003# How to book a Bargain Holiday to the Maldives
Hi all I hope you’re well
In our last newsletter post we shared a few tips on how to book a cheap holiday so you can save money when you next travel. This week we’d like to give a gem on how to book a cheap holiday to Maldives, sounds crazy right.
The Republic of Maldives, is a state in South Asia situated in the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India. The Maldives is not a single island but instead a collection of small Islands which makes it so beautiful, known for its clearwaters, amazing beaches that stretch so far and of course, luxurious overwater bungalows.
Best time to go to the Maldives
The best time to travel to the Maldives is from June to November. Prices are lower during this period as it's the rainy season, that does not mean it rains everyday and it's before all the tourists start to arrive into the country. Flight prices can be as low as £450 during this period as well so there's defo a bargain on hand. High season is considered to be between February to April prices during this period are typically high.
We would advise getting connecting flights to the Maldives. You will save a lot of money doing this method rather than going direct as it can be viewed as expensive.
Lastly we would recommend going for about 7 to 10 days.
Budget friendly places to stay
Now when we think of the Maldives we just think of crazy prices with amazing luxurious accommodation such as an overwater bungalow and a crazy expensive lifestyle and believe it should be a bucket list holiday rather than booking it as a normal trip. But we have the cheat code for booking a normal accommodation that is still amazing but at a cheaper rate making it more accessible to you, so you can make that bucket list trip a reality.
Now not long ago the Maldives opened up local islands to hotels which allows the cheaper rates to come into play but with the same crazy experience !!!
Look below for a few hotels that we suggest you can book and have an amazing time.
Bliss Hotel - the Hotel cost less than £100 ($117) per day and this is if you were to get the biggest room in the hotel. It includes a Jacuzzi rooftop, gym, restaurant and it's less than 30 seconds away from the beach. The activities you could do with the hotel include whale shark snorkelling, dolphin watching, fishing, picnic and dinners on the Island and many more things.
Paradise Island resort - This resort is a gem when you book at the right time prices can be as low as £175 if choose to book between July and August after these two months prices start to rise a little if you aren’t able to book the hotel during this period I would suggest booking it for a day or two and then changing hotels.
Kaani Grand Seaview Hotel is right next to a Bikini beach - a very nice cheap hotel but with a quality standard and includes a balcony with average price per night being £100 ($117).
Paralian Hulhumale Hotel - again a simple hotel located right next to the beach with a price tag raging from £90 ($110)
Below I have placed a few more suggestions of other places you can stay at, additionally if you prefer not to stay in a hotel completely you can stay in apartments search on Airbnb and you can find a suitable place for your needs.
Tips and things to know when in the Maldives
We would recommend doing day trips to the more expensive luxury restores rather than sleeping over, chill there for a day you can buy a day pass which essentially allows you access to all the hotel facilities for that day - you can use Icom tours for organising day trips to the private restores.
Some Local islands require you to cover up and not show skin, so its best to find a bikini beach as the maldives is a muslim country so you have to show respect. When it comes to booking, find out more about where you’re staying so you come prepared.
In regards to transportation options, there are planes, private boats, speed boats or furries. We would suggest booking either a speed boat which cost around £15 to £20 ($20 to $25) and takes a average of an hour to whichever island your going to one way or a furry which can be as little as £3 ($4) but the journey could be 3 or 4 hours.
Have most of your money in cash as some Islands won’t have cash machines and if you're Island hopping it's best to be prepared for any situation.
Things to do in the Maldives
The beauty of the maldives is no matter where your staying whether it's crazy villa/restore or just a simple hotel/guestroom you can do the same activities and its not exclusive, in fact it's probably better to do it at the local islands rather then private island restores as they will charge on top whereas the local island will provide you with the equipment for free and allow you to get on with your day.
See people for the list of things you can do in the maldives.
Snorkelling with fishing
Spend the day Paddle-boarding
Swim with whale sharks
Have a picnic on a private island
Candle lit dinners on the island
Cycle round the island
Jet ski
Clear Kayak
Fish feeding
As always if you’re unsure about anything recommended or would like us to elaborate more, feel free to send us an email at passportmarkers@hotmail.com.
I hope this has been helpful and you’ve enjoyed reading! Have a great week!