Quick answer
This luxury Dubai and Maldives holiday is 10 nights: three at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray on Palm Jumeirah, then seven at Ayada Maldives, both on bed and breakfast. Return UK flights, the Dubai–Malé flight and every transfer are included. Prices start from £3,849 per person based on two sharing, in Economy in November 2026, and the holiday is ATOL protected under licence 10713.
This twin-centre holiday gives Dubai the short, busy part of the trip and the Maldives the long, slow part. The Palm stay is long enough to see the city’s main sights and still spend an afternoon on the hotel beach. On Ayada, the days run on the tides and the weather rather than a timetable.
It suits couples and friends who want a few active days before a week of doing very little, booked as one holiday rather than two separate trips. The shopping and restaurants come at the start, and the quiet comes at the end, so you fly home rested rather than straight from the busiest part of the trip.
Why You'll Love It
Not included
Day by Day
Land at Dubai International, where a private driver meets you and takes you to Jumeirah Zabeel Saray. Depending on your landing time, there may be the rest of the afternoon for the beach or the pool. Keep the first evening simple after the flight, and book any restaurants for the next two nights.
Two free days. Go up the Burj Khalifa and walk through The Dubai Mall, then cross Dubai Creek by abra to the Gold and Spice Souks and the Al Fahidi historical neighbourhood. A desert safari with dinner at a camp can be arranged for one evening as an optional extra. Keep some time for the hotel beach.
After breakfast, a transfer takes you to the airport for the included flight to Malé. At Velana International Airport the resort’s team meets you and handles the onward connection to Ayada, where you check in for the island part of the holiday. Expect this to be a full travel day.
Six full days on the island with nothing booked for you. Use the first morning to settle in and arrange anything you want later in the week, such as a dive, a treatment or a private dinner. After that, the time is your own, and doing very little is a perfectly good plan.
After breakfast, check out and transfer back to Velana International Airport in Malé for your flight home to the UK. Settle any resort extras the evening before so the morning is unhurried, and keep your passports and booking documents in your hand luggage for the connection.
Where You'll Stay
5-star hotel
A 5-star resort on the West Crescent of Palm Jumeirah, with its own private beach and an infinity pool. The interiors take their cue from Ottoman palaces, and the Talise Ottoman Spa is on site. The room category is confirmed on your quote, and a larger room or a suite can be priced if you want more space for the city leg of the trip.
5-star hotel
A 5-star island resort in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, booked here in an overwater villa with its own plunge pool. The island has eight dining outlets, including Magu and Ocean Breeze, which sits out over the lagoon. Treatments are at AySpa, and the resort's PADI dive centre runs trips to sites beyond the house reef.
All prices are per person based on two adults sharing. Includes return flights and accommodation. Click any month to enquire.
| ✈ Flights | Return flights from UK included |
| 🧳 Baggage | 23kg checked baggage |
| 🏛 Hotel | 10 nights accommodation |
| 🚌 Transfers | Private airport transfers |
| ✈ Airport Taxes | All airport taxes included |
| 💳 Deposit | 30% per person to secure booking |
Dubai goes first because it breaks the long-haul flight. You land, sleep on the Palm and see the city while you are still fresh. Ending on Ayada means the island is the last thing you do, not a stop you leave halfway through.
The island gets the bigger share of the nights because of where it is. Gaafu Dhaalu is one of the far-southern atolls, so the day you leave Dubai is spent travelling. On a short island stay, that day eats a big share of the beach time. On a long one, it matters far less.
For the general questions, such as how many nights to book or which order suits other hotels, see our guide to planning a Dubai and Maldives holiday.
Return flights leave from UK airports including London, Manchester and Glasgow. Scheduled flying time to Dubai is typically between 7 hours and 7 hours 50 minutes, depending on the airport. Flights from Dubai to Malé are typically direct and take a little over 4 hours.
Malé is not the end of the journey. Ayada gives its transfer as a 55-minute domestic flight, then a 25 to 50 minute speedboat ride from the local airport in Huvadhoo Atoll. It is a domestic flight and speedboat, not a seaplane. The resort's reservations team books the domestic legs, and your quote shows the timings for your dates.
Dubai's cooler season runs from November to March. In the Maldives, the north-east monsoon brings the driest weather from January to March. December and April are transitional, and the south-west monsoon brings the wet season from mid-May to November.
That makes January to March the strongest overlap for both halves of this trip. November and December are comfortable in Dubai but more changeable on the island. From June to September, Dubai is at its hottest and the Maldives is in its wet season. Plan the city days around indoor sights and expect showers on Ayada.
This trip needs two entries. British citizens get a free UAE visit visa on arrival, valid for 90 days within a 180-day period. Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the day you land in Dubai. The Maldives issues a 30-day visa on arrival and needs a passport valid for at least one month from arrival. You must also complete the online IMUGA traveller declaration within the 96 hours before your flight lands in Malé.
Read the FCDO advice for the UAE before paying a deposit. It warns of possible flight cancellations and airspace closures linked to regional tensions, though it does not advise against travel.
The ten nights are a starting point. You can add nights in Dubai at the start, swap the overwater villa for a beach villa, or switch to a three-stop version with Singapore. If you would rather stay in Downtown than on the Palm, read where to stay in Dubai. Each change is re-quoted for your dates, and you can also compare other twin-centre pairings.
This pairing is a poor fit for a trip of under a week, because the journey south takes too large a share of it. Nor does it suit anyone who wants to be on the beach an hour after landing in Malé. For that, look at the atolls closer to Malé instead.
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