Hacking Maldives trip from India during a pandemic
At the time of writing this article, India has Air bubble arrangement with Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Ukraine, UAE, UK, USA, and Uzbekistan.
With the Maldives being a favorite and safest honeymoon destination for Indians, I picked the Maldives for my honeymoon. I am not a traveler and I didn’t know much about the processes involved in picking the resort, processes to follow to meet guidelines as per Indian and Maldivian airlines. Also, what are things to do and not do in the Maldives? Here is a basic summary which I am sure you are likely not to find in any of the travel blogs.,
Safety
The Maldives is a relatively safe country to visit during this pandemic. You have to have COVID RT-PCR negative report to enter the country and you are not allowed to leave the airport. You will be taken directly to your resort and you are not allowed to leave the resort premises either. All the staff in the resort wear masks and they are tested regularly. If a resort even finds you have a fever, you are forced to stay for 14-day mandatory quarantine just to be safe even if you are tested negative. This could become expensive for you so recommended to carry paracetamol to escape thermal scanning.
COVID Testing
As of February 22nd, 2021, it is mandatory for everyone who is going to visit Maldives to get have a negative RT-PCR test report with samples collected under 72. hours prior to your arrival with a hospital seal along with the passport to get an on-arrival visa. You also have to upload the report on the IMUGA website under traveler health declaration here. Also, you need to undergo the same test under 72 hours prior to departure. But this time you need to fill 2 forms. The IMUGA traveler health declaration form just like on arrival and Air Suvidha form here. You need to upload the RT-PCR test report in the Air Suvidha form.
It costs about 500 rupees in India for the RT-PCR test but it’s gonna cost around 100–150 USD in the Maldives. In India, the test can be taken in any private or government hospital. But in the Maldives, you are not allowed to leave your resort and hence the test is taken by a doctor in the resort and the samples are sent to Male for testing.
Currency Conversion
Maldives is known to accept USD as well as Euros across all resorts. They accept Visa, Mastercard, and many other debit and credit cards. Most resorts don’t accept bank transfers. The conversion rate in the airport for a buy order is close to 80 rupees for one dollar and the sell rate is 66 rupees for one dollar. It’s not at all a fair deal compared to 74 rupees for one dollar on card payment. Also, airports and other exchanges, give bad notes like torn or ink bled which are not accepted in the Maldives. Would suggest just carrying around 100 dollar bills and pay everything using your debit or credit card.
Internet
Both Male Airport and your Resort will provide you the free internet, albeit it’s slow it’s manageable for most of your needs. I have uploaded all my Instagram stories and videos using the free wifi. So no need to pay for international data packs or purchase a new sim. If you have a postpaid connection, consider turning off roaming because it could be as expensive as 10,000 rupees for just 4 days.
Drinking-Water
The Maldives is not a typical country with great groundwater and agricultural land. It’s an island nation in the middle of the Indian Ocean. So, they import everything including the drinking water. You will be given 2 two-liter bottles a day and that’s it. Since the weather is hot, you will and should drink more water to stay hydrated. You will be charged 5 dollars per bottle and it’s really that expensive. It’s recommended to carry extra bottles and fill them wherever you find free water like in the airport. It’s weird to notice you are not offered water anywhere in the Maldives even in lavish buffets.
Modes of Transfer
As soon as you arrive at the Male International Airport, you have 2 ways of transport to your resort island. One is a speed boat and the other is a seaplane. Typically it takes as much as 7 hours on a speed boat to travel resorts far away from Male but Seaplanes cost about 300 to 450 dollars. Try to negotiate to include sea plan transfer as it’s a one-of-a-kind experience. You can reduce to 3 or 4-star resort with seaplane transfer than picking a 5-star resort with boring speed boat transfer. Also if your resort is close to Male, ensure you are not so close that you keep hearing planes buzzing the whole day over you.
Diversity & Food
You will find Chefs to be mostly Indian and the food provided will include Indian cuisine as well as English and French. However, there will be limited vegetarian options. Some resorts have vegan food options but they are really expensive. For seafood lovers, you are golden.
80 to 90% of your resort will be Russians. Russian tourists as so popular in the Maldives that typically there is a Russian interpreter present. They are really cool and fun to hang out with. I was surprised to see 80% of the tourists were with their family and most of them had under 5-year-old kids.
Stay
You will have multiple villa options such as beach villa, water villa, deluxe villa, pool villa, garden villa, jacuzzi villa, etc., It’s recommended to stay in a water villa for at least a day since it’s the main attraction in terms of stay in the Maldives. Water villa is literally built on top of the reef and you have your own private reef to swim around. However, it’s expensive so no more than one day stay is advised. The Garden villa is boring as it’s in the middle of the garden. Gardens are typically 80% of the resort with the rest of the main places are located around the beach. Pool villa will have a private pool but it’s stupid to take it if you have an ocean you can swim around unless you want a private pool for reasons beyond my imagination. You will also have an option to swim in a clean public pool anyway. Beach Villa is a house on a beach which is advised. A jacuzzi villa is just your typical beach villa with a jacuzzi. You don't need to pick a Jacuzzi villa just to try a jacuzzi, you can always try it in the spa which is given as complimentary.
Power & Sustainability
Most resorts are powered by 100% solar and you can see the power generation and consumption graphs in your resort reception or common area. Try to talk to a technician or engineer there if you are interested in understanding the solar implementation if you are curious about sustainable energy.
So you don’t have to feel guilty for using the air conditioner 24/7 because you have to.
Also, you have options like adopt a coral. If you feel rich or extremely conscious about the environment you can.
Gear
It’s recommended to carry swim and dive wear if you have. Especially for a dive, you are asked to wear a t-shirt and it’s better to wear swimwear. Additionally, water shoes from Decathlon are like a lifesaver. Most resorts don’t have clear paths, you will have to walk a lot on the sand and it’s extremely tiring to walk using flip-flops. Water shoes have great grip and especially if you are on a water villa you would want to step into reefs using water shoes.
Also, carry shades, the sun is blinding and you don’t want sad expressions in photos at beautiful spots. It’s surprisingly cheaper to buy shades in the Maldives because they are cheaper there for some reason.
Activities
Your resort being an island itself should offer free diving, swimming, and snorkeling kits. It’s recommended to do snorkeling or scuba diving even if you don’t know how to swim, as you will be assisted by a professional. You can also take photographs taken using the underwater camera by a professional and given to you in a Pendrive. I wouldn’t recommend whale watching because it’s boring and your resort will likely tempt you with a 30–50% discount on whale watching activity.
You will also find a spa and massages. Most masseuses are from Bali and they are trained professionals. You are likely to find a good time. They are to typically offer you up to 50% discount directly which is way more than the 30% discount your resort would typically offer.
Most resorts have a timetable for all the fun activities happening for the next 2 days. Be sure to check them out and participate in as many local events as possible. It’s important to know the history and culture of the places you visit. While resorts are fancy, history is invaluable.
I didn’t mention picking a resort or food to eat or the best time to visit because I am sure you can figure that out from your usual travel blogs. You can still find subtle hints in this article about the same in few sections.
All the suggestions are based on my personal opinion and experience. Have a safe trip.
