Maldives on a Budget: It's Possible!

Travel Dates: July 25 to August 2, 2015

Male Maldives


     One day, my boyfriend was very antsy to book a flight anywhere.  But all domestic flights were pretty expensive during that time.  So we waited for the following days for any airline promos.

     A week after, he received an email from Tiger Air that there is a sale going to Maldives.  At first, he was hesitant, but he insisted that the airfare is really cheap.  Well, for me it is not, so I ignored it.  But after thinking it over and over again, he booked us a flight to one of the most popular destination in the world.

     Maldives is known as an expensive holiday destination among newly married couple.  But we are not travelling for honeymoon, we just want to see the islands and underwater treasure it has to offer.  With little knowledge about the country, I started searching the web on what to see, what to eat, how to travel via local ferries, and where to stay.  He even bought a Lonely Planet Maldives Travel Guide book!  So by the time we go there, we are ready to explore the islands on a budget.

     My boyfriend’s company approved his 2-week vacation leave.  Since, I can only file a maximum of 5-day leave, he flew to Maldives earlier and I just followed him there after a week.  We decided that he should do the travelling and diving in the Northern part of Maldives during the first week, while on the second week, by the time I will arrive, we will explore the South Male and North Ari Atoll.

     It was my first time to go out of the country alone.  I was a little bit nervous, but confident that I can go around the Singapore Airport and find my way to the designated terminal and gate.  And it was a very exciting experience! 

     I touched down Ibrahim Nasir International Airport before 12 noon.  Everything went smooth at the immigration (thanks to the immigration officer who was captivated by my smile :D) and my boyfriend was waiting outside to welcome me.  From the airport, as you walked outside, you can see that you are surrounded by bodies of water.  The water along the sea wall is crystal clear and blue.  I was amazed to see how clean the water is at the port.

     We took a short ferry ride from airport to Male City and rode a cab to Villingili Ferry Terminal.  The terminal is very busy with so many passengers and bystanders outside.  From there we booked our trip to Maafushi via the local Dhoni on the same day.  We only waited there for an hour and then the ferry arrived on time.  We boarded the boat together with the locals.  It was sunny and hot and everyone was busy.  At the same time, I’m happy and excited to see more of Maldives.

SUGGESTED ITINERARY 
Day 1 – Arrival to Male and ferry via Dhoni to Maafushi Island
Day 2 – Snorkeling and lunch at sand bar and explore Maafushi Island
Day 3 – Day Tour at Coco Island by Como (5-star Private Island Resort)
Day 4 – Maafushi to Male City, Explore Male City
Day 5 – Male to Rasdhoo Island, afternoon diving
Day 6 – Morning dive/snorkelling in Rasdhoo atoll and relaxing on bikini beach in the afternoon
Day 7 – Rasdhoo Island to Male to Villingili Island
Day 8 – Villingili to Male to Hulhumalle, Departure for Manila

BUDGET FOR OFF-PEAK TRAVEL SEASON
SOLO TRAVELER (8 days): USD 1,600 or 2,200 if diving is included
TWO TRAVELERS (8 days): USD 1,400 or 1,900 if diving is included


Note:  This budget is per person and includes roundtrip airfare, travel tax, hotel accommodation, food, snorkelling activities, day tour at private island resort, and transportation.  It may vary depending with the private island resort and the activities you will choose.  You can still manage a USD 1,000. 


Male Port Maldives
At the port

Male Maldives
Where we had our lunch near to Villingili terminal.

Villingili Terminal Maldives
Villingili Terminal

Villingili Terminal Maldives
The public ferry



Location: Malé, Maldives

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sagada, Banaue, and Baguio

Image
     My summer get-away for 2010 is quite different.  Why I said so?  Normally I go to beautiful beaches in the country to feel the summer heat of the sun.  This time we explored the Cordillera.      From Baguio to Sagada, we passed the paved and non-paved roads and a never ending curved roads.  Though it took us 4 hours to reach Sagada, the trip was still worthwhile as we traversed the top of Cordillera’s spectacular range of mountains, some mini rice terraces, a river beside a rice farm, and surely a different sight to please your eyes. Trekking and Caving at Sagada April 1, 2010     After a long trip, we arrived in Sagada before noon.  During that time, the town was packed with foreign and local tourists, so it took us some time to look for accommodation.  We booked at Green House Inn at a cheap price of Php 500 per night.      As we walked down the main road leading to the caves, we dined first in one of the best restaurant in Sagada at Yoghurt House.  They served us wit
Read more

Revisiting the Spectacular Banaue Rice Terraces

Image
Banaue Rice Terraces (First View Point)         After 9 hours of travel, we arrived in Banaue, Ifugao at 7:30AM.  Still tired and hungry from a very long trip, we rest for a while at Green View Lodge and had our breakfast.      Green View Lodge is a meeting point for backpackers.  The restaurant was packed with backpackers from all over the world.  We even shared a table with Delfina, a French lady who works at Puerto Princesa, Palawan.  Since, my officemate is very friendly and has a sense of humor; she never failed to amuse Delfina.      After a satisfying meal at Green View, we rented a private vehicle to take us to Banaue Rice Terraces Viewpoint, Bay-yo Rice Terraces, and Sagada.  A group of foreign backpackers from Germany, New Zealand, U.S.A, and Australia joined us.      First stop at Banaue Rice Terraces, my second visit to this place, it still amazed me to see the beautiful rice terraces built by Ifugao tribes 2,000 years ago.  There are at least three view point
Read more

Cebu City Adventure

Image
     Welcome to Cebu City!      It was raining when I arrived in this city on March 14 in the morning.  The airport metered cab took me to the hotel, where my friends booked it one week ahead.      I checked in at Casa Rosario Hotel located at 101 F. Ramon Aboitiz St., Cebu City.  For only Php 1,200 a night it can accommodate up to 3 persons.  The room is nice, clean, newly painted, and air-conditioned.  Location is near from the main road Maxilom Avenue where you can ride public jeep to take you where you want to go.  Also, it’s so easy to get a cab in front of the hotel.  There are coffee shops, convenience stores, and restaurants nearby.  Banks are just a few steps away.  Everything is just so close.      While waiting for my friends to arrive from Davao, I went first to Ayala Center by asking the Cebuano on how to go there the way the locals do.  I was able to save money because of that.      There are big shopping malls like SM, Gaisano, and Ayala Center.  But Ayala Cente
Read more