Maldives
The Maldives with kids: a family holiday on your own island
On the first morning the children are at the water's edge before breakfast, and the lagoon barely reaches their knees. There is no road to watch out for, and the nearest neighbour is the reef.
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In short: the Maldives with kids
The Maldives works well for families because each resort sits on its own island. Children can wander freely between the villa and the beach, and the lagoon is shallow and warm. Choose a resort with a kids' club, ideally one reached by speedboat from the airport. The flight is long, but the time difference is small.
Editor's first choice: Jawakara Islands in Lhaviyani, where we have stayed ourselves. There is a kids' club and a dive centre, and golf and tennis for the adults. Check availability and prices
Why the Maldives suits families
In the Maldives almost every resort has an island to itself, and the resort is the only thing on it. There is no road and no strangers wandering through the garden. For parents, that means children can walk to the kids' club on their own, and the beach is never more than a couple of minutes away.
The islands are small, and you can walk around many of them in a quarter of an hour. Restaurants and the kids' club sit within the same ring of sand. You can forget about taxis and long day trips.
Getting there is another matter. A few direct flights run from London, but most travellers change in Doha, Dubai or Istanbul, and the journey often takes most of a day door to door. In return, jet lag is mild. The Maldives is five hours ahead of the UK in winter and four in summer. After a couple of nights, most children sleep as they do at home.
What the Maldives is like: lagoon, reef and warm water
Each island sits inside a lagoon, a shallow, pale pool of seawater held in place by the reef. Inside the reef there are rarely waves, and the water stays around 28 degrees all year. The youngest paddle at the water's edge. Older children can snorkel out to the house reef, where the water deepens and the fish arrive.
It is summer all year, but the weather follows the monsoon. December to April is driest, while May to November brings more rain in short showers. February half term and Easter fall in the dry season, and October half term sits in the changeover. Our guide to the best time to visit the Maldives covers each month.
Choose your resort by the transfer
With young children, the transfer from the airport is the single most important choice. Resorts in North and South Malé collect you by speedboat, which also runs after dark. You are on your island the same evening you land, whatever time the flight arrives.
Resorts further out are reached by seaplane, which only flies in daylight. Land late and you spend a night in Malé before you get there. Our guide to seaplane or speedboat explains the difference, and the Maldives by atoll helps you pick the right part of the country.
Beach villa or overwater villa with children
The overwater villa is the picture everyone knows, with steps straight down into the lagoon. With small children it is less practical than it looks. The water under the deck is deeper than at the shoreline, and some resorts set age limits for these villas. A beach villa gives you shade, sand outside the door and room to play. Many families split their stay, with most nights on the beach and a couple over the water once the children are old enough.
Worth knowing before you book
All food comes from the island. Half board or all inclusive keeps the budget predictable.
Ask about the age range at the kids' club and whether children stay free in the villa.
Ask about children's menus and babysitting too, if you want an evening to yourselves.
Check whether there is a doctor or nurse on the island. The nearest hospital is in Malé.
Pack reef-safe sun cream and UV swimwear for the children. The sun is fierce this close to the equator.
Seaplane luggage limits are strict, so ask the resort about pushchairs before you pack.
The resorts we recommend for families
Jawakara Islands
The bridge over the house reef ties Mabin and Dheru together.
Jawakara Islands
Picolo has stayed at Jawakara, in a bungalow with its own pool. The kids' club and dive centre are on the same two islands, Mabin and Dheru, joined by a long bridge over the house reef. Parents can play golf or tennis, or book a massage at the spa, while the children are busy. You arrive by seaplane, or by domestic flight and speedboat.
One&Only Reethi Rah
Reethi Rah is large enough for its overwater villas to sit well apart in the lagoon.
One&Only Reethi Rah
Twelve beaches and six kilometres of coastline give everyone room, even in peak season. With a kids' club and an island this size, it is easy for each member of the family to find their own corner of the day. The resort is in North Malé, and the speedboat runs whenever you land.
Dusit Thani Maldives
Dusit Thani has the island to itself, with the reef forming a ring around it.
Dusit Thani Maldives
This round island in Baa Atoll has its house reef just off the beach, so children can snorkel without getting into a boat. From June to November manta rays gather in Hanifaru Bay in the same atoll, a trip for older children who are confident in the water. You get here by seaplane from Malé.
LUX* South Ari Atoll
From the decks at LUX* South Ari you look straight out across the atoll.
LUX* South Ari Atoll
The beach runs the length of the island, and whale sharks stay along the outer reef in South Ari all year. Excursions to find them leave by boat from the resort, and older children who can snorkel get to see the world's largest fish up close. The seaplane transfer takes about half an hour.
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
Conrad's overwater villas stand out in the South Ari lagoon.
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
Conrad has two islands joined by a bridge, and the larger one has beach villas and space for families. Ithaa, the restaurant five metres below the surface, is something children understand without explanation: the fish swim around them while they eat. Check Ithaa's age policy before you book a table.
Our recommendation
Jawakara Islands: room for the whole family
Jawakara Islands is an excellent resort that Picolo warmly recommends, and we have stayed there ourselves. The two islands give a family enough space for everyone to find their own rhythm. The youngest have the kids' club, older children the dive centre, and parents the golf course and the spa. We dived with turtles and dolphins and ate well in the restaurants. Bungalows with their own pool make it easy to retreat in the middle of the day, when the sun is at its highest.
Questions and answers
Is the Maldives good for children?
Yes. The Maldives suits children well because each resort sits on its own island, with no traffic or busy streets. The lagoon is shallow and warm, and many resorts have a kids' club. What takes planning is the long flight and the transfer. Choose a resort reached by speedboat if your children are small, and you avoid an extra night in Malé.
What age can you take children to the Maldives?
There is no set minimum, and families travel with children of every age. With babies and toddlers, a beach villa and a short transfer make life simplest. Kids' clubs have their own age ranges, and some resorts limit overwater villas by age, so check both before you travel. Snorkelling on the house reef suits children who are confident in the water.
Is it safe to swim and snorkel with children in the Maldives?
The lagoon inside the reef is shallow and usually calm, so the youngest can paddle at the water's edge. At the reef edge it gets deep quickly, and there can be currents. Let children snorkel in a buoyancy vest or with an adult, and use the resort's guided snorkelling trips. Pack UV swimwear, because the sun is strong this close to the equator.
How long is the flight to the Maldives?
Direct flights from London to Malé take around ten to eleven hours. Most travellers change in Doha, Dubai or Istanbul, adding a few hours, and the transfer comes on top. The time difference is only four to five hours, so children settle back into their routine quickly once you are home.
When is the best time for a family holiday in the Maldives?
December to April is driest, which suits February half term and Easter. Christmas and New Year are peak season, with the highest prices. October half term may bring more showers, but the water is just as warm and the resorts are quieter. The summer holidays fall in the wet season, though the days often have plenty of sunshine between showers.