Has Anyone ever been to the Maldives on a budget ?

Posted by Few_Replacement_8796@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 28 comments

I’m dreaming of going to the Maldives, but my wallet’s not exactly thrilled about it. 😅 I know it’s usually seen as a luxury destination, but I’m hoping there’s a way to experience its beauty without spending a fortune.

Has anyone actually managed to visit the Maldives on a budget? I’m talking affordable guesthouses, local islands, cheap eats, and maybe even some DIY snorkeling or diving. I’d love to hear any tips or tricks you’ve got!

What islands should I be looking at that won’t break the bank but still give that Maldives magic? How did you get around? And is it possible to enjoy the experience without splurging on resorts?

Any advice would be awesome, thanks! 😊

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lucapal1@reddit

I was there a couple of months ago.

Is it possible? Yes, depending what you mean by 'budget'.Its not SE Asian prices! But neither does it have to be luxury resort prices.

We visited 3 local islands in 3 weeks.

Accommodation was around US$40-50 a night, for double room with private bathroom,a/c and including breakfast.

Local food is not so expensive,we usually spent around US$ 10-15 for two people.

Local ferry is really cheap, though there is often only one a day, sometimes fewer... you can travel by small and fast boat at other times but that's more expensive.

Snorkeling and diving trips are not cheap.But on some islands you can snorkel straight from the beach or port,it doesn't need to be 'organised'.. the guesthouse will usually have snorkeling equipment to rent.

I enjoyed it there,I had a good time.The sea and beaches were really nice, the sealife is excellent.Good food too.

On those local islands there's no alcohol,if that's an issue.. it's not an issue for me.

There's also very little or nothing to do apart from relaxing! You need to like the beach or the sea a lot.

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_Can_i_play_@reddit

That actually sounds cheap AF.

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RojerLockless@reddit

Then it's 4k to fly there.

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MJTT12@reddit

Depends on where you are coming from. If you’re already backpacking Thailand, you can get there for less than 100 usd.

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moneywealth7@reddit

Why not try other islands with better vibes?

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Blort_McFluffuhgus@reddit

I traveled there for $982 for one week, flights included. Flights were from nearby countries, but hotels were around $40/night in Male and the other two islands I visited. Definitely doable.

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GTombz@reddit

I’m Canadian, we flew in from Sri Lanka for cheap 1 hour flight. Stayed in Male and did local tours and day trips for island hopping. Culturally, it was lacking. Other than the beautiful beach and snorkel I loved Sri Lanka culture more. It was a bucket list trip.

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SnooDogs579@reddit

Keep your eye out for travel deals on Cyber Monday. I snagged a trip for 2 from the west coast of the US to the Maldives for $4K. This included RT airfare and all expenses for 8 days. Excursions (snorkeling)were extra.

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zennie4@reddit

Yes I have visited the inhabited islands twice (Male, Ukulhas, Feridhoo, Mathiveri).

The most boring place ever.

Any other place with nice islands (Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Panama, Brazil...) was million times better.

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PaleJicama4297@reddit

AND the Maldives are a notoriously dry (no alcohol) off the resorts and resort islands

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Funholiday@reddit

Thanks for this info I am out!

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zennie4@reddit

Thats one of many reasons.

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MayaPapayaLA@reddit

Notoriously NOT the place to go on a budget. I do believe the NYT travel section or another big newspaper did some piece on this once, where basically the couple stayed in town, took local taxis, slow/infrequent boats from one island to another, etc. Basically it's basically a chill remote island then, I don't know what you mean by "Maldives magic". It still wasn't cheap. Oh and transport there costs what it costs.

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zennie4@reddit

The inhabited islands are definitely not expensive to go to or stay at.

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MayaPapayaLA@reddit

Yes. Quote from my comment, that you responded to: "It still wasn't cheap."

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zennie4@reddit

Guesthouses are around 40-50 EUR per night with breakfast, speedboat for one hour costs about 50 EUR/pax, local boats are a fraction of that but they mostly operate within atolls, not in between. Excursions are between 20 and 100 EUR/pax, food 5-15 EUR. Snorkelling from the beach is free...

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pm_me_wildflowers@reddit

What do you love about the Maldives? This can help us narrow down alternatives. Like do you want the cut off from civilization, maximum relaxation vibes? Or are you more interested in the natural beauty? Do you want resort-level amenities? Or are you flexible as long as you have a safe room with A/C? Are you more interested in doing history/tour activities in a totally new culture, like Polynesia or Asia, or could Latin America scratch the same itch as long as it has the natural beauty and/or relaxation factor?

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Much-Tadpole-3742@reddit

most ISIS fighters produced per capita in the world

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Ok-Breakfast1@reddit

Maldives is expensive if you go to the resort islands and stay in an overwater villa.

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123cube123@reddit

I’ve done it and imo it’s worth it. I visited Fulidhoo local island and had a great time. No alcohol sold on the local islands but that didn’t bother me bc I don’t drink regularly anyway.

I’ve also done Thailand islands and imo it’s not the same. Maldives water quality wayyy cleaner, corals SIGNIFICANTLY healthier, lots more underwater life.

Re snorkeling and diving, here’s the secret NO ONE talks about: the resort islands in the Maldives and the local islands take you to the EXACT same snorkelling and diving spots, except the resort island charges you x3 more! I know this because I spent half my time in a local island and the other half of my time at a five star resort.

If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to ask!

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lucapal1@reddit

When I was on Guraidhoo,the people from the nearby resorts were not only coming to exactly the same snorkelling points,they also came to the local island bikini beach....they said it was nicer than the one on their reort island ;-)

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Waste_Kangaroo2214@reddit

Yes! We went to Ghuli but there are loads of other local islands that you can visit. We found you can get a decent guesthouse for 50-70 USD a day. Meals at local restaurants were less than $10 per person. Snorkelling trips were about 50$ per person.

Note it definitely is not luxury. The beaches while beautiful and clean can be noisy (there was construction going on behind us) and if it rains there is literally nothing we could do. The food was great though. Lots of curry and roti. Lots of fish. People were lovely.

I would go back to a local island again.

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