So, here I am on a tiny speck of an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, half way around the world. It really is beautiful… at least the little part of it I’ve seen. There are over 1,100 islands in the archipelago that makes up the Maldives, and I only visited a couple.
I was on a trip to Sri Lanka and decided to check off the Maldives while I was in the neighborhood. I read that it was a very expensive place to visit, but I was able to visit for a day and stay within budget.
I arrived at 8:15am and breezed through customs very quickly, so I had almost two hours to wait at the airport before the speedboat left to Maalfushi, one of the few islands (other than the capitol island of Male) which is not dedicated to an expensive resort. Maafushi has several hotels, shops and residences, along with nice beaches and restaurants. It’s a small island that you could walk around in less than an hour. Unfortunately, my left knee was giving me lots of trouble, so I curtailed the walking I would have done, and spent most of the time relaxing. (How terrible is that?)
Why go?
Beaches, incredible resorts, water! The Maldives sport some of the most beautiful waters and beaches in the world. If that is your thing, then this may be your place.
If you want to get away from everything, there aren’t many places further “from everything”.
What you need to know:
You don’t need a visa before you arrive. You can get one free of charge upon arrival (provided that you have a valid passport and confirmation of a reservation at a resort/hotel). Note: I was not asked for my confirmation.
The vast majority of the islands are occupied by private resorts (typically one per island). These are the typical destinations for those who visit the Maldives. Look them up on hotels.com: they are *very* expensive.
For those of us without that kind of money, there are a few islands which do not belong to a single resort. These islands (i.e. Maafushi) are much more budget friendly.
There are regular ferrys between the airport/Male and Maafushi. The cost varies by company and schedule, and ranges between $20-$30 each way. The schedule (with cost) is available on the Wild Maldives site. NOTE: The booth designated for the Kaani Village and Spa Hotel was not manned the whole time I was there. So they were not available to assist with transportation to the island, but I was able to locate the people selling ferry rides by just asking around.
This is a Muslim country, so please be respectful of their way of life. This is especially true on Male and the islands where the local people live (i.e. Maafushi). I’ve read that on the resort islands, the dress requirements are much less restrictive and you can wear shorts and bikini’s, but you might want to confirm this with your resort before you go.
You can store luggage at the airport if you don’t want to lug it around (say on your way back from your island, before you catch you plane). Information is available on the airport website.
COST: I was able to add the Maldives onto my trip to Sri Lanka fairly inexpensively.
Flights round trip from Colombo (Sri Lanka) with Sri Lankan Airlines: about $400
Ferry rides round trip from the airport to Maafushi: $60 (can be less, see “What you need to know” above)
Kaani Village & Spa hotel (one night): $134 (a very basic hotel near, just one building away from the beach).
CURRENCY: The official currency is Maldivian Rufiyaa. You can’t purchase it beforehand, but there is a bank in the airport arrivals hall. US Dollars are also accepted as legal tender, however please note the following:
Only clean, crisp bills will be accepted. This is not a judgement from the vendor, but a restriction from the banks.
Smaller US bills will get you a worse exchange rate, because the banks charge a different exchange rate on them.
If you pay in US Dollars, you will get Maldivian Rufiyaa as change.
The morning`s catch on Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly islands in the Maldives. Instead of being owned by one hotel/resort, Maalfushi has several hotels, stores and public beaches. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #wanderlust #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #bluewater...
Bird watching on Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly islands in the Maldives. Instead of being owned by one hotel/resort, Maalfushi has several hotels, stores and public beaches. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #wanderlust #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #bluewater...
Enjoying cool, fresh coconut juice at the Kaani Hotel on Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly islands in the Maldives. Instead of being owned by one hotel/resort, Maalfushi has several hotels, stores and public beaches. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #wanderlust #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #bluewater...
Admiring the shades of blue on Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly islands in the Maldives. Instead of being owned by one hotel/resort, Maalfushi has several hotels, stores and public beaches. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #wanderlust #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #bluewater...
A protected lagoon on Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly islands in the Maldives. Instead of being owned by one hotel/resort, Maalfushi has several hotels, stores and public beaches. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #wanderlust #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #bluewater...
A fisherman on Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly islands in the Maldives. Instead of being owned by one hotel/resort, Maalfushi has several hotels, stores and public beaches. The speedboat in the distance is one of the many ferrys shuttling people from island to island. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #wanderlust #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #bluewater...
Kaani Hotels, Maafushi island, Maldives The hotel is in the second building, the one with the brown awning. One of the budget-friendly hotels in the Maldives. They have a building between them and the beach, but it is very close, and they have a nice pool. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #kaanihotels #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #kaani...
Monument on Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly islands in the Maldives. Instead of being owned by one hotel/resort, Maalfushi has several hotels, stores and public beaches. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #wanderlust #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #bluewater...
Public beach at Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly islands in the Maldives. Instead of being owned by one hotel/resort, Maalfushi has several hotels, stores and public beaches. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #wanderlust #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #bluewater...
The private pool at the Kaani Hotels, Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly hotels in the Maldives. They have a building between them and the beach, but it is very close. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #kaanihotels #travelphotography #indianocean #pool #kaani...
My UN-airconditioned shower at the Kaani Hotels, Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly hotels in the Maldives. The have a building between them and the beach, but it is very close, and they have a nice pool. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #kaanihotels #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #kaani...
My UN-airconditioned bathroom at the Kaani Hotels, Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly hotels in the Maldives. The have a building between them and the beach, but it is very close, and they have a nice pool. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #kaanihotels #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #kaani...
My desk, coffee pot and empty minibar at the Kaani Hotels, Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly hotels in the Maldives. The have a building between them and the beach, but it is very close, and they have a nice pool. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #kaanihotels #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #kaani...
My closet and large safe at the Kaani Hotels, Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly hotels in the Maldives. The have a building between them and the beach, but it is very close, and they have a nice pool. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #kaanihotels #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #kaani...
My bedroom at the Kaani Hotels, Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly hotels in the Maldives. The have a building between them and the beach, but it is very close, and they have a nice pool. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #kaanihotels #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #kaani...
Kaani Hotels, Maafushi island, Maldives One of the budget-friendly hotels in the Maldives. This is the airport counter where you are supposed to be able to arrange for a ferry to get to the island if you have booked at their hotel. It was never occupied while I was there for a couple of hours. . Head to the link in my profile for more details : @mytravels.hdf . Picture Taken: 03/2018 . #Maldives #Maafushi #Travel #beach #wanderlust #travelphotography #indianocean #sand #ferry...
Why go?
What you need to know:
