My journey to Maldives
Are the Maldives as unaffordable as many people think? Tamara Vaal debunks the myth.
TV
Tamara Vaal
Thu, 22 Jun 2023
White sand, sparkling turquoise sea, palm trees, a vivid underwater world and a glass of champagne… that’s the picture in our minds when we think about the Maldives. But the other picture is of our hard earned savings evaporating to pay for such a luxury trip – not quite so attractive! Travel agents promote luxury packages beginning at half a million tenge, but do you need to pay that? As it turns out, the answer is “No,” and it is quite possible to visit these tropical paradise islands on a far more modest budget.
“Listen to your feelings... dissolve in bliss... who said that heaven on earth is impossible?” or “where does reality end and the dream begin?”. Adverts for “Bounty” chocolate bars promoting the idea of tropical paradise set the scene that made you just want to dive in.
Who wouldn’t want to visit such a beautiful place? Thanks to Air Astana, which flies three times a week from Almaty to the islands, you can, in under six hours. The secret to making this dream ticket affordable is to plan your trip in advance and thoroughly.
Do you really need an expensive luxury hotel or big secluded house when the beach and the ocean on all the islands are equally fantastic?
You can make big savings with more modest accommodation yet still enjoy all the same amazing beaches. With careful planning that’s what we did, and never regretted it.
Time seems to stand still in this laid-back island world, and a week is never enough. Visits to the islands are visa-free for 30 days and it was tempting to book a long stay. In the end we decided 14 days would be a good length of stay for our first visit and arranged insurance accordingly, about 15,000 KZT for the trip.
Rather than just taking their suggestions, we did our own research for the best places to go. Maafushi we ruled out after we heard that it’s a tourist hotspot full of hotels.
Todd Island we also rejected as it’s a farm island, and we wanted to see wildlife. And Himmafushi did not attract us because of its lack of a bikini beach.
What’s the significance of a bikini beach, you ask? Maldives is quite a conservative Muslim state, so not every beach permits skimpy swimwear and alcohol is forbidden. As a result, we chose Nemo Inn, a small but cosy guest house with only five rooms located on the island of Omadhu, 70 kilometres from Malé.
A small, local island with only 800 inhabitants living there and ocean everywhere
The islands used to be a very poor place but since tourism took off in the 1980s, bringing money into the region it has become a major part of their way of life and culture. Even so old customs persist. Women avert their eyes and avoid conversation, children look at you with interest, but it is the men who seem happiest to welcome the visitors. They would cheerfully return your greetings and smile back, visible even under their face masks. All the locals take their covid precautions very seriously, so it’s wise to do so yourself or expect stern looks of disapproval.
And take your own masks, because finding any to buy on the islands is near impossible!
In fact, buying anything of value on the islands is something of a challenge. So, keep it simple, at the airport withdraw 3000 Rufiyaa (about 100 dollars or 46,000 tenge). No need to withdraw more, because on the islands the exchange rate is usually better. You can also buy a SIM card for the Internet – 30 USD for 17 GB.
Buy a ticket for the ferry for 10 Rufiyaa and discover Malé on foot, and while you wait for a speedboat to take you to your island resort, you can buy bits and pieces for the coming days.
Highly recommended is a visit to the fruit bazaar to buy local fruits. The small but delicious honey mangoes are a specialty, and cheap at 100 Rufiyaa for 11 to 15 pieces. The official language of the Maldives is an Indian dialect, but most people speak English, which is taught at the schools as part of their drive to attract tourists.
The speedboat journey from Malé to the smaller islands is in the 30-50 USD range and takes 1-2 hours depending on your location.
So after a day exploring we finally arrived at Omadhu, a beautiful budget island, with hardly any tourists, all set for a fortnight of tropical paradise.
Of course, a budget island means budget accommodation, so don’t expect luxury stuff – just a simple clean room and standard breakfast with eggs and sausages or tuna. I have to confess, before this trip I never ate a fish in my whole life, but now I’m addicted to tuna and can’t stop cooking it back home!
The guest house will do an evening meal if you order in advance, or you can visit one of the small cafes dotted across the island.
Prices are very reasonable, vegetable salads cost 50-60 Rufiyaa, hot drinks 60-80, freshly squeezed juices 40-50. Of course, it depends on your appetite and your purse, but on average you can get a meal for two for 250-350 Rufiyaa (about 9,000 KZT), and often less. In the guest house we got used to Chicken rice – a dish similar to a plov with chicken and tomato salad, plus two fresh sides – all together 15 USD. So, in two weeks, accommodation in a guest house with inclusive breakfasts, 8-9 ordered dinners and two PCR tests in total cost us 900 USD.
Paradise is affordable! You can fly to the Maldives with Air Astana spending surprisingly little money. The most important things are to plan well ahead, bring a good mood and maybe a good snorkelling mask. It’s not the luxury hotel that makes the Maldives such a wonderful place to visit, it’s the islands themselves, the friendly people, and the positive thoughts you bring with you. The holiday of a lifetime awaits… it’s up to you now.