Maldives on a Budget: Your Complete Guide
Visiting the Maldives is on every person’s bucket list. But how do you explore these vast islands and make your dreams come true when your purse strings are just a little tight?
These 4 Tips will let you experience everything these islands have to offer while also ensuring you don’t go broke. Read on to plan the vacation you have very much earned this year:
Picking the Hotel
Island hotels in Maldives are a completely different vibe in themselves and while you could choose to stay at a guesthouse for a bit lesser, we would recommend doing your groundwork to spot the best deals at budget resorts.
The Hulhule Island Hotel is one such place where you will be able to get the entire beachside sunbathing and sunset deck experience while also getting free transfers, welcome drinks, the best rates, and more.
While booking your rooms, avoid any hidden charges or booking deposits by reserving directly with the hotel itself. This will also protect you from any misinformation and give you a good idea of the complete package you’ll be getting.
These are better than guesthouses because you get all of the hotel amenities, and a reliable guide for your first time here. These places go out of their way to ensure that you pick them over all the other island hotels and the pampering is always worth the few extra bucks.
Book in Advance
If you already know when and for how long you want to visit, make your complete itinerary well in advance and get all the reservations before you even start shopping for your trip.
By doing this, you will bag cheap flight tickets, the best prices on hotel rooms, and even discounts on your adventure activities. Anything you want to try on the island, check with the hotel and book directly with them or look for independent listings online for a slightly better rate. The only thing here is making the entire plan through your hotel will ensure reliability of service and it will be much easier for you to keep track of your trip. A lot of places might even be willing to offer you bundle deals with meals included!
Booking in advance is not just for these but also for the fairies that will take you to visit the different islands. They can be pretty expensive to get on the spot and if you are already making your plans in advance, get these ready too. This service might not be reliable with time but if you don’t mind waiting around for some time, it can be a scenic journey to take.
All of these reservations will save you a cash crunch after you land here because you will already have taken care of most of your expenses.
As we said before, choosing to stick with one hotel for everything can get you great deals. If you are on a tourist island, the restaurants around you will generally not differ a lot when it comes to pricing food. In most places, they prefer to stick with a single price on the entire island.
You should also check with your hotel to see what all you get for free. A lot of them offer free breakfasts while some might offer you mid-day snacks too. Rather than opting for international cuisine, go local when you are here and devour in fish, rice, and coconut - not only for the cultural experience but also because it will be a lot cheaper to get.
Ask the Locals
When you are exploring on your own away from your hotel and you want to mix up your itinerary a bit, chances are, it’s going to be costly.
Try to get anything on the spot in the Maldives and you will be quoted exorbitant rates. But that does not mean there’s no room for spontaneity.
Instead of approaching established businesses, ask the small local ones around you and they will often be willing to give you the same ride but for cheaper. This is especially true in the case of speed boats.
Anytime anyone tells you a price that is too much to be true, it probably is. So check around you and always look for alternatives before settling for something here.
Our secret bonus tip for you - try and get a hotel close to the airport.
They have several benefits including being well connected to the entire country, getting the best deals on rooms, and even getting free transportation a lot of times.
Tourists prefer to stay with island hotels far away but you can often get ones that are just as good and way cheaper!
Is there anything on this list that we missed? If you are looking for more cost-cutting hacks and are ready to plan the adventure of your dreams, hit us up here and we would love to help you out!
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