel patterns and other external factors.

About the Maldives

The Maldives are an archipelago of a multitude of small islands scattered over a wide expanse of the Indian Ocean. The islands are situated in proximity to the Equator and in recent decades have gained worldwide renown as a pristine tropical haven for holidaymakers from around the world. The local people of the Maldives are descended from settlers from India and Sri Lanka and speak Dhivehi. The predominant religion is Islam.
Islamic guidelines prohibit alcohol, pork, dogs and the public practice of other religions on the major islands; however these rules do not apply in the resort islands. The weekend falls on Friday and Saturday in the Maldives. A 30 day visa is provided free of charge if you have a genuine travel document, evidence of adequate funds and an outbound air ticket. Transport within the islands is by motor boat, helicopter or seaplane.

The culture of the Maldives is an amalgamation of South Indian, Arab and Sinhalese influences. Since almost all Maldivians are Sunni Muslims, day to day life in the islands follow Islamic precepts; therefore pork, alcohol, dogs and the public display of other religions are prohibited on the inhabited islands. When visiting mosques appropriate modest clothing should be worn. However these restrictions do not apply to the resort islands, allowing tourists to act as they would like.

Weekends in the Maldives falls on Friday and Saturday, which means that government offices, banks and many stores are closed on these days. Again there is little effect on the operation of the resorts except that the lunchtimes on Fridays may be adjusted to allow for prayers.

The Maldives have a very simple visa policy; everyone receives a 30 day visa free of charge upon arrival as long as you have a proper travel document, evidence of adequate funds (ie. a reservation in a resort or cash of at least US$25 per day) and an outbound air ticket.

For transport in the Maldives the options available are motor boat, seaplanes or helicopters and private yachts. Motor boats come in many shapes and forms including the local wooden dhoni craft.

Resorts by law require payment in hard currency. All resorts feature at least one restaurant, serving the cuisine expected by customers. Local Maldivian food typically features fish, and resembles South Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine.}

Weather

The Maldives is blessed with a wonderful sunny climate during the greater part of the year. For the extent of the drier season the visitor will be able to experience eight to nine sunshine hours each day. Avid sunbathers will find the Maldivian climate to be delightful, with temperatures averaging about 30 C.

Rainfall is experienced during the southwest monsoon which occurs from June to August. Forceful weather conditions seldom occur in the Maldives and are of very short duration.

The Maldives offer the water sport enthusiast with an array of options from swimming and snorkelling to scuba diving, surfing, sailing, parasailing, waterskiing, catamaran sailing, fishing, angling and dolphin watching.

There are several attractions of note which will draw the attention of every visitor to the island nation. These include the Grand Friday Mosque, the Male National Museum, the President’s Palace, Republic Square and the unforgettable Male Fish Market.

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