Visiting Maldives On A Budget Everything You Need To Know

Maldives Travel Guide Contents

Maldives on a budget

Maldives is considered a luxurious country but I am here to show you that it can be done on a budget. With transport for as little as $2 and accommodation for $30, it really can be an affordable place to go on vacation and I am going to show you how you can do Maldives on a budget.

What to know before you visit the Maldives on a budget

Immigration Form

If you are a UK citizen you will need to fill in an immigration form before entering the Maldives. Don’t worry this takes 5 minutes to complete and you will need the names of the hotels you are staying in when in the Maldives, you will then receive a QR code you may have to show to Maldivian Immigration.

I had an issue that none of the hotels I was staying in in the Maldives was on the list on the immigration form. I just selected a random one and told them at immigration and I was there a while as the man also couldn’t find any. I then had to show proof of where I was staying – which proved quite difficult as I booked through various third-party sites. It did take longer than planned however it did get approved eventually so I have all your information to hand.

Note: After immigration in the Maldives you will have to scan your bags for security. Any alcohol or pork will be taken away so don’t bother buying any duty-free or taking it from the plane, it will just get confiscated.

Visa

For UK citizens you will get a free 30-day visa to stay in the Maldives. Just be sure to fill in the immigration form prior to entering the Maldives.

Safety in the Maldives

I found that the Maldives was really safe. I would quite happily get up early and go for a run or walk around the island at midnight no problem at all.

Electric Socket

In the Maldives, type D and G electric sockets are used. Type G is the plug we use in the UK – perfect for UK citizens you don’t need to take an international adaptor, however I would always take one just in case.

Language

The official language in the Maldives is Dhivehi however most people speak English very well. I had no problems at all getting around and communicating with Maldivians. Maldivians are extremely helpful and friendly people. In one instance I struggled to hail a taxi and asked a local for help who kindly got me a taxi and made sure I went to the right place.

Mosquitos

I know I am not the only one but I got bitten a lot in the Maldives. If you do get bitten by those pesky mosquitos I would take mosquito repellent (this particular one I bought in the Maldives) and maybe some mosquito patche s to stop the itching (I swear by these patches don’t ask me how they work but they do).

Accommodation in the Maldives

In the rainy season staying on local islands can be as low as £16 per person per night. For the room, it could be anywhere from £32-50 per night which is really good and all the hotels and guesthouses I stayed in offered a free breakfast, some even had a swimming pool and a gym in the hotel.

Flights to the Maldives

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic offer direct flights from London Heathrow to Velena International Airport in Male, Maldives. The flight is 10.30-11hrs in duration. For context, I flew direct with British Airways Club World (their business class) which cost me £450 return journey where I paid 135,000 Avios and I had an upgrade voucher.

Another option is to get a connecting flight which is usually connects to Dubai or Doha.

ESim – stay connected

In the airport, you will find various people trying to sell you a tourist ESIM for your stay in the Maldives. They all offered the same thing 20GB for $40 however this is a physical SIM card. You can by all means purchase one however just remember you need an eject tool for your phone to take your SIM card out – also make sure you don’t lose your home sim.

For convenience, I would advise getting an ESIM from Airalo (I found this to be the best value) it offers the same deal however you can pay with pounds (£) and if you use my code (for first-time users) you can get £2.50 off. Esims are really easy to install and Airalo will give you step-by-step instructions to install it.

Make sure your phone accepts ESims before you purchase.

Alcohol

Maldives is a Muslim country and therefore you will find no alcohol on the local islands (apart from Maafush). Some islands have floating bars or you can get a boat into the ocean where you can buy drinks. I found them to be overpriced seeing as they aren’t vaguely available. You will be able to buy alcohol from resort islands.

Bikini Beach

All three islands I visited in the Maldives had a bikini beach. This is designed for tourists to wear bikinis where you can sunbathe and swim at your leisure. Bikini Beach is clearly signposted. Bikini Beach is free for tourists to use at their leisure.

All the other beaches are non-bikini beaches and only modest swimwear must be worn. This means you must have your shoulders and knees covered to go swimming.

No Pork

Being a Muslim country no pork is allowed in the country and you cannot find pork anywhere on local islands. I have been told that it is possible to get pork on resort islands (but don’t quote me on that).

Water

Tap water in the Maldives is not safe to drink. Hotels and Guesthouses will provide bottled/filtered water for you to drink.

Maldives Local Islands

When most people think of the Maldives they think of luxurious honeymoon vibes but it isn’t necessarily the case. To do Maldives on a budget you need to stay on the local Islands.

In order to keep costs down I would suggest visiting the local Islands which are a lot cheaper than resort islands. I was in the Maldives for 8 days and I stayed on 3 different Islands, Thulusdoo, Maafushi and Gulhi. All of these islands were a 30-minute (or less) speedboat ride away from Velena International Airport, Male.

What to wear in the Maldives

I was told that you must have your shoulders and knees covered at all times but when I arrived I didn’t find that to be the case. I saw a lot of tourists wear shorts and a tank top but this really does depend on the island. In Maafushi which is considered the most touristy island, I felt a bit more relaxed while Thulusdoo was a little bit more strict. I wore cotton or linen trousers with a T-shirt and cover-up or a maxi dress and cover-up most days. I would say it is better to have your knees covered rather than your shoulders.

You can only wear a bikini on a bikini beach and not on any other beach or public area. In Male (the capital of Maldives) they had two beaches that were not Bikini so I wore my rash guard vest which is a long-sleeved top mainly used for swimming or surfing that was perfect for non-bikini beaches.

In all indoor shops (in local islands), you are required to remove your shoes and walk around the store barefoot.

Money in the Maldives

The local currency in the Maldives is Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR). This is non-convertible currency which means it cannot be purchased before you leave, it is only available in the Maldives. You will also need to spend all your Maldivian Rufiyaa as it cannot be exchanged when you get to your home country.

United States Dollar (USD) is widely accepted in the Maldives. I did not find a hotel or restaurant that did not accept it.

You will need cash. Some hotels charge a 3% fee if you pay with a card and it is cheaper to pay in United States Dollars (USD) than Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR). Thulusdoo didn’t accept cards in any of the restaurants and cafes I went to while in Male (the capital of the Maldives). It didn’t accept USD but did accept cards.

I would recommend taking some United States Dollars (USD) with you prior to visiting the Maldives. The speedboat which you will need to take from the airport to a local island will cost you $25 one way and they only accept cash.

Thulusdoo, Maafushi and Gulhi all had self-service ATMs on the island so you can easily get Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) if you need to. I personally just used United States Dollars (USD) for my entire stay even though it worked out to be a little bit more expensive in doing so.

Most bills will be in Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) to convert it to United States Dollar (USD) they would divide it by 15.

For more information about what currency is used in the Maldives click here.

ATM – Maldives on a budget

The three islands I visited Thulusdoo, Maafushi and Gulhi all have ATMs on the island. These are self-service ATMs by the Bank of Maldives.

Best Time to visit Maldives weather wise

The dry season will have the best weather however this is peak season where it will be most expensive. This is from November to April. The rest of the year is considered rainy season, I visited the first week of September and yes it did rain but only for half an hour around 2 pm and then during the early hours of the morning. If I am honest it didn’t bother me at all as when it rained I just went into the ocean.

If you are looking to do Maldives on a budget it would be significantly cheaper to visit during the rainy season (April to November). It would also be less crowded.

Transport getting around the Maldives

Public Ferry

The public ferry is run by the Maldivian government and is the cheapest transport to get around the Maldives. However the public ferry comes once a day, if you miss it you miss it the next one will run at the same time the next day. It is therefore very inconvenient and is very slow. For example, a speedboat from Gulhi to Male Airport is 30 minutes, and the public ferry will take you at least an hour and a half and leave at 7:25 am. It also doesn’t run if the weather is bad. Having said this it can cost you $2-5 for a only way trip.

Pros:

Cheap
Very relaxed and smooth journey

Cons

Only comes once a day
Doesn’t run on Fridays
It is slow
Don’t run if the weather is bad
If connecting in Male you need to check the ferry terminal as there are two.

Speedboat

Taking a speedboat from the airport to either Thulusdoo, Maafiushi or Gulhi costs $25 one way, and is the most convenient and still affordable option. To book you can either book via 12go or get in touch with your hotel who kindly booked the speedboat boat at a time that suited me. I would recommend booking as if it is full you will be unable to get one. The speedboat runs 3-4 times a day. If you arrive early in the morning or have a late flight you may have to take a private boat, which can be expensive between $100-250 for a one-way trip.

All the hotels I stayed in organised transport for me from the harbour on the local island to the hotel. Although the islands I visited were small I didn’t particularly want to drag my suitcase in baking 28-degree heat so it was a lovely touch.

Things to do in the Maldives On A Budget

Snorkelling Excursion

If you love to swim I would recommend a snorkelling trip to see the turtles, and dolphins and swim the nurse sharks (don’t worry they won’t eat you). I found the tours to be extremely affordable and great value for money.

I did a tour in Maafushi which cost $30 this included all equipment such as snorkel and fins, a towel, water, lunch, fruit and photos and videos of the trip.

I would also recommend wearing a rash guard if you are snorkelling. I got burnt on my back from snorkelling for an hour non stop.

Day Trip to a resort island

Resort islands in the Maldives are so expensive to stay in but what if I told you, you could experience the resort on a day trip? It includes transfers to and from your hotel some even include lunch or dinner. Being a resort island you can also get alcohol.

Relax on Bikini Beach

All local islands have a Bikini Beach located on the island. This is a designated beach where tourists can wear bikinis to swim and soak in the sun with sunbeds. Depending on the island it can be extremely busy and the water isn’t as great seeing as everyone is using it. Bikini Beach is clearly sign-posted and you can only wear a Bikini on this designated beach, if you are unsure you can find Bikini Beach on Google Maps if not ask your hotel and they will let you know. It is not allowed to walk around in public in a bikini.

I also found Bikini Beach to be a tourist trap as locals will make you either pay for a sunbed (in Gulhi) or get you to buy a drink from the menu to use the sunbeds (in Maafushi). Sunbeds are charged at $10 a day and drinks are more expensive than if you buy them from a local vendor.

In Maafushi for example I was told to buy a drink even though the previous two days I used the sunbeds for free. The rules are a bit unclear but in the worst case if you don’t want to spend any money you can lay your towel on the sand – this the locals had no problem with and best of all it is free to do so.

Explore the local shops and markets

The shops in the Maldives have everything you need from clothing you may have forgotten to souvenirs to take home. I personally loved the market stalls in Gulhi on the way to the Bikini Beach. They had everything from magnets to necklaces to cover-ups. All the vendors are ladies and although they invite you to take a look at their stall they weren’t as pushy as other countries I have been to.