The Maldives and the Indian Ocean from India: resorts, prices and the small print

What does a Maldives water villa cost per night in rupees, and what do the taxes add?

A water villa at a good five-star Maldives resort costs about US$700 to US$1,200 a night in the dry season, roughly ₹66,000 to ₹1.13 lakh, before tax. A water villa with its own pool at a leading resort is about US$1,500 to US$3,000, or ₹1.4 lakh to ₹2.8 lakh. Add 10% service charge, then 17% TGST on the total, which is 28.7% together, plus a green tax of US$12 per person per night.

• Green tax for two is US$24 a night, about ₹2,250; children under two are exempt.
• A rate marked ++ means the service charge and TGST are added on top.
• Christmas and New Year add 30 to 40 percent and often carry minimum stays.
• Meals and transfers are extra and taxed the same way; the honeymoon guide prices the whole stay.

Read the full guide Source: Maldives Inland Revenue Authority: green tax ratesSource: Maldives Inland Revenue Authority: TGST rate of 17% from 1 July 2025

When is the best time to visit the Maldives, and which months are cheapest?

December to April is the best time to visit the Maldives, with dry days and calm seas, and May to September is cheapest, with rates about 30 to 40 percent below peak. The low-season trade is short heavy showers and some windy days, not weeks of rain. Late April and September are the value months: mostly dry-season weather at softer prices. Christmas and New Year cost the most and often carry minimum stays.

• Manta rays gather in the northern atolls roughly May to November, so the wet months suit snorkellers.
• For June to August, choose an island with a sheltered lagoon and good indoor dining and spa.

How many days are enough for the Maldives?

Five nights is enough for the Maldives and the right length for most couples; four works at a speedboat resort close to Malé, and seven suits divers. Stay on one island, because changing resorts costs about half a day each move. With a seaplane transfer, arrival and departure days are partly spent in transit, which is why three nights feels short. Five nights for two costs about ₹6.9 lakh to ₹14 lakh or more, land only.

• Malé is about 3 hours from Mumbai and 4 from Delhi, so a long weekend works at a speedboat resort.
• To have both, split the stay within one resort: two nights in a beach villa, three over water.

Read the full guide

Seaplane, speedboat or domestic flight: which Maldives transfer should we choose?

Choose a speedboat resort if your flight lands in Malé after mid-afternoon, because seaplanes fly only between sunrise and sunset. Speedboats reach North and South Malé Atoll in 15 to 45 minutes at any hour. Seaplanes reach the quieter atolls in 30 to 60 minutes and cost about US$500 to US$800 return per adult, roughly ₹47,000 to ₹75,000; check the resort's current fare. The far south and far north use a domestic flight, then a short boat.

• A late landing with a seaplane resort means a night near the airport first.
• Trans Maldivian Airways allows 20 kg of checked luggage and 5 kg of hand luggage per person.
• Transfer fares are charged per person and usually carry service charge and TGST.
• The resort books the transfer; send it your flight details as soon as you have them.

Source: Trans Maldivian Airways: frequently asked questions

Which atoll is best in the Maldives for a honeymoon, snorkelling or a short trip?

Choose the atoll by transfer and marine life: North or South Malé Atoll for a short trip by speedboat, Baa Atoll for manta rays, South Ari for whale sharks, and Noonu, Raa or Lhaviyani for a quiet honeymoon about 40 minutes away by seaplane. Reefs and seclusion generally improve the further you go from Malé. Pick the atoll first, then the island, then the villa.

• Baa Atoll is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve; Hanifaru Bay is its manta gathering point.
• Ask whether the house reef can be reached from the beach or needs a boat.

Is all inclusive worth it in the Maldives, or is half board enough?

All inclusive is worth it in the Maldives only if you both drink. As a rough guide, a cocktail costs about US$18 to US$25 and an à la carte dinner US$80 to US$150 a head, so two drinks each and one dinner for two come to about US$300 to US$500 a day once the 28.7% is added, roughly ₹28,000 to ₹47,000. Compare that with the resort's own nightly supplement. Teetotal couples usually do better on half board.

• Half board is breakfast and dinner; full board adds lunch; all inclusive adds drinks and often the minibar.
• Check the exclusions: premium spirits, speciality restaurants, private dinners and excursions often sit outside the plan.
• Menu prices vary widely by resort; check the current drinks and dining menus before choosing a plan.
• Vegetarian and Jain couples who do not drink rarely recover the all-inclusive premium.

Which Maldives resorts give every villa a private pool and a butler?

Expect about US$2,000 to US$5,000 a night before tax, roughly ₹1.9 lakh to ₹4.7 lakh, at the Maldives resorts where every villa has its own pool and an assigned butler. Cheval Blanc Randheli, Velaa Private Island, JOALI Maldives and The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort all work this way. These are the islands chosen for privacy: few villas, wide spacing, in-villa dining and a butler who arranges the days.

• Service charge and TGST add 28.7%, plus green tax of US$12 per person per night.
• Pool size varies from a plunge pool to a lap pool; ask for the dimensions.
• Ask which villas face the jetty or a neighbour before choosing a category.
• Five nights for two at this level starts above ₹14 lakh, land only.

Read the full guide Source: Maldives Inland Revenue Authority: green tax rates

Mauritius or the Seychelles: which should we choose, and where should we stay?

Choose Mauritius, at about ₹5 lakh to ₹14 lakh for two for six nights, for food, space and one easy resort; choose the Seychelles, at ₹8 lakh to ₹20 lakh or more, for wilder granite beaches across two islands. Both prices are land only. In Mauritius the west and south-west are sheltered from the May to September trade winds, while the east has the finest lagoons. In the Seychelles split Mahé and Praslin.

• Indians need no visa for Mauritius; the Seychelles requires an online travel authorisation completed before departure.
• La Digue works as a day trip or one night from Praslin, for Anse Source d'Argent.
• Avoid Mauritius from January to March, its cyclone season; the Seychelles is calmest in April, May, October and November.
• Vegetarian and Jain food is easiest in Mauritius, where Indian cooking is everyday food.

Read the full guide Source: Mauritius Passport and Immigration Office: visa requirementsSource: Seychelles Electronic Border System: travel authorisation

Is Sri Lanka a good luxury trip from India, and what does a week cost?

Yes: a private week in Sri Lanka costs about ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh for two, land only, and fits tea country, a leopard safari and a fort town on the coast into seven or eight nights. Stay in a planter's bungalow in the hills, a tented camp beside Yala and a small hotel in Galle Fort, with one chauffeur-guide throughout. Indians need an ETA before flying, free for 30 days since 25 May 2026.

• Ceylon Tea Trails, Wild Coast Tented Lodge and Amangalla are the reference stays for this route.
• December to April suits the hills and the south coast; the east coast is best from May to September.
• Apply for the ETA only on the official eta.gov.lk portal; it allows two entries within the 30 days.
• Vegetarian food is easy across the island; brief Jain requirements to each kitchen ahead.

Source: Sri Lanka ETA: tourist visa fees