ELECTRICAL & WATER SUPPLY

The standard voltage is 230 V, and the frequency is 50 Hz.

You can use your electric appliances in the Maldives, if the voltage in your country is in between 220 - 240 V (as is in the UK, Europe, Australia and most of Asia and Africa). All the properties have either universal or the 3pin UK sockets but as always, it's recommended you bring an outlet adaptor. 

 

Loss of power is infrequent, and surges are rare. Having said this, it's always a good idea to have a surge protector, either built into your adaptor or a standalone device.

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All properties provide complimentary bottled drinking water. Most properties only have showers. Sea water is pumped from an underground well into a plant for desalination & rainwater collected from public roofs & tanks is piped into the plant for filtration and disinfection, then piped throughout the island.

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PUBLIC SERVICES & FACILITIES

Most islands have a medical center, solar power plant, as well as a modern sewage and water desalination plant, well maintained sheltered harbour, a pharmacy, mosques, a kindergarten, modern public school, play park, football pitch, as well as a wide variety of small local shops and a number of cafes & restaurants.

 

They also tend to have a Court House, but don't all have a police station due to the extremely low crime rate. The island council and the community ensure safety and security of the islands. In accordance with the recently passed Decentralization Act of Maldives, the islands are governed by an elected Island Council composed of three Councilors. The Council is headed by the President of the Council. The Island Council reports to the Local Government Authority (LGA).

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MOBILE & WIFI SERVICE

The islands have a very good mobile network coverage and most of the dining establishments have Wi-Fi.

 

All the properties provide free Wi-Fi to their guests and while not always guaranteed, most of the connections are usable in your room in addition to the public areas.

 

Like most visitors you will probably be concerned about the cost of using your mobile as you will inevitably want to research things to do, contact people and overload Facebook & Instagram. Remember to check your roaming service is enabled/disabled, review your operators' terms & conditions and check if they have a partnership to even allow you to use your current service while travelling. Roaming can be extremely expensive.

 

The Airport has mobile service operator stores where you can purchase/collect a local sim. Prices start from 491 MVR for 17GB of data. There is also an Ooredoo self-service 24hr machine where you purchase a sim or recharge without having to enter their store. If you unfortunately do not have time to purchase a sim at the airport, the shops or properties will normally sell prepaid Ooredoo sims with various data/SMS/call packages available from only 35 USD.

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MONEY

The local currency in the Maldives is called Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR), however you will find businesses pricing in US Dollar (USD).

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There is a Bank of Maldives ATM on some of the islands. Make sure you avail yourself of the ATM's or exchange services to acquire local or USD currency at the airport. Some of the properties occasionally offer card charging currency exchange services. So don't panic if you run low on hard cash.

 

Many of the local shops and leisure providers on the island do not accept cards. Be advised, when paying in USD you may find yourself being given change in MVR rather than USD.

 

All the properties accept both credit and debit cards. Pre-Paid cards are not always accepted so check before you travel. As mentioned above, many of the businesses on the island only accept cash. Even so, you will find you can pay via your card for many leisure activities through your property.

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An average meal, (Starter, Main, Drinks) will cost you approximately no more than $15.00 per person and drinks from the shop or at your place of stay will normally cost between $3.00 & $5.00

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The average cost of an excursion is $25 per person and activities start from as little as $10 per person.