How much is a budget vacation in the Maldives in 2021: food prices, hotels, transport, tickets, entertainment. We give advice on how to have a cheap vacation in Paradise. A dream come true!
You can't have a cheap vacation in the Maldives!
In the Maldives, you only need to go to expensive resorts, only there is paradise, everything else sucks.
Fanatics of resort vacations in the Maldives threw such statements at me when I announced in my VK group that I was flying to the Maldives to experience a budget vacation on the paradise islands. Well, let the fanatics be indignant and rage. In the meantime, I have fulfilled my goal and now I am ready to tell you how to relax in the Maldives inexpensively. So, let's go to debunk the myths!
Take a look: How to go to the Maldives now - there you will find fresh reviews of tourists, conditions of entry in case of a pandemic and prices for tours. See also the list of open countries. Below we talk about holidays in the Maldives before the start of the pandemic.
I flew to the Maldives in April 2019 and was convinced of several things from personal experience:
- In the maldives you can relax cheap... Not for three kopecks, of course, but only slightly more expensive than in Thailand. It is realistic to spend no more than $ 700 for the whole vacation for two (without tickets). Calculating the budget - at the end of the review.
- Budget holidays in the Maldives is in no way inferior luxury rest in expensive resorts. Azure sea, crystal clear water, white powdery sand and rich underwater world - all this is the same on any island.
- Economy rest carries with it a number of disadvantages and inconveniences... I'll be honest about everyone. But if the Maldives is your dream, you can forgive them for these shortcomings.
Are you interested? Then go ahead - read my instructions and get ready for the rest!
Exchange rate: 1 Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR) ≈ 5 RUB.
Visa for Maldives
For Russians, a visa to the Maldives is not needed if the trip does not exceed 30 days. If you need to stay for more than a month, you need to apply for a tourist visa. Upon entry, they may require a return ticket, a hotel reservation or a tourist voucher, as well as a bank statement (at least $ 50 per person per day). They did not check anything with us, they just asked where we would rest.
Take a look: a list of all visa-free countries.
When is it cheaper to vacation in the Maldives
In many countries, you can save money by coming on vacation during the low season. For a budget holiday in the Maldives, this scheme does not work. The off-season is here in summer, but prices for hotels at this time do not decrease, for food and excursions, too. In this case, the sea will be muddy and rainy. There is no sense in going in the summer.
But vacation on tours in resorts from June to August is cheaper by 20%. Expensive hotels still offer discounts for the low season. Check Tour Prices →
1. How cheap to fly
I have two news for you: good and bad.
I'll start with the bad one. You won't be able to fly to the Maldives especially cheaply. Low-cost airlines do not fly there, and independent connections through neighboring countries do not allow to bring down the price. A flight to the Maldives from Sri Lanka or Malaysia costs from 9,000 rubles per person, but tickets to these countries from Russia cost the same as to the Maldives. You won't be able to save money. The only thing that you can get out of this is to visit the Maldives as part of a big trip to Asia. For example, we first spent a month in Sri Lanka, then flew to rest in the Maldives, after which we flew to Malaysia and Indonesia. It's cheaper than flying from Russia to each country individually, but so few people do.
Now for the good news! You will fly to the paradise islands aboard the coolest, most comfortable and enjoyable airlines in the world - Etihad, Emirates or Qatar. This is, as they say, 5 stars! Oddly enough, it is they who always have the cheapest tickets from Russia to the Maldives. So forget about the lack of low-cost airlines and enjoy the flight.
Look for tickets on the search engine Aviasales - it compares the prices of all airlines. Check prices for different dates to find the cheapest option. Do you want to learn how to find tickets at the lowest price? Read my 15 rules for buying cheap tickets.
How much are the air tickets to Maldives in 2021 (round trip):
- From Moscow with transfers in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi: the normal price is RUB 30,000, you can catch it for a promotion for RUB 25,000.
- From Moscow by direct flight "Aeroflot" - from 37,000 rubles.
- From St. Petersburg - from 33,000 rubles.
- From Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, Samara, Sochi, Rostov-on-Don, Mineralnye Vody - from RUB 37,000.
Our ticket costs: 18,000 ₽ - from Colombo to Male (Emirates), 18,000 ₽ - from Male to Penang (Air Asia).
Conclusions how to save on tickets: follow the promotions of airlines, compare the prices of all airlines on Aviasales, adjust your vacation to the dates with the lowest ticket prices.
How much do the tours cost? The cheapest tours to the Maldives in 2021, which I found, cost from 100 thousand rubles for two. But these are tours to local islands, vouchers to resorts cost from 150 thousand per week of rest. Last Minute Tours search on Travelata and Level.Travel - they will find the best deals among different tour operators. Want to save money? Check out our 7 rules for buying tours online.
2. Choosing an island where it is cheap to have a rest
There are three types of islands in the Maldives:
- Resorts... These are island hotels, completely dedicated to the needs of tourists. Vacation is expensive.
- Uninhabited islands... Nobody lives here, there are no buildings, often there is not even vegetation. You can come here for an excursion.
- Local islands... The locals themselves live here, there are schools, banks, shops, a hospital, cafes - in general, civilization. These are the islands we need!
So, for a cheap vacation in the Maldives, come to the local islands. They all differ from each other in size, remoteness from the capital and the airport, infrastructure development. The cheapest are the islands that are located near the capital, because they can be easily and inexpensively reached. But there will be many tourists there. If you want the most secluded holiday, choose distant islands.
I rested on three islands: Toddu, Rasdu, Ukulas.
Todd. Cool, nice island! Russians love it very much - there are 90% of all holidaymakers here, so we christened the island "Maldivian Anapa". Toddoo is the fruit plantation that feeds the entire country. You can get to the island by ferry for about $ 10 (4-6 hours) or by speedboat for $ 35 (1.5 hours). Hotels cost from $ 50 per day, there are many of them. There are cafes, shops, a bank. The island has two excellent tourist beaches, both of which are clean and pleasant, and you can snorkel right by the coast. Recommend!
Rasdoo... The place is so-so: the tourist beach is mediocre, outside of it there is a lot of rubbish, a lot of broken glass. There is an incinerator right next to the beach: the smell and noise will not give you a pleasant rest. It is worth coming here only for diving enthusiasts or those wishing to visit the uninhabited Madivaru Islands, which are just one km from Rasdhoo. For a beach holiday - I do not recommend it.
Ukulas. Nice island with a huge wide bikini beach. There are shops, cafes, many guest houses. Good snorkeling right near the shore, I saw a shark - great! Hotels start at $ 37. Ferries rarely run, only 2-3 times a week. The speedboat to the airport costs $ 50, I bargained for $ 40 (on the way - 1.5 hours). Recommend!
Is in the Maldives and other local islandswhere you can have a cheap rest. I was not on them, but I found out everything during the preparation. There are dozens of local islands, I'll tell you about the popular ones.
Maafushi... The most famous and popular island for a budget holiday. Easy to reach from the airport, there are a lot of hotels and other tourist infrastructure. But there are also very, very many vacationers. Another drawback is that new hotels are being built everywhere. However, the beach and snorkeling on the island are praised. At first I included Maafushi in the trip, but then I decided not to go. If the crowdedness does not scare you and you want to get the most developed infrastructure, come. Hotels - from $ 45. Guide to Maafushi >>
Hulhumale... The most convenient island in terms of accessibility. The only island where you do not need to sail, but you can get from the airport directly by bus. Some of the most inexpensive hotels in the Maldives are here - from $ 44. The disadvantage is that there is no bikini beach, that is, you can swim only in clothes.
Guraidhoo... Inexpensive hotels (from $ 37), easy to get from Male. The bikini beach is located on a neighboring island, to which you need to walk along the bridge - however, this is not a problem. The problem is different - the beach is not suitable for swimming due to dead corals and shallow water.
Himmafushi... The hotels are inexpensive, but officially there is still no bikini beach. The island is more suitable for surfers, there are diving spots.
conclusions... There are many islands for a budget holiday in the Maldives. Choose an island based on your interests: beach vacation, active, snorkeling, diving. The closer the island is to the capital, the cheaper and easier it will be to get there. The more guest houses on the island, the higher the competition between them and the lower prices. But there are many tourists on these islands.
Find out where is the best vacation in the Maldives >>
3. Looking for cheap hotels
All prices in examples are for double rooms per night.
The average price of living in a resort in the Maldives is $ 300-1000. Expensive? Sure! Guest houses on local islands are 10 times cheaper. Let me remind you that the sea, sand and fish will be the same everywhere - no matter how much you paid for the hotel.
Comparing budget and luxury holidays in the Maldives - it's interesting!
Prices for cheap hotels in the Maldives - 2021:
- The cheapest options (with all taxes) - 35$... But they are not on every island, and it is difficult to find and manage to book such options. So don't count too much.
- The real price at which you can almost always find a hotel - 45-60$... That is how much all our hotels cost. Breakfast is almost always included in the price. Be sure to take hotels with breakfasts! There is a big problem with food in the Maldives (more on that below).
- There are guesthouses and more expensive: $ 70-100 per day, but they are no better than those for $ 50-60. Well, they are in fig.
How to find a cheap hotel? Search on Booking - this is the most convenient, because they have the largest database and show the full price per room including all taxes (and they take as many as three in the Maldives - they are completely insolent). Choose several hotels on Booking, and then check their prices on Rumguru - this is a search engine that looks for discounts and lower prices in other booking systems.
For a company or family... Check out the offers on Airbnb.ru - there you can find both regular rooms in guest houses and rent an entire villa with several bedrooms and a kitchen. It is very convenient for a family or a group of friends.
Accommodation and meals. On Booking, you can book accommodation with three meals a day. Take a close look at how much such a package costs. If for lunches and dinners, $ 20-30 per person is added to the price of accommodation, then this is normal. There are hotels in which accommodation with breakfast costs $ 50, and with full board - $ 200. This is overkill! In such cases, if you like the hotel, book a room with breakfast only, and on the spot from the owner you can usually buy lunches and dinners for $ 10-15 each per person.
Tax... In the Maldives, three taxes are taken from tourists at once: VAT, service and environmental fees. Because of this, the price of living rises by about 30%. Therefore, be careful when searching and booking a hotel, check if all taxes are included in your bill.
Should I book directly? Directly - a little cheaper, but dangerous. You can be thrown - I know such cases from the reviews of other tourists. As a result, you may be left homeless and you will have to look for a hotel on the spot. It is not a fact that there will be free housing, and if there is, it will probably have to overpay. I booked a guesthouse on Ukulas on Booking for just one night, hoping to extend my stay on the spot by asking for a discount. But I did it not even for the sake of a discount, but because I did not know the current ferry schedule and wanted to clarify it on the spot. I got a $ 10 discount, but the ferry was canceled on the day I wanted, and I had to pay 8 times more for the speedboat. The Maldives love to surprise!
Verified budget hotelsin which we rested in the Maldives (all have a rating above 9 points):
