Maldives Shopping and nightlife

Shopping in Maldives

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 Chaandhanee 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.

Shopping Note

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

Shopping hours

Sat-Thurs 0900-2200. Shops officially shut for 15-30 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.

Nightlife in Maldives

There is little nightlife in the Maldives, and this is definitely not a destination for party animals. That said, most resorts have bars, the occasional live music act and a few larger ones even have small nightclubs. Beach parties and barbecues are also popular. Some resorts have occasional film showings.