Is a trip to Maldives on your bucket list? Is cost stopping you from visiting the Maldives? Can you REALLY visit a destination like the Maldives on a budget? Read this article as I share our own budget for Maldives and our cost for Maldives trip. Here’s how we were able to travel to a luxurious destination like the Maldives in the same price we would have paid for an all-inclusive package to a resort in the Caribbean Island.
Was it worth visiting the Maldives with kids?
I am starting off by addressing this because to understand the cost aspect of this trip, you probably want to make sure if this trip is family friendly. Can you justify spending money on a trip that is meant for honeymooners?
Contrary to this popular belief, the Maldives is one of THE MOST family friendly destinations in the world. Let me tell you, this was one of the BEST family vacations we have had. The girls enjoyed this trip so much that they have wanted to go back ever since.
What makes up your Maldives trip cost
Maldives is made up of numerous islands and every resort is housed on its individual island. They range from luxury resorts to local guest houses. Resorts vary in prices depending on what you choose to pay for beforehand. Cost of travelling to Maldives depends on the meal plan you pick, mode of transportation from Male airport to the resort and activities you choose. Visiting during the low season means more savings, cheaper airfare, and fewer crowds. We chose to travel in April which is considered a shoulder month. The crowds were less, and the weather was perfect.
Some other factors that determine your cost is if you plan to stay on one island or choose to move to a different resort/island during your stay. Beach villas are typically cheaper than overwater bungalows and if you are wondering which one is the right choice with kids, Click Here to read our post breaking down each choice.
Prices are per night and per person although most of the resorts house kids for free, you will still be responsible to pay for transportation from Male airport.
Meals are expensive at the resorts and thus, I highly recommend picking a meal plan that works best for you and your family’s needs. I have kids that get hungry very often (especially when we are on vacation) and thus, I picked the all-you-can-eat and drink option. Trust me, we saved a TON of money on food because each entrée was $25USD and you can’t really leave an island for a meal.
What was our budget for Maldives?
All my research on travelling to the Maldives was done through booking websites where the prices were outrageous. The package we booked was priced at $23000 CAD from Canada or even the United States and I can tell you this, I was disheartened and felt like our trip was not going to work out in the end. I was not willing to spend this kind of money on one destination and that to for 6 days. Spending even $10000 was on the higher end for us.
This also made me wonder what other ways were available to book this trip for cheaper. Maldives is such a popular destination amongst Indians because of its proximity to the country and there had to be a way so many people were choosing to travel there. This is when I reached out to a travel agency based in India that was recommended to us through a family friend. When I gave her my requirements for the trip, I was still expecting her to come back with prices similar to what I had found myself. Imagine my surprise when she gave us a quote that was lower than the $10000, I was expecting to spend?
I don’t ever book through a travel agent. Mostly because I enjoy the planning and research for every trip we go on. When I think back, I know that the best decision I made for this trip was booking through an agent. Not only did I get a great price, but the entire trip went flawless with no hiccups.
Travel Tip: One of the biggest ways to save money is booking a trip to Maldives from India (if this is a possibility). The prices to Maldives are much lower from India and the packages are reasonable. I do understand that this option may not be available to everyone, but it is something you can investigate. My husband had an OCI, and we were able to secure lower prices that were specifically offered to Indian nationals.
What we paid for our trip to Maldives
Our trip to Maldives cost us a total of $8700 CAD not including flights. This cost covered everything from the time we reached Male airport till we left from Male.
What our price included:
- Pick up from Male airport (transfer through a bus to the seaplane terminal)
- Sea plane to Dusit Thani
- Pure Indulgence package – this included all food and drinks at any of the restaurants. The package also included the world-famous floating breakfast!
- Unlimited access to their amazing kids club
- Snorkelling equipment to keep for the duration of our trip
- 3 nights in a Deluxe beach villa with our private pool
- 2 nights in an ocean villa with our private pool
- A Butler that did all our reservations, etc.
The best part was the smooth transition between the two rooms. We were asked to keep our bags ready, and they were transferred to the new room without us having to do anything. We were given keys to the new rooms and all we had to do was walk into a new room that was fully set up for us.
To give you a comparison of the cost, we pay around $8000 CAD when we travel to an all-inclusive resort to the Caribbean. Averaging $2000 per person for a week including flights, food, 5-star accommodations, etc. The resorts or food options in the Caribbean is nowhere as luxurious as the ones in the Maldives.
Finding cheap flights
Not only did we save big time on our package to the resort, but we were also able to save on flights. We had planned to fly from Toronto to Dubai, stay in Dubai for a few days and then fly to Maldives. These flights were quite high, and I set alerts on price drops.
Luckily, a few months before our intended trip, the prices dropped quite a bit and we ended up spending $6200 on flights from Toronto – Dubai – Male – Dubai – Toronto. We found nonstop flights through Emirates and these prices then jumped up to $11000. We have found a good system on finding cheap airfare. If you are looking to get our free guide, subscribe to our email and you will be added to our exclusive mailing list to receive your free guide on finding cheap airfare.
As a family of 4, we end up paying more on airfare and accommodations. We are always finding ways to save and budget travel to luxurious destinations. I love to get the most of my money and have spent years trying to find ways to do this. I am here to share how we do this in the hopes of helping you and your family travel to luxury destinations on a budget as well.
Final thoughts on Maldives on a budget
Maldives IS a great destination to visit with kids. No matter what people say or call it a honeymoon destination, your kids will love it. My kids love the beach, the pool, cool drinks, good food, an awesome kids club, activities through the day and they found all of this and more during their visit. If your kids like this too, they will love visiting the Maldives.
A trip to Maldives does NOT need to break your bank. There are many ways to travel here while staying within your budget. I hope you found the information I shared with you helpful. If there are any specific questions you have, please feel free to reach out to us.
