The Maldives is a dream destination for most travelers. This magnificent archipelago has some of the world’s best beaches, underwater life, and natural beauty. The Maldives is also one of the most expensive destinations in the world. If you’re planning a trip to these beautiful islands, you want to make sure you choose the best villa or hut on water for your once-in-a-lifetime holiday.
The Maldives has over 1,100 islands, so the hardest part of the planning process is to choose which one you will visit. It’s not an easy task, because when you’re planning an expensive Maldives trip, you want to know you’re getting the best value for your money while enjoying all the luxuries and activities the Maldives has to offer.
If you want to feel like your living in a postcard, then staying in an overwater villa is like a dream and one of the best places to enjoy this experience is in the Maldives.
Maldives Hotels & Huts On Water
How To Plan a Trip to The Maldives
1. All international flights fly into the capital Male City. Afterwards, you can either take a speed boat to your island or an internal flight by a propeller or seaplane. It all depends on where your island is located and how far it is from the capital Male.
2. The internal transfers are extremely expensive, so you need to factor this into the cost of your trip. Also, it is close to impossible to find your own way to your island by booking the internal transfer yourself independently. The best thing to do is to arrange for your Maldives speedboat transfer or seaplane transfer through your hotel. The main types of internal transports are seaplane, speedboat or a propeller plane.
3. The Maldives is a Muslim country and alcohol is only served in resorts and hotels. You are not allowed to bring any alcohol with you even if it’s purchased from the duty free, nor do you have the option of purchasing it from supermarkets.
4. The Maldives has 2 main types of islands: a) local islands and b) islands that have resorts (usually one resort per island). If you stay at a local island in a guesthouse, women are not allowed to wear bikinis except in one designated beach per island. Alcohol is definitely not served anywhere in the local islands.
5. There is a huge 21.5% tax and service fee on everything including hotel rates, food, drink and activities inside the resorts. The fee adds a significant amount to your total budget, so keep this in mind.
6. Once you arrive to your island/hotel, you will stay there for the duration of your trip. Some hotels offer excursions to neighboring islands, but usually you will be spending 90% of your time on your island. You don’t have the option of going out to restaurants, supermarkets or bars outside of your hotel.
Maldives Travel Tips
1. The best time to go
The Maldives is beautiful year-round, but some months are rainy and when you’re paying a big budget for a dream trip, you want to go during the dry season. Best months: November to April. High season: December to March. More info about Maldives travel weather here.
2. Picking the types of activities you can enjoy
If you’re looking to explore the underwater world and go diving and snorkeling, then each island has different types of wildlife you can enjoy. For example: there are very specific islands to go diving with whale sharks, so don’t expect to go anywhere in the Maldives and be able to see them. Make sure you take this into consideration before choosing your resort.
3. Selecting your Maldives water villa
This is the most important part of your whole trip, because unlike other destination, you will be spending almost all your time in the hotel. This is why I’ve included the best Maldives overwater villas in my list below suitable for different budgets.
4. Choosing whether or not to book an all-inclusive option
This is a tricky one and it all depends on your meal preferences and budget. The cost of food and drink in the resort is extremely high and if you don’t want to read through the whole menu and prices every time you sit down for a meal, then the all-inclusive option can be easier to factor into your budget. At least you will know how much you’ll be spending from the start.
All-inclusive also means that you will be served A LOT of food that sometimes you can’t even finish. Another option would be to have a big breakfast and dinner and a very light lunch or snack in between, especially if you’re doing water activities. Even with my all-inclusive package, I was sometimes so full from breakfast that I skipped lunch most of the time.
5. Maldives trip cost
Your Maldives vacation cost will mostly depend on the hotel you choose. A typical mid-range vacation to the Maldives will cost around $00 to $500 a night. You can definitely aim for cheaper floating bungalows or choose to stay in a regular hotel room if you want to plan Maldives on a budget.
Best Maldives hotels & Huts On Water For Every Budget
*Click on the hotel names to be redirected to the booking pages for more info. The internal transfer fees are per person round-trip. All prices are in US Dollars and do not include the 21.5% tax and service fees.
Maldives overwater hotels for under $500 per night:
1. Sun Aqua Vilu Reef
Price per night: $ 334 Room type: Reef Villa Internal transfer: $450 (35 min seaplane)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: on-site diving center, 2 restaurants, spa, great location for water activities.
2. Adaaran Club Rannalhi
Price per night: $ 300 Room type: Water Villa Internal transfer: $150 (45 min speed boat)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: affordable all-inclusive meal options (starting $360 per night), 4 restaurants, spa, great location for water activities.
3. Meeru Island Resort & Spa
Price per night: $ 478 Room type: Overwater Villa with spa bath Internal transfer: $185 (45 min speed boat)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: 2 swimming pools, children’s playground, lots of activities such as golfing, snorkeling, windsurfing. All-inclusive rates start at $ 640.
4. Gangehi Island Resort
Price per night: $ 498 Room type: Overwater standard room Internal transfer: $435 (25 min sea plane)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: diving school, spectacular diving spots, Ayurvedic massages, beautiful coral reefs, open air yoga classes. All-inclusive rates start at $ 640.
5. Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon
Price per night: $ 357 Room type: Maldives overwater bungalow Internal transfer: $202 (25 min sea plane)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: great diving spots, spa, infinity pool, fitness center. All-inclusive rates start at $ 502.
Maldives Villas between $500 to $800 per night:
1. Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa, Maldives
Price per night: $725 Room type: overwater villa Internal transfer: $499 (70 min flight + 5 min speedboat)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: stunning island with lush tropical jungles, diving center, golf course, amazing water activities, exceptional dining options with so many different cuisines, dolphin cruise, private dining on the sand, walking trails and fabulous service.
Read about my wonderful stay at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa Maldives.
2. Amari Havodda Maldives
Price per night: $700 Room type: Over water villa Internal transfer: $460 (55 min flight + 10 min speedboat)
Meals included: breakfast, lunch & dinner
Hotel features: spa, water activities, 5 dining options, tennis and volleyball courts.
3. Olhuveli Beach And Spa Resort
Price per night: $525 Room type: Overwater villa Internal transfer: $277 (45 min speedboat)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: diving school, 4 dining options, 3 bars, day trips, massages, beauty services and tennis.
4. Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa
Price per night: $800 Room type: Water bungalow Internal transfer: $136 (25 min speedboat)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: modern furnishings, 7 dining options, water activities, tennis, yoga classes, spa and proximity to Male.
5. Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu
Price per night: $700 Room type: Lagoon villa Internal transfer: $443 (30 min seaplane)
Meals included: breakfast & dinner
Hotel features: amazing spa, tropical style interiors, 5 dining options, several water activities and great diving spots.
Maldives water villas between $800 to $1,200 per night:
1. Jumeirah Vittaveli
Price per night: $1200 Room type: Sunrise water villa with private pool Internal transfer: $308 (20 min catamaran)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: beautiful island, fishing and diving trips, over-water spa, proximity to Male, delicious dining options, amazing facilities for kids, stunning views, great underwater life, submarine rides, cooking classes, exceptional service.
Read about my wonderful stay at Jumeirah Vittaveli.
2. Constance Halaveli
Price per night: $1128 Room type: water villa with private pool Internal transfer: $480 (35 min seaplane)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: over-water spa, fishing and diving trips, 3 dining options, tennis, water activities and spacious villas.
3. Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
Price per night: $1000 Room type: King water villa Internal transfer: $560 (30 min seaplane)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: 2 islands connected by a bridge, stunning glass underwater restaurant, 12 dining options, huge wine cellar and 2 amazing spas.
4. Velassaru Maldives
Price per night: $1049 Room type: Water villa Internal transfer: $162 (25 min speedboat)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: proximity to Male, wide range of water sports, fitness classes, fishing trips, tennis courts, 5 dining options and 2 bars.
5. Six Senses Laamu
Price per night: $908 Room type: Lagoon water villa Internal transfer: $672 (15 min boat & 40 min plane)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: Ayurveda spa treatments, 4 dining options, glass tub with a view of the ocean, outdoor bathrooms, rainshower and several water activities.
6. JA Manafaru
Price per night: $1,120 Room type: Sunrise water villa Internal transfer: $660 (70 min seaplane)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: amazing spa treatments, 6 dining options, great service, 3 swimming pools, large selection of water sports, trips to nearby islands and tennis courts.
Maldives luxury villas over $1,200 per night:
1. Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas
Price per night: $1,385 Room type: Over water villa with pool Internal transfer: $620 (35 min seaplane)
Meals included: breakfast & dinner
Hotel features: luxurious villas with infinity pools, over-water spa, beautiful coral reefs, underwater restaurant, two-storey over-water Sky Bar, dinner on a yacht, 5 restaurants, spa, full range of water activities.
2. Cheval Blanc Randheli
Price per night: $1,200 Room type: One bedroom water villa Internal transfer: $1171 (40 min seaplane)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: super luxurious villas with infinity pools, 5 dining options including a fine dining restaurant and a feet-in-the-sand restaurant, a wine and cigar cellar, spa and a full range of water activities.
3. The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli
Price per night: $1,900 Room type: Overwater villa with pool Internal transfer: $645 (45 min seaplane)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: 6 luxurious dining options, incredible wine cellar, stylish villas with walk-in closets, marble bathrooms, Ayurveda spa treatments, diving and windsurfing, jetpacking, sea bobbing, glass-bottom kayaking and catamaran sailing.
4. Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru
Price per night: $1,650 Room type: Sunrise water villa Internal transfer: $661 (30 min seaplane)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: 4 dining options, lush green jungles, large lagoon, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, anti gravity yoga, panchakarma, multi-award winning spa & Ayurvedic retreat, swim with manta rays and whale sharks, coral reefscaping and turtle rehabilitation projects, kite-surfing, X-Jetblades and parasailing.
5. One&Only Reethi Rah
Price per night: $2,000 Room type: Water villa queen Internal transfer: $740 (75 min luxury yacht)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: 3 dining options, beautiful resort grounds, kids and teenager section at the beach club, luxurious and spacious villas.
6. W Maldives
Price per night: $1,750 Room type: Fabulous lagoon oasis Internal transfer: $515 (25 min seaplane)
Meals included: breakfast
Hotel features: 3 dining options, luxury spa, spacious rooms, water activities, plunge pool and beautiful reefs.
