Maldives is often considered to be an exotic paradise, ultra luxurious, honeymoon destination for couples. After much planning and research, we found a way to experience Maldives as a family and balance our vacation without breaking our life savings. We typically do not plan for beach destinations, so it has been a few years for us, and Maldives stood out to us for the serene atmosphere, less crowds, beautiful white sandy beaches, turquoise crystal blue waters and ultra luxurious experience of staying in an over water bungalow. Maldives is not a typical destination for the average North American as there are usually no direct flights. Most connecting flights are through Europe, Middle East or Sri Lanka. The capital city of Maldives is Male. Male is also the location of the Velana international airport which is usually the main city that international flights fly into. There are other domestic airports to fly into, depending on the location of your destination but you may need to take a seaplane from Velana airport, to connect to your final destination. For us, part of our Maldives journey, were those thrilling, edge of your seat speedboat rides. We spent a total of 7 days in this beautiful paradise. “Okay, okay, okay…but how much does all this cost?”, you ask? A price range you can typically expect for a family of 4, to stay exclusively in a luxury resort for 1 week is typically around $20,000 – $30,000 CAD, depending on the luxury resort brand of course — but if you follow our simple tips below, you can easily cut your bill in HALF without hindering the overall quality of your Maldives experience!
Here are some helpful tips to help you plan your next vacation with kids to Maldives:
1. Split up your time between a budget friendly island and a private luxury resort.
For our first few days, we first chose to stay on the budget friendly island of Maafushi, and we stayed at Kanni Grand Seaview Hotel. We booked all our excursions and tours with this hotel as well as our transfers to the airport. We found their prices very affordable in comparison to the private luxurious hotels (which was usually more than double the cost). Our package included breakfast and dinner buffets. Maafushi has a rugged city like feel, with tall building structures,which included hospitals, schools, shops and cafes are all available on this island. One thing to note when staying on a public island, there are only designated areas that allow you to wear your swim wear, otherwise you are to dress modestly while walking around the island. A private beach was conveniently located in front of our hotel, and at this beach you are free to dress as you wish . We figured since we will be out of our the hotel for much of the day, you don’t need to spend an extravagant amount of money on an expensive luxury villa and rather to maximize our time on Maafushi with our excursions, tours, and a little shopping!.
2. Book an island hopping experience.
Maldives would not be complete without the opportunity of visiting the neighbouring islands. One way to experience the different luxurious resorts without having to spend an extravagant amount per night is to book a day trip to another island. Our day trip to Adaraan resort on Vadoo Island, was a full day trip and included our return transfer, lunch, unlimited drinks, and full access to the resorts amenities including the beach and swimming pool. We were able to book this with our hotel with Kaani Tours.
3. Book a Snorkelling Experience.
The ecosystem in Maldives, is so rich & diverse, that you can be swimming with an abundance of fishes, sea turtles, sting rays, corals and many more types of sea life. There are varieties of snorkelling tours available depending on your preference and the ability of your children. Since this was the girls first snorkelling experience, we only choose one point to snorkel. Our tour included our transfers, guide, snorkel equipment, one visit to a sandbar, and a picnic lunch on an island. We had chosen to book a private custom tour with Kaani Tours from our Maafushi Island. Having it booked ‘private‘ is a bit more expensive (versus joining a big group), but we found this private option quite important, especially if you have kids snorkelling for the first time. You have the luxury of taking your time and not rushing on things versus if you were on a group tour. Our recommendations prior to your trip is to bring: a full face snorkel mask for younger children, wet suit, and water shoes are just some of the many items to consider purchasing prior to your trip.
Shot using the SHOOT GoPro Dome
4. Experience a Luxury Resort.
Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort is situated on the stunning Dhigufinolhu Island and offers the ultimate luxury beach experience. With crystal blue waters and miles of powdery, white sands fringed with lush, emerald-green vegetation, this 5-star resort ideal for families looking for a relaxing Maldivian escape. You will find an array of restaurants and an over-water spa, as this island offers great value for money but with plenty of activities to keep the more restless vacation.
Book a Beach Garden Villa
For our first night, we booked the Garden Villa with the Anantara Dhigu Resort, for one night, to have a different perspective and experience of the various accommodations in the resort. Our villa, had a beautiful outdoor bathroom and shower and direct access to the beach. The biggest advantage of staying in a garden villa, besides the cheaper cost, is that the location is more accessible to the amenities, including the cafe’s and restaurants, which may be more beneficial for families with young kids.
Travel Tip: You can request to have the hotel prepare you a bubble bath to enjoy.
Book an Overwater Villa
One of the main reasons we had considered Maldives as our vacation destination is to have that unique experience of the ocean surrounding you while you are sleeping. There are very limited destinations in the world, that would allow children to stay in an overwater bungalow. Most resorts can only accommodate couples. We booked our overwater villa stay for 2 nights. Our experience completely lived up and exceeded our expectations. There truly is nothing more incredible than to wake up by the ocean under you!
Maldives was truly paradise for us and we enjoyed every minute of our time. We truly felt disconnected from the everyday work/school routine during our time and felt rejuvenated after our vacation. We were so fortunate and blessed to check this destination off our bucketlist. I know this may be just a dream destination for most people but the time spent with family was more rewarding then the destination itself. The most priceless experience to take away the most for me, was that both our girls became amazing little swimmers! I guess you can consider the trip one expensive swimming lesson! I know you are thinking that it may take some serious determination to put aside extra savings and plan that dream vacation, learn how we have used rewards and credit card points to help us save our vacation. It won’t happen overnight so stop thinking and start planning that dream vacation now, this is the time to do it!
If you missed our travel video highlights on our family vacation to the Maldives, click on the link below.