Question: is the Maldives budget friendly for solo travellers? And the short answer is yes and no and in this post I aim to expand further because ‘budget friendly’ or ‘affordable’ is a subjective term depending on whom you ask and what budget they are working with. It’s already been a month since I returned from a trip of a lifetime, travelling solo in the Maldives and breaking the stereotype that only couples can enjoy paradise. I am so glad I let go on those worldly views that would in the past have stopped me from enjoying a destination because of being a solo traveller.
The Republic of Maldives is an archipelagic country in the Indian Ocean and belongs to the subcontinent of Asia. It is an island that is known for its breathtaking and timeless beauty perfect for all types of holidaymakers. For many years I had regarded this destination which lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India as a destination you can only go with your lover but I am glad to have taken the plunged and enjoyed the island as a solo traveller. The focus of today’s post is to answer the question, is the Maldives budget friendly for solo travellers and should you start planning your sweet escape to the multitude of islands that make up the Maldives?
Is the Maldives Budget Friendly for Solo Travellers?
As I have mentioned above, ‘budget friendly’ is subjective for every single person because what I consider to be budget friendly you might think of as ‘a bit more expensive’ and vice versa. Because for most of us the journey to reach the Maldives is one that will take upwards of 24hrs to reach, we shall consider this trip to be ‘a tad bit expensive’ for those who think £500 a lot for a holiday regardless of the destination whether closer to home (Europe for me) or a bit further afield (north of Africa). For everyone else, the affordability of your visit to the Maldives will take into account that you have paid for the flight and accommodation upfront and saved up before the actual trip.
Eleven months before the actual trip to the Maldives, Charlotte (of Memoirs & Musings of Char) shared with me a travel deal by the holidaymaker ‘Destinations2’ of ‘£1200 for 10 days in the Maldives, all inclusive deal’. This deal include flights, airport transfer to the island, all inclusive food & drinks and the resort rooms offered were amazing. We scoured the net to find a review of the island in question to understand if travellers have been there more recently, what their thoughts were and current pictures. Thankfully for us, there was a lot of recent travellers who shared their experiences and we knew we had to book no matter what. So, I said, the Maldives can both be EXPENSIVE and BUDGET FRIENDLY at the same time and below I explain how.
YES – IF YOU BOOK IN ADVANCE AND PAY IN INSTALMENTS
Thanks to the ‘rona’ happenings, a lot of travel to exotic unadulterated destinations like The Maldives became very affordable because most of these destinations rely heavily on tourism for their survival or economic growth. When the holidaymaker Destinations2 offered interested travellers an opportunity to enjoy white sandy beaches, clear blue crystal water and more, we knew we had to jump on the trend. The offer was (and still is for many of their deals), you pay £99 for the initial deposit and you are given a certain number of months to repay the holiday.
Since the reservation I made for the trip back in January was for November of that same year, I was given 9 months to pay off the holiday before everything needed to be confirmed with the airlines and resorts. Nine months is a long time to come up with funds to pay off your holiday in advance and not have to spend a penny whilst there. You had an option of making monthly payments or a lump sum every so often until payment was complete. But be weary that every instalment came with a small card transaction charge put on by the holidaymaker Destinations2.
NO – IF YOU HAD TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING IN ONE GO
If you had to pay for the entire holiday in one go without having any money saved then its not easily affordable. For someone travelling from the UK, flights can range from £600 through to £1500 for a flight to the Maldives, that alone makes it extremely expensive for most solo travellers. Then the resorts themselves are not exactly cheap and most are priced in dollars ($$) which means even though there currency is weaker than dollars and pounds and the locals are aware of the value of a dollar. So the islands are no longer ‘$1 when you convert but rather $150 per night or even more depending on the star of the resort.
Then when you start adding the cost of the food and drinks on site for the duration of your trip and let’s not forget the water activities you know you will definitely want to participate in, everything starts to add up. Like I said, ‘budget-friendly’ is subjective based on your income, available money and lifestyle and if you are someone who loves to travel in luxury then Maldives can be budget friendly because you can foot the bill. But it starts to become expensive for someone who is only thinking about the flights and hotel and not the added expenses that come with visiting archipelagic countries.
EVERYTHING STARTS TO ADD UP
Even now, if you ask me is the Maldives budget friendly for solo travellers, I will still say yes and no because that was my personal experience. It is affordable when you have paid for the entire trip months in advance and you opted for the all inclusive deal which means you foods and drink are covered and the only thing you will need to pay for are extras that can easily be avoided. No because even for a trip that you have paid for in advance, the Maldives is still a place you can’t travel with extra money for other activities. If your idea of visiting the Maldives is to just lie down on sandy beaches, swim in the ocean and nothing more then you won’t need to spend any extra money but to be able to enjoy the added activities then you will need money.
During my trip to the Maldives even when I had paid for the entire trip in advance, I still ended up spending over $500 because of the ‘additional activities cost’. Things like room service came at an additional cost, activities like snorkelling and fishing, came to an additional cost. Being part of themed nights like ‘BBQ dinner on the beach’ came at an additional cost, mid-afternoon snacks came at an additional cost and much more. Because I had planned for these additional costs in advance, I did not find the trip to be expensive but rather very budget-friendly and affordable.
Fransic verso says
This is awesome! I will make sure not to pay in one go when planning to go there. Thank you for sharing!
Kushigalu says
Great article for tourist and Maldives is such a beautiful place.
Manali Oza says
I live in India so for me maldives is kinda a budget trip. Anyways, loved this article. Thanks for sharing!
Clarice says
Woah! That’s a great deal. I agree with you that early booking can help you save money. How nice that you had the option to pay in installments. That’s really helpful.
Ntensibe Edgar says
Hhhhmmm….thank you for sharing your opinion on this trip to the islands. We can all get an idea of a fee we are working with! Thanks for sharing about it.
Cinny says
That sounds like a pricey Trip. That being said, it still looks beautiful!
Patricia Chamberlain says
The Maldives is on my bucket list! I probably won’t be traveling there solo, but I’d still love to go.
Dani Torr says
Ive never been to the Maldives but keep seeing it on instagram as a favorite place for celebrities. I dont think I have the resources to pay for an all inclusive trip like that in advance even if it would help to save costs…but a girl can dream!
linda says
such a good article for tourists .I never been there but i have plan to visit.