Maldives on a Budget
Yes, traveling to the Maldives on a budget is possible and I managed to crack the code as I found the 5 secrets behind a 500$ trip for a one-week vacation to the Maldives (accommodation, meals and many activities included, excluding the plane tickets)!
In this article, I am going to give you my top 5 secrets that will allow you to plan the perfect vacation to the Maldives without “robbing the bank”. I saved my best tip for the end, so keep reading to find out how to travel to the Maldives on a budget!
Choose the dates wisely!
As always, when you are committed to travel on a budget, you need to choose the off-peak season! The Maldives has a peak tourist season from November to April when prices are the highest.
During these months, the prices of the accommodation in the Maldives will double if not triple! Fortunately, the prices of the activities will remain the same. Consider traveling during the months of May to October for better deals on accommodations and if you like having the beach for yourself!
Pay attention to the flight tickets and local transportation in the Maldives!
If you read my previous blog post on things you need to know before traveling to the Maldives (click here for the link), then you will know that the cheapest option for the local transportation will be the local ferry, followed by the speedboats and seaplanes. However, because the Maldivian islands are not always close to the airport, you have to be very careful when choosing your island in rapport to the airport. As the Male Velana International Airport is currently the only airport in the country offering international flights, make sure that you choose an island that is not too far from the airport and that you can reach with the speedboat (at least).
Try booking your flights early and look for flight deals. Be flexible with your travel dates, as you may find lower fares on certain days. For more tips and tricks on how ho travel on a budget in general, read my tips and tricks section (click here for the link).
In the same time, depending on which is your departing country, you can look for budget airlines that operate flights to Male. These airlines often have lower fares than full-service carriers.
Finally yet importantly, consider nearby airports! Do not be afraid to create your own “way”: check if flights to nearby airports in South Asia, such as Colombo, Sri Lanka, or Kochi, India, are cheaper. You can then take a connecting flight or even a ferry to the Maldives.
DO NOT book your stay at a fancy resort in the Maldives!
In case you did not know, in the Maldives there are two types of islands: the local islands and the private ones.
What is the difference between a local island and a fancy resort on a private island in the Maldives?
Local vs Private Islands in the Maldives
On a private island, you will not have contact with the outside world so you will depend on the activities/boats/personnel of the resort and on their prices. Therefore, the taxes and prices will be exclusively set by the resort and will be higher. On private islands/resorts, you can have buggy cars, scooters or even bicycles for transportation.
On the other hand, on a local island you have more choices: hotels, restaurants, shops etc. Here you will mostly walk. For example, Maafushi has a bit more than 1km x 260 meters and it is completely walkable.
Keep in mind that the beach is the same, the water is the same, the activities and day trips are the same!
More About the Local Islands in the Maldives
If your goal is to go to the Maldives on a budget, then instead of staying at expensive private resort, choose to stay on local islands like Maafushi, Guraidhoo, Gulhi or Thulusdhoo etc. Guesthouses and budget hotels on these islands are much more affordable than resort accommodations.
The price for the accommodation during the off-season on a local island can start from 40$ and reach up to 100& per night per room (most of the times having the breakfast included). Moreover, on a local island, a fresh juice or a coffee will cost between 2$ to 6$, the average being 4$. For the lunch and dinner, you can find reasonable dishes for 7-8$. Be aware that the prices will be almost 3 times (minimum) higher in resorts.
Last but not least, if you are staying on a local island, you can still visit nearby resort islands for a day trip. This allows you to experience the luxury amenities without the high costs of staying there.
Watersports on Local Islands
The same thing will happen when it comes to watersports. On local islands, you can go for only one watersport, or a package of more watersports to try in different days. As an example, by the time I went to the Maldives, in May 2023, the parasailing is around 90$ for 2 people and you stay approximatively 10 minutes up in the sky. A package for jetsky, funtube and kayak for 2 people will be around 60$. In private islands, the prices will be 3 times more for the same activities.
Daily Trips on Local Islands
There are endless options: visiting local islands, exploring sandbanks (even on a jetsky or by speedboat), snorkeling, swimming with the nurse sharks or whaleshark, seeing the dolphins etc. If a trip in 100$ in Maafushi (for swimming with the whale shark for example), the exactly same trip will be 370$ on a private island because there the only option will be booking the trip from the resort.
I will tell you more about how to get the best deals for the the day trips and watersports in my next post, so stay tuned!
Choose Maafushi when it comes to your accommodation!
Maafushi is a local island in the Maldives located in Kaafu Atoll, but relatively close to Male airport: at 2h with the local ferry or 30 minutes by speedboat.
In my opinion, Maafushi has the most to offer compared to Guraidhoo, Gulhi or Thulusdhoo and the fares are even lower in Maafushi than in other local islands in the proximity. Maafushi has a bit more than 1km x 260 meters, so you need 20 minutes to make it from one end to another. The island has about 1500 inhabitants and has the same beach (if not more beautiful) than the ones in private islands). As logic as it may seem, I found it interesting that many people are walking barefoot in Maafushi and this is because there is sand everywhere…duh!
More About Maafushi...
I recommend staying in Maafushi for as long as you can, as 6-7 nights might be more than enough taking into account that there are so many day trips that you can take and activities to try during the day. You can alternate visiting these local islands in order to explore more.
What I loved the most in Maafushi is that I have always felt safe walking around at night! The locals are extremely nice and even if the island is quite touristic, they are most of the times treating you as a friend and not as a customer/tourist.
Keep in mind that even in Maafushi, most of the restaurants/cafes/hotels have their own exchange rates! A coffee can be 4$ and cost 60 MVR (Maldivian Rufiyaa) in one place and 65 MVR next door.
As I mentioned in the previous blog post, the country is a conservative Islamic nation. This is why on the local islands there are separate beaches for locals and tourists. While you can go to the beaches reserved to locals, it is forbidden to wear your beachwear on those beaches or even when walking around the local island. The beaches designed for tourists are called “bikini beaches” and in Maafushi the sunbeds on the bikini beach are free, but it is nice to support the local business and order something if you sit on the sunbeds they provide.
Learn from my mistakes, listen to my advices and copy the way I organized my trip for a perfect experience.
Together with Select Maldives, I showed you on my Instagram account how to get the best deals for both accommodation and activities on a local island in the Maldives: Maafushi.
I will soon post an article where I will exclusively share with you the insides of every single trip I had in and around Maafushi, including, but not limited to activities such as:
- Snorkeling and local islands hoping,
- Day trips in resorts,
- Private yacht adventures and more!
