So, with the desire to snorkel in the tropics, the Maldives became the natural choice.  They are probably the world's best and most diverse coral reefs, and there is something ultimately charming about small islands that are no more than 6 foot above sea level, and are fringed in pristine white coral sand and coconut palms.  It must be the Robinson Crusoe effect!

Choosing an Island
Even for a holiday confined to one small island for a week, some research is necessary to select the island.  Indeed, perhaps because the holiday is to be confined to a small island, it is important to select that island to meet the requirements.  For us, the requirements were easily listed:  top quality accessible coral reef, quiet and small island, and reasonable price. With snorkelling as a prime objective for the holiday, it is important to select an island which has the coral reef easily accessible from the beach.  Some islands have very large lagoons, and these can make the nearest coral several hundred feet offshore.  Whilst these lagoons can look stunning in holiday brochures, and whilst these resorts will be ideal for the average sun worshiping visitor, it can get a bit tedious swimming out several hundred feet in 2 foot of water every time you want to sample the reef.

We therefore used several books (especially the excellent Lonely Planet Guide to the Maldives) to narrow down the list to three or four.  We finally selected Bi-Ya-Doo because it was a very reasonable distance from the airport (less than one hour transfer), had a second close-by sister resort island (Villivaru), and seemed to offer an excellent "house reef" (coral reef accessible straight from the island).

For personal reasons we selected to go in early December.  It is important to look into the climate in the Maldives before booking a holiday - as there is rainy or unsettled weather for much of the year.  Whilst the Maldives lie very close to the equator, and therefore escape hurricanes and Typhoons, they have a typical equatorial climate - which means lots of rain as well as sun. We have certainly come across people who have spent two weeks there with persistent overcast skies - but this can happen at any time of year.  It seems that the main periods to avoid are around July and October, which tend to be wet and stormy.  The "dry" season is from January to May.  It is also worth looking into the underwater climate.  At some times of year, the water can be crystal clear with visibility in excess of 200 ft, whilst at others the waters are rich in plankton and although visibility drops, the larger creatures that are attracted make this prime diving time.

December is really the end of the wet season - and also a quiet and cheap time to go - perfect!

The Flight
From England, the Maldives are a very long way away indeed.  I guess you have to be prepared to travel a bit to get to paradise - but 13 hours on a charter plane is perhaps a little extreme.  Landing at the Maldives is a amazing experience.  The views are stunning, and the approach to the airport quite unreal.  For the pilots, it must be an amazing experience, with the runway on its own island, with the tropical seas all around.   The capital (Male) is a square mile island near the airport, of which you get excellent views as you land. The Maldive Islands stretch for some 600 miles north of the equator (there are 1200+ islands, and that's just the ones that have some vegetation and are considered "permanent").  If you land in good weather, you get indescribable views of the islands as you fly over various Atolls - turquoise green shapes fringed in white sand.  The most stunning view from the plane is the underwater coral - that looks so clear you can convince yourself it is above water.

Obviously, landing in the Maldives in 30 degrees C is a wonderful feeling when you have just flown from England in December - but it must be appealing at any time of year.  Its worth noting, if you do go there, that your luggage is x-rayed on arrival (to check for any alcohol), so if you have films, you might ask to have them carried through.