The Maldives and the Seychelles are very popular among tourists islands, suitable for a serene warm holiday. Rest by the sea, warm sand, sea breeze, romantic sunsets. What could be more beautiful? That is why both island states are often in demand among newlyweds, spouses and just couples in love.
Let's consider in the article what to choose: Maldives or Seychelles, where it is best to go on vacation. As well as the pros and cons of the resorts of the two states separately.
Description of Maldives
The Republic of Maldives is a state in South Asia in the Indian Ocean, located south of India. There are only half a million people who profess Islam. The capital and largest city is Male. The peculiarity of the islands lies in their beauty and incredibly blue lagoons. That is why tourism flourishes here.
Description of Seychelles
Where are the Seychelles (or, in other words, the Republic of Seychelles)? It is a state in East Africa. But, like the Maldives, it is located in the Indian Ocean, in its western part, one and a half thousand kilometers from Africa and not far from Madagascar.
Seychelles has 115 islands! However, people live on only 33 of them. The capital is the city of Victoria on the island of Mahe. And the population is only 90-100 thousand people.
The islands are mainly coral and granite.
Climate and beach seasons
The climate, as a rule, in both states is very gentle, warm and favorable. In the best months, the temperature of the thermometer is around +25 ... 30 ° C. The time without rains is also called the dry season. In the Maldives, the tourist season is in the winter, it starts in November and ends in April. It rains in the Seychelles at this time. It is worth noting that such periods here pass quite softly, without heavy rains, without floods.
But in the summer, on the contrary, the Seychelles has a beach season, which lasts from May to November. It rains here from October to April-May. Showers are usually mild, on average an hour.
But it is worth highlighting some of the advantages of relaxing in the "off season". In both countries, regardless of the time of year, the weather is generally warm. There are fewer tourists in low seasons, and tours can be cheaper.
Beaches
Of course, any tourist who travels to the Maldives or Seychelles does this in part from overseas. The beaches of the Maldives are very similar to each other: everywhere there are beautiful blue lagoons and white delicate sand.
Seychelles is an abundance and a wide selection of diverse beaches: from shallow, calm and neat to very wild, with rocks and large waves.
But everywhere is usually very clean, often cleaned, there are deck chairs. The sand is usually small, pleasant to walk barefoot.
Hotels
In the Maldives, almost every hotel is located on its own island, very close to the beach. As a rule, you can live in rooms or in your own separate house - a bungalow or villa. There are many five-star and four-star hotels with an all-inclusive system, however there are three-, two-star hotels where there is no All inclusive and spa treatments, but this does not hurt to enjoy a wonderful vacation. Each island of this state has a similar view, only hotels differ.
The cheapest and simplest Maldivian hotels can cost from 15-20 thousand rubles for seven days for a double room, three-star hotels - from 30-40 thousand rubles per week. Four-star - from 70 thousand. The most expensive are five-star hotels with an all-inclusive system, sometimes the price for a week is more than 200,000 rubles, but, as a rule, these are whole large bungalows or villas, which can have several bedrooms and beds. Sometimes this price is reasonable if you go, for example, as a family.
Seychelles also has many good hotels with good service. The choice of location is diverse. There are hotels by the sea, there are in the mountains or in the outback, away from the water. You can also choose a room more expensive or cheaper, with or without your own kitchen, a completely wild lonely bungalow by the sea or a five-star hotel. The choice is very large. Prices also vary greatly, but a cheap hotel is easier to find because there are more. However, the price of three-star hotels usually starts at 30 or more thousand per week. The islands where the hotels are located are usually larger than the average islands of the Maldives, so there may be several establishments. Also, the islands are much more diverse in appearance.
As a rule, in the Maldives and the Seychelles there are hotels on the water, the rooms of which have a transparent floor. There you can watch tropical fish and algae live, enjoy this beautiful view.
Entertainment and infrastructure
The Maldives and the Seychelles are completely different in their entertainment. Maldives is ideal for an all-inclusive holiday. Here you can relax to the fullest: swim every day, relax on a gentle sand, attend spa treatments, massage, enjoy delicious food. You can still go diving. However, here you are unlikely to find a very active vacation. In addition, the Maldives is not suitable for people who like to travel savages and save as much as possible without spending money on expensive hotels. The fact is that there are many islands, and many of them belong to certain hotels.
There is a capital - the city of Male, but here everything is completely different from the fabulous resorts of this state, because the state itself is quite small and the population is small. The plus is that prices can be low if you spend the night in a hostel / inexpensive hotel and eat regular food bought on the street or in stores. There are places to visit. For example, Muslim mosques, a national museum, as well as a botanical park, where there is an abundance of tropical plants: various orchids, palm trees and much more.
Seychelles is just a godsend for outdoor enthusiasts. Many excursions, there are also diving, boating, walks in the woods and hills and much more. When the Seychelles were discovered, they began to be actively built up, so there are a few more interesting places. In the Seychelles capital, the city of Mahe, there is where to go: museums, exhibitions, galleries, churches, temples, casinos, numerous monuments, gardens, parks.
In general, rest in both states is very good. Maldives - for a relaxing beach holiday, Seychelles - for more active.
Transport
As it turned out, the Maldives and the Seychelles are completely different from each other. The infrastructure is also unlike. Maldives usually offer beach holidays on the territory of a luxury hotel, that is, on the island. Traveling between the islands is not popular - you will not see anything new there. Just a different hotel, beach and sand. But in the capital, the city of Male, you can travel.
But in Seychelles, transport between the islands is very developed. On each island you can find snack bars or small hotels and something interesting, specially open for tourists from all over the world. It is also much easier to travel "savages", often changing their location and spending the night every day in different places / islands.
Prices
What is more expensive: Seychelles or Maldives? There is no definite answer. The situation with the Maldives can be simpler, since you can buy a comprehensive tour and it will immediately be clear how much it costs. During the rest there will be no more waste. Of course, there may be high prices for tours to the Maldives. All-inclusive and five-star hotel sharply raise the cost of leisure. However, you should not take a tour completely without food, you need at least breakfast at the hotel. In the Maldives, buying food separately can be more expensive than eating on a paid package.
In the Seychelles, people tend to spend time actively. Traveling somewhere, excursions also cost money. But at a hotel here, as a rule, you can save.
How to get there
The Maldives are much closer to Russia than the Seychelles. The islands are located just south of India. But the Seychelles - east of Africa. Therefore, it’s easier to get to the Maldives from Russia and sometimes a little cheaper than to the Seychelles. The reason is also that there are direct flights from Moscow. A one-way ticket costs an average of 17-30 thousand rubles. Upon arrival in Male, then you just need to get to the desired island and that's it. In addition, the Russians here do not need a visa if the stay is not more than 30 days.
But in order to fly to Seychelles, where the airport is located in the capital Mahe, you need to make a transplant upon arrival from Moscow. Usually they are made in the city of Dubai in the UAE or Doha in Qatar. A one-way ticket with or without a transfer costs at least 20 thousand rubles. And only after that get to the right place in the Seychelles. A visa is also not required here, however, you may need a certain package of documents.
Instead of a conclusion
So, we examined the differences between the Maldives and the Seychelles. Definitely it is impossible to say which is better. Both states are great places to relax. We single out the pluses individually.
You should go to the Maldives if:
- You want to relax peacefully, spending time mainly on the territory of the island of the hotel;
- love to relax on the beach, swim and lie in the sun;
- want to go diving;
- Do not plan to visit other places;
- if you want to relax from November to April - this is the most velvet season in the Maldives;
- Love spa treatments
- want to live on the seashore;
- want to save a little on the flight.
You should go to Seychelles if you:
- love outdoor activities;
- love excursions, trips to different islands;
- planning a vacation from May to November;
- love a beach holiday - then the Seychelles, where there are different beaches, are also suitable;
- You want to have a choice of the place where the hotel will be, because the islands are completely different;
- love rocky terrain and rich vegetation;
- plan to live in a very inexpensive hotel.
Here are almost all the benefits of relaxing in each of the states. There is something for everyone.