Backpacking In The Maldives🇲🇻: Adaaran Prestige Vadoo Resort🛖🌊Day Tour With Maldives Traveller

“Have I gone up in the world or has the world gone down on me?” – Robbie Williams.

As a hardcore long-term backpacker, who is currently single and loveless after too many ruined romances and disaster relationships, I only ever wanted to visit The Maldives with a lovely lady. That was the dream. That was it.

But when I turned 40, and COVID hit, travel halted, priorities changed, it became obvious that I would either have to go to The Maldives alone, or never go at all. Girls don’t fall on the laps of 200-country deep Northern Irish whackpackers. For most girls, we are the exact opposite role model of who they want to be with. That said, I did decide on a selfish day of luxury when backpacking in The Maldives. All alone. On with the shitshow.

“Alone on the beach, all alone out of reach and you just passed me by” – Noel Gallagher.

Then it pegs the question – How do you get into a rich, fancy resort as a cheapskate backpacker? Not a travel blogger, author or writer, can you do it? Yes you can, you pay over the odds for it, but can still do it.

However, as a travel blogger often such perks fall on you, and of course if you’re a decent professional travel blogger, this can be easier to achieve even with the new wave of fake “instagram bloggers”, “YouTubers” and “influencers”. Youse are not bloggers. You don’t OWN YouTube, Instagram or TikTok. Bloggers are writers who have their OWN website, they own it, like me, like this site. This is a real travel blog and it’s 18 years old.

I’ve earned my spurs and I’m still cynical enough to look down on richboy tourists in resorts who didn’t backpack the sights. Exactly the same for them. They look down on me. So I backpack richboy resorts in whatever way I can. Milk the freebies and I’ve been doing that since 2013. You don’t think I paid for 3 nights in Madonna’s town, the swankiest hotels of Mong Kok or the 5 star resort in The Gambia do you? Take what you get.

Here, just a day trip. Fed up blagging 5-star freebies off companies that look down on me (I supply you with customers, love), my The Maldives tour in 2025 took in just 4 islands in 4 days, and I visited 4 different accommodation options! I’ve reviewed them all and been quite kind to them despite despising The Maldives who owe me £1000. Here are the 4 reviews.

1.A cheapskate backpacker joint for £10 a night. Wind Stay, Male.
2.A mid-range Guest House with a private room and breakfast included. Chao Guest House, Maafushi.
3.A plush richboy resort – here (and I daytripped it).
4.A nap pod option for those trying to save money and get a decent drop of sleep. Nap Corner, Male.

How to book a resort day trip in The Maldives

You do it as a day trip, which means they don’t provide you with a bed. Dozens of companies can organise this. Email, What’s App or call a few of them and bargain for the deal that suits you. That’s how it works. The prices vary. I chose Maldives Traveller, and actually I recommend them. Their day visits start at $39 US Dollars. Their site is professional, they are on time, you get a red wristband, the all you can eat and drink thing rings true, and there is flexibility with dates, and drop offs. I got a decent deal here, opting for the Adaaran Prestige Vadoo resort and island (which I saw online had a decent pool, quiet beach and bar next to loungers, beach and turquoise blue waters), and let’s just say I sometimes milk things…

“I know what I want and I know how to get it” – The Sex Pistols.

Here’s how the day trip works. You will get on a boat from your base – usually Male, Maafushi (or wherever you are staying if they cover it) at between 8 and 9 a.m. and return at between 5 and 6 p.m. On that boat you will be joined by other random tourists from various different places. I was backpackign alone and didn’t know anyone else on my boat, through the day though I got chatting to all of them.

So it’s from 8 – 6 p.m. more or less. That’s the deal. You pay a one-off price for a daytrip, which includes, usually: 

• transport there and back (usually by boat – I didn’t actually enquire about seaplane richboys!)
• a full all-you-can-eat lunch buffet
• morning coffee or tea
• unlimited alcohol from the bar (the bar on Vadoo was open 10 a.m. until we left!)
• a red Maldives Traveller wristband
• a gold Adaarn Prestige Vadoo resort wristband
• free beach access
• free swimming pool access
• access to gardens, hammocks, huts and chill out zones (check with your guide)
• optional paid extras such as souvenirs, diving, snorkelling, or a real bed

Even though they don’t provide you with a bed, these resorts are relaxed and there are sun loungers, hammocks and all sorts of places you could sleep, if you really wanted, you could go there at 9 a.m., sleep for 3 hours, waken for the included lunch, then back to sleep until 5 p.m. when the boat takes you back. However, I wouldn’t do that, it’s a waste of money paying that just to sleep and eat, because on Male island for example, you can get a bed in Nap Corner or Wind Stay for £10!! For this reason, I was here to milk the resort time, the food and the alcohol. Remember – The Maldives is a strict Muslim country and alcohol is forbidden on most islands, especially capital city Male and ugly concrete cat jungle Maafushi.

So after sorting my place on the boat and island resort day tour with Maldives Traveller to Adaaran Prestige Vadoo, it was off on the adventure. Backpacking Loyal!

Male to Vadoo boat

I arrived at Jetty number 7 in Male, The Maldives for 8.30 a.m. and our boat was full and left around 9 a.m. The other passengers were from China, Spain and Japan. I later met Slovakians on Vadoo island.

Tour Daily Schedules:

Departure:s 9:15, 10:00 and 11:00 AM

Return:s 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 PM

The boat journey is smooth, calm, scenic and gorgeous.

Arrival at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo

After about 20 to 30 minutes (I don’t quite remember) we arrive at the jetty at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo. This is an island resort where alcohol is permitted and the entire island is governed by The Maldives but owned by Adaaran Prestige Vadoo.

As daytour visitors, a few parts of the island are for overnight guests only. We are greeted on arrival with a wristband, a list of rules and a green palm leaf necklace.

At the reception we are told about the rules, given the Wi-Fi password and then left to our own devices, except for the invite for a welcome drink at the Dhoni Bar, one of the two bars I visit on this daytrip.

Welcome Drink At The Dhoni Bar

The welcome drink is a fresh passionfruit juice at the Dhoni Bar. This is to become my main bar for the day. It was actually only 72 hours since my last beer prior to this but having all-inclusive unlimited drinks, I was milking it. Straight after the juice came beer number one, then two, then three before I headed to the beach to relax, swim and write.

The Beach at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo

After a hat-trick of beers, I took my fourth beer to the beach. Here, I was writing, and also took inspiration from my original whackpacking debut printed book, Don’t Look Back In Bangor. As you might know, I backpack on hand luggage loyal, so everything I had on me was here!

The Swimming Pool at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo

As a Daniel Wiffen loyal supporter, I had to have a swim in the pool like I did at Niger away. Of course, the pool is just up the steps from the Dhoni Bar – poolside beer and a chat with a lovely Slovakian couple and a Chinese girl called Mary.

Before moving onto cocktails and after about 6 or 7 cool Lion Beers, I went Danny Wiffen loyal and did a few lengths of the pool. I was surprised at how many people were on my boat but were not milking the free drinks or the pool!

Lunchtime Buffet at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo

Soon, after the swim, the beach and the beers, it was time for the lunchtime buffet. As the alcohol is free and unlimited all day, I take two drinks to lunch. A beer and a whiskey sour. Water is free all day so obviously I drink lots of it too, and fill up my two 500 ml bottles of water. Lunch is standard stuff and truh be told – nothing special. My favourite meals in The Maldives were not here, but my Maldivian Breakfast at GoMeal and my Indian Paneer at Moti Mahal! Still, the food is all included and therefore I milked it again – salad, main and dessert.

The view from the lunchtime restaurant is different from the Dhoni Bar – it’s on the other side of the island and you can see these huts where you sleep. When I saw them, I was reminded immediately of my time backpacking Pacific Ocean and specifically New Jerusalem in Kiribati/Kiribass.

After spending time in those overhanging sea huts, they’re just not really for me. Not my thing. Lovely to look at on pure clear waters and paradisic but not for me to sleep or even relax in. No need when I have a bar, a beach and a pool. Some of the girls enjoyed those huts though.

After lunch, it was back to the bar, a fresh shower, a change of clothes, back to the bar, another swim in the pool, back to the bar, another swim in the ocean, back to the bar, and then we had cheese on toast and coffee!

Then, I spent the last hour at the bar milking the free booze before it was time to wave goodbye to little Vadoo, for this lifetime. Thanks for the memories, but I know we will never meet again, Vadoo.

Here are the details for booking the Adaaran Prestige Vadoo Resort Day Tour With Maldives Traveller:

https://maldivestraveller.mv/en/holidays/maldives-tours/day-visit-to-adaaran-prestige-vadoo

• Tropical Paradise Private Limited
• Champa Center Point, Second Floor
• Chaandhanee Magu, Male’, Maldives
• Tel: +960 333 7588
• Email: [email protected]

Here are my videos from my Adaaran Prestige Vadoo Resort Day Tour With Maldives Traveller: