Maldives on a budget?

September 24, 2009 6:46 PM

Maldives on a budget? Say, late June or July 2010?

Assuming the starting point is Chennai or Bangalore, India. Airfare doesn't seem too bad. It's a trip for 2.

Any personal experience with these islands? Budget means like having $2000 to get to the Maldives from India.

The internet seems to suggest that spending any less than $1000/day means living in a slum. That doesn't sound right, there has to be a mid-range option right?

Again, personal experience would be great.

posted by abdulf to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

My wife and I honeymooned in a Jacuzzi Water Villa at the Meeru Island Resort. At the time of year you're talking about, you can easily get just about any of their accommodations for far less than a grand a day.

The rooms were lovely. Snorkeling right off the beach was excellent. There's a full service dive operator if you're SCUBA certified (and you can get PADI certified there if you're not...like we did).

Feel free to MeFiMail me if you've got any questions.
posted by JaredSeth at 8:20 PM on September 24

When my wife and I were looking for honeymoon options, the Maldives was the main place we wanted to go. Unfortunately, everything we looked at started around $2-3,000 per person, for about three to four nights. That's kind of why we ended up going to Bali instead. I don't know about $1000 a day, but it's not going to be cheap.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:21 PM on September 24

One option if you want to do the Maldives on a budget is to go to Sri Lanka - specifically the south coast - instead.

It's the same sea. You'll be trading in the exclusivity of the Maldives for a beautiful bouttique hotel in Sri Lanka. OK, you don't get the whole "living on stilts" experience, but I'd recommend checking out Boutique Sri Lanka.

I went to SL 3 years ago and stayed in some truly lovely places for what would have cost a lot more somewhere more popular.
posted by MuffinMan at 5:41 AM on September 25

One final thing - you're going in the rainy season, as you're probably aware. The good news is that this should keep prices down. The bad news is, it will likely rain.
posted by MuffinMan at 6:08 AM on September 25

MuffinMan, funny you should mention that. Because the US doesn't actually recognize Maldivian weddings, we got married in Ahungalla in Sri Lanka and stayed there for a week before heading to Meeru.

The Sri Lankan beaches were a beautiful golden hue (and there's a lot more to do if swiming/diving/watersports just aren't enough or if you get rained out*), but in the Maldives, you're essentially sitting on top of coral atolls...white sand beaches, crystal clear water and reefs starting just a few feet into the water.

That's not say we didn't love it in Sri Lanka and yes, it's the same sea, but they were very different experiences. Without knowing exactly what about the Maldives it is that appeals to abdulf, I don't know that I could suggest it as an alternative.

* I came back here to point out that you're talking about the peak season for monsoons, although I see that MuffinMan has covered that.
posted by JaredSeth at 6:31 AM on September 25

JaredSeth - agree entirely. My (badly made) point was more that while they are different, if you had a choice between a crappy place in the Maldives and a super-duper place in Sri Lanka, the latter might merit looking into.
posted by MuffinMan at 6:50 AM on September 25