Visa:
Maldives offers 30 days’ Visas on arrival for all the tourists, but a Chinese citizen will not be able to leave China without a Visa. In this case, all the Chinese tourists have to get a Visa from a third country first, usually from Singapore or Malaysia. If you are travelling through a travel agency, they will help you to get this third country Visa. It is also not a big problem if you don’t wanna use a travel agency. Now it is easy for a Chinese citizen to get a Visa from Singapore,Malaysia or Thailand.
Airlines to Maldives:
There is no non-stop flights between China and Maldives. You can have 3 options for your Maldives flight: Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines. The Sri Lankan Airlines provides the cheapest flights to Maldives, you will have to get to Hongkong first then transfer to Colombo (capital of Sri Lankan). The Singapore Airlines provides the best service but the cost is also the highest. Malaysia Airlines’ flight ticket is cheaper than Singapore Airlines, more expensive than Sri Lankan Airlines. You will need to transfer to Kuala Lumpur (capital of Malaysia) and they only fly on Wednesday and Saturday. For the airport tax, the Hongkong airport costs 100 Hongkong dollars and Maldives airport costs 10 US dollars.
Camera:
For Maldives, the most famous things are the blue sky,sea and beach. A Digital Camera with CPL is very suitable for this place. You will not be able to get very beautiful pictures if you are using a common DC. If you are a good diver, an underwater camera is a must have in Maldives. The hotels can provide this kind of camera for sure. But the cost is not low, about 21 US dollars for a full moon plus 10% service fees. If you are planning to visit Malaysia first, it is not easy to buy a underwater camera there. A lot of people tried to find one in the Kuala Lumpur Airport but didn’t make it. Some people say there are underwater cameras in Singapore Airport, but the cost is not known. Maldives is amazing and you will run out of your films here very quickly. I will suggest you take two underwater cameras with you if you are planning to join the REEL SNORKELING.
Water:
You can not drink the tap water in the hotels here. A 1.5 L water costs 3.5 US dollars and 300 ml coke costs 2.5 US dollars. Some people bring water to Maldives to save money. (about 500 ml/day for a person will be enough) A interesting thing here is that you can not bring your water or drinks to the restaurants. Some service fees will be charged to your bill if you do so.
Power Conversion:
Maldives’ electricity power is the same as China (220 V), but the plug is different. Some hotels provides electric power converters to the tourists, some don’t. You can bring one from China for your own convenience.
Tips:
There is no tips in China but it is different in Maldives. The waiters here have very low salary and depend on the tips from tourists. Usually 1 US dollar is ok. You can pay more for sure if you like.
Cell phone:
You can use your China Mobile cell phone here if you have the mobile international roaming service. You can call 10086 to activate this service in China. The cell phone signal here is very good and the cost is 4.99 rmb/minute for calling Maldives, 12.99 rmb/minute for calling China. The short message costs 1.99 rmb for one.
Currency and Credit Card:
Maldives accepts US dollars but you can use RMB in the Malaysia Airport. If your credit cards are VISA or MASTERCARD with 2 currencies (RMB and US dollars), they are good to use here. You don’t need to carry a lot of cash for your Maldives vacation. All you need is some 1 dollar bills(for the tips) and a credit card.