Planning a trip to Maldives? Here’s the top to down list of everything you need for budget travel guide to Maldives.
THINGS TO GET DONE BEFORE BOARDING
VISA:
Maldives immigration issues On-arrival Visa to all tourist valid for 30 days which is absolutely free with no additional cost.
TRAVELLER DECLARATION:
Traveller Declaration must be filled in and submitted by all travelers travelling to and from Maldives, within 96 hours prior to their travel. You may submit the form electronically via IMUGA.
COVID NORMS:
For all arriving & departing passengers PCR test is not mandatory which also applies to unvaccinated travellers effective from 13th march 2022.
HOTEL BOOKING:
Confirmed hotel booking at any registered tourist facility.
ONLY MALDIVIES RUFIYAA CURRENY WON’T WORK OUT
The Maldives currency Rufiyaa is non-convertible, hence cannot be purchased in advance. You can carry US Dollar which is widely accepted in all the resorts and hotels, additionally it even works at some stores on public island.
Debit or Credit card transactions are accepted at all resort but do consider the additional charges on the same.
For locally at some small vendor or merchants shop you’ll need Maldivian Rufiyaa which can be purchased/exchanged at only dedicated counter at the airport Bank from Maldives foreign exchange counter.
BE CONNECTED IN MALDIVES
Travelling without the connectivity & data pack is not easy so buying sim card is the best way to stay connected & share those beautiful views.
Most of the resort is equipped with wifi but speed won’t be that great, because of multiple connections, so to avoid last minute hassle buying sim card would be the best option.
Sim card can be bought at velena international airport or at an island at stores of Ooredoo or Dhiraagu, as well as it can be ordered online to collect at the airport. Both network have similar pack costing 50$ ( 30GB +300min call) & 35$ (17GB +150min call) valid for 30days.
E-sim compatibility mobile users can avoid this hassle of swapping sim cards or visiting a shop by settling for E-sim card. Just order online by clicking here & follow the steps given there.
Click here to check E-sim compatibility device.
WAY’S FOR ISLAND HOPPING
Travelers to Maldives would spend most of their time chilling out & relaxing in there resort islands and would hardly visit other island only if they choose to do so.
Only the Island of Male, Hulhule & Hulhumale can be travelled by Vehicles as these are connected by long bridge “The sinamale Bridge”. As for the rest you need to hop from one to another by sea plane, domestic airlines or by boat.
Travelling to resorts in Maldives is quite different than other countries because every resort has their own island.
Being one island one resort you’ll hardly find public ferries at your convenient time and even some of island don’t have many, so better book speed boat or sea plane in advance because it not possible to board it like a taxi as it’s not frequently available. Better to book in advance to avoid paying any high charges.
Speed Boat or water taxi is the post popular mode of transfer to Resorts and island in Maldives .
PUBLIC FERRY OR SLOW DHONI:
Public ferry or Slow Dhoni that’s what are called in Maldives is cheapest mode of transport which could cost around 5$ to 30$ per person from male city to selected island in Maldives.Booking of public ferry has to be made at ferry counter in male city, after all there’s no options of booking it online.
SPEEDBOAT:
Ferry speedboat which is schedule 3-5 times a day, which is supposed to be booked in advance as this are mostly full. As for price it cost 20 to 40$ per person, to be precise it’s 1$ -to-2$ per kilometer.
SEAPLANE:
Sea plane would cost three times that of speedboat around 200$ to 400$ per person which should be booked in advance or arranged by travel agency depending on your travel pack.
5 BEST BUDGET RESORTS IN MALDIVES
Finding the resorts is quite tedious as one need to go through a lot of options it can range anywhere as high as 1000$ to 3000$. If one has a high budget then it surely will meet the requirement on other hand If one had to find budget Resorts, then you’ll need to be peaky so you don’t miss out on anything.
Here are my top 5 budget resorts with all requisite amenities, a dive center, a spa, and other sports activities costing in range of 150 to 300 dollars. ( excluding Airport transport and taxes)
BANDOS MALDIVES:
This island is just ten minutes away from the international airport, it offers one of the most beautiful house reefs and professional diving centers in Maldives.
Bandos provides different accommodations as per client’s diverse tastes and requirements which are Beachfront rooms, Garden villas, Beach villas, Beach pool villas & Water villas.
CANAREEF RESORT MALDIVES:
It is easily accessible by a scenic and thrilling 70-minutes fly by a domestic plane from Male’ International to Gan International Airport.
The resort will arrange for a round-trip domestic flight transfer from Malé Airport to GAN Airport and a 10-minute speedboat ride from the GAN Airport to the resort.
This resort provides one to choose from 271 spacious villas consists of 80 Sunrise Villas, 71 Sunset Beach Villas and 120 Jacuzzi Villas numerous.
RAHAA RESORT MALDIVES:
Rahaa can be reached via a short domestic flight of 30 – 40 minutes followed by a swift 20 – 30 minute speed boat ride which could be arranged by resort on contact prior to arrival. This resort provides options of ocean view villas and lake view villas.
SMARTLINE ERIAYADU ISLAND RESORT MALDIVES:
Speed boat transfer of 45-55minutes can get to this one of oldest and modest resort island from velena international airport. This resort accommodates the traveler in their deluxe beach villas and sky view villas. Eriyadu Island Resort is a secluded hotel resort on the Maldives. This resort perfectly fits if you just want to have rejuvenating holiday.
EQUATOR VILLAGE MALDIVES:
An hour’s scenic plane ride away, Equator Village, located on the upper tip of Addu Atoll’s would fits in everyone’s budget. This resort offers 78 comfortable standard rooms with each one access to lush vegetation just outside the rooms to relax and few feet away from the rooms are soft sandy beaches and inviting turquoise waters that sparkle beyond the beaches.
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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the mine alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.