BB, HB, FB or AI? The Maldives Meal Plan Guide That Saves You $1,000
All-inclusive in the Maldives means the buffet and the house pour. It does not mean the à la carte restaurant, the dive centre, the sunset fishing trip, or the 10% service charge that Maldivian law requires every resort to add to all of them.
What each meal plan actually covers
Typical industry practice. Individual resorts vary — always confirm against your specific plan.
| Item | BB | HB | FB | AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Lunch | Not included | Varies by resort | Included | Included |
| Dinner | Not included | Varies by resort | Included | Included |
| Soft drinks | Not included | Not included | Varies by resort | Included |
| House alcohol | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Premium spirits | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| À la carte venues | Not included | Not included | Varies by resort | Varies by resort |
| Excursions | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Diving & spa | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
Two resorts quoting the same nightly rate on different meal plans are not comparable numbers. Here is how the four plans actually work, what each leaves off, and how to tell whether the upgrade is worth paying for.
The four meal plan codes
| Code | Name | Covers | Usually leaves off |
|---|---|---|---|
| BB | Bed and breakfast | Breakfast only | Every other meal, all drinks |
| HB | Half board | Breakfast and dinner | Lunch, all drinks including soft drinks at some resorts |
| FB | Full board | Breakfast, lunch, dinner | All alcohol, often soft drinks and bottled water |
| AI | All-inclusive | Three meals plus selected drinks | Premium spirits, à la carte venues, excursions, diving, spa |
Two traps in that table.
HB does not always mean dinner. A few resorts define half board as breakfast plus lunch. Check which meal you are getting before you assume your evenings are covered.
FB rarely includes a single drink. Full board is three meals, full stop. On a plan that sounds generous, you can still finish the week with a four-figure bar bill.
What all-inclusive still leaves off
All-inclusive is not a regulated term. Each resort writes its own definition, and the gap between a strong AI and a thin one is wide. These are the exclusions that cause arguments at checkout.
Premium drinks
AI covers the house pour: house spirits, house wine, local beer, soft drinks. Call brands, champagne and anything off the reserve wine list are charged. Some resorts sell a premium drinks upgrade on top of AI.
Signature and à la carte restaurants
The main buffet is included. The Japanese place on the jetty usually isn't, or gives you a per-person credit that covers about half the bill. On a five-night stay this is the most common source of unexpected spend.
In-villa dining
Often permitted on AI, but with a delivery or tray charge per order. Room service breakfast in a water villa is a photograph people plan for, and it is frequently not free.
Excursions
Dolphin cruises, sandbank trips, sunset fishing, manta and whale shark trips. Almost never included. Budget $60–$150 per person for a standard half-day excursion, more for manta season trips in Baa.
Diving, spa and motorised watersports
Diving is effectively never included on any plan. Spa is separate on every plan. Jet skis and parasailing are charged, while non-motorised kit — kayaks, paddleboards, snorkel gear — is usually free. A small number of resorts rent snorkel gear, which is worth checking if the house reef is why you chose the place.
The 10% nobody warns you about
This one is not a resort policy. It is Maldivian law.
Under the Employment Act, every tourism business must levy a service charge of at least 10%, and it must be distributed among the staff. It applies to resorts, hotels, guesthouses, city hotels and vessels, and it covers not just your room but spas, dive centres, watersports, excursions, cafés and restaurants.
So the $95 massage is not $95. Budget roughly 27% to 29% on top of every extra you buy. A $150 excursion for two is closer to $380 than $300.
Green tax sits alongside this at USD 12 per person per night at resorts, charged per night rather than per item, with children under 2 exempt.
What this actually costs, and when AI wins
The honest way to decide is arithmetic, not instinct.
At a mid-market resort, indicative bar prices before service charge and tax run around $8–$12 for a beer, $12–$18 for a glass of house wine, and $15–$22 for a cocktail. Add the mandatory 10% and 17% TGST and a single cocktail lands near $20–$28.
That gives you a clean rule:
- Three or more alcoholic drinks per person per day — all-inclusive almost always wins, often comfortably.
- One or two drinks, and you like trying different restaurants — half board plus a bar tab usually costs less and eats better.
- You barely drink — BB or HB with à la carte dinners is the cheapest genuinely good option, and it is the plan we recommend most often to Indian families who aren't drinking at all.
Families paying for an all-inclusive plan that nobody in the party drinks are paying a large premium for soft drinks. Vegetarian and Jain travellers in particular tend to eat better off the à la carte menu than off a buffet built for a European crowd, so a lower meal plan plus a dining budget frequently beats AI on both cost and quality.
Who all-inclusive isn't for
Skip AI if you plan to eat at the signature restaurants most nights, since you will pay twice. Skip it on a three-night trip, where you cannot drink enough to clear the premium. Skip it if your party doesn't drink alcohol. And skip it at resorts where the AI package restricts you to one buffet venue — a week of the same room is a real complaint, and it is worth asking how many outlets your plan actually opens.
Take AI seriously if you are on a longer stay, if you want to stop mentally pricing every drink, or if you are somewhere remote enough that there is nowhere else to eat anyway.
Five questions to ask before you book any plan
- Which specific restaurants does this plan cover, and how many are there?
- Are the à la carte venues excluded, discounted, or credited?
- Which drinks brands are house pour, and what triggers a charge?
- Is in-villa dining included, and is there a delivery charge?
- Is the 10% service charge already inside the quoted price, or added at checkout?
That last one separates an honest quote from a thin one.
Frequently asked questions
What does all-inclusive mean in the Maldives?
Three meals a day at designated restaurants plus selected house drinks. It typically excludes premium spirits, à la carte and signature venues, in-villa dining charges, excursions, diving and spa. Definitions vary by resort, so the useful question is which restaurants and which drinks brands your specific plan covers.
Is all-inclusive worth it in the Maldives?
It usually pays off at three or more alcoholic drinks per person per day. Below that, half board plus a bar tab generally costs less and gives you more restaurant variety. For non-drinking families, all-inclusive is frequently poor value, and BB or HB with à la carte dinners works out cheaper and often better.
What is the difference between HB and FB in the Maldives?
Half board covers breakfast and one other meal, usually dinner. Full board covers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Neither includes alcohol, and full board often excludes soft drinks and bottled water too. Check which meal your half board plan actually covers, because a few resorts pair breakfast with lunch instead of dinner.
Do Maldives resorts charge a service charge?
Yes, and it is legally required. Maldivian law obliges tourism businesses to levy a service charge of at least 10%, distributed among staff. It applies to rooms, restaurants, spas, dive centres, watersports and excursions. Along with 17% TGST, budget roughly 27% to 29% on top of anything you buy.
Is alcohol included in Maldives all-inclusive?
House-pour alcohol is: house spirits, house wine and local beer. Premium and call brands, champagne and reserve wines are charged separately. Note that alcohol is not served at all on inhabited local islands, only at resorts and licensed liveaboards.
Does all-inclusive cover excursions in the Maldives?
No. Excursions such as dolphin cruises, sandbank trips, sunset fishing and manta snorkelling are charged separately on every meal plan, typically $60–$150 per person for a half day. Diving and spa treatments are also always extra. Non-motorised watersports are usually complimentary.
Tell us how you actually holiday, and we'll price the right plan
Send us your dates, your party, and an honest answer on whether you drink. We'll come back with the same resort costed on two different meal plans, transfer and all taxes included, so you can see the real gap rather than guess at it.
Message us on WhatsApp +91 98112 03263Sources
- Labour Relations Authority, Maldives — Service Charge Regulation, gazetted 16 March 2021
- Employment Act (Sixth Amendment), section 52 — mandatory 10% service charge in tourism
- Maldives Ministry of Finance and MIRA — TGST and green tax rates
Meal plan definitions reflect common industry practice and vary between resorts. Prices are indicative. Tax and service charge rates correct at July 2026. We confirm every inclusion in writing before you pay anything.
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