Working at a resort in the Maldives: My experience

I would like to say that this article only reflects my personal experience for a particular group of resorts. The situation represented here may be totally different in other resorts and probably differs from the opinion of former colleagues who have worked with me there, who I know loved their experience.

Whoever thinks of the Maldives thinks of the heavenly beaches of soft white sand and turquoise waters, the serenity of being on a small island in the middle of nowhere and the luxury of staying in over-water villas. But what about the reality of the employees of these resorts? You may think they are living in paradise with a dream job lounging on the beach all day, but the reality is quite different. Here’s my experience…

Pre-Arrival

The ad was looking for a Marketing and Multimedia Coordinator for two resorts part a Swiss-Italian hotel group. I would have to travel between the two islands to take care of all on-site marketing. It seemed like a dream job in a dream location. I had been warned that I would be sharing my room with two other women and that privacy had no place in this kind of job, which some people found difficult. But most of all, I had been sold the experience as an opportunity not to be missed: eating at a 5-star buffet every day, taking advantage of the free activities offered by the resort to create content for social media, enjoying the beach daily, discovering the marine life… I was sold! My contract would be for one year, during which I would be entitled to a 1-month vacation. So I boarded the plane to New York, where I would have one night to spend before flying to Doha, Qatar, and then to Malé, the capital island of the Maldives, where I would finally take my last flight, by seaplane this time, to the resort where I would be based for the next year.

Life on a resort in the Maldives

When I arrived at the first resort, I was spoiled, being offered one night in an over-water villa, then two nights in a beach villa. Not everyone had received this little gift upon their arrival, so it already created some inequality on the resort, with some of my colleagues being jealous of this perk. To be honest, I would have liked not to have had this gift at the beginning of my time on the island, because I was eager to bond with my new colleagues and sleeping in luxury villas at first did not help my case. The people were nevertheless welcoming, but I soon realized that I was arriving at the end of many people’s contracts. So their group was already strongly linked.

I was then sent to the second island, the one where I was going to be based. No more luxury villas, I was now going to join the rest of the resort employees in the staff accommodation. There were three of us per room with our own bathroom (which was already better than on the other island, where the women had to share a bathroom for 6-9 people). Our rooms were located above the restaurant kitchen and the path was often dirty. The communal room did not seem to be cleaned often, as the couches were covered with bird droppings and cigarette ashes most of the time. The air conditioning in our room worked every other day, so it was not uncommon to wake up in the middle of the night sweating from the heat. There was mold everywhere. And the wifi I was promised would be working well? Good luck getting a good connection. To be able to talk to friends and family, we had to buy cellular data, which was extremely expensive.

But my accommodation was the least of my worries, because on that island too, I quickly realized that I wouldn’t be part of the group of colleagues already formed, not being able to understand half of the conversations. Most of the other employees I lived with were Italian and my knowledge of the language was a bit rusty, so I often had difficulty joining in the conversations. Some people made an effort, which I appreciated very much, but when everyone was together in the evenings, the group forgot to slow down for me to understand and I felt excluded again. I don’t think it was on purpose, everyone was very nice and I have good memories of my time with them separately. But the group effect often makes you forget to pay attention to those who don’t speak the language perfectly. And that was difficult for me. I’m a social girl, I’m always with my friends and I have a lot of them. And for the first time in a long time, that wasn’t the case.

As far as meals were concerned, being considered “senior management”, we were allowed to eat at the same buffet as the resort guests. The food was fresh and excellent. Guests enjoyed it during their stay for one or two weeks. But try eating the same thing for 8 months and it’s a different story. I was starting to miss the most trivial things, like the ability to just make myself a sandwich or eat while watching TV. Because with the privilege of eating at the buffet came the instruction to always be in uniform at meal times, even on our day off, since we have to remain available for guests at all times. The only times we could be dressed normally were when we were in our room, when we went to the gym or on Saturday nights when it was beach party night. Our life was public. From the time we went downstairs for breakfast in the morning, already dressed in uniform, we worked, then at lunch we would eat with the guests again, then again at dinner, and then in the evening we had to be in uniform again to entertain them.

For laundry, we had to take our clothes to the laundry room where the housekeeping staff would take care of them for us. I have never been more embarrassed than the first time I went to pick up my clean clothes and realized that my housekeeping colleagues had meticulously folded each of my underwear. But it was a new reality that I was going to have to get used to.

Visiting a local island

My time in the Maldives made me realize that most tourists coming to stay on the resort islands are actually not interested in learning more about the local culture. The resort’s excursion to the local island Mandhoo was far from being the most popular one and for the times I joined the activity, most tourists were just throwing themselves into the souvenir shops rather than trying to understand the Maldivian way of life.

Many tourists didn’t even care about the fact that it was necessary to cover their legs and shoulders when visiting the local islands, the Maldives being a 100% Muslim country where religion and customs are very strict.

During a visit to Mandhoo Island, where the resort was handing out computer equipment to the local primary school, I had the chance to taste the authentic Maldivian hospitality, welcomed for the event with flower necklaces and fresh coconuts. The students’ mothers had prepared typical dishes that were simply delicious and the atmosphere was friendly and warm. It was definitely one of my beautiful days in the Maldives.

The job

I spent most of my days in the office, which had only three small frosted windows. At least, the air conditioning worked very well there. My computer tough, not so much. People had no idea what my job was all about, not even the resort manager sometimes. The majority of my days were actually not really about being outside photo-shooting activities like I had been told, having a lot of other work to do that required me to be at my desk most of the time.

We all worked 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, which is the norm in the Maldives. So to all the people who wondered why I was not more tanned, it was because during the sunny hours of the day, I was indoors with neon lights as sunshine. My work as such, on the other hand, I loved it, and over time, I was able to find opportunities to have fun while working, whether it was during photoshoots in the kitchen or when we had to act as flower girls at weddings. I also decided to cut my day in half and take a longer break in the afternoon to get some sun and compensate by finishing later in the evening so I could enjoy some of the benefits of living on a tropical island.

However, it was the atmosphere that prevailed that completely ruined the experience. Firstly, there was a lot of injustice between how the “Europeans”, as we were called, and the employees who came from the Maldives, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were treated. In 2018, this was already inconceivable. While there were three of us in our rooms, they were on average eight per room. While we were allowed to eat from the 5-star buffet (the same as the resort guests), they were eating in a different canteen with traditional dishes from their countries. We were allowed to eat in their canteen, but the opposite was not possible, which I deplored.

Then there was the fact that I was a woman. Some of my male colleagues refused to answer me when I spoke to them, but did not hesitate to whistle or bark at me afterwards to get my attention. And a slap on the ass once in a while to remind me that I am a piece of meat to them. The culture shock was huge for me. Of course, the majority of the men working at the resort were very decent and became friends, but the few cases that were disrespectful were able to enrage me to the point of ruining my day. Then there was my boss who often talked about the size of my breasts and constantly yelled at everyone. Having never experienced this in a work environment before, I was uncomfortable. Then there was also my weight, which was apparently a problem as well. If I had the misfortune of having pasta or dessert at mealtimes, I was definitely told so. Some people didn’t even hesitate to pinch my belly to let me know that it was too big for them. It was intimidation and harassment. I couldn’t take it anymore. I just wanted everyone to leave me alone.

The other thing you have to understand is that when you live on a resort, you are never alone. There are either clients or colleagues everywhere you go. On an island where it takes 10 minutes to walk around, there’s no place to go to when you’re not feeling well. Too many times I’ve had to find places to hide and cry when things got too intense. Maybe the atmosphere wouldn’t have been so bad in a normal environment, off an island where you can get away from the situation when you feel the need to, but when you have to live 24/7, work and eat with these people who make you feel bad about yourself, it becomes unbearable.

Diving: my new escape

When I started doing my first diving course, things started to get better. I now had a new passion that took my mind off things. Then, at 30 meters underwater, I finally found peace and connected with what I had come to the Maldives for in the first place: the marine life. With each dive, I was amazed at what I discovered: fish, each one more colourful than the next, sharks and manta rays. Diving became for me a kind of underwater mediation and I was extremely grateful to have at least that to keep me sane. When I couldn’t stand being on the resort anymore, I would book a dive. Then, often sitting on the roof of the dhoni (traditional Maldivian boat), I would finally have a place to let go and shed a few tears subtly.

Trying to adapt

You may be wondering why I didn’t leave sooner, why I continued to live in this place that was hell for me. There are two reasons. First, if we broke our contract, we had to reimburse our plane tickets and other expenses, which my meagre salary at the time did not allow me to do. Second, my ego was screaming at me not to give up. To just not let these people who were making my life so unbearable here win. I was stronger than that.

Then the peak season ended, bringing new employees to the island. I was no longer the new girl who wasn’t part of the group and didn’t understand the conversations. I quickly befriended these new people, who finally made me feel included. It was like a breath of fresh air.

Together, we decided to make our life on the island a little better by organizing activities such as yoga, a spa treatment or a trip to see the manta rays. I felt like me again. We went to the beach every day, but always only on the small part of the beach where we were allowed to go (a small part of where there were no villas). If you were wondering why my photos on the beach are all taken in the same place, you now have the answer. But the rainy season arrived and sunny days became scarce. There was a lack of activities to entertain ourselves and the atmosphere of the resort continued to break our morale constantly. That’s when we started to analyze the problem and realized that this atmosphere was coming from the head office in Switzerland.

Once, one of the managers from the head office came to visit the island. Her first comment when she saw me was “why are you so white?”. Then, another manager honoured us with his holy visit and started treating everyone on the resort like the plague. It was the worst day of this whole experience. He was using such a condescending tone when he had in fact no idea what my job even was, which was infuriating. He also denigrated all the marine biologists’ work and that day I exploded. That’s when I understood. The entire management of the company was unhealthy, including the the head office managers’ snobbish attitude during their visits, in addition to the managers who were present on the island every day. Then there was also the mismanagement of human resources and the many lies that we were all victims of. Things we were promised on the phone before arriving and then taken away or forced to do once we arrived at the resort. How many times I had to fight with human resources to get what I was promised and have my rights respected. Then I also witnessed how my colleagues were treated and I couldn’t help but get angry at their situation. Marine biologists coming to the resort to help the coral situation in the Maldives to try to counter the effects of mass tourism, who were forced to provide entertainment for guests in the evenings, even though it was not in their employment contract. It was frustration after frustration.

Deciding to leave

So it was after trying for 6 months to live in this place that I decided to break my contract and leave 2 months later. I finally admitted to myself that this life wasn’t for me. I was suffocating. I needed freedom. Of course, it was nice when you could enjoy the benefits of the beautiful place you lived in, but it happened so rarely that the rest of the time I was miserable. I knew that living at a resort would be a challenge before I left, but the way it was described to me and the reality were two completely different things. When you live on a resort, your job becomes your life. And when the atmosphere isn’t nice on top of that, it just becomes awful. I needed a break from seeing people all the time. I needed privacy. I needed silence. Most of all, I needed to find a life that was more like me.

Once I made my decision, the last two months were lighter. I decided to make the most of the activities on the island and not give a damn about the rest. I had become deaf to all the derogatory comments. This place had ended up feeling like a prison, but I would soon be free. So I started not really following the rules anymore and started enjoying the time I had left with the people who made the experience a little easier to endure.

I started dreaming about things I never thought I’d be dreaming of before, like getting stuck in the Montreal traffic or doing my laundry. In the Maldives, I felt like I had put my life on hold. The days went by and they all looked the same, but I didn’t feel like I was moving forward. I couldn’t wait to get back to a life where I could go out, not be with the same people 24/7, get some real time off from work and not have to wear a uniform on my days off.

The day I finally got on the plane to leave was one of the best days of my life. Living at a resort in the Maldives was a real challenge for me, but I still learned a lot. Among other things, I had to learn not to let comments or gestures from others, which were in this context inevitable, touch me. I also had to learn how to find moments to find myself in an environment where intimacy is almost impossible. So, overall, I am still grateful for this experience.

So, if you’re thinking of going to work at a resort in the Maldives:

1. Make sure you know about the working conditions before you leave and make sure you have EVERYTHING in writing so that you have proof of your agreement when you arrive.
2. As the Maldives is a strict Muslim country, don’t forget to read the laws before you arrive. You cannot enter the country with items from religions other than Islam, nor with pork products. What about drugs and sex toys? Also illegal. You could even be detained at the airport for bringing a pornographic object in your suitcase and serve up to 6 months in jail. For drugs, that’s up to life in prison. Alcohol, bathing suits and public displays of affection are illegal on the local islands (on the resorts, however, it is accepted). If you are a woman, remember to bring clothes that at least cover your shoulders and knees when you visit a local island, which you will have to do upon arrival for medical tests. I even recommend long pants and not too tight tops if you don’t want to attract unwanted attention.
3. Expect to share your room and be limited in the places you can go on the resort.
4. Expect to be in work mode 24/7, because even on your days off, you will have to be available for the guests.
5. This is not a vacation. The hours are long and the time to enjoy the island’s activities is minimal. Also, make sure you know in advance what activities are allowed for employees.
6. Plan a budget and take a diving course! It’s the best place to learn because you have all the time in the world and if you go to the Maldives without diving, you’ll only see half the country’s beauty.
7. Try to arrive in between seasons to arrive at about the same time as your future colleagues. This will make your integration easier.
8. Be prepared to eat the same food often. The food is good, but it becomes redundant at a certain point.
9. There is often a doctor at the resort, but bring the essentials, such as electrolytes. I’ve had two food poisonings, so it served me well!
10. Be prepared to spend some money if you want a good cellular connection (don’t rely on the resort’s wifi). Your e-reader and external hard drive with preloaded movies will be your best friends on a rainy day.
11. Take an interest and participate in the efforts of the marine biologists. There is usually one biologist per resort. They are passionate about their work and will be happy to teach you more about the marine life of the Maldives.
12. Be prepared to live with strict rules and no privacy. What if you meet someone you like on the resort? Well good luck with… you know… 😉
13. Just remember that this lifestyle isn’t for everyone. Some people love it and come back year after year. For others, like me, it was hell on earth. So don’t be afraid to put your ego aside and admit when something doesn’t suit you.

Special thanks to Sara, Angela, Greta, Sophia and Davide, who made this experience a little more enjoyable every day. <3