Maldives Entertainment

Malé, the capital, has a few good restaurants that serve local and international food. On resort islands, there are between one and ten restaurants, usually depending on the resort's size. Note that all restaurants on resort islands are run by the resort - there is no access to private enterprise. Cuisine is international, with all food other than seafood imported. There are no bars, except in the resorts, where there is a good range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks available, often at extremely high prices.

Things to know: All bars are situated on resort island (no alcohol is available on Malé, though it is available on the nearby Airport island). Locals do not drink at all.

National specialities:
• Seafood such as tuna, grouper, octopus, jobfish and swordfish is widely available.
• Kavaabu (deep-fried snacks made from rice, tuna, coconut, lentils and spices).
• Curries, such as chicken or beef, are widely available. Curry leaves are added to a lot of Maldivian dishes.

National drinks:
• Sai (tea; a Maldivian favourite).
• Raa (toddy tapped from palm trees, sometimes left to ferment and thus slightly alcoholic - the closest any Maldivian gets to alcohol).

Tipping: Service charges are invariably added onto all chargeable services in resorts. Extra tipping is not expected, though cash tips (US$1 per bag) for porters is appreciated.

There is little or no organised nightlife, although most resorts have informal discos around the bar areas, sometimes featuring live bands playing either traditional or Western music. Beach parties and barbecues are also popular. On some evenings, many resorts have cultural shows and some show films.

Many different types of traditional national dancing and singing may be enjoyed across the islands.

Lacquered wooden boxes are the most distinctive Maldivian handicrafts, and are most famously produced in Thulhaadhoo in Baa Atoll. The craft involves the process of shaping and hollowing out pieces of wood from endemic trees to form intricately crafted boxes, containers and ornamental objects. Beautiful reed mats are woven throughout the country, the most famous of which are those that are woven by the women of Gadhdhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll. Ranging from placemats to full-size single mattress mats, they are hand-decorated with intricate abstract designs.

In Malé, most souvenir shops line the northern end of Chaandanee Magu, earlier known as the Singapore Bazaar for its many imports from Singapore. The local market offers stalls with a variety of local produce, mainly from the atolls, such as different kinds of local vegetables, fruits and yams, packets of sweetmeat, nuts and breadfruit chips, bottles of homemade sweets and pickles, and bunches of bananas hanging on coir ropes from ceiling beams.

Note: There are strict prohibitions against the export of coral and turtle- or tortoiseshell.

Shopping hours: Sat-Thurs 0830-2300, Fri 1330-2300. Shops officially shut for 15 minutes five times a day in deference to Muslim prayer times; however, this rule is not always strictly adhered to in the tourist areas away from the capital.