Sample real life in paradise

It’s possible to stay in the Maldives cheaply thanks to a change in the law allowing local islands to open guesthouses.

I’ve never snorkelled next to a turtle more interested in me, than I am of it. I couldn’t get rid of it, not that I wanted to. I’d like to think we’d formed some sort of cross-species bond, but I suspect it was just using me to shade from the hot sun.

To our guide swimming beside us, it was nothing unusual. But for us, it was just one of many incredible things to happen in the Maldives. The tiny island nation is a paradise that for decades has been off-limits to the ordinary traveller, simply because of its hefty price tag.

But thanks to a change in the law, you can now stay for less than $100 a night. The change happened in 2009, and meant so-called ‘‘local islands’’ – home to small Maldivian villages – could open up to tourists for the first time. While it allows these islands to cash in on the country’s everincreasing popularity, tourists also get to experience a slice of real Maldivian life; a fascinating insight into a culture that has been living on tiny atolls in the Indian Ocean for more than 2000 years.

There are now more than 400 guesthouses, most of which have popped up in the past two years. They far outnumber the 120-odd private island resorts.

We picked our guesthouse because it’s one of the top rated, and it wasn’t hard to see why.

An ever-grinning man named Abdullah met us at the dock, after a one-and-a-half hour speedboat ride from the country’s capital, Male. Thoddoo Retreat, sitting smack in the middle of the island, has been built from the ground up by Abdullah Shiyaam and his family.

The island is a fruit lover’s paradise; papaya and watermelon plants cover most of the area. Roughly 180,000 papayas are grown on the island each year.

Most of the fruit is destined for nearby resorts, but you can also buy it straight from the farmer; although they were reluctant to take our money – they simply wanted us to enjoy it.

Back at the guesthouse, Abdullah knows he’s on to a winning formula.