So you are dreaming of getting away to the tropics of Maldives and calculating the Maldives vacation cost; imagining the white sandy beaches, and the crystal clear waters of the lagoon. No doubt, the Maldives is a destination perfect for couples, families, and friends; a paradise loved by holidaymakers around the world. Leisure travelers are met with exquisite water villas, charming local island guesthouses, and wonderful experiences for a memorable holiday experience.
Before booking a flight and jetting off to make your dreams a reality, the ultimate question remains. How much is a vacation to the Maldives? This article intends to cover everything excluding flights to Maldives. From stays at resorts and public islands to transfers to hidden taxes, this is everything you should know about vacation to Maldives cost before booking a holiday.
Where to vacation in the Maldives – Resorts vs Public Islands
A trip to Maldives cost depends on your budget. One of the biggest factors one should consider when booking a Maldives holiday is where to stay in Maldives. There are mainly two categories of accommodation scattered across the beautiful archipelago. The single island private resorts, and the guesthouses of the local islands. There is a drastic price difference when it comes to resorts vs local island stays in the Maldives.
Maldives is known for its one island one resort concept. An entire private island operated by a hotel group, promising tranquil tropical nature combined with flawless luxury. This is a concept that makes Maldives loved by travelers around the world. Here, you will find multiple beach villas and water villas along with restaurants, spas, dive centers, and opportunities for entertainment scattered all across one island. On the other hand, guesthouses are built on local islands where normal Maldivian residents reside. You may find multiple guesthouses operated by different groups on a single local island. Resorts offer a more private and luxurious experience when compared to guesthouses with standalone villas instead of normal in-hotel rooms.
There is a drastic difference in the experience you will get when booking a resort vs guesthouse, which is also reflected in the cost of Maldives holiday. To compare, Maldives price per night of a guesthouse ranges from $65 to $150 while a beach villa in a Maldives resort cost double or triple the price depending on the resort. Water villa stays, which are only available in resorts, are even more expensive than beach villas. A Maldives trip cost per night is around $300 per night for a beach villa while the cheapest Maldives water villa price starts from $500 for 2 adults.
Choosing the Right Meal Plan for your Maldives vacation
A vacation cannot be complete without food. After all, it is more than just filling your stomach or satisfying your cravings. Experiencing dishes and cuisines are also ways that you can truly get to know the culture and lifestyle of a destination. The same applies to the Maldives. From the local seafood cuisines to the charming settings, meal plans is a important factor when deciding your trip to Maldives costs.
When comparing resorts vs local island guesthouses, the quality of the stay is also reflected in the food. A meal in a resort offers more exquisiste cuisines made by professional chefs while a guesthouse blesses travalers with a more genuine Maldivian dining experience. A meal in a resort will cost anywhere from $60 to $100++ per person (cheaper for kids and free of charge for infants) while a meal at a resort will be around $20 per person. Moreover in a resort you will be dining from the restaurants operated by the resort with the one-island, one-resort concept. Meanwhile, a local island exposes you to different restaurants operated by different individuals.
The cheaper option when booking a Maldives resort would be to take the full board option that includes breakfast, lunch, & dinner from selected restaurants. If you are keen on staying in a guesthouse, it’s recommended that you select the breakfast-only option or the half-board option (breakfast & dinner) as you can explore more restaurants around the island without worrying about the Maldives trip cost exceeding your expected budget.
Transfer Options
As a country made of small isles surrounded by ocean, there are three main ways for airport transfer in Maldives. Boat transfer, seaplane transfer, and a combination of domestic flight + speedboat transfer. For resorts and local islands that are close to the airport, you will mostly find direct speedboat transfers. This is the cheapest type of transfer option you will find in the Maldives. The price ranges from $40 to $200 for a return speedboat transfer per adult. Local islands also have the option of a slow ferry for as cheap as $3 per person, however, with the hefty cost of long transfer duration of hours.
The seaplane transfer is exclusive to resorts. You can fly over the atolls and land directly at the jetty of the resort for a quick and easy transfer. With an average flight time of 30 to 45 minutes from the Velana International airport to resort islands in distant atolls, the seaplane transfer is the most expensive option with the Maldives transfer price ranging from $400 to $700 per person.
Lastly, the domestic transfer option is available to both resorts and Maldives local islands and is usually combined with a speedboat transfer. The domestic flight flies guests to the nearest local airport, followed by a speedboat to the hotel. As it is in combination with a speedboat ride, this transfer option takes 15 to 20 minutes longer than the direct seaplane route but is approximately $200 cheaper depending on the resort.
For children, the Maldives transfer cost for all options is usually halved while infants can travel for free. While some properties provide choices for transfer, other properties are exclusive to only one possibility. Hence, it is important to check the Maldives transfer options beforehand as it greatly affects your budget.
Maldives Activities and Excursion Prices
From visiting secluded sandbanks to diving beneath the depths of the Indian Ocean; from thrilling water sports to relaxing cruises, you can experience plenty of everlasting adventures in the tropics of Maldives. These attractions in Maldives are available both on local islands and resorts. However, there is a significant difference in price that you must take into account for your trip to Maldives cost. You will find that resorts are more expensive that local islands. Visiting a sandbank at a Maldives resort costs around $20 while the same excursion costs more than $100 in some resorts. The best practice would be to clarify Maldives activities and excursion prices beforehand or to book a Maldives All-Inclusive vacation package.
Book Maldives Vacation Packages & Take Advantage of Maldives Offers
Booking Maldives special packages and taking advantage of Maldives offers can be a game changer when it comes to booking a Maldives holiday. Not only is it much cheaper to book a package, but is also much hassle free. You will find that packages have everything laid out for you. A Maldives 1 week trip cost can include stay, meals, return transfers, activities and more. It allows you to have an organized overview of all the inclusion you will get for your holiday.
If you do not find a Maldives vacation package suited to your requirements, you can always craft your custom Maldives holiday plan and take advantage of some of the Maldives offers available. Early birds can get up to 40% discount on rooms and longs stays can bless you with free seaplane transfer. There are seasonal offers as well from Maldives summer packages to peak season offers. Multiple Maldives resorts offer exciting Maldives resort packages and offers that lets you get the best out of your Maldives trip price.
Seasons vs Prices
Perhaps one of the aspects that will significantly impact your trip cost to Maldives, after the resorts vs local island factor, is the season. From peak to low, the season you book the holiday impacts your total Maldives holiday price. A villa in the high season can cost triple the price of the same villa in the low season.
The Maldives’ off-season typically lasts from April, right after Easter, to October. Although it varies from property to property, the low season for the majority of resorts and hotels in the Maldives occurs between these months. May to July would be your safest bet if you want to be 100% certain that you are booking the cheapest months to travel to the Maldives.
The Maldives’ peak travel months typically last from October to the first half of December, as well as the final weeks of January until April. The busiest and most expensive time to travel to the Maldives is during the holiday period, which includes Christmas and New Year, also known as the peak season.
Taxes and Visas in Maldives
Once you have planned your perfect holiday and finalized your trip to Maldives cost, it’s always advisable to check if all the taxes are included in your Maldives holiday price. Taxes include 12% TGST, 10% service charge, and a green tax of $6 per person per night in resorts and $3 per person per night.
As for Maldives visa requirements, tourists from around the globe will receive a 30-day free Visa on arrival, provided that they have a legitimate booking for Maldives.
Vacation to Maldives cost
The cost of a vacation in the Maldives can vary greatly depending on a number of factors such as the time of year, the type of accommodation, and the activities you plan to do. Some estimates suggest that a basic Maldives vacation can cost around US $2,000 per person for a week, while a luxury vacation can cost US $10,000 or more per person for the same period. It is also important to consider the additional cost of airfare to the Maldives, which can be quite high depending on your country of residence.
