The Maldivian Dream: Perhaps Not as Out of Reach as You Think!
We’ve all seen the reels, videos, and brochures, advertising the exuberance, luxury and excess to be found anywhere in the Maldives. Frankly, in the UK at least, holidaying there is usually only mentioned in jest, following a conversation about how poor most people are. Other than that, it does occasionally it come up in conversations about honeymoons too, but even then it’s generally met with audible gasps from those in earshot!
You can easily spend upwards of £500 a night at one of the resorts, and I’m not even sure that includes excursions and activities… if you ever manage to tear yourself away from the tub in your over-water bungalow, that is.
While we were there, we even spotted the odd liveaboard cresting the horizon, bringing back memories of our time in Raja Ampat. Of course, I had a quick Google, which confirmed what we feared: our dream-liveaboard holiday is no cheaper in the Maldives… Actually I think they’re even more expensive!
So, as you may have guessed, we decided to take the plunge and head to the Maldives. And, as bonkers as it sounds, we actually saved it for last… just as our wallets were spluttering and wheezing their final breaths! “Are you mad? How did we afford it?” I hear you ask. Well, spoiler alert – believe it or not, you actually can do the Maldives on the cheap. This blog will hopefully explain all, but first, as with all good stories, our plans started with a lovely Belgian sporting a manbun in Cambodia…
The Truth That You don’t Hear About
Heading into our sabbatical, we hadn’t even considered the Maldives – yes, I was one of those people who gasped at the mere mention of it! In fact, even as late as our time in Taiwan (our third-to-last country), our plan was to head to Sri Lanka for one last bit of ‘proper’ backpacking. However, for reasons pertaining to my painfully feeble immune system, we decided we should try to relax… a very foreign concept for me.
Fortunately, as it happened, while in Cambodia we came across a rather useful Belgian bloke with a penchant for scuba diving and saving money — a fantastic combination of hobbies, if I do say so myself!
While discussing our favourite parts of Asia to get wet in, he mentioned his recent trip to the Maldives. Naturally, I guffawed and said something along the lines of, “It’s alright for some, eh!?” – followed by a long swig of my beer while crying inside. But it turned out I jumped the gun, because he went on to ease my tortured soul by explaining that visiting the ‘local islands’ is actually surprisingly cheap!
What Are Local Islands?
Well, I’m not entirely sure why they’re called ‘local islands’ instead of just… islands. As far as I can tell, it seems to refer to the fact that they still have communities living on them and aren’t entirely consumed by one massive privately owned resort. Instead, you’ll find a mix of hotels, hostels, and guesthouses, with plenty of price points to choose from.
To be completely transparent, on the islands you’re probably not going to find the plush, A-lister lifestyle that a resort may offer. You might even stumble across a few crumbly-looking buildings or even the odd mountain of trash… but don’t worry – they’re still fantastic places!
Things You Should Know About Local Islands:
1. Accommodation
If you’re willing to part with £50–60 a night (for a double room), you’ll land yourself in a very pleasant spot, usually with breakfast included. You can, of course, pay more depending on the island.
Breakfast tends to be either “continental” (white bread, jam, watermelon, and some form of egg) or a traditional Maldivian meal – which, in my opinion, is infinitely better. Think lots of fish and coconut!
2. Culture
The islands are strictly Islamic. That means no alcohol, and no wandering around public spaces in just your swimwear. Fear not – you’ll still find beachfront cafés and designated ‘tourist beaches’ (AKA ‘bikini beaches’), where you can sunbathe and sip a mocktail.
3. Food & Drink
Eating and drinking on the islands is remarkably affordable, considering they have to import literally everything except fish! Expect glorious portion sizes – a huge, delicious meal on the beach, plus a drink, will set you back less than a tenner.
4. Getting Around
Travel between islands comes in three flavours: local ferry, speedboat, or private charter :
– Local ferries, somehow, are the cheapest transport I’ve ever seen! Some two-hour journeys cost just over a quid per person. But, the downside is they’re slow and generally not daily.
– Speedboats are faster but pricier, usually £45–65 a head, depending on distance. They also run on limited schedules and can be a very uncomfortable, bumpy ride.
– Private charters will obliterate your wallet. If you’re booking one outside of an emergency situation, I’d question why you didn’t just splash out on a resort in the first place!
5. Excursions
Snorkelling, diving, island hopping, etc., can all be arranged through your accommodation, and you’ll be visiting the exact same sites as the resort folk are. But, like the resorts, the prices aren’t cheap – a half-day snorkelling trip can run up to £100.
6. Local Life
Staying on these islands means living alongside the community. That means, kids walking to school, elders playing chess in the shade, fishermen hauling in the day’s catch. It’s one of my favourite things about the local islands – they feel authentic and real. But with authenticity come some unavoidable island realities: piles of rubbish, unreliable card payment, questionable pipes emptying out into sea, and the occasional sad-looking stray animal.
Still Sound Good to You?
If you’ve done any backpacking or budget travelling anywhere, the local islands will feel like a breeze. The only reason I bothered listing all those details above was to highlight the contrast with the stereotypical “Maldivian resort.” As long as you’re not expecting an Instagrammer’s five-star advertisement, you’ll be absolutely fine. Put it this way – I managed to use our time in the Maldives to recover from a truly horrendous ear infection… so it must be fine, right?!
The Dollar Dilemma
There’s one more thing we hadn’t encountered anywhere else on earth… and unfortunately, it’s not a good one…
Basically, US dollars are far more sought after on the local islands than their own currency is. And although I never got a solid explanation, I think it’s because dollars are easier for international trade.
What this means in practice is that any transaction involving dollars will almost always leave you overpaying compared to the ‘real’ exchange rate you’ll see online. For example, if you pay in dollars, the price is higher than the straight conversion from Rufiyaa. You might just think, “Fine, I’ll just pay in Rufiyaa then!” But then the problem is that for bigger expenses like speedboat tickets, excursions, or hotel bills, they’ll often say they only accept dollars. Then if, like us, you don’t have enough dollars to cover everything and end up paying in Rufiyaa, the Rufiyaa price will be inflated to match the already-marked-up dollar rate anyway! Be warned!
So, Which Islands Should You Visit?
Straight away, I’d say don’t stick to just one island, as you probably would at a resort. You could do that – and I’m sure plenty of people do – but personally, I think it would get pretty boring. Plus, if you plan a sensible itinerary, hopping between a few islands takes hardly any effort anyway… so why not?!
A Word Of Advice: Keep Your Itinerary Contained
The Maldives isn’t huge – in fact, it’s pretty small. But thanks to all that salty liquid everywhere, getting around can be either slow or expensive. My advice is to pick one section of the Maldives and plan a route within that cluster of islands.
For example, I mapped our trip around the Ari Atoll, mainly because manta rays were in season – and as a bonus, it’s also not too ridiculously far from the capital, Malé.
That said, there are plenty of tempting alternatives. I had my eye on the Huvadhoo Atoll, but getting that far south would realistically mean either catching a pricey plane or committing to a long stretch of island hopping just to get there… maybe next time!
Our route:
Dhangethi
From the airport in Malé (literally), we hopped onto a speedboat pre-booked by our first guesthouse. The speedboat was our only option that day, since no local ferries were running to Dhangethi. Two hours later, we arrived on a truly amazing island with cheap food, a lovely bikini beach, and brilliant snorkelling.
On just one half-day excursion, we saw manta rays, a whale shark, turtles, dolphins, and vibrant coral reefs! (Yes, I know — I probably shouldn’t have been free-diving, or even swimming, with an ear infection…)
Mahibadhoo
An absurdly cheap local ferry (about £2) and a couple of hours later, we were met at the port by our next hosts. Delightfully, your bags are generally whisked away to your room the moment you arrive somewhere in the Maldives!
This island will forever go down as one we should’ve spent longer on. We only had two days, but easily could’ve stayed more. Our hotel was fantastic, with meals served right on the beach and great snorkelling just a short walk away. The highlight, though, was swimming with a whole swarm of nurse sharks – quite the experience!
Himandhoo
Himandhoo was more of a stepping-stone island – a stop chosen to break up the travel distance. It turned out to be the quietest and least developed place we visited, with the fewest things to do – in a good way! Our days were spent wandering the island, watching fruit bats roost in its largest tree, and thoroughly unwinding on the beach.
As the only tourists there, we had the ‘tourist beach’ completely to ourselves, along with our guesthouse’s undivided attention. That even meant a private, candlelit dinner on the beach – a nice little bonus, for what was just a stopover!
Ukulhas
This was the first island where we knew we wouldn’t be the only tourists – even in low season. And we were right, though it was hardly crowded… maybe 10 to 20 other foreign folk, including one fishing-mad Chinaman. Who, I have to say, had one of the flashiest rods I’ve ever seen!
He ended up inspiring us to finally book a fishing trip – something we’d been debating for a while. We wanted to see if we could actually bring ourselves to catch and kill something for dinner. After all, we were starting to feel a bit hypocritical, recoiling in horror at the brutal meat and fish markets in Asia (particularly in Vietnam), only to happily tuck into mountains of seafood, curry, and barbecue shortly afterwards!
As it turned out, I could (unhappily) murder a fish and eat it, while Mary-Ann could not. She’s been vegetarian ever since!
Rasdhoo
The busiest and most mainstream local island we visited, Rasdhoo was noticeably more touristic. Prices were a little higher, and the bikini beach really earned its name, lined with rows of near-identical blonde European females, roasting themselves under the Maldivian sun.
On the plus side, Rasdhoo had the biggest range of restaurants and cafés of any island we visited. It’s also close to a resort, so you can even nip over for the day if you feel the urge.
Straight off Rasdhoo’s beach you’ll find some pretty decent coral reef and fish life, with small sharks and the occasional Napoleon fish – which I was lucky enough to spot! And if it floats your boat (pun intended), there are all the usual touristy things too – banana boat rides, jet skiing, etc.
Route Summary:
As I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of atolls and islands where you can put together a route similar to ours. Even within the Ari Atoll alone, you could plot countless variations. But here’s how I’d sum up our choices:
– Closest thing to a resort, without actually being one):
Ukulhas or Rasdhoo (also the most expensive)
– Best snorkelling and marine life:
Dhangethi
– Most authentic taste of local life:
Himandhoo or Mahibadhoo (also the cheapest)
I should say that, if you’re feeling a little bit flush, you could even include a stint at a resort within a trip like ours. It’d be easy enough to plan your route so it includes a resort island too!
Final Thoughts – You Can (and Should) Visit the Maldives on a Budget!
So there you go – if you believe a single word I say, you really can go to the Maldives without remortgaging your home. Of course, nothing will save you from wistfully gazing at the occasional yacht drifting between islands, or from seeing of the abundance of resort life from afar. But if you head for the local islands, you’ll discover a side of the country that’s affordable, welcoming, and every bit as beautiful. Plus, with a bit more budget, if you look hard, you can even get pretty close to that resort-y feel.
For me though, the appeal of the local islands isn’t just about simulating a cheaper resort experience. Sure, the relative cheapness is a big draw, but it’s also about the culture, the snorkelling, the quiet dinners on the beach, and the chance to see how communities actually live. Oh, and let’s not forget the enormous food portions, the giant fruit bats, and the blissful absence of alcohol-based temptation… my liver thanked me, I’m sure.
So, If you’re happy to swap champagne buckets for coconuts and fish, infinity pools for bikini beaches, and five-star hotels for friendly guesthouses (where the owner might also double as your tour guide), then the Maldives is absolutely within reach. Also, I would suggest that if you like the idea of a backpacking adventure but feel a little daunted by Southeast Asia – the Maldives is actually the perfect middle ground!
Stay bald folks.
Toodles,
Jack
