The perks and drawbacks of spending every day living in paradise. Photo / Getty Images
What is it really like to live in the Maldives for 365 days a year? Bonnie Culbertson investigates if working in a bucket list destination is dreamy or dire.
On the lucky occasions when I’ve visited an exotic, remote island or stayed in a resort tucked away in some vast wilderness, I always found myself intensely curious about the staff. What must it be like to call such a place home, 365 days a year? These people wake up each morning to the same views that others shell out thousands of dollars to see. But perhaps those exquisite surroundings become ordinary, adopting a patina of mundanity that inevitably dulls the initial shine.
Nestled like a gem in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives beckons dreamers with promises of a tropical utopia. For those who have made this dreamland their home, the reality is extraordinary in every sense of the word. While it is true that living and working in the Maldives means enjoying the daily spectacle of golden rays alighting crystal-clear waters, beyond the idyllic canvas lies a unique set of challenges and rewards. In this unparalleled destination, residents navigate not only the vibrant cultural mosaic shaped by both locals and a diverse expatriate community but also the high-stakes realm of catering to guests for whom this is truly the trip of a lifetime.
For most people I spoke with, the promise of working in such an idyllic locale was the main draw, especially for ocean lovers.
“My favourite part about living in the Maldives is being able to experience the underwater world first-hand on a daily basis,” says Alexis, a dive instructor working on a Maldives-based liveaboard cruise. “The amount of wildlife that I get to encounter is far beyond my wildest dreams. You never know exactly what you are going to see once you get down there and the ocean is full of surprises.”
Another liveaboard dive instructor, Sebastian, reminisced fondly about his many amazing ocean experiences while working in the Maldives, including the consistently warm water, swimming with mantas in Hanifaru Bay and diving at Baa Atoll, a Unesco-designated biosphere reserve. Even non-divers have plenty of opportunity to experience these life-affirming underwater encounters.
“I was fortunate to be part of a resort that offered free diving lessons and certification,” explains Kevin, a manager who has been working in the Maldives for more than seven years across four different luxury resorts. “Encouraged by the dive staff, I took up the offer and experienced a world unlike anything else underwater. This experience has deepened my appreciation and respect for the ocean and its surroundings.”
While grateful for these experiences, many of the staff I spoke with were quick to explain that it’s not all fun and games.
“Unfortunately you are working so much that you’re rarely able to enjoy the beauty of the location yourself,” says Alexis, who explains how working on a liveaboard - where you share the same floating home with your guests for several days and sometimes weeks at a time - means never having an opportunity to “turn off” and relax. “You are working 24/7 to show your guests the best time of their lives.”
Working at a resort, Francis was expecting an extremely satisfying work-life balance when he took his first job in the Maldives. Unfortunately, this was not the case. “Even though there was time to play, the workload was way more than I had anticipated.”
However, work-life balance seems to improve for those at the managerial level, as Kevin explained. “One of the absolute best perks of working in a luxury resort is the Rest and Recreation (R&R) leave. Depending on your level of employment, you can enjoy a minimum of seven days of leave in addition to your annual 30-day leave.” He shared that many resorts also provide either an allowance or a flight ticket to support employees’ off-island adventures.
Resorts in the Maldives strive to be a paradise for guests, yet those conditions aren’t quite the same for resort staff. Behind the scenes, many employees confront challenging realities, including isolation, cultural clashes, and a sense of being relegated to second-class status.
“Waking up every day in a tranquil, perfectly curated, 5-star environment was at first very enjoyable…but soon felt like a type of prison,” explains Francis. “A tiny island with the same faces, food, and fish. Equally frustrating was the condition of my room, which was often filled with mould and plagued with a series of issues related to insect infestations, broken ACs - the room was generally very old and lacking comfortable amenities.”
While all resorts in the Maldives provide accommodation for their employees, the standards and conditions of these accommodations vary from one resort to another.
“Rank and file employees usually share accommodation,” explains Kevin. “In certain resorts, two people share a room, while in others, there may be up to six or more people sharing a room. Some resort accommodations have en-suite bathrooms, while others have communal bathrooms for the same accommodation block.”
One developer at least is hoping to elevate standards of living for its resort staff. Pontiac Land Group, for instance, is launching a whole island, Fari Campus, dedicated to housing and creating a sense of community for the nearly 1200 staff members across its three resorts, a Ritz-Carlton, a Capella and a Patina. Fari Campus hosts comfortable living quarters as well as a suite of recreational facilities like a full-sized soccer pitch. In partnership with leading hospitality institution Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), Fari Campus also provides high-quality Swiss education to employees.
While not all those living and working in the Maldives will be fortunate to live on Fari Campus, there are still many perks available to resort staff across the archipelago.
“The people I met, both workers and tourists, meant I was able to learn a lot about other countries and cultures, which for me was great as I enjoy learning about those things,” says Francis. “I have to say that the food, which was the same for the staff and guests, was amazing. We had a lot of variety and it was always prepared to a high standard. Free surfing opportunities, dives on my days off, discounts at the spa, there was a lot to be thankful for.”
“One thing I absolutely love about working in an international luxury resort in the Maldives is the amazing perks and benefits,” says Kevin. “Depending on the property, staff may be entitled to complimentary nights for them and their family at the resort. And if the resort is part of an ‘exchange stay’ program with other resorts, staff even have the chance to visit and stay at another resort for free.”
Beyond these perks, of course, is the priceless Maldivian environment itself. “The clean, fresh air and the absence of traffic are such a refreshing change from the hustle and bustle of city life,” gushes Kevin, who previously worked in Dubai. “After spending some time on a remote island, going back to a busy city can be quite overwhelming!”
Meeting guest expectations in bucket list destinations, such as the Maldives, takes on a high-stakes dimension, considering that visitors may have harbored dreams of this experience for their entire lives. The pressure to deliver an extraordinary and flawless stay is intensified by the fact that travelers often invest both financially and emotionally in their journey. Every moment, every detail becomes a crucial element in fulfilling their long-held dreams. The challenge staff becomes how to navigate the fine line between creating a fantasy while working within the confines of reality to ensure each guest’s dream getaway is nothing short of magical.
“Every guest that walks onto our boat is treated with the expectation that this will be the best trip of their lives,” says Alexis. “Our team does an amazing job at ensuring each guest is treated special and is catered according to their individual needs. We are always looking for hidden clues or special occasions that the guests hadn’t yet mentioned so we can celebrate accordingly.”
“At all resorts I’ve worked in, we understand that travel can sometimes be traumatising, so we ensure that all our employees are aware of the guest’s journey from start to finish,” says Kevin, who even sees guest complaints as an important opportunity.
“We also train our employees to view any guest complaint as a ‘gift’ because it allows us the opportunity to do something remarkable to the point where we gain loyalty. A guest whose problem has been rectified and recovered is more likely to return than a guest who hasn’t complained in the first place.”
Unfortunately, some things are beyond the staff’s control, yet guests will still find the opportunity to complain.
“I had one guest who did his Advanced Open Water Certification with me and was constantly complaining about everything,” remembers Sebastian. “He was really demanding of me, yet even though I brought him to the best dive sites we had, it was not enough. Not enough sharks, the water was too hot, etc.”
“These tourists are paying a heavy premium on everything, so right from the get-go you are pressured to make sure the guests are enjoying every aspect of their stay,” says Francis. Unfortunately, he explains, that put staff in a tough position when complaints extended to things beyond their control. “You have people expecting to see whale sharks, hammerheads, a unicorn! Without realising how unpredictable it can be to see certain species on a dive.” Other guests proclaimed their disappointment in the lack of pristine and beautiful corals, which have been damaged by El Nino storms as well as increasing ocean acidification.
Of course, the biggest complaint that cannot be controlled is the weather. “The Maldives lies in a region affected by the monsoon season, where the wet season runs from May to November,” explains Kevin. “Guests who book a resort based on a random sun-filled picture postcard from the Maldives can be disappointed by heavy rains throughout their three-day stay. In this case, we offer a ‘wet weather program’ that might include a day at the spa, a family movie night in the villa, a private dining experience or an indoor game day.”
When asked about the dating scene on these remote islands, many of those I interviewed gave me a cheeky grin. This is because many resorts strongly discourage or outright ban inter-employee relationships to avoid disharmony within their tight-knit employee communities.
“As a manager, I was not allowed to be with people on my team. We were only allowed to date people from other departments,” says Sebastian. “But you know…it happened.”
Despite the rules, it’s not uncommon for staff to find love within their own employee community, considering it isn’t often you have the time or opportunity to go elsewhere. Even still, dating in such a small place presents its challenges.
“Having joined the hotel I was working at, I quickly found myself talking to a girl who was working in the Spa there,” says Francis, speaking of his now girlfriend. “We had to maintain our distance on the island and could only meet off the island once a month by way of a hotel-organised speed boat to the main island of Male. Dating was forbidden mainly to stop relationships complicating the work environment, and also the owners where I worked were Sri Lankan and quite conservative. That said, another resort where my girlfriend had previously worked in the Maldives was a literal free-for-all in terms of dating, even with management. I wouldn’t even call it dating, more like a working Tinder zone.”
Life and work in the Maldives, as it turns out, is not as pain-free as one might suspect at first glance. With its pristine beaches and turquoise waters, these islands offer a lifestyle that is both aspirational and demanding, embodying the nuanced balance required to transform bucket list dreams into realities. Yet despite its challenges, none of those I spoke with would take back their time in paradise.
“There’s a saying among resort staff in the Maldives,” says Kevin. “If you stay here for three months, you’ll stay for six months, and if you stay for six months, you’ll stay for a year. The Maldives is a place that either captures your heart right from the start or grows on you over time.”
Telegraph: “A bingo card of disappointments.”