Guanacaste vs Maldives Outer Atolls

Illuminated beachfront dining pavilion with white railings and thatched-roof bungalows reflected in the pool at dusk.

Overwater bungalow with thatched roof at Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa Maldives, featuring a furnished deck with loungers and colorful cushioned seating.

Maldives Outer Atolls23 resorts · ★ 4.8 average

Guanacaste and Maldives Outer Atolls, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.

By the numbers

Guanacaste compared with Maldives Outer Atolls
Guanacaste	Measure	Maldives Outer Atolls
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
6	Resorts in our catalog	23 (better)
★ 4.4	Average guest rating	★ 4.8 (better)
$88–$261/night pp (better)	Nightly rates	$133–$2056/night pp
1 of 6	Adults-only resorts	2 of 23
Low hurricane risk	Hurricane exposure	No hurricane season (better)
May–November ('green season'), seriously wet September–October	Rainy season	May–November (southwest monsoon), wettest September–November, and the manta season
December–April, bone-dry	Sweet spot	January–March
Nature + beach in one trip; reliable winter sun	Best for	House reefs, manta and whale-shark seasons, true seclusion, second visits

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country. A marked row is one we are willing to call; rows without a mark are a matter of taste, or we have no comparable figure for both sides.

On the map

Guanacaste

Maldives Outer Atolls

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Guanacaste and Maldives Outer Atolls
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Guanacaste · high °F	91	92	93	93	91	88	88	88	87	86	87	89
Maldives Outer Atolls · high °F	86	87	88	88	87	86	86	86	86	86	86	86
Guanacaste · rain (in)	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.7	7.7	9.0	5.9	7.9	13.0	12.2	4.3	0.5
Maldives Outer Atolls · rain (in)	4.5	2.0	2.9	5.2	8.5	6.5	5.8	6.9	9.6	8.7	9.1	9.0

Approximate climate normals for Papagayo / Guanacaste and Malé (the atolls share one climate; the far south is less seasonal): planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.