PLANNING A MALDIVES GUESTHOUSE STAY? EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Guests sit on beautiful Maldives sandbank in a turquoise blue lagoon

With so many guesthouses to choose from it can be difficult to know which property is right for you and the style of holiday you are planning. Here at Secret Paradise, we carefully select and annually audit our partner properties to guarantee the best holiday experience for all our guests.

We ensure chosen guesthouses that are locally owned and tourism certified and provide a 100% guarentee that all our guests are greeted on arrival at the International Airport regardless of the time of day you may arrive!

We aim to ensure our guests experience a comfortable guesthouse stay, with the focus on service, safety, food, cleanliness and value for money.

Updated 30 March, 2022

For more top tips on planning a local island guesthouse stay head over to this article: Dreaming of Paradise? Take a Guesthouse Island Escape in the Maldives.

TRAVELLING THE MALDIVES POST COVID

Maldives guesthouses located outside of the capital area of Greater Male re-opened on the 15th October, 2020, over 6 months after tourists were last exploring local Maldives islands. Guesthouses and hotels within the Greater Male area re-opened for long stay guests from 14 December, 2020.

As with resorts, it is likely that not all islands and guesthouses will open on the given dates and it is important that you take time to check with the property direct, or through their social media channels or book through a company such as Secret Paradise to ensure that the guesthouse or hotel is open for business and has been approved by the Ministry of Tourism to operate post COVID.

On a previous post we detailed the guidelines that need to be followed by the local island and the guesthouse property to ensure the safety of both tourists and local communities.

If you would like to review this information head over to our blog post: Maldives Guesthouses Set to Reopen- What do you need to know?

If your stay includes time within Greater Male the following article Safe Tourism Guidelines for the Greater Male Area will aid you in understanding what to expect when you stay within the Greater Male area.

The following information provides details of the guidelines laid out by the Maldives Health Protection Agency (HPA) of the requirements in relation to tourists visiting local islands. This will assist you in planning your travel to a Maldives local island and also will aid you in understanding what to expect when you visit a Maldives guesthouse island.

If you are not booking with a travel company such as Secret Paradise, please do take time to check that the property has received their certificate of approval so to avoid any delays or issues at immigration upon your arrival in the Maldives.

WHICH GUESTHOUSES ARE OPEN AND HAVE RECEIVED GOVERNMENT APPROVAL?

With the announcement that guesthouses in Greater Male will re-open from 14th December, 2020 we have created a separate document that lists all approved properties, within Greater Male and nationwide and is updated as new properties are approved. Maldives Approved Local Island Guesthouses.

GUIDELINES FOR TOURISTS PRIOR TO ARRIVAL TO THE MALDIVES

You must have a confirmed pre-booking in an approved tourist facility for the duration of their stay and provide emergency contact information. Approved properties listed here.
You must have a passport or travel document valid for a minimum 30 days from date of entry to the Maldives. (This validity period may be a different requirement for airlines or transit countries).
The Traveller Declaration form must also be completed within the 96 hour period prior to arrival in the Maldives.
Tourists are encouraged to download the HPA ‘Trace Ekee’ app to assist with contact tracing upon or before arrival.

GUIDELINES FOR TOURISTS DURING TRANSFER TO MALDIVES LOCAL ISLANDS

Airport transfers will only be allowed through pick-ups by pre-booked tourist facilities.
The wearing of masks and use of hand sanitizer is compulsory before boarding transfer vessel or aircraft.
Transfer boats must maintain a passenger manifesto on all guest transfers and therefore accurate information should be provided at time of booking.

GUIDELINES FOR TOURISTS STAYING ON MALDIVES LOCAL ISLANDS

The wearing of masks is mandatory
– where healthcare services are being provided.
– where an island or region has a positivity rate higher than 20%
– in crowded places such as throughout the airport, markets, when attending indoor events, on buses, speedboats, ferries and taxis.
Tourists are not allowed to enter residential houses.
Tourists are allowed to use public cafes and restaurants.
Tourists are allowed to use shopping facilities on the island and should follow the standard HPA guidelines including number of persons allowed in store, the wearing of face masks and social distancing.
Tourists may use any taxi or other public transport services providing face masks are worn throughout the journey.

GUIDELINES FOR INTER ISLAND TRAVEL FOR TOURISTS

Tourists are allowed to travel between two tourist guest houses islands or between a resort and a tourist guest house island if the resort or tourist guest house island is not placed under monitoring by HPA. (i.e. no travel restrictions placed by HPA on the resort or tourist guest house island).
Note that there are still resorts who at present do not accept guests who have previously stayed on a local island or the resort may request for a PCR test prior to arrival. Be sure to check with the resort at time of booking.
Tourists are allowed to travel between a safari and a tourist guest house island.
A split stay authorization form must be completed by the initial accommodation provider on your behalf and submitted to the Ministry of Tourism prior to the day of transfer.

GUIDELINES FOR TOURISTS PARTICIPATING IN DIVING AND EXCURSIONS

Prior booking must be done to use the service of dive centres. For full details regarding diving please refer to the dive centre website or PADI/SSI/DAN guidelines.
Symptomatic tourists will not be allowed to use these services.
During excursions the number of persons on the trip will be minimized to allow for adequate physical distancing.
Physical distancing should be maintained while on board including seating arrangements inside boats.
Face masks must be worn in enclosed spaces and it is advised to wear face masks on board boats.
Avoid taking any unnecessary belongings on board the boat that are not required.
Avoid sharing equipment and food items during trips.
Tourists are recommended to have their own personal mask and snorkel and to rent fins only.
Tourists and crew should use soap and water / hand sanitizer before boarding boats and sanitizing facilities should be available on board for tourists to use throughout the excursion.
Day resort visits remain subject to approval by the individual resort. Not all resorts accept day guests. We would advise you to check directly with the resort.

GUIDELINES FOR TOURISTS PARTICIPATING IN WATER SPORTS & BEACH ACTIVITIES

Physical distancing should be maintained at all times.
Chairs/Loungers placed at the beach should be kept spaced out to allow physical distancing and should be frequently cleaned and disinfected by guesthouse/cafe owners.
Tourists are discouraged from participating in contact sports at the beach.
Lidded and lined dustbins should be available for tourist use for the disposal of used tissues/masks etc.
Tourists should avoid sharing water sports equipment.

GUIDELINES FOR TOURISTS DEPARTING FROM A MALDIVES LOCAL ISLAND

Tourists must undergo an exit screening prior to travel from a tourist guest house island to a resort or to another tourist guest house island. This is to ensure that a symptomatic person or a person in quarantine does not exit the island.
The exit screening will ask for any history of fever or respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, running nose or shortness of breath. It should be ensured that the guest is not under quarantine or isolation. Temperature should be checked to exclude fever. Any tourist who has fever or respiratory symptoms or who is in quarantine will not be allowed to travel and will require testing for COVID-19.
There are no health screening requirements or the need for PCR testing for tourists departing directly to the airport for onward departure.

Guidelines and requirements remain subject to review and change subject to the pandemic situation in Maldives and other factors. Follow Secret Paradise on Facebook for most up to date advice.

We also recommend that you also refer to the websites of the Ministry of Tourism for the most up to date information and to your own home Foreign Travel Advice, as part of your travel planning.

At Secret Paradise we have reviewed all our operational practices to ensure our guest’s comfort and safety. But without losing the memorable aspects of our experiences and service .

Want to find out how you can experience the Maldives in a safe and secure way? Take a visit to our website and select from tours, cruises and accommodation.

The team at Secret Paradise have you covered.