Fact file
Having spent years working at a fivestar resort, the 32-year-old knows that some people just want to experience the stunning nature – and don’t need the luxury room and facilities that are found at the resorts.
A night at Thoddoo Retreat with breakfast costs $90, or around $160 including all meals.
You can stay a week for about the price of one night at a high-end resort.
But what really makes Thoddoo Retreat stand out is what you can do once you’re there.
Abdullah also spent years working in ocean conservation – and runs fantastic tours to see whale sharks and giant manta rays.
We also visited an abandoned island, where a picnic later arrived by boat. Afterwards we got in the water to find fish of every colour; there were so many it felt like a technicolour vortex.
A dive session costs $65, about half the price of what you’d pay at resorts.
There are of course the trade-offs: being a local island with a strict following of Islamic law, there is no alcohol. And women are also asked to dress modestly, and are only allowed to wear a bikini on designated bikini beaches.
Resorts on private islands are exempt from these laws.
Also, your room isn’t beachfront. You need to walk through fruit plantations for about 15 minutes to get to the ocean.
But if you’re happy to accept the trade-offs, and want a more backpacker style adventure, visiting a local island is the best way to tick the Maldives off your bucket list, without breaking the bank.
The writer stayed courtesy of Thoddoo Retreat How budget is budget – what do the extras cost?
A night at Thoddoo Retreat costs around $90 including breakfast, or $160 including three meals. Snorkelling at the island’s reef is free A picnic on a deserted island with lunch and snorkelling is $100 per person. Whale shark trips: $140 per person. Manta ray snorkeling: $70 per person 30-minute wakeboarding or skiing: $60
Diving: $75 per person
More information
thoddooretreat.com Last year Brook Sabin and his partner Radha Engling quit their jobs and sold everything to travel. Each week Kiwis in Flight takes you on their adventures. See