Not just for honeymoons: can the Maldives rebrand as a group trip destination?

Up until very recently, the only people I knew who’d been to the Maldives were my just-married friends. For a week straight, their Instagram stories were infiltrated by intimate dates in underwater restaurants, couple’s massages overlooking the ocean, petals artistically arranged on bedspreads. By all accounts, they were in honeymoon heaven – and you know what? As they should! It’s the Maldives we’re talking about here, a destination so closely associated with romance and luxury that a number of resorts won’t even allow you in if you’re not travelling as a two.

For most, a holiday to the Asian archipelago is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. But, if recent trends are anything to go by, it’s not just honeymooners taking these types of blow-out trips. ‘Go-ccasions’ – travelling abroad to celebrate anything from quitting a job to a milestone birthday – are set to become a big travel trend this year, according to research from Expedia. One in four survey respondents said they were looking for ‘any excuse’ to get away with their loved ones, while a third of travellers plan to take more trips with family and friends in 2024. 

There’s also been an uptick in ‘buddymoons’, according to wedding website Hitched, where newly-weds are inviting friends and family to join them on their big post-wedding trip. A lot of it comes down to making up for lost time with loved ones over the pandemic, during which thousands of weddings were postponed and cancelled. 

So it looks like luxury destinations like the Maldives are starting to cater to this new consumer demand. But what does a group trip to the Maldives look like? I recently visited OBLU Xperience Ailafushi, a new all-inclusive resort designed for groups rather than, exclusively, couples.

The resort offers the classic Maldivian experience (overwater bungalows, snorkelling and diving excursions, beachfront dining – you get the picture) at slightly more affordable prices. At the time of writing, a weeklong package trip for three people departing in April, including return flights from the UK, transfers, spa treatments, food and drink, accommodation and select excursions, would cost £252 per person, per night with Kenwood Travel. 

For some, that price range is still off the cards – but for others? Not bad for a week in paradise. Of course, it’s worth noting that if you really want to visit the Maldives on a budget, you’re best off staying in guest houses on local islands, where accommodation can cost as little as £10 a night. But for a big, blow-out trip with your friends? You can’t go wrong with a mid-market option like Ailafushi. With family villas and an on-site kids club, it’s a good pick for families, too.

Now, you won’t be able to completely escape the newlyweds – this is the Maldives, after all – but, having popped over to the hotel’s very romantic sister resort OBLU Select Sangeli, there’s a decidedly more carefree vibe to the place. We went snorkelling, had photoshoots on white sandbanks, did karaoke, sank questionable cocktails in the all-inclusive bar… it was basically a really fancy version of my girls’ holiday to Zante in 2011. 

Okay, it was pretty different to Zante – but with the era of traipsing a neon-lit nightlife strip firmly in my past, it felt like the kind of trip I should be taking at this age. I was eating good food, doing fun activities, even learning about coral reef conservation from a marine biologist.

We weren’t exactly meeting and mingling with other groups, if that’s what you’re looking for. As I said, there were still a lot of couples, and groups tended to stick to each other. But if you want a big occasion celebration with a tight-knit group and you’ve grown out of party holidays? Perhaps you’re in your 30s or 40s with a disposable income? All you need is R&R and an all-inclusive bar? Trust me: the Maldives isn’t only for honeymooners. Now to convince the group chat… 

Time Out travelled as guests of OBLU Resorts. Our reviews and recommendations have been editorially independent since 1968. For more, see our editorial guidelines.

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