"All-inclusive" means something different at almost every resort, and the gap between plans is one of the easiest places for a Maldives budget to go sideways — worth reading the fine print rather than assuming a label covers everything.
The usual tiers
- Room only — no meals included; you pay for everything as you go.
- Bed & breakfast (B&B) — breakfast included, everything else separate.
- Half-board — breakfast and one other meal (usually dinner) included, typically at a main restaurant.
- Full-board — all three meals included, again usually at designated restaurants.
- All-inclusive — meals plus a defined range of drinks, and sometimes select excursions or activities.
Where the gaps usually are
Specialty or destination restaurants — a teppanyaki room, an overwater seafood grill, an undersea restaurant like the one at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island — are very often excluded from every plan except the most premium, charged as a separate supplement regardless of your board basis. Premium spirits, imported wine, and bottled water are common exclusions even on plans marketed as all-inclusive.
What to actually ask before booking
- Which specific restaurants are included on your plan, and which carry a supplement.
- Whether "all-inclusive" drinks means local spirits only, or a broader premium list.
- Whether in-room minibar and bottled water are included or charged separately.
See our budget guide for how this fits into the wider picture of resort taxes and add-on costs.