Last Updated: 8/2/20 | August 2nd, 2020
The Maldives conjure up pictures of pristine beaches, reef-ringed atolls, as well as extravagant bungalows on the water where lucky guests can observe fish with glass floors as well as jump into the sea from their balcony.
This island nation has always been on my “bucket list,” so when I decided to see Sri Lanka as well as Dubai last month, the Maldives was a rational as well as obvious addition to my itinerary.
Especially, since there’s now a budding budget plan travel scene in the country.
In 2009, the Maldivian government enabled locals to open their own guesthouses as well as restaurants to tourists. Whereas before, travelers were restricted to the resort islands, now they can see as well as stay on any type of regional island they select to. Suddenly, homestays, hotels, as well as guesthouses have started popping up.
It was a momentous shift in policy that lastly enabled locals a piece of the economic pie.
Though I wished to experience daily life, the previously mentioned idyllic pictures rippled with my mind. There was no method I might miss a possibility at experiencing that type of luxury.
Splitting my nine-day see into two parts, I decided to spend four days in a resort as well as five days on the “real” islands.
Life on the High End
With a Dubai good friend in tow, I landed at the Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa resort, 150km south of the capital, Malé. like all resorts, the hotel is on its own personal island that boasts overwater bungalows, their own restaurant, bar, spa, as well as operated tours. like most resorts here, meals as well as drinks are included in the expense of the room.
Cinnamon is on the lower end of the cost spectrum, costing me $356 USD per night. While not super budget-friendly, it’s a great deal cheaper than the other resorts. For example, the Park Hyatt is $850 USD per night, the Taj is $1,050 USD, the W is $1,300 USD, St. Regis is $1,600 USD, as well as the Four-Seasons is a whopping $2,000 USD per night!
Unless you discover exactly how to travel hack, a see right here can be prohibitively expensive.
As I was itching for an overdue vacation as well as work detox, my see was just what the physician ordered: a tropical island with restricted Web as well as a good friend whose task it was to keep me from working.
I spent my days trying not to get a sunburn on the beach, reading books (I extremely suggest A Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell), drinking wine, stuffing my face, as well as then retiring for more reading or a movie.
Life on the island was easy. In the resort bubble, you don’t have to concern about getting around, meals, or what to do.
It was a vacation.
The personnel was super friendly, they understood exactly how to make a great drink, as well as there was always food around. meals were buffet style (unless you paid additional for the charming crab restaurant or the lunchtime cooking class, which I did. See the remarkable meal I cooked in the photo below).
Taking advantage of a few of the hotel’s tours, we went dolphin watching (so many dolphins!), snorkeled each day, as well as visited a couple of the close-by islands.
Since resorts in the country are geared toward households or couples, there are few solo travelers or non-couples outside the dive resorts. My good friend as well as I were the only non-couple on the island.
I discovered there wasn’t a great deal of guest interaction however since everywhere there is on vacation, I’m not surprised.
After four days, my good friend as well as I were both a bit prepared to move on. I can only take vacation life for a few days before I get bored. The high life was what I believed it would be — relaxing opulence — however I was itching to see the genuine Maldives, to experience life on the regional islands, as well as to talk to a few locals.
Life the method It should Be
After returning to Malé as well as seeing my good friend off at the airport, I hopped into a speedboat as well as headed to Maafushi, ground zero for the Maldives’ burgeoning independent travel industry, to begin my island-hopping adventure.
It was a horrible place. I hope to never return.
Maafushi, when a sleepy bit island, is now the sufferer of uncontrolled development.
There are hotels going up left as well as right, boats making regular trips to Malé to pick up tour groups, as well as one little over-crowded as well as overbuilt beach. The few restaurants on the island cater mainly to tourists, as well as outside the area cleaned up for visitors, it’s one trash-covered dump.
You can see the composing on the wall — this location is the next Ko Phi Phi. As a guesthouse owner on one more island said, “Soon there will be no more locals there. They will just lease out their land as well as move to Malé.”
But Maafushi is great for a few things: diving, snorkeling, as well as acting as a introducing pad to prettier, quieter islands like Gulhi as well as Fulidhoo.
After a couple of days, I escaped to Mahibadhoo. Kristin, our remarkable solo female travel writer, stayed there a few years ago, as well as so I was excited to see as well as inspect out the remarkable Noovilu, applauded as “possibly the very best guesthouse in the Maldives.” (It was truly nice. A bit costly for my taste however the service, food, as well as activities offered by the personnel was resort quality. incredible interest to detail as well as I suggest staying there.)
Unlike Maafushi, I liked Mahibadhoo.
It was clean (local women volunteer to clean the island when a week), as well as the buildings were more colorful, featuring a rainbow of pastel-colored structures. There was more life right here as well (I watched regional soccer games each night). Overall, the vibe was just nicer.
The island, in spite of having speedboat gain access to to Malé, has escaped (for now) the mass advancement of Maafushi. though it doesn’t have a “bikini beach” (as the beaches for foreigners are called), there is great snorkeling right offshore (which is what I did), as well as it’s a introducing pad for day trips to deserted atolls, sandbars, as well as quieter islands like Dhanbidhoo, Kalhaidhoo, as well as Isdhoo.
Though the islands the locals inhabit are adding guesthouses, they often aren’t set up for tourists. Ferry service is infrequent to all however a couple of the islands, as well as most don’t have many restaurants, or even beaches to lay on. There are a couple reasons for this.
First, bikini beaches exist for tourists. The Maldives is a Muslim country and, while there are public beaches, you requirement to be covered up for them. most of the regional islands don’t have white sandy beaches, so many developed special ones just for the tourists that are hidden from view as well as visitors can be more scantily dressed (hence the bikini name).
Secondly, “eating out” isn’t a thing in the Maldives. Locals mainly cook for themselves. There are cafes however few restaurants. You usually eat at the guesthouses, who cook up meals (included in the price) for guests. However, you can get a great deal of great food this method as many guesthouses cook up curried fish, rice, as well as other regional delicacies. The fare is simple however extremely tasty.
And, while the neighborhoods are still trying to figure out exactly how to offer with tourism, I was unfortunate to leave as well as desire I had more time to check out the nooks as well as crannies of the atolls. everybody right here was friendly as well as curious as well as it would have been nice to get to dig deeper into regional life as well as culture.
Travel tips for the Maldives
While the Maldives doesn’t have to break your budget, it’s important to understand a few things before you go — or you’ll make some expensive mistakes:
Ferries need planning (and don’t always come) – The Maldives’ atolls are served by a series of ferries from Malé. most expense $2-5 USD, however, their routine is unreliable. I was meant to take one that never arrived.
Many only travel when a day, so if one doesn’t come, you’ll have to fork over money for a speedboat ($25 USD) or wait on the next day’s departure.
When you are visiting the Maldives, research study the ferries in advance so you understand when as well as where you can go next. Island hopping is extremely difficult without planning. I messed up by not looking at the ferry system before I arrived; as a result, I missed a few islands I wished to visit. I wrongly presumed there would be regular ferries between the islands — I was sorely mistaken.
Inter-island ferry routines can be discovered here.
Speedboats are your good friend – From Malé, you can take speedboats to a few of the close-by funding islands of surrounding atolls. They expense $25-30 USD however likewise leave infrequently, usually when a day (Maafushi is the only island I discovered with several speedboat departures). If you’re not on a tight budget plan as well as want to save time, grab a speedboat.
There is no alcohol – As the Maldives is a Muslim country, you can’t get alcohol anywhere except on the resort islands which have a special exemption.
Flying is not affordable – flying is incredibly costly here. Flights from Malé to surrounding atolls can expense as much as $350 USD each way. avoid this.
Take great deals of USD – though the Maldives has its own currency (the rufiyaa), us dollars are commonly accepted as well as you commonly get a much better cost if you pay in USD. This varies from one restaurant or shop to another, so I brought both currencies with me as well as paid in whatever currency had a lower price. (Though you’re speaking the difference of $.50 cents, so don’t stress as well much)
However, Maldivian ATMs fee hefty charges (upwards of $6.50 USD) per withdrawal. Taking money or making one big withdrawal eliminates or reduces those charges (and so does having a bankjoka korvaa nämä maksut).
Ja älä huolestu – Malediivit ovat erittäin turvallisia. Kukaan ei aio ottaa kaikkea rahaa. En koskaan silloin, kun tunsin olevani levoton siitä, että minulla on paljon rahaa.
Lomakeskuksissa riippumatta luotto -historiakortistasi veloitetaan, joten varmista, että sinulla ei ole valuuttamaksua!
Onko se hieno yksin matkustajille?
Kyllä, jos haluat vain lukea, rentoutua ja keskittyä sinuun.
Vaikka näet paljon matkustajia Maléssa suuntautuvan sukellusveneisiin tai pomppimassa saarelta saarelle, se on kaikki ystäviä, pariskuntia ja perheitä. Malediivit eivät vieläkään ole yksin matkustajatutkan kohtuuhintaisista matkakustannuksista.
Onko Malediivit halvat?
Se voi olla! Vaikka he tuovat paljon tavaroita, jos pysyt alueellisten lautojen, majatalojen ja alueellisten ruokien (kala, riisi, curry) kanssa, voit päästä alle 75 dollaria USD päivässä (jopa vähemmän, jos jaat majoitusta)) . Tämä ei kuitenkaan sisällä esimerkiksi lentolippuja ja matkavakuutusta.
Koska saarilla ei ole alkoholia, sinun ei tarvitse huolehtia budjetin juomisesta. Tässä on joitain tyypillisiä kustannuksia vuonna 2020:
Yksi tila alueellisessa majatalossa: 45-55 dollaria USD per yö
Julkinen lautta: 2–5 dollaria USD / ratsasta kohti
Lentokenttälautta Maléan: 1 dollaria USD
Nopeusveneet: 25-35 dollaria USD / ajoa
Tee: 0,50 dollaria USD
Snorkkelivuokraus: 8 dollaria USD/päivä
Valashaiden sukellus: 200 dollaria USD
Ateriat: 9–11 dollaria USD kukin
Buffet-illalliset: 15-20 dollaria USD kukin
Voileipä miehellä: 4-5 dollaria USD
Vesipullo: 0,40–0,70 dollaria USD
Neljän päivän aikana suurin kustannukseni oli 120 dollarin USD, jonka maksin vuokraamaan koko nopeusveneen takaisin Malélle, kun lauttani ei ilmestynyt. Tämän lisäksi löysin saaret melko edullisiksi!
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Uskomme, että Malediivit budjettivahvistuneeksi, huippuluokan sijainniksi, mutta niiden ei tarvitse olla. Maa on halvempi kuin muutama Karibian tai jopa Kaakkois -Aasian näkyvistä kohteista!
Eräänä päivänä toivon palata ja viettää enemmän aikaa saaren hyppäämiseen. Haluan nähdä enemmän kuin täällä.
Ehdotan erittäin, että vierailu Malediiveilla ennen kuin saaret päätyivät samoin ylikuormitettuihin, rannat nieltyvät meren (ilmastomuutos ja korallien valkaisu olivat molemmat kuumia aiheita paikallisten kanssa, joiden kanssa puhuin), tai maailma tarttuu siihen Tarkalleen kuinka edullinen maa todella on.
Varaa matka Malediiveille: logistiset vinkit ja temppuja
Varaa lentosi
Käytä Skyscanneria tai Momondoa löytääksesi edullisen lennon. Ne ovat kaksi ensisijaista selaa -moottoria, koska ne selaavat verkkosivustoja sekä lentoyhtiöitä ympäri maailmaa, joten ymmärrät aina, ettei kiveä jätetä kääntämättä. Aloita Skyscannerilla aivan ensin, koska heillä on suurin ulottuvuus!
Varaa majoitus
Voit varata hostellin hostellimaailman kanssa, koska heillä on suurin osake sekä hienoimmat tarjoukset. Jos haluat pysyä muualla kuin hostellissa, käytä Booking.com -sivustoa, koska ne palauttavat jatkuvasti halvimmat hinnat sekä majataloille ja edullisille hotelleille.
Älä muista matkavakuutusta
Matkavakuutus suojaa sinua sairauksilta, loukkaantumisilta, varkauksista ja peruutuksilta. Se on kattava turvallisuus tilanteessa Kaikki menee pieleen. En koskaan mene matkalle ilman sitä, koska minun on joutunut hyödyntämään sitä monta kertaa aiemmin. Suositeltavan yritykseni, joka tarjoaa parasta palvelua ja arvoa, ovat:
Turvallisuussiipi (kaikille alle 70)
Vakuuta matkani (yli 70) niille
MedJet (ylimääräistä palauttamista varten)
Etsitkö parasta yritystä säästää rahaa?
Tutustu resurssisivulleni parasta yritystä, jota käytetään matkustaessasi. Listaan kaikki käyttämäni säästääkseni rahaa tiellä. Ne säästävät rahaa myös matkustaessasi.
Haluatko lisätietoja Malediiveista?
Varmista, että näet Malediivien vankka kohdeoppaamme vielä enemmän suunnitteluvinkkejä!
HUOMAUTUS: Kaneli Hakuraa kattoi lomakeskuksen tilan kustannukset (joihin sisältyy ruokaa ja juomia). Loput matkastani, mukaan lukien lennoni, maksoi minulle kokonaan.
