'I managed to holiday in the Maldives for under £500'
Natasha Whitley, 28, has shared how she enjoyed a budget trip to the dreamy destination for just £70 a day.
Video transcript
NATASHA WHITLEY: Hello and welcome to day two of attempting to travel the Maldives on a budget. I'm currently staying on one of the local islands in the Maldives called Thulusdhoo, which is absolute paradise for a fraction of the price.
Good morning from the Maldives.
And I was so excited to be here that I woke up at 6:00 AM to go on a sunrise beach run and I could literally lap around the island in about 5 minutes. So we are currently staying in a beachfront hotel. This is our view and this is just costing us less than 30 pounds each per night, and that includes a breakfast, which is also right on the beach.
We found this super cute lunch spot. It is a little bit more expensive than the local islands, but I would definitely recommend. We had a wander around the island, which is super cute. There's so many pretty flowers and street art. This island is actually also really popular for surfing.
I didn't even know you could surf in the Maldives. There is actually one ATM on this island. And then how weird, we stumbled across a Coca-Cola factory.
How random. This island is tiny and you can literally walk from one end to the other. A few shops, a few hotels, few restaurants, a huge industrial Coca-Cola factory. Maybe that makes sense.
Now, one of the main restrictions about being on the local islands is that alcohol is completely banned. You cannot get alcohol anywhere. No shops, no hotels, restaurants or bars will sell alcohol.
So the only way to get an alcoholic drink is to visit a floating bar in the middle of the ocean, which is exactly what we did. We paid $10 for a return boat and a beer was $5, which we enjoyed whilst watching a beautiful sunset. So the alcohol ban is something to definitely consider if you are planning a trip here, but you won't find this problem on any of the resort islands.
We're only here for five nights, so it didn't really bother us and the islands are so gorgeous that it is definitely worth it. So make sure you're following along to see what we got up to on day three.
Whoever told you that the Maldives is expensive is lying to you. Because I'm currently in the Maldives and I'm paying less than 30 pounds a night and this is the view from my hotel. Like, that is my room and this is the view. And that price also includes breakfast.
So to visit the Maldives, you don't need to stay in one of these expensive, five-star resorts. There are so many different local islands you can come to visit for a fraction of the price.
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