A woman travelled to the Maldives on a budget - spending just £416 for a six-day holiday including food, activities and a room overlooking the ocean.

Natasha Whitley, 28, had planned a trip to Sri Lanka and with the Maldives being just a 90-minute flight, she decided make a stop.

In the Maldives, which is known for its sandy beaches and turquoise water, stays at the famous water hut resorts can cost up to £1,300 per night.

But instead of staying in the resort islands, Natasha decided to stay in the local islands and was able to book a room overlooking the ocean for £25 a night.

The local islands, which only opened to tourists in 2009, are less popular as alcohol is banned and only certain beaches allow you to wear bikinis.

Natasha, a pharmacist and content creator from Bournemouth, Dorset, said: "It had always been high on my bucket list but I never thought I would be able to afford it."

"Since I saw a TikTok about doing the Maldives on a budget, I googled it and looked at what hotels were costing and was shocked at how cheap it was."

Natasha and her friend Kara Wildbur, 23, set off on their travels on April 1 and spent six days in the Maldives before heading to Sri Lanka, where they both are now.

They split their time between the islands of Thulusdhoo and Dhiffushi staying in two beautiful beach front rooms at the Beach House by Sii Hotels and the Batutu Surf View Hotel.

Natasha said: "Rooms on Thulusdhoo and Dhiffushi islands were around £30 a night for a room per person!"

"Ferries and transport were also cheap so it was much more affordable than it looked."

Natasha and her friend took advantage of the cheaper prices and did lots of activities.

They went swimming with sharks for £88 and took a trip to a deserted island for £28, which both included jet ski rides.

They also paid a modest £12 each to take a trip to a floating bar, which is common in the local islands as they can't serve alcohol on land.

Natasha said: "We went swimming with sharks and we got an excursion to visit a deserted island."

"We also took a jet ski ride and spotted dolphins, manta ray, stingray, turtles and flying fish!"

"There is no alcohol allowed due to religious reasons either, so we got a dinghy to a floating bar in the sea too!"

Food was also very affordable with a meal costing an average of £7 a day per person with breakfast included with their rooms.

The most expensive part of their trip were the flights - from London to Male and then Male to Colombo - came up to £905.

Natasha and Kara post travel content to their TikTok pages: @okay.kara.travels and @travelsbytash respectively.

Natasha has also started running affordable group trips for solo travelers, and has trips planned to Iceland and Costa Rica.


COST BREAKDOWN PER PERSON:

Flight: £905
Transport = £32 (four ferries and one speedboat)
Food = £95 (avg £7 per meal)
swimming with sharks: £88


deserted island trip £28
floating bar £12
Miscellaneous = £28 (atm fees, souvenirs, airport storage)
Accommodation: £133