We were on Bandos 1-8th August last year ironically.

Like you, the pesky little mossies really like me

On Bandos , they spray the island every evening, and although it is quite lush, we were bitten less there than we had been on Meeru the week previously. That being said, we DID use insect repellent in the evenings (not an especially high-dose one though - the kids actually just had the aftersun with repellent in) - standard "jungle formula" did the trick pretty much . We did also have the Raid plug-ins with us which we put on in the rooms (remember that they use the same plug types as here in the UK). The one place on Bandos we all picked up a couple of bites was by the kids playground one early evening when it had just been raining briefly.

I think it is possible that we got bitten more frequently on Meeru as we had the outdoor bathrooms, which obviously you can't keep the bugs out of!

Don't remember seeing spiders of any consequence - a fair few ants around, plus some of the biggest flying beetles I've ever seen (only outside) - plus the usual gekkos (but encourage those as they eat mossies!!!!)

Do try to take reasonable supplies of repellent, suncream and after-bite stuff with you as - like all Maldivian Islands - the gift shop is pretty limited in it's range (although, to be fair the one on Bandos is on 2 floors and easily the biggest shop of the 5 islands we have visited) - it's also quite expensive compared to good old Superdrug!

Shout or pm if you need any further info!!

Thankyou so much for that info! Gekos i dont mind, my friend e-mailed me yesterday (she has been to maldives before) & told me they had a spider the size of a dinner plate in their room!!! Been having nightmares lol, they werent on Bandos though! Although she did say the place more than makes up for the bugs!!

Can i ask how the weather was when you visited, i know it seems to go either way that time of year.
We are in a standard room B&B, are the rooms nice? Is B&B buffet, where is it served, what time?
Sorry for so many questions, i am reallly excited
Any info you have would be great.
Thanks Tracey

I have posted a trip report in the hotels section - http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/ if it's any help

We had standard rooms and they were more than adequate - we were in the 240's which are about the furthest rooms from the restaurant etc (about a 7 min walk). Paths are cement , so you DO need shoes. They were nicely furnished and a good size, with plenty of storage and a nice big bathroom. I was a bit surprised by the lack of a turndown service in the evenings - quite a disappointment after origami sheets and petal decorations we have experienced elsewhere. While I do like the quaintness of the outdoor bathrooms you get in some accommodations in the Maldives, the closed in variety like Bandos' standard rooms, are a big plus when it comes to evading the wee bugs.

Certainly didn't see any dinner plate spiders - though we did have some tiny little ones that invaded us when we put sunloungers under a tree one day

Pm me your e-mail address and i'll send you a map of the island and try to answer some of your other questions

you only going B&B...... Ouch !!!

Food & drink are VERY expensive --- expect to pay around $5 for a coke and around $30 for a meal. If you can upgrade to AI it may benefit you.

Myself and my partner are not big drinkers but we added up the price of drinks for 14 days (daytime drinks, mealtime drinks & nighttime drinks) and if we had to pay it would have come to over £600 (Yes UK pounds, not dollars)

So if you then add on 14 days worth of evening meals @ $30 each, that's another $840 - and that doesn't include lunch !