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 😅

I have an excellent travel agent in Dubai. If you want her number please feel free to message me. She knows the Maldives well.

Avoid Vilu reef. We stayed there a few years back and it was awful. I’ve been to a few of the islands and we’ve only ever booked packages. So flight, transfer, all inclusive …

Each island resort has its own transfer it’s only those some distance away that use seaplanes.
check out what is available closer to Male on a map then whittle it down. I would strongly recommend min of half board as food and particularly drinks are very expensive.
Ive been to 6 different islands - pick the right one for your version of paradise, enjoy

Each resort has its own transfer which is usually included in the price

OP is not looking to pay resort prices I believe

If you are looking for ferry schedules to local islands OP I would suggest searching or asking on Tripadvisor Maldives forum

Meeru! Decent 4 star, all inclusive, not far with a boat. Go for an upgraded room though. You won't get anywhere with local connections or transport, it's all commercial and the transfers have to be booked through the hotel.

Yes, I liked Meeru. Or Kuredu, but that’s a sea plane transfer

Kuredu is a great island with lots to do, AI on Google suggests you can get an internal flight to Madivaru first, then a speedboat transfer

The travel agent doesn’t have to be in Dubai. A UK-based travel agent would be able to help. Generally their commission comes from the resort/hotel - the price you pay isn’t different, the hotel just makes a little less profit. I use my travel agent even for trips I could arrange myself just to make life easier!

I agree - Baros is amazing, but I don’t think it falls into the “not too costly” category

Hi @pinkysmamma I have stayed at Kuramathi. It is one of the cheaper resorts, is accessed via speedboat and has a very close by local island to visit. Although, if you’re someone looking for day trips off the resort/island every day, the Maldives might not be the best place for you!

Its not short and sharp ? We went and its 24 hours, non stop ! Not like Caribbean thats a 10/15 mins.

Some fantastic independent travel agents about

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.

Missed this bit

There really isn’t anywhere to go out and about or on trips in the Maldives -
whether local island or resort - except for scuba diving or snorkelling boat trips which can be pricey.

It is a beach holiday, with snorkelling if there is a house reef or you take boat trips

Kindly OP, I'm not convinced you really understand what the Maldives are?

Karumba resort is very close to Male and looks very nice 😎

Actually OP my advice would be to start looking for accommodation that is within your budget - try booking.com.

Once you have a couple of options for accommodation then see what excursions are available (likely organised ones rather than using public boats) and what eating options exist nearby. Also the accommodation will very likely be able to offer advice about how to get there from Male.

Centara Ras Fushi is a 20 minute boat ride, went there thus year and wasn't disappointed.

People keep giving resort recommendations but OP doesn't have the budget for a resort. I would definitely check out Embudu Village, as it's a budget resort with an incredible house reef, but if that's not affordable then OP does need to look at inhabited islands instead.

I think if you want to be out and about rather than 'fly and flop', don't have the budget for a luxury resort, don't want to use sea planes and have only spent £200 on flights it could well be a good idea to give up and look at something else. Worst case scenario is that you get into debt to fund the holiday, or have to eat very basic food to stay on budget, so not enjoyable.

I did read once about a budget cruise around the islands but I think it was aimed at scuba divers, so might not have spent much time on the islands, just in the sea nearby. If you google maldives budget cruise, you get results like this:

https://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/10637/maldives-budget-small-group-tour

But I don't know if the dates line up, or if the price you see is what you pay, or if there will be a lot of extras like lunches or tips.

Your comment about* *" we are usually out and about / on trips during the day, so we aren't fussed about luxury"

Are you sure the Maldives are for you? Short of diving and snorkelling there is nothing else to do there except sunbathe.

Generally hotels in the Maldives are one hotel covering an entire island and all there is to do is eat, drink, swim and relax.

They are also aimed at luxury, that is the whole point of the Maldives.

For me personally it is absolute heaven on earth, I dive every other day, snorkell a few times a day and eat far too much fantastic food while sitting in the sun all day long. But that is not everyone's idea of a good holiday.

I'm not sure Baros ticks the affordable option, if it is the one I remember looking at when we went it was definitely higher end.

I completely agree with this. The Maldives is really not a place for 'going out and about' on day trips. I believe there are a couple of fairly run of the mill hotels for the hardcore divers and snorkellers who might go year in, year out and just want the most basic food and accommodation at the end of a day in the water. But but for the most part it's all about the luxury and relaxation. There isn't much else there apart from that, and the beautiful tropical island surroundings as far as the eye can see from your one hotel on your one small island of choice.

If you wanted to go inland and off-piste and see stuff you'd have been better off with the Seychelles or Sri Lanka.

God the entitlement here. Most of us have to be happy with a weekend in a caravan on Skegness.

@DiabeticChocolateLover that’s great. Really great, because it leaves people who enjoy places like the Maldives with a lot more to chose from when booking.