The transfer decides your budget
A seaplane transfer costs several hundred dollars per couple and only operates in daylight. Resorts within speedboat range of Malé are dramatically cheaper to reach and let you arrive on a late flight. If the resort is beautiful either way, take the speedboat and spend the difference on the room.
Overwater is not always better
An overwater villa is the photograph everyone wants. But beach villas at the same resort are often forty percent cheaper, have more space, and put you steps from the sand. Our usual advice: two nights overwater, three nights beach.
Meal plans
Half board looks economical until you price a lunch on an island where the only restaurant is the resort's. On most islands full board or all-inclusive works out cheaper than paying as you go.
When to travel
May to November is the wet season, and rates fall by a third or more. Rain in the Maldives is typically a heavy hour rather than a lost day. If your dates are flexible, this is the single biggest saving available to you.
Say you are on honeymoon
Say it at booking, not at check-in. Resorts routinely add a decorated room, a cake and occasionally an upgrade — but only when it is flagged in the reservation.
