This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel.
Situated on the south edge of Kaafu Atoll, Malé, Maldives, is the capital city of the country. While Malé and the entire Maldives are famous for all-inclusive resort holidays with a hefty price tag, Maldives is now slowly opening up to budget travel. Malé, Maldives hostels are pretty scarce, however, there are many simple homestays and guesthouses catering to budget travelers. Most of these guesthouses have in-house restaurants offering reasonably-priced authentic Maldivian meals.
While the Maldives is famous for its stunning tropical beaches and turquoise blue water, you can opt to go sightseeing in the capital city. Grand Friday Mosque and Old Friday Mosque are two popular tourist attractions among those who decide to roam around Malé's busy streets. To get a glimpse of the typical local life of a Maldivian, you can go to the Main Fish Market in Malé.
The city also houses several cafes, restaurants, and boutiques. Since everything in the Maldives is imported, nothing is cheap. Before you go, contact your homestay well in advance. Most of the guesthouses have several travel packages. Some of these places have a hostel-like-atmosphere with large communal areas. You can go island-hopping in a speedboat, sunset fishing, snorkeling, diving, and on dolphin- and manta-ray-watching tours from Malé. Similar to hostels, in a homestay, to reduce expenses, you can share the boats and tours with other guests. If you use Malé as a pit stop before you head to other tropical Maldivian islands, the public ferry is the cheapest way to travel between the islands.
To get to Malé, you can take a flight to Velana International Airport in Hulhule Island situated next to Malé, and then take the ferry to the capital. Flights are usually expensive. A good option is to fly to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and then take another fight to the Maldives. Malé is a Muslim city, so you should opt to wear modest clothing in public places. It's also important to note that ferry services and other public transport services do not function on Fridays.
Written by local expertz for Malé
Zin
