Male Hotels

The prospect of the Maldives sinking permanently into the Indian Ocean has prompted current President Mohamed Nasheed to propose some drastic, outside-the-box measures, including financing the purchase of land in Australia, India and Sri Lanka with tourism revenues. President Nasheed’s creative passion and refusal to allow his people to become “climate refugees” without a fight, epitomised by an underwater cabinet session in 2009, has won him numerous international accolades and, for the Maldives, a boost in profile and tourism.

Given all this, now would be a good time to holiday on a resort atoll in the Maldives and, indeed, visit the incomparable capital of Male. From the sky, as you descend toward the floating international airport, the city looks surreal. Buildings press right up against the edges of the tiny, quasi-pentagonal island, practically spilling into the sea. Assuredly, it’s like nothing you’ve seen before. Within Male, vibrant life and a city grid easily navigable on foot in a single afternoon. A few bustling markets, crowded “short eats” stalls and, in the nicer cafes and restaurants, the movers and shakers of Maldivian society, gossiping and perhaps plotting what to do when the water rises evermore.

Male’s Top 10

Male History

• Independence Square – This is a small park with a huge Maldivian flag. This is where all the political demonstrations take place, so there’s a strong police presence.
• Sultan Park and National Museum – This is the last remainder of the Sultan’s palace. This has all the old royal memorabilia including dusty photographs.
• Friday Mosque – This has a unique structure with elaborate Islamic carvings. It dates back to the 1600s.
• National Museum – This is a modern museum with interesting exhibitions of Male history and culture.
• Mulee Aage – This is one of the historic sites of Male. It is a great place for a day trip and photos.

Male Art & Culture

• Islamic Centre – This is the largest mosque in the Maldives, with a huge golden dome.
• Maldives National Defence HQ – This is not exactly a tourist site but definitely a strong presence and reminder of Male’s previous iron-fisted governing forces.
• Museum of Contemporary Art – This is dedicated to exhibiting, interpreting and collecting contemporary art from across Australia and around the world.
• Azmaara Spa – This offers a unique experience in massage and relaxation therapy.
• President’s Residence – This is historically a centre for political activity.

Male Shopping

• Male Market – This is the local market where vendors are eager to make a sale. Best place for souvenirs.
• Fish Market – This is right where the fishing boats dock; the fish here is guaranteed fresh.
• State Trading Organization – Supermarket mostly offering goods from India and Singapore.
• Majeedhee -- The place to go for clothing, electronics and jewellery. Best time to go is in the evening after 7 pm.
• Local Markets – Sell traditional snacks, fish, nuts, smoked fish and dried fish, and also traditional Male thuda kunu mats.

Gay & Lesbian Male

• Islamic Society – Male and the Maldives adhere to Islamic law and as such homosexuality is illegal and punishable by a jail sentence.
• Gay Community – There is a discreet underground gay community in Male.
• Gay Bars – A number of gay bars are also popular hangouts in Male. Be restrained and moderate in public and you’ll be fine.

Male Local

Male crams just over 100,000 people on a precarious parcel of land in the Indian Ocean that barely tops 5.7 km²To put it another way, the island city is about half the size of Richmond Park in London.

As a result, visitors can zigzag the entire breadth of the city, rather unmindfully, in a day. Important thoroughfares include Boduthakurufaanu Magu, which circles the outer boundary of the island. Ameenee Magu and Majeedhee Magu run east-west, each about 1.7 km long, across the entire width of the tiny island. Izzuddeen Magu, Chaandanee Magu and Sosun Magu complete the north-south portion of the Male grid.

Male Eat & Drink

Traditional Maldivian cuisine leans heavily and humbly on the ocean’s bounty, namely tuna. Garudiya is the national dish and consists of a clear fish broth, simply eaten with rice, flatbread or breadfruit. Aside from tuna, ubiquitous ingredients in the Maldivian bowl include coconut, taro and screwpine. “Short eats”, a holdover from Sri Lankan snack culture, figures prominently at city restaurants and lunch counters.

Male Events

The Maldivian events calendar revolves largely around Islamic tradition and custom, with a few national holidays thrown in for good measure.

Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan with three days of prayer and revelry in the capital.

Maldives Independence Day, on July 26, commemorates the official dissolution of the British Protectorate and formation of the country in 1965. A day of mass celebration in Male.

Martyrs’ Day and National Day both commemorate momentous events associated with the archipelago’s violent seizure by a fleet of Portuguese ships in the 16th century.

Huravee Day celebrates the liberation of the Maldives from South Indian forces in the mid-18th century.

Victoru Day, on November 3, commemorates the failure of a violent insurrection and coup in 1988.

The Maldives Breakout Festival, held in mid-October, is a paragon showcase of new musical talent in the country.

When To Go

Male and the Maldives have a tropical wet and dry climate, with two distinct seaons. The long wet season lasts from May to December, throughout which the vast majority of the city’s annual precipitation (1,600 mm on average) falls. The month of June receives upwards of 300 mm of rain alone.

Annual temperatures in the Maldives capital remain predictably stable between 73°F (23°C) and 88°F (31°C) for the year. There is miniscule variation in temperature from one month to the next. This obviously plays a huge part in the archipelago’s incessant appeal with international tourists.

What To Miss

Male is that rarest of tropical islands that is completely chockablock with urban congestion and devoid, entirely, of palm trees and sand. In this regard the capital of the Maldives cleaves prospective travellers into two groups. Those that stick around do so for the inherent curiousity factor - how can this wee island subsist and bustle so mightily? - and complete immersion in the cultural, social and political ins and outs of the diminutive archipelago nation.

Those that jet off to atoll resorts, however, do so because ultimately, there is not much to see and do in Male for the average visitor. The city functions as the political and economic nerve centre of the Maldives but on the whole, is little more than a springboard to the tourist islets that dot the archipelago. The incessant departures of sea planes, speedboats and private yachts from the international airport tells the story.

Getting Around

Male International Airport floats next to Male as part of Hulhule island. The runway and airport support apparatus occupy the entire island. The vast majority of visitors to the Maldives pass through Male International, though tiny Gan Airport in Addu Atoll is now up to international standards and currently welcomes a regular flight from Hong Kong. Male International serves destinations like London-Gatwick, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Fiumicino, Colombo, Dubai, Moscow-Sheremetyevo and Singapore.

From the airport, speedboats and sea planes ferry tourists to various resort atolls up and down the archipelago. It takes a mere 15-20 minutes by public ferry to get to Male from Hulhule.

Once in Male proper, you can easily walk the city in no time. If in a hurry, taxis will be more than happy to transport you through the city streets for a small fee. Bicycle rentals abound and offer a more leisurely way to see the national capital.

General Information

Attractions

Activities

Restaurants

Nightlife

Climate