Fun and Dance in the 'Paradise' of Maldives

'Paradise' Maldives is renowned, yet not out of reach. The question is how to choose what suits your budget.

Fun and Dance in the 'Paradise' during your Maldives Trip

Getting to Maldives?

Since Vietnam doesn't have direct flights to Maldives, you'll need to transit through a third country. From Vietnam, transit through some Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, then continue to Maldives.

Alternatively, if you prefer a different route, you can fly via China, India, Sri Lanka, South Korea... before arriving in Maldives.

Traveling from Hanoi to Singapore takes 3 hours, and from Singapore to Maldives takes 4 hours. So, the total flight time is 7 hours. If the layover is short, it's fine, but long layovers can be exhausting.

However, when booking tickets, don't prioritize short layover times because flights from Vietnam often have a high chance of delay. In my trip, the layover time on the outbound flight was 4 hours, just enough for dining and resting before the next flight. On the return trip, I chose to stay in Singapore for a day and flew back the next day.

One of the conveniences of traveling to Maldives is that you don't need a visa. You just need to buy a ticket, book accommodation, and fly to the 'paradise'.

When I arrived at the airport, I didn't need to show a return ticket or accommodation booking. I just handed over my passport and immigration form, and it was stamped without any questions from the customs officer.

However, it's advisable to print your return flight ticket and book accommodation in advance just in case they ask for it.

Getting Around in Maldives

The Maldives airport is situated on an island. The capital, Malé, is on the adjacent island. The resort islands are scattered around the airport area and the capital, spanning from north to south of the Maldives.

Looking at this map, you can visualize the airport's location, the capital, and some resorts situated to the north.

If you want to go to Malé, upon arrival at the airport, you'll find the ferry terminal right outside the exit. A one-way ticket from the airport to Malé or vice versa costs 10 Rufiyaa (equivalent to 17,000 VND). The ferry ride takes 15 minutes, and there's always a ferry departing whenever you arrive.

From Malé, there are ferries to other inhabited islands. You can check ticket prices and schedules at the ferry terminal.

However, note that there are 2 ferry terminals in Malé. Besides the terminal from the airport located in the northeast of the island, there's another terminal on the west side of the island as shown in the picture.

Taking a taxi should only cost 2 USD. If it's more than this, you're being ripped off!

The capital city, Malé, is very small. Each taxi ride costs around 30 Rufiyaa (approximately 2 USD), regardless of the distance. If the driver demands more than this, he's trying to turn you into... a fool.

A tip when traveling to Maldives is to exchange some local currency to spend. There are convenient currency exchange counters or ATMs right at the airport.

When going to a resort island, you'll need to travel by the specialized means of transport provided by the island, such as speedboats or seaplanes, depending on the distance from the airport to the resort. Some Vietnamese guests reportedly arrange with the resort owner in advance for alternative transportation options, but it's not very common.

Upon arrival at the airport, you'll notice a row of counters representing various resorts. Find the name of your resort and proceed there; they will arrange transportation to the island for you.

Residential island or resort island?

As mentioned earlier, Maldives has two types of islands: residential islands and resort islands. If you stay on a residential island, you'll stay in a hotel or guesthouse. However, if you opt for a resort island, each island is its own resort, so there are no other accommodation options available.

Certainly, the prices at hotels and guesthouses on residential islands are much cheaper compared to those at resorts.

Essentially, residential islands have nothing special, but if you want to explore local life, it's still worth spending some time here.

Note that the locals here follow Islam, so there's no widespread drinking of alcohol like our people do on vacations. The sale of alcohol is only applicable to tourists on resort islands.

If you want to save on costs, you can stay on a residential island and then purchase a one-day tour to visit a resort island. Domestic tours now offer this package, and it's also a popular choice for many backpackers.

You can inquire about tour packages to visit resort islands at the counters of resorts located at the airport. Tour prices range below 50 USD per person depending on the distance between the airport and the resort. Lunch is included in the price.

The typical itinerary is to visit a resort island in the morning and return to the residential island in the afternoon.

Once you're at the resort, you can go wherever you want and do whatever you please, except entering their rooms. If you're tired, there's no need to worry because around the island are stunning beaches with plenty of chairs and hammocks for you to relax.

But coming to Maldives without spending a night at a resort is a waste of a lifetime.

Is it enjoyable at the resort?

Previously, with few resorts and high prices, staying on a residential island and buying a tour to a resort island was the only option. Now, with nearly 100 resort islands in Maldives and competitive prices, staying at a resort for 1 or 2 nights, or even a week, is within reach for many people.

At this point, if you're determined to experience the true paradise of Maldives, the question arises: 'Which resort to choose?'

With nearly 100 resort islands in Maldives, you have plenty of choices.

You can explore resorts on this website: https://visitmaldives.com/cat/resorts/ or https://maldivesfinest.com/resorts

In the introduction section of each resort, there is a website link provided. You can click on that website to access comprehensive information and images of the resort.

Because all journeys to resort islands start from the airport, when booking a resort, you need to determine the location and distance of the resort from the airport to understand the travel time. These details are all available on the mentioned websites when you click on each resort.

Before booking a room, note that room rates do not include taxes, fees, and transportation costs to the island. Therefore, to determine which resort is cheaper, you need to calculate all costs. Some resorts have low room rates, but with all additional costs, they become expensive, while others have high room rates but overall are cheaper.

In general, there are 4 components to calculate the total room rate: room rate + tax + environmental fee + transportation fee.

To facilitate visualization and comparison, I searched for room bookings for 2 people on October 18th at Olhuveli Beach & Spa Maldives and Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa, and found:

Olhuveli Beach & Spa Maldives: $405 for room + $98 tax + $6 per person environmental fee + $210 per person transportation fee for round trip. Olhuveli Beach & Spa Maldives is located 45 minutes away from Malé airport by speedboat.

Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa: $390 room rate + $98 tax + $6 per person environmental fee + $136 per person transportation fee. Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa is located 25 minutes away from Malé airport by speedboat.

Looking at the comparison above, you will notice that only the tax and environmental fee are the same. Room rates will vary. Depending on the booking time and the resort, the prices may differ by a few million or even tens of millions of Vietnamese dong.

Traveling by Seaplane

Some islands far from the airport require transportation by seaplane, such as JA Manafaru. This resort is located in the northern part of Maldives, about 320km away from Malé airport, taking about 1 hour and 10 minutes by seaplane with a transportation fee of $660 per person. The room rate for 2 people on October 18th is $1180.

Transportation fees vary depending on the distance from the airport to the resort or depending on the mode of transportation (speedboat or seaplane). Islands close to Malé airport usually provide speedboat transfers to the resort.

For resorts far from the capital, you might even need to take a domestic flight from Malé Airport to another airport before heading to the island, such as Ayada Maldives.

This resort is approximately 431 km south of the capital Malé. The room rate for October 18th is $1740.

Here, it's worth noting that transportation to the island resort will depend on them as there are no other means of transportation available.

In summary, among dozens of resorts, when booking sorted by price from low to high, you'll always find a resort that fits your budget to at least enjoy one night in paradise.

Comparing which resort is more beautiful than another is difficult and depends on each person's assessment. Basically, every resort is stunning.

During the Maldives trip, the writer had the opportunity to visit 2 resorts (Bandos Resort and Paradise Island Resort & Spa) and found each place to have its own unique beauty.

Once you've chosen the resort, you're ready to embark on your adventure.

Exploring Paradise: Indulging in the Ultimate Getaway

Similarly to transportation, dining options at the resort leave you no choice but to eat at the restaurants provided by the resort owner. There's no option to go out for noodles, vermicelli, or pho like many people choose when going to resorts in Vietnam.

Therefore, when booking your room, you need to determine your appetite preferences, whether you eat a lot or a little... to choose the room because the price for rooms with separate breakfast, lunch, or all three meals will be different.

In my opinion, booking a room with all three meals included is convenient because their food suits your taste, so you don't have to worry about bringing instant noodles.

Once dining is sorted, it's time for recreation. There's everything you need on the island for you to enjoy various activities and sports.

If you want to splurge, you can participate in paid activities. If you calculate just the flight and food expenses, it's not worth it. But joining the paid activities is where the spending adds up.

As soon as you step foot on the resort, you'll be handed brochures introducing a variety of island activities such as snorkeling to admire coral reefs, taking a submarine ride under the sea, parasailing, night fishing, and more.

In general, prices are all provided, so you can choose what you like and sign up for it.

How Long to Stay?

Some people on forums have stayed in the Maldives for a week and then complained of boredom. This is accurate.

All resort islands are small, so you only need to spend a morning or an afternoon to explore the entire island. Vietnamese people love checking in, so the first priority upon arrival is to take a round of photos for Facebook. Then leisurely stroll around to enjoy the scenery, relax, or swim.

The next day, you can participate in other island activities according to each person's preferences and budget.

In general, staying for about 3-4 days, 2-3 nights is enough. Staying too long, it's best to invest in another island for a fresh experience because staying on one island can get boring.

The peak tourist season in the Maldives is from October to April. During this time, room rates are high and the islands are crowded with tourists.

Conversely, from May to September, it's the off-peak season, so room rates are low, and the islands are quiet, suitable for relaxation. However, island trips are primarily for relaxation and not suitable for shopping enthusiasts.

However, the off-peak season coincides with the rainy season, so it's unfortunate to come here and experience prolonged rainy days. When I visited, I was lucky to have beautiful sunny weather, with only a brief rain shower of less than an hour in the early morning.

Travel Budget

To help you imagine, I found flight tickets for the route (via Singapore) during mid-October 2017 as follows:

- Price for round-trip Hanoi - Singapore tickets: 4.5 million VND/ticket

- Price for round-trip Singapore - Maldives tickets: 7 million VND/ticket

I searched for rooms (for 2 people) at some other resorts (including 3 meals, excluding tax, fees, transportation) also during mid-October and found the following rates: Kurumba (6.7 million/night), Baros (9.2 million/night), Paradise Island Resort & Spa (4.5 million/night), Adaaran Prestige Vadoo (8.8 million/night)...

So, depending on the time and the resort, you can estimate your expenses.

Thus, the Maldives paradise is not out of reach. The question is, how do you choose what's right for your budget?

According to Nguyen Tuan Thanh/Tuoi Tre

***

Reference: Travel guide Mytour