My Maldives travel mistakes
As lovely as the Maldives was, it burned holes in my yearly travel budget. I incurred some unnecessary expenses due to my impromptu decisions and the Maldives is an expensive place to make travel mistakes. As a first timer in this gorgeous archipelago, there are many pricey surprises which come your way and this is one destination which needs a lot of research and study before travelling.
Call ahead to avoid this unpleasant Maldives travel mistake
Somehow the Maldivians I met never reachable by phone and neither did they answer the emails on time. In Male, this created a last-minute panic situation and it was worse because by that time I was desperate to leave the capital city. It was on the second day of my Male stay and there were just a few hours left before my transfer to Alif Dhaalu, the airport island of my Maldivian homestay in Fenfushi. However, in the last moment, I received an email from Fenfushi Inn stating that they would not be able to offer the requested speedboat transfer and wanted to confirm if I still wanted to stay with them.
Suggested Read: The Maldives in monsoon photo essay
One Maldives travel mistake can set you back by 100’s of dollars
It was a huge shock since my stay with them started from the next morning and finally, having left with no other choice, I bought an expensive one-way way ticket to the nearby Mamigili airport. The flight ticket cost me a 167 USD, which had been way more than 15 USD budgeted speedboat transfer. Once again, I felt lighter by more cash than I could afford and this Maldives travel mistake nearly made think of abandoning the trip altogether. The Flyme flight to Mamigili was awfully delayed too and it was not the best possible start of a Maldives vacation. However, the small Flyme prop plane was super comfortable and it transported us to our destination in quick 15 minutes.
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Once in the lap of the Indian Ocean, Maldives travel mistakes seem trivial
Small, idyllic and empty, Mamigili was a quintessential tropical island airport and it was easy to locate, Moosa, my guesthouse representative from among the small bundle of locals crowding near the beach. Moosa was a quiet, taciturn man who also doubled up as a boatman and soon, we were on our way zipping across the Indian Ocean towards Fenfushi. The ocean looked like one endless sheet of blue and green and the open speedboat ride felt liberating. The sun blazed merrily in mid sky and salt spray splattered on my face, drenching me completely. Somewhere on the horizon, faint silhouettes marked the islands and Male seemed like another planet.
Recommended Read: Male dejavu
The dream to experience the local life in the Maldives finally came true
My long awaited desire to experience the Maldives on a budget was finally over and there I was a speck on the turquoise Indian Ocean, with the famous Maldivian islands spread around me like egg yolks. The recent introduction of guesthouses and inns into the jaded Maldives tourism scene had made my dream come true and I was looking forward to experiencing an unmade fresh face of Maldives, beyond the glamour of the established, overdone resorts.
RESPONSIBLE TRAVELING-BECAUSE I CARE
amazing you sure know how to travel. keep it up svetlana love reading your articles. look forward to further reading.
Thank you John.
no need to thank me. i should be thanking you. i look forward to reading more of your adventures. very enjoyable. Thanks.
Herrliche Bilder !!!!!!!
Vielen Dank!
Tourism will only thrive where tourist are welcomed. At the same time, tourist need to feel safe and comfortable. From what you write it looks like the people are going to hurt themselves in the long run. afterall there are similar alternatives to Maldives!
Tourists are always welcome in Maldives, because it is the nation’s biggest economy. I am strongly not in favour of its extreme Sharia law policies like death penalties to children etc and hence no longer support it with my business. In the long run, if tourism is affected because of people not supporting Maldives due to its policies, the government might think of amendments. With no pressure, however, they just don’t care. This is strictly my personal opinion and belief. And yes as I discovered eventually, there are many alternatives to Maldives.
Love to read your post, Amazing clicks
Thank you
Its better to avoid Male , the resorts are pretty far away and are not affected by the political troubles.
I have been to Maldives but we did not visit the city Male . But I do remember our resort manager told us to dress conservatively if we are planning to visit the capital.
Thank you for stopping y. I hope you had a good Maldives vacation. Personally the country is no longer on my “lovelist” due to the stated reasons. Male had been a very different experience no doubt.
That’s sad having to spend extra on the speed boat transfer… but the oceans and sands look just beatiful, sad that it is a dark paradise where there are terrorising laws indeed!!
Well paradise has a dark side and it is slowly getting revealed. The speedboat transfer had nearly put me into the poorhouse.
Reblogged this on LIFE SE ASIA MAGAZINE .
Man, I wish I’d have read this before I made reservations to visit!!! But consider yourself lucky, my speedboat ride is going to cost me $277. AND, I have to attend (or at least pay for) the obligatory Xmas eve “gala” dinner…at a hefty $250. And I cannot get a refund. I don’t think I’ll be returning to the Maldives ever again! I reckon you went during rainy season, eh? I love the clouds in your photos, they make the shots!
Thank you. Yes I went there during the rainy season. Maldives really did burn holes in your pocket, didn’t it? I am not going back either.
I had been planning to visit but did some research before making any bookings and decided that I couldn’t support the regime in the Maldives by visiting. I know my decision won’t make the slightest difference to the bigger picture but the more people who raise awareness of the current situation the better. Well done on getting this out to a wider audience. However, at the back of my mind, I secretly wish I had discovered this after I visited because it looks so gorgeous.
Anne can you believe that you are a rare few who actually read the Travel Advisory of BoycottMaldives bit. I share the same opinion and can never support the current regime but feel secretly happy and guilty to have traveled there before this started. Thank you for joining the cause and yes, I agree that our tiny bit won’t even create a dent in the bigger picture, but guess what we are not alone in this. Someday, difference will be felt and situation will change for better.
I will be really really careful before visiting this island 🙂 It is so pricey …OMG
It is an expensive destination.