Maldives - Things to consider before choosing your Maldives Resort

Maldives 's beautiful sea is a haven for many beach goers . What many does not know about this place is that Maldives is home to many seafarers from India and Sri Lanka in the earlier days. There are many island in the country and thanks to tourism, the economy grew.  I ask my host “So its true? Maldives sinking?” He laughed and tell me that maybe in 100 years time. So fret not, Maldives is not sinking anytime soon.

Unlike travelling to other countries, where choosing accommodation is straight forward, choosing the accommodation in Maldive is different. You will be spending most of your time in the resort. So you want to choose the resort that best suit you and your pocket. Here’s what you should know before booking your next trip to this sea paradise.

1. Location

Private and exclusive resort usually cost more because either they are have blue lagoon everywhere around the island or close by House-reef which is perfect for snorkeling. 

2. Transfer

Almost all resort on private island requires you to book transfer with them and this does not come cheap. Especially if the resort is far away from the airport, you have to travel by seaplane. H & I often laugh at how our 4 hours journey to Male can be so much cheaper than the 1 hour transfer to the resort.

A seaplane transfer for an adult can cost up to 480 USD per pax. Whereas a speed boat transfer can cost you up to 135 USD per pax. Do check if there  is any extra surcharge when you opt for late transfer.

3. Meals

There are different meal package offer by resort. Breakfast only, Half Board, Full Board and All inclusive. It really depends on individual preference and there are definitely some pro & cons with each package.

Breakfast only

Half Board – Breakfast & Dinner

Full Board – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

All Inclusive – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Tea-time Snacks & Unlimited flow of selected drinks.

Rooms with the basic package – Breakfast only is the cheapest. Meals usually starts from 50 USD per pax, Ala Cart Restaurant gives you more options to choose from. Afterall, you wouldn’t want to starve while you are on holiday.

We opt for all inclusive package because we thought it is more value for money. Initially we thought the food is pretty decent until we were pretty sick of the food. You get similar food for all meals. Although there are other ala cart buffet in the resort , we thought that it doesn’t makes much sense for us to top-up 45 USD per pax for Full-Moon Singapore Cuisine experience.

Tip: Do check with the resort for food variety and price before deciding the package you would like to go for.

4. Room Type

If you are spending more time in the sea than in your room, I thought booking a room in the beach villa is good enough. However if you are planning to spend most of the time in the resort/room, choosing the over water villa will have its advantage. ie: enjoying the view in your room with champagne without the heat. There are many types of room in the resort and for meeru, there are three types. Beach Villa, Villa – Water  and Over Water Villa

Initially we booked Villa -Water as we thought the villa was over-water until we realize that its just Beach Villa beside the Water. Thankfully we spot that and make the change to Over Water Villa. Thus ensure the room you book is what you actually want. Photos in booking website can be misleading.

6. Excursion

There are many excursion package offer by resort. Before booking, I asked for excursion package from various resort to do the comparison. While some are exorbitant high, most resort offers reasonable rates for their snorkeling equipment.

I’m glad that Meeru Resort is reasonably priced. We rented our snorkeling equipement at 9 USD per day. Excursion to the reef house and sunset cruise is free. There are other activities on board such as windsurfing, kayaking, diving and etc at additional cost.

Do note that all price quote above are subjected to 12% Tax. Which means if you order a 100 USD meal, you have to pay 112 USD instead. 

4D3N Total Cost Breakdown

Air Ticket – $370 SGD for 2 pax (Tiger sale!)

One night stay in Hulhumale guest house – $70 SGD per night

Airport bus to guesthouse – $3 USD return/ $4.35 SGD (1.5 USD per way)

Transfer Fee to resort– $135 USD per pax (Return)/ $195 SGD

Snorkeling Rental Fee – $9 USD per day/ $13.50 SGD

Over water Room rate – $1800 for 2 night $900 SGD per night

Total: $2666 SGD

Per pax: $1333 SGD

USD exchange rate at 1.45

Hope it helps