Affiliate Disclosure

Why we use affiliate links

aMaldives is a free resource. Running a detailed Maldives travel guide — researching resorts, updating prices and transfer times, hosting photography, and keeping everything free for readers — costs money. Affiliate commissions are the main way we fund that work, alongside occasional display advertising.

Without affiliate revenue, we would have to either charge readers, publish paid promotional content disguised as editorial, or stop updating the Site. We think affiliate links are the most reader-friendly option because the commission comes from the booking partner's margin, not from the price you pay.

Partners we may earn commissions from

Where relevant, we link to the following partners. This list is indicative and may change as we add or remove programs:

• Accommodation: Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Agoda, Vrbo, TripAdvisor, Stay22, Hotellook
• Flights: Aviasales, Kiwi.com, WayAway, Skyscanner
• Activities, excursions and day trips: GetYourGuide, Viator, Klook
• Transfers and ground transport: Kiwitaxi, Discover Cars
• Travel essentials: Airalo (eSIM), SafetyWing and EKTA (travel insurance)
• Diving and liveaboards: Liveaboard.com, PADI Travel
• Affiliate networks: Travelpayouts, Impact, Commission Junction (CJ), ShareASale, Awin

We also use Google AdSense to display ads. Ad revenue is separate from affiliate commissions and the ads shown are not editorially endorsed by us.

How we choose what to recommend

Our approach is simple. We write about resorts, islands, atolls and activities we believe are worth your time and money. When we recommend a resort or a booking partner, the recommendation is based on:

• First-hand knowledge of the Maldives — our founder is based partly in the Maldives and operates a liveaboard vessel there;
• Direct research into each resort: location, transfer logistics, villa inventory, house reef quality, dining and meal plans;
• Aggregated guest reviews across multiple platforms;
• Price and value relative to similar resorts in the same atoll;
• Whether the resort genuinely suits the reader segment we're writing for (honeymooners, families, divers, budget travellers, and so on).

If two booking partners offer the same resort, we will generally link to the one that historically gives our readers the best combination of price, cancellation terms and customer service — not the one that pays us the highest commission.

What affiliate links do not do

• They do not increase the price you pay — rates are the same whether you use our link or go direct.
• They do not share any personal information with us. All we see is an anonymised tracking record if your booking qualifies.
• They do not influence whether a resort gets a positive review. We have published critical assessments of resorts we earn commission on, and we will continue to.

Sponsored content and paid placements

From time to time we may publish sponsored content (for example, a paid review commissioned by a resort) or run paid placements. Whenever we do, the content will be clearly labelled as “Sponsored” or “Paid partnership” at the top of the page. Sponsored content is rare and is always marked distinctly from our editorial reviews.

Your feedback

If you ever feel we have recommended something that didn't live up to the review, we want to know. Email hello@amaldives.com and we will investigate and update the relevant page. Reader trust is the only reason this site works at all.

Regulatory compliance

This disclosure is provided to comply with the United States Federal Trade Commission's Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (16 CFR Part 255), the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's guidance on influencer and affiliate marketing, the UK Advertising Standards Authority's CAP Code, and equivalent regulations in other jurisdictions where our readers are based.

For more, see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.