By Nomadic Matt | Published January 30th, 2014
I’ve
always wanted to visit the Maldives. I’ve often dreamed of those
over-water bungalows and white sand beaches. But those dreams turned
into nightmares when I realized how much those bungalows actually cost.
Luckily, changes in the way tourism is done in the country have allowed
for a small but growing budget travel industry to emerge and today,
Kristin Addis from Be My Travel Muse shares how to travel the Maldives on a budget. She just got back and I’m eager to hear her tips.
When you picture the Maldives, you might think of sitting outside an
over-water bungalow while looking out over the jade and sapphire-hued
ocean, with nearby staff serving sparkling wines and waiting on your
every whim.
It’s the epitome of romantic luxury.
And it costs a fortune. Resort prices start at hundreds per night and don’t even include food!
To many people, this country is an unreachable dream.
But what if I told you that you can easily stay in the Maldives for
less than the price of a night at a luxury resort? What if I told you
that you can travel there without having to stay in high-priced resorts
or eating overpriced food?
It wasn’t until I had impulse-booked an Air Asia flight to the island
nation that I learned how easy and affordable travel to the Maldives
can be.
While the Maldives are known for their luxury resorts and
over-the-top pampering, it iss possible to enjoy an affordable trip to
paradise.
Getting to the Maldives for Cheap
Getting to these crazy beautiful islands used to cost a great deal of
both time and money, with flights upwards of $1000 and lots of layovers.
The great news is that now more and more regional airlines are
offering very reasonable flights to the Maldives. For example, Sri
Lankan Airlines flies from Colombo to Malé for around $100 USD one-way.
Cheap tickets can also be found on Emirates via Dubai, with fares
starting at $300. Low cost airline Air Asia just introduced a route from
their hub in Kuala Lumpur with fares as low as $130 (which is how I
ended up here). Moreover, flights from Bangkok and Singapore start at
$300.
In short, you can fly here from most major hubs in the Middle East and Asia on cheap, direct flights.
(Matt says: If you aren’t already in the region to take advantage
of the cheap fares and want to fly from North America, Europe, or
Australia, your international airfare can get pricey, but with travel
hacking you can score some free flights. Find out more here.)
Getting Around for Cheap
In the Maldives, nothing is accessible without taking a ferry or
additional domestic flight. The ferries from the airport to and from
Malé (the main island) are right near the airport exit and can’t be
missed. With the exception of prayer times — occurring 5 times per day
in keeping with the Muslim religion — they are always running and leave
when full. The ferry to Malé leaves every 15 minutes, costs $1 USD, and
is about a 20 minute ride.
From Malé, take a taxi for around $5 to the main ferry station to access the other islands.
To get around the islands, you can take a public ferry, but be sure to check the
timetables
as the ferries don’t run every day of the week. Ferry prices range from
$3-20 USD. If a ferry does not run on the day that you need or your
island of choice is too far to be accessed by ferry, you’re looking at
either a night in Malé, a very expensive (think $300-$400) speedboat, or
a $200 domestic flight.
If you are looking to visit an island further away from Malé, you’ll
need to do some island hopping via the ferry system, which might require
you to stay overnight on an island along the way.
Staying for Cheap
In 2009, the Maldives started allowing locals to open their own
guesthouses. This spawned the growth of several affordable and locally
owned establishments welcoming guests on the local islands. Though there
are still no hostel or dorm options in the country, private rooms can
be found for as little as $40 per night. If you are traveling with a
friend or partner your share drops to $20.
I used Airbnb.com, which I found useful because it allows you to
communicate directly with the host. I stayed on Mahibadoo at the
Amazing Noovilu on Ari Atoll.
My guesthouse owner used to work for the resorts, so he had a great
handle on what his guests wanted and how to cater to their needs. The
room itself was clean and comfortable, with air conditioning and
fans. The bathroom was Maldivian style – outdoors but completely walled
off for privacy, with Frangipani plants growing through the sand and up
around the shower. It was easily the coolest bathroom I’ve ever
utilized, with hot water and a Western-style toilet.
If you’re looking to experience the Maldives, get to know the locals,
and save money at the same time, staying at one of these small
guesthouses will allow you to experience the beauty and wonder of this
stunning part of the world without paying resort prices (which normally
start at $300 a night).
To find these privately run (and affordable) guesthouses, the following sites are the best:
Airbnb
Guesthouses in the Maldives
TripAdvisor
Agoda
Eating on a Budget
At my guesthouse, each meal was authentic Maldivian cuisine, eaten as a
group with the owner’s family and included in the price of the
guesthouse. This is typical as many islands don’t have many
restaurants, so you’ll find most guesthouses include meals in their
nightly rate.
If your guesthouse doesn’t provide meals, local restaurants are very
inexpensive. Coffee houses around the island serve coffee from early
morning until late at night for around $1.50. They also offer snacks,
sandwiches, and noodles for closer to $3.
Moreover, each morning, fishermen would dock and sell off some of
their catches. You could easily join the locals, haggle for some fresh
fish straight from the source for reasonable prices and then throw it on
the grill at your guesthouse.
Other than grilled fish, typical Maldivian cuisine involves breakfast
of sweet and thick milk tea, canned tuna mixed with onion and lime
juice, and delicious flat bread called roshi, which is similar to Indian
roti. Lunches and dinners consisted mainly of incredibly fresh fish,
mouthwatering curries, more roshi, and buttered rice, which we ate with
our hands (though a fork and spoon were provided if desired).
Affordable, Awesome Excursions
Given how much emphasis I had put on diving via our Airbnb
correspondence, my guesthouse owner made it a point to take me out on a
few dives himself, renting the gear from local sea cucumber fishermen
and asking his brother to drive us out in the family’s speed boat. It
ended up being just the two of us, which meant that I was diving the
best reefs in the world without any other divers around for only $65 per
tank.
My host also took us snorkeling with manta rays (for $30) and,
something that I’ve been dying to see for years, whale sharks. Other
boatloads of tourists jumped in, only to have to jump back out of the
water five minutes later due to the nature of larger group snorkeling
tours in the Maldives. I, however, had the pleasure of swimming with a
whale shark for 45 minutes, since my guide was happy for me to stay as
long as I wanted. He was enjoying the encounter as much as I was!
Every excursion was like this, from night fishing on a local
fisherman’s boat (for $25), to visiting a nearby deserted island ($60).
I had a private tour guide each day, driving me to the best spots and
offering flexibility that just doesn’t come with a packaged
resort. These kinds of experiences are much more attainable when staying
at a smaller guesthouse; most even list their prices for excursions on
their websites and Airbnb listings, so you know what you are getting
into before booking.
If your guesthouse of choice does not provide these tours, ask the
local resorts what they might provide. They may be willing to let you
join their excursions even though you’re not staying with them. Tour
operator
Secret Paradise also
specializes in helping those who want a local experience to set up
tours and SCUBA diving while avoiding expensive resorts.
Other Things to Remember
While I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything, I would think twice
about going the cheap route if I wanted to be able to drink wine and
wear a bikini, which is generally allowed only on the resort islands.
The Maldives is a Muslim country and forbids alcohol (and pork!) from
entering the country or being consumed on local islands. It’s also
important for women to cover up shoulders and legs, which means no
bikinis, though once we left the island on an excursion, a bikini was
fine.
Additionally, while my guesthouse was great, it was still going
through some growing pains, such as a lack of Wi-Fi and the occasional
cold shower, as most of the newer guesthouses will.
It was eye-opening to find out that it is entirely possible to spend a
week in the Maldives, complete with excursions and meals, for the same
price as just one night in a resort bungalow. While being pampered is
great, I don’t like being walled away in a fancy resort. Taking
advantage of the opportunity to see how local Maldivians live, eating
meals with them, and joining them for excursions on their speedboats
made paradise even more idyllic.
Budget tourism on the Maldives is just beginning and now is a good
time to go, as there are still not many foreigners outside the resorts
(I was the only foreigner on my ferry) and the islands are not on many
budget travelers’ radar. The remoteness of the country will always mean
that it will take time and some money to get to, but the Maldives is no
longer the exclusive playground of the wealthy and can be enjoyed by
travelers of all types.
Source: http://www.nomadicmatt.com
10:28 AM
