27/01/2022
I’ve been planning a trip to the Maldives for awhile, because it seemed like a great, outdoor oriented vacation in a place with high vaccination rates in the tourism industry and good vaccination/testing protocols in place. I have found all kinds of little obstacles and quirks in the planning process, so I thought I would share what I found:
Getting there: Make sure you know the transit rule for any airport you fly through! We are going out through Doha and back though Singapore. Singapore is restricting many transit passengers to “holding areas,” important to know if you are looking at an extended layover! We had also considered staying in Singapore for a few days, but it would meant paying the mandatory airport $120 PCR test on both arrival and departure, so we chose to just spend a few more days on the beach!
Arriving in Male: If you want to spend time in the capital before going out to the island (we wanted a day to adjust to local time so we get the most out of our resort days,) you are only allowed a 48 hour transit through the Greater Male’ area before you have to test again. Also, you are limited to government authorized transit hotels and that list can be hard to find! Also remember that the Maldives is a Muslim country, you cannot bring in any alcohol, pork products and some sexually explicit stuff. Be ready to dress modestly on local islands and the capital, covering shoulders and knees. There are special “bikini beachs” for tourists on most local islands where you can wear what you want, and most resort islands are exempt from the those ruleset.
Resort Islands: We found an amazing deal on an overwater Villa at the new Le Meridian. They opened at a very low redemption rate for points, and we upgraded to overwater for only $50 a night! Woot! There is a $420 per person sea plane ride to get there, though. Most resorts islands have a sea plane or jet boat transfer from the airport that is anywhere from $100-$500, so make sure you build that into your budget. Also food and drinks are expensive, and as the whole island is just the one resort, they are the only game in town. Look at menus online, ask about meal plans or all inclusive prices so you can make informed decisions and not get blindsided by prices.
Covid Complications: Read all of the covid related rules carefully! You must PCR test before leaving your resort for the airport or a local island. If you test positive, you will need to quarantine for 14 days at that resort, and if the person traveling with you test negative, they have to quarantine separately! If that resort was a stretch for you for 5 nights, imagine paying for 14 days of not leaving the room. I suggest travel insurance and check the trip interruption section carefully. Many only cover $150/night with a max of $2000. Some will allow you to select a higher benefit for a somewhat higher premium. Also, if cases are reported, a resort might be placed under “Contact tracing status” and arrivals and departures can only be to and from the international airport, so you would not be able to move to a local island or 2nd resort island.
If you want to stay at more than one place, you must file a “Split stay” request with the Maldives government tourist office, and your hotels will help you follow any needed guidelines.
You may have to take multiple tests to leave: Maldives wants a test at 3 days out, our airline wants 2 and USA wants 24 hours. Some will accept the video supervised self tests, others will not (No self tests of any kind for Singapore.)
I love a good High/Low trip, Rates at Le Meridien start at $525 and we are staying for a week, and Kiha Beach hotels on Dharavandhoo is $950 for 9 nights with breakfast. We could have gotten a cheaper hotel, but given that not a lot goes on in the evenings, we wanted a bigger room for hanging out after dinner.
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or suggestions for the Maldives!
Plan
