Known for their lavish resorts and high price tags, can you really visit the Maldives on a budget?

The Maldives is one of the most beautiful places in the world! The archipelago spanning roughly 35,000 sq miles in the middle of the Indian Ocean is home to some of the most perfect white sand beaches in existence. It is the second least populated country in Asia, and is one of the world’s most widely dispersed sovereign states.

It is also home to some of the most incredible—and expensive—resorts you can imagine. Lavish overwater bungalows with glass floors to watch the fish swim below you, and slides leading straight into the calm, turquoise sea. But that luxury comes with a hefty price tag (around $1000+ per night). 

It’s indisputable that The Maldives is paradise. But is this paradise really just for the opulent? 

What if I told you it was possible to spend an entire week in the Maldives—including hotel, food and activities—for less than one night in a ritzy overwater bungalow?

Prior to a tourism regulation change in 2009, visitors to the Maldives were only allowed to stay at resorts on privately owned islands, not the public islands where residents lived. After this change however, locals started opening guest houses on the public islands and inviting tourists to visit. This opened up a whole new, and much more affordable way to visit the Maldives. 

Just me, enjoying paradise…

Private island vs local island

The main differences between staying on a private island and a local island are:

• The size and class of hotels. Private islands hold larger, more luxurious resorts, often with overwater bungalows. Whereas local islands tend to have small boutique hotels and guest houses that are less luxurious, but offer a more local feel and experience.
• Alcohol. Alcohol is illegal in the Maldives. Private islands can serve alcohol because they’re private, and they hire people from Sri Lanka and India to serve it to guests. You won’t find a drop on local islands though. 
• “Bikini beaches.” Being a muslim majority country, modesty is important to the people of the Maldives. Many local islands ask guests to cover themselves at all times – even on the beach. Other islands have specific “bikini beaches” where swimsuits are allowed. Private islands don’t have these rules and anything goes. 
• Dining. On a private island you’re stuck eating at your resort everyday. On a local island, you get the chance to sample local eateries and local dishes.

Other than these small differences, local islands have the same beautiful beaches, tons of activities, and the wonderful addition of smiling local faces. 

Choosing an island to visit

When choosing which island to visit, there are a few important factors to consider.

• Transportation to the island
• Accommodations and price
• Dining options
• Activities available
• Is there a bikini beach

After taking all of this into consideration, I chose Dhiffushi. Dhiffushi is a tiny atoll that is about half a mile long by a little over a tenth of a mile wide – tiny! But even for such a tiny island, it has several accommodations and dining options to choose from. 

Transportation to the island

Depending on which island you stay on, there are several options – of widely varying prices – for getting there from the airport in Male.

• Seaplane – very expensive
• Private transfer via speedboat – moderately expensive
• Local speed “fast” boat – cheapish… comparatively
• Local “slow” ferry – very cheap

One reason I chose Dhiffushi is because it is on both the local slow ferry and local fast boat routes. 

I chose to take the slow ferry from Male to Dhiffushi, which took about three-and-a-half hours, but it only cost $3! One the way back to Male, we took the local fast boat which only took 45-minutes and cost $50 for the two of us. 

It’s a good idea to research transportation before choosing an island, or you may end up paying hundreds of dollars per person to reach it from Male. 

Accommodations

From boutique hotels to tiny rooms in a local house, you have options – and they’re cheaper than you think!

We stayed at the nicest accommodations on Dhiffushi, the Araamu Holidays and Spa. This boutique hotel is located in the center of the island, and is just a two-minute walk from the beach. Our room was big and lovely with a comfortable bed, partial ocean view, a roof-top activity room, and delicious breakfast for just $66 a night! We loved our stay here. 

When choosing your accommodation in the Maldives, do your research. I originally chose another hotel that had great reviews on TripAdvisor and it turned out to be horrible! (This was about the time I started realizing how unreliable TripAdvisor really is). 

Because there are few hotels on each small island, and transportation between islands isn’t constant, we could have been stuck in a really bad situation. Luckily, there was availability at the Araamu and everything turned out alright. 

Dining

Dhiffushi has several dining options. A quick google search (dining in… insert island name) will show you what options are available on any island. 

Generally, the food is local cuisine, (including fresh caught fish!), for very affordable prices. We paid on average $5 per meal and the food was always pretty good.

Activities

Through our hotel we booked a snorkeling tour out on a nearby reef, and a lunch excursion to a sandbar. We also spent tons of time on the beach chasing hermit crabs and swimming in the calm, balmy sea.

Dhiffushi also had a few places to rent snorkeling equipment, kayaks, and other equipment at pretty reasonable prices. 

Most islands should have pretty similar options. Just do a little research.

Bikini Beaches

Another reason I chose Dhiffushi is because it had a bikini beach. If you’d like to wear a swimsuit on your vacation, make sure the island you choose allows them on the beach.

Even though swimsuits are allowed on the beach, please remember that you’re visiting someone else’s home and it’s always a good idea to be respectful of local cultures. On local islands, the locals use the beaches too, so choosing a more modest swimsuit and remembering to cover up when you’re not on the beach is ideal—no thongs ladies (or gentleman)!

There were signs at the beach entrance politely asking people to cover up before leaving the beach. Bringing a modest cover-up with you is a must for walking to and from the beach. 

Total Costs

Finally, here’s the information you came for! 

This is what I spent for a week on Dhiffushi for my daughter and myself:

Accommodations – $396 (6 nights at $66/night)

Food – $188 (7 days all meals, snacks and drinks average $27/day)

Activities – $61 (snorkeling and sandbar trip)

Transportation –  $64 ($3 ferry from airport island to Male, $5 taxi to ferry, $3 slow ferry from Male to Dhiffushi, $50 fast ferry from Dhiffushi to Male, $3 ferry Male to airport)

In total, not including flights, we spent just $709 for a week in paradise! That’s less than just one night at a hotel costs at most private resorts. 

Even though we didn’t stay in the lap of luxury, in an overwater bungalow, we loved our time in the Maldives. And I know you will too!