Feel like giving up with my Maldives trip! I am SO confused by it all...!!

[pinkysmamma]

I am planning a special trip to the Maldives in July, for my partner and I. It is to celebrate my Birthday :)

We are flying our from Dubai, x10 nights - and have already booked our flights on a non-cancellation rate (as they were so much more affordable!!)

I know it was VERY naive of me, but I didn't think it would be even half as hard as it is proving to be, to find somewhere to stay!

My partner doesn't fly well at the best of times, so he'd really like to avoid the sea plane. He's fine with boats, so we are happy to use ferries or speed boats.

I am looking for somewhere not too costly, since we are usually out and about / on trips during the day, so we aren't fussed about luxury or all inclusive. Ideally B&B or 1/2 board would suit us well.

Can anybody recommend a LOCAL island with great ferry / speedboat transfer links, please?

Having tried to look up the transport info online for the public ferries from Male, its proving nearly impossible and I'm almost at the stage now where it would be considerably less stressful to just give up and try again somewhere more simple 😅

Is there a reason you haven’t used a travel agent?

I'd try Airbnb. Anything else is likely to be premium honeymoon prices.

We live in Dubai, so travel agents here are extremely few and far between, with most being independent travel advisers involved in the pyramid scheme businesses...

We were able to get some super cheap flights at under 200 pounds each, including going onwards from Maldives to Sri Lanka for 5 nights after, so it was a bit of a no-brainer to get those booked.

I just assumed accommodation would be less tricky to find!

Can anybody recommend a LOCAL island with great ferry / speedboat transfer links, please?

Book a hotel on an Island close to Male that will provide transport from make to the resort.

eta - I don’t know what you’re doing wrong that you can’t find anything. I live in a neighbouring country and the Maldives are a spur of the moment decision and people are inclined to book it themselves via their phone or laptop.

Good idea - thank you! I've been scouring through booking.com for weeks now and whilst there are some great prices, the hidden cost in taxes for a lot of the hotels we've been looking at, are more than the hotel stay itself!

I would email Bandos, gorgeous island 15 minutes speedboat from Mahe.

What does the lonely planet guide book say? We always used to source our accomodation from these.

Thank you. I am finding options, but I am then finding it extremely hard to figure out how to actually GET to the islands after landing in Male. That's the problem we have. And because we are limited to the fact we cannot use a sea plane, the ferry and speed boat routes are not clearly published anywhere (from what I can see!)

Why not contact a UK based travel agent for help?

Another vote for Bandos. I’ve been there - admittedly some years ago - but it was good and just a short boat ride from the mainland. Good luck!

Op, have a look at these links and see if they can kick start your googling. I’m not suggesting you stay in any of the places me tinned but maybe it help you find your way to a lively holiday.

https://thetravelmum.com/cheap-maldives-holiday-exploring-the-local-islands/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/HotelsList-Maldives-Resorts-With-Boats-zfp18456938.html

https://www.theatollsofmaldives.com/plan-your-maldives-holiday/25-resorts-you-can-easily-reach-by-boat-transfers/

maldivestour.guide/maldives-transportation-ferry-speedboat-transfers.html

op, ferry links on the last link above.

That’s probably why people book AI. You may think you’ve got a deal on flights, but food & drink alone will cost a fortune. Maritius is a more budget friendly option. Lanka’s a good choice!

Hotels and resorts send boat transfers if the island you’re staying on is close to Male

https://www.booking.com/Share-k4Fqpz

We stayed here and really liked it. It’s not super fancy but very comfortable and there were some cute restaurants and cafes within walking distance. Just be aware that there’s no alcohol at all on the local islands (if that matters to you), although you can sometimes organize day trips to some of the resort islands.
It’s also a fairly conservative Muslim country outside of the resort islands so you can only wear swimwear on the ‘bikini beaches’ which are designated for tourists (there’s one right next to the hotel I suggested). You also need to be respectful/covered when walking around the island.

Some of the other local islands do have other things to offer if you want to do diving/watersports etc (10 days is quite a long time). I’d be tempted to island hop and do 2 or 3 different islands. Ukulhas and Dhigurah are also on my list for our next trip.

The taxes and fees are high, just make sure you factor them in when you’re looking at prices.

Depending which part of the Maldives you go to it might be wet season. Make sure you take books/cards etc because the internet isn’t great on the local islands and there really isn’t much to do when it’s raining!

How about finding a couple of decent hotels on islands that look close-ish and then phoning/ emailing them about whether they are able to provide transfers not by plane, or can recommend how to book them yourself?

I was about to say… this is the wet season no?

The hotels for most of the local islands close to Male will explain the best ways to get there or offer a private boat service (it’s much more expensive than the local ferries but still cheap compared to transportation the resort islands). For islands that are more difficult to get to, you might need to stay overnight (or even a couple of nights) in Male so you can get a ferry if your flight times/dates don’t line up.

If you find an island you like the look of the hotels there will usually be happy to give you the transportation options before you book or you can Google ferry timetables.

We went in June one year and it was rainy season. Fortunately we didn't have too much, but blimey did it come down!

I stayed at Merru island which has a boat transfer from Male
maybe contact the island you want to stay on and ask them about transfers

The hotels have their own transport for you. You need to be in the atol (cluster of islands) that Male is on. We stayed on Sangeli, it was luxury and about 50 minutes boat transfer.

There is no where to go to be out and about, its not any other resort you have been. You are likely to be on an island with just your hotel. Not many have other hotels. No external shops or bars or restaurants. Which is why they are mostly all inclusive.

Have you booked the wrong holiday?

My partner does not fly at the best of times, so I am planning a veeeery long-haul flight for MY birthday.

I go to Maldives every year. You don’t want to stay on a locals island.

We went to the Cinnamon Dhonveli in the North Male Atoll, about 20 minutes from the airport with speedboat. Had absolutely fantastic time.

OP it sounds a bit like you have the wrong idea about the Maldives. It's not really an 'out and about' on day trips sort of place...
I get the impression you are trying to do it on a bit of a shoestring and maybe hoping to find something v.budget but I'm not sure this is the sort of holiday to attempt that.