Male Island Travel Forum

Hi,

I'm giong to Maldives in end on Mar 06.

Does anyone know if there's any motel or inn that I can stay in whilst on Male Island? Cos i'll be stranded at the airport for 12 hrs before the speedboat come to take me to the island. Thanks!

Hi

There are some hotels actually on Male where you can stay, I think one is called the Mookai Hotel, there is also one on the airport island, called the Hulhule Hotel. We booked a room there in July, as we had to leave our island early afternoon, and our flight wasn't until 2am. They do allow short stays while you are waiting for a flight. There is a free shuttle service to Male island if you want to go sightseeing. It is a very nice hotel with comfortable rooms, nice restaurant, swimming pool etc.,

Hope this helps
best wishes
Ian
Liverpool

Hi there is an airport hotel - but it gets booked up as is extremely expensive! Prob best if you take a ferry to Male' the capital and stay in one of thae many hotels near the ferry landing. Cheaper and you can experience the capital!

And/or ask the resort to transfer you earlier - thay normally have their own speedboats and you chill out at the resort

Have a nice time!

Hi all,

Thanks for ur suggestions...

FYI, I have changed my trip and decided to be stranded in Colombo instead... Since I'll still have to wait 6 hrs before my flight to Male in Colombo, I've changed to take the next morning flight to Male instead... so i'll be in colombo for 12 hrs then take the flight to Male and wait for abt 5 hrs for my speedboat in Male..

In the meantime, I can still explore the capital for the few hrs...

Anyway, really appreciate ur replies..

Cheers,
Nora

Hi hi...

There was a change in my trip again... The agent says that I can't stopover in Colombo so I have to come to Male straight after my transit...

Now, I'll be at the Male Island at 7.30pm...

And as you have suggested, I have to take a speedboat to the Capital to get an accomodation... Now, I'm abit confuse and hope u can help me with this..

1. Is the airport at Male capital itself? IF not, how much does it costs to transfer to the capital?

2. Is it possible to get a night stay at Male capital for less than USD50? I saw those on the internet are mostly more than USD200. (Btw, I'm a budget traveller).

3. The resort mentioned that they will pick me up at the airport the next day. Does that mean that if I were to stay in the Male Capital (assuming that it's not on the same island as the airport) then I have to take a speedboat again to the airport? Just wondering if they can pick me up at the Male Capital instead.

4. Is it possible to get a room without booking one in advance? Meaning that I'll just go there and scout ard for one? As I can't seem to book any inn or motel via internet.

Your reply is appreciated!

Thanks and cheers,
Nora

Hi Nora,

When you arrive at the airport (and as soon as you exit the bldg) there will be people around to assist you where to go...don't worry. Perhaps even a Rep. from your resort will be there to greet you...some are. (Ask in advance.)

Otherwise, you need to tell someone where you are staying and they will direct you to the boat thats takes you to the Mainland (Male).

Most likely you will be taken to the boat with a group of others who have just arrived like yourself.
You will take a slow boat over (not speed boat)and someone on the boat will walk around and collect 1.00 USD$ from every passenger. (it's like a boat taxi basically)

Hopefully you can find accomadation for 50$. Here are a list of basic hotels in Male. http://hello-maldives.com/hotels.htm
Do a search on google for the cheapest rates.

Your island resort in the Maldives will NOT pick you up by speedboat on the Mainland.
You must return again by taxi boat to the airport area & then someone from your resort should be there to greet you.
OR you could ask or request that a Rep. from your resort meet you at your Male hotel to escort you the enire way to the island resort.
*(You'll have to ask/arrange all this in advance with your resort)

It's best that you have a hotel room (on the mainland) arranged in advance. Some of these hotels are tiny and space fills quickly.

You might not be able to book online with some of them...BUT, you can call or write the resorts and request a room. You may be asked to pay in advance. We were.
You can also use a local maldivian travel agency to book a rm for you. (like hellomaldives.com or mal-dives.com)

We've stayed at Hulhule (which is the most convienant since it's right by the airport) but the prices are ridiculous!
We've also stayed at a couple of hotels on the mainland. My favorite is NASANDHURA PALACE HOTEL. It's right by the waterfront where the boat drops & picks up. It's also got a connecting restaurant next to it. Huge menu selection, with indoor/outdoor dining.

Strolling around the mainland takes very little time. Lots of little shops selling touristy stuff...pretty much all of them are selling the same thing.Not to exciting, but can take some nice pics.

Dress appropriately on the mainland...muslim country. (cover shoulders, long pants)

You should'nt worry about details...if your confused about time/places, where to meet & go, then just ask anyone working at the airport, or speak to someone at your resort in advance.

There are lots sites on google to help you with info. Simply type "Maldives". Here's one that gives lots of info. http://www.hellomaldives.com/

Hope this helps...have fun!

hi!

thanks for your detailed info.. Great tips that i'll definitely use...

I've decided to stay 1 night in Male before going to my resort and i still haven confirm if i wanna stay in Club Med as I'm still searching for a better offer. but i may stay in Central hotel in Male (the cheapest so far).

I think you replied to my qns on the diving too. I am just wondering if I can take the discover scuba course in Singapore, get a log book to proof that i have gone thru the course and go for 1 dive in maldives. I just wanna try it once so didn't want to go thru the whole open water course.
I hope they allow me to dive with just a 'discover scuba' course.

I'll definitely check out the hello-maldives webpage that u recommended.

Thanks!!

Cheers,
Nora

I did the very same thing when I arrived in Male at night. It is a popular thing to do and you get to save 1 night's accommodation at your resort. Getting to Male is easy even if you arrived late at around midnight. Just take the many shuttle boats that go to the city (fare is US$1 per person) which takes 5 minutes.

Once you arrived, it is very dark and a little hard to walk around Male. However there is a hotel right near the ferry and rooms go from US$60 and up. There are other Male hotels but since you arrive late, it is best to check up on the hotels online before you depart on your holiday. You can book online or book when you arrive in the Maldives. Make sure you ask for directions. '

If you are lost, grab a taxi. A fare cost about US$3 or so but negotiate first before stepping in.

As a note Male' taxis are all fixed price

15 rf (12.75 rf to 1 USD) or 20 rf with luggage in the boot. No extra for extra passengers

If paying in dollars thats 2 and 3 USD (no change). If visiting Male change some money and spend it in the shops. You can get RF change for USD spending in most supermarkets (some give a better rate of 12.85) or just at any bank.