Cheap travel to the Maldives | 10 tips to achieve it

So if you've always dreamed of being surrounded by turquoise blue water in the Maldives but haven't done it yet because you thought you had to mortgage itcarsAnd you're in luck! In this article, I'll tell you the keys to traveling cheaply to the Maldives. I'll explaincarI'll show you how to find the best price for a flight, where to eat, where to stay, and how to get around between islands..

1. Find cheap flights to Maldives

When it comes to flights, the luck factor influences the prices, the forecast and having the possibility of being flexible with the dates. To find cheap flights to the Maldives you are going to have to be patient. to the search and also patience at the Airport because you will surely have to make several stopovers.

My recommendation for going cheap to the Maldives is that look at flights separately with different airlines and try to make long stopovers to go with peace of mind. You can also take advantage of some stopovers to do some sightseeing, in our case we had one stopover of about 14 hours in Abu Dhabi and we took the opportunity to see the most emblematic of the city.

To return from the Maldives we flew Malé to Abu Dhabi with Wizz Air (low-cost airline) and also with Wizz from Abu Dhabi to Rome. Once in Rome, many airlines operate flights to Spain such as Ryanair or Vueling.

There are also good combinations through Istanbul with Pegasus or Turkish Airlines and by Doha with Qatar Airways and Iberia at good prices depending on the date.

In any case, it is best to be patient and use comparators to evaluate the different options.

Another possibility is to combine the Maldives with another country, we went after India and it was undoubtedly a success. From its neighboring countries such as India and Sri Lanka there are flights at good prices with local companies. We flew from Delhi to Malé via Bangalore with AirIndia for €90.

2. Stay in Local Islands to travel cheap to Maldives

In the Maldives there are the local islands and the “Resort islands” which are private islands which the government sold to the resort owner. The famous luxury villas in the Maldives can be very, very, very... carYes, we're talking about more than €3.000 a night. And The cheapest options in Resorts, which in many cases are even without sea views, are around €300-€500. To this we must add the price of meals at the Resort, excursions, private transportation to it, etc.

But we're here to talk about traveling to the Maldives without breaking the bank, so the good news is that there are many local islands where you can find accommodation from about €35-€50 for a double room with breakfast without difficulty. Your only problem here will be which island to choose among the many that exist.

These were the 3 islands we were on and the hotels where we stayed;

• GULHI: Ilaa Beach Maldives
• GURAIDHOO: Moohudma Inn 
• MAAFUSHI: Chao Guesthouse 

The hotel in the Maafushi Island It was the one we liked the least and the truth is, if we had to change something about our trip, it would be an island that we would replace with another. 

⚠️Please note that sometimes the price is broken down into room + taxes, which are very high.  It is usually a 10% service charge + 13% various taxes + Green tax, which is a fixed amount per night per person of a minimum of $3. If it is not clear to you whether what taxes are included, send a message to the accommodation.

3. To travel cheaply to the Maldives try to find public ferries

To the surprise of many, getting around the Maldives isn't just about seaplanes. carnot only, but Travel can be very economical. The price is between €2-€5 if you use local transport. There are public ferries that connect the different atolls (groups of islands) with Malé, the capital of the Maldives.

The negative part of these ferries is that they are scarce so squaring it will require advance planning, but the savings are enormous. Some atolls only have a couple of weekly ferries, but for the price it is worth trying to match your route with the ferry schedules to make the maximum number of transfers possible with them.

Some atolls such as Kaafu, south of Malé, have a little more frequency except for Fridays when, being a very practicing Muslim country, public services are paralyzed and only speedboats operate. (speed boats). If you want to change islands on a Friday, keep in mind that you will have to pay for speedboat. That happened to us when we arrived and left the Maldives on Friday.

En atolltransfer.com you can see the routes of the different ferries their schedules. In the Maldives people live with an island rhythm so don't expect anything close to English punctuality. Consider leaving a good margin if you are going to link several transfers in the same day. 

Keep in mind that for every trip you can make by ferry instead of a speedboat, you will be saving more than $20 per person, money that you might prefer to use on activities or excursions.

4. Avoid visiting many islands

On a low-cost trip to the Maldives Transportation can take up a good part of the budget. TOAlthough we previously mentioned that the public ferry is very cheap, it is also very scarce, so arranging all the transfers on it is almost impossible on a vacation.

Furthermore, all routes to change atolls go through Malé, so changing islands frequently will involve...car long journeys.

My advice is that if your trip to the Maldives lasts between a week and 10 days choose 2 or 3 islands maximum, preferably from the same atoll or nearby atolls. If you want to change atolls, take a good look at the ferry schedules to try to fit at least one of the transfers on it because taking two speedboats will carThis, it costs 60-70€ per person.

5. Don't pay for mobile Internet

In a country like the Maldives with such small islands where you will never be too far from the hotel It is not at all essential to have data on your mobile. In our experience all hotels had good Wi-Fi and many restaurants also have it, some even without a password.

Being a country that receives a lot of luxury tourism, the prices for having internet are “exorbitant.” The minimum package is about €40, when in other countries for half the price they give you unlimited data. 

If you need to have mobile internet you can read the article where we explain like mobile internet in Maldives. 

As a summary there are two options available, the first is to use a eSim of Holafly that is hired from home. You can also get a SIM Card for free at Malé Airport from vending machines. To activate it, you make an online payment, the process is simple. 

6. Travel cheap to Maldives: Eat local food and drink water

Another of the best ways to save money in the Maldives is to eat local dishes in small restaurants. The country's signature dishes are tuna and Wahoomass (a very typical fish) cooked in all their variants. 60-120 rufiyas (€3,50-€7) per person or even less you can eat in the Maldives. Surprising isn't it?

Alcohol is not allowed on the local islands of the Maldives, so once you leavecarThis option is available in restaurants; they sell quite a lot of fruit juices. carbottles and cans of soda (small 220ml) so drinking water is the best option. In some restaurants we visited the first bottle was free and the price of the following ones was not crazy. Apart from being the cheapest option, it is also the most sustainable since many restaurants use water filters to avoid wasting plastic.

By the way, don't forget to try Kottu, a very typical dish that is delicious!

7. Learn the best way to pay in Maldives

When making payments Maldives It is a quite curious country. We didn't know this and we felt like we were losing money everywhere.Well, it wasn't a feeling, it was that we literally lost it in everything we paid or when exchanging currency. That is why we have done this post about how to pay in Maldives so that you don't get caught by surprise and don't spend the day giving away money like us.

I recommend Read it to understand how payments work in the country and save on commissions which day after day can become a good peak. Furthermore, with foresight you can save yourself some disappointment because running out of effect in most of the Maldives Islands can be a problem.

8. Buy your basics before you go

By this I mean that supermarkets in the Maldives, as you might expect from being small islands in the middle of the ocean, are quite caros. Especially products aimed at tourists, such as sunscreen. Put sunscreen in your luggage (very bad because the sun burns a lot), aftersun, hygiene products, gel and shampoo. 

Don't forget your snorkel equipment because buying it there is carAbsolutely. A good alternative would be to ask the hotels you've booked because many have snorkeling goggles that they lend to their guests free of charge. 

If you have room, it wouldn't hurt to add some snacks you like, such as nuts, especially considering you might be carrying some pizza.car to the beach. 

9. Choose the best activities and islands

One of the last tips for traveling cheap to Maldives, but no less important, is that Visit the islands that best fit the travel style you are looking for and do the activities that you think you would like the most. These two tips are possibly the most important for saving money in the Maldives. 

I'll tell you a little more about what I mean. For example if you want a paradise beach to spend the day relaxing in it look for local islands that have nice beaches. This way you can enjoy white sands and turquoise tones without having to pay for tours that take you to visit other islands with better beaches. 

What you are passionate about the seabed And you like being with the mostcarIs the snorkel on? Opt for an island that has an accessible coral reef from the beach, you will surely enjoy it a lot. 

Tours in the Maldives are carYes, but believe me, if you've chosen the islands well, you don't need to book too many tours because the islands themselves will already have what you came looking for in the Maldives.

Best local islands to travel cheap to Maldives

Among the countless islands in the Maldives, from my own experience and recommendations from other travelers, I propose the following: 

• Best diving: Guraidhoo, Rasdhoo, Malé (yes, one of the best dives is right next to the airport).
• Most paradisiacal beaches: Dhiffushi, Guraidhoo, Dhigurah.
• For surfers: Help me
• Snorkeling from the shore: Kaashidhoo, Rasdhoo

10. Don't save on travel insurance

I know that this post is about tricks to travel cheaply to the Maldives and if you are organizing a trip to the Maldives on a low budget, it may cross your mind to save a few euros by not taking out travel insurance.

But I don't recommend saving on insurance because if anything happens to you, no matter how small, you will have to be rushed to Male or even India. You will be on tiny islands with no health centres. In addition, public health care is very scarce in the Maldives, the majority of the population is not well-off. Most clinics are private and not cheap.

We recommend that you travel to the Maldives with Mondo insurance if diving is not in your plans. UBy using our link you have a 5% discount when you hire it. To give you an idea, a 10-day trip insurance to the Maldives will cost you about €40

Si Diving is in your plans recommend Iati Insurance, since it is one of the few that does cover this sport.

So far these 10 tips for traveling cheaply to the Maldives, a dream destination for many. If you want to know more about our lowcost trip to the Maldives you can see the featured stories on Instagram or read our other posts.

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