Travel to the Maldives, tropical island paradise on a budget ?

Why traveling to Maldives is expensive?

Maldives always have been a very popular destination for honeymooners ,who can spend so much money for a night stay, and for the past, those who came to Maldives, can only stay in the resorts as travelers are not allowed to stay in the local islands.But not all of us can spend a few thousands dollars on 3 or 4 days trip. But since few years ago, the government has allowed local islands to start tourism business. And the most famous local island is , Maafushi , the nearest local island from male where there are the most guesthouses in the Maldives .

Me at local island Fulidhoo

How to Travel to Maldives

colorful underwater life

Here are the things you need to know about the maldives if you are planning to travel.
The capital city of the Maldives is the Male ( pronounce as Ma- le). but the international airport is not located in the Male island, it's located at an island near to Male called Hulhule island ( 10 minutes ferry ride).And Whether you are staying at the resort or local island, you have to travel that is taking speed boat / public ferry/ seaplanes in order to go to your destination. Those beautiful beaches you see everywhere are not located at Male.

You flight should arrive in the morning or afternoon. Not in the evening or at night unless the resort you are staying can provide the transport for you.If you flight arrive at night, you have to stay a night in the Male / or Hulhumale which is for me it's a waste of time, so take the flight that arrive in the morning or in the afternoon.

Going to local islands by public transport

There are public ferry available from male to many local islands . You can check with your hotel/ guesthouses from the timing or alternately you can also request private speedboat transfer .

Where to stay

Dives shop in local island, Maafushi ( the island we stayed)
Depending on the island you stay, there are guesthouses and hotels available , prices from USD 30 to USD100+.

Currency
Even Though Maldives has their own currency , USD is widely used everywhere. Just remember to exchange enough currency .But most of the hotels accept visa and master with the service charge.

What to wear

Even Though is a Muslim country, the tourist can still wear dresses,shorts and short sleeves tops. but the beaches in the local island are separated into two kinds - bikini beach for tourists and non bikini beach for locals. But if you go for excursion/trips out of local islands, you can wear freely.

The view from the balcony of the hotel we were staying at ( Arena Beach hotel maafushi)

I love the maldives , it’s one of my most favorite place in the world. The beauty is so unreal and it makes me the happiest person in the world whenever I am there. And the fact that it is easily accessible (especially from South east Asian countries like malaysia, Singapore and Thailand), so it is not just a honeymoon destination.

Thank you for reading..Hope you enjoy going through this place , remember to up-vote if you like it and leave a comment of what you think.

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