The terms
| When you cancel | Charge |
|---|---|
| 31 or more days before arrival | No charge |
| 30 to 8 days before arrival | 25% of the stay |
| 7 days to arrival | 50% of the stay |
| No-show | 100% of the first night |
Percentages apply to the total package price confirmed for your stay.
Why it works this way
We have three rooms. A cancellation two days before arrival is a room that cannot be filled, and in peak season it is the whole reason the season works. A cancellation a month out is a room we can still sell, which is why it costs nothing.
The outer window is deliberately generous. Plans change, and we would rather you booked early than waited.
How a charge is collected
Payment is normally made at check-in, so on most bookings we are holding nothing when a cancellation arrives.
Where a deposit has been taken, usually on longer stays and peak-season dates, the cancellation charge is applied against it and anything remaining is returned to you. Where no deposit was taken, we will invoice the charge.
Deposit conditions are set out in the booking terms, and we tell you before you commit whether one applies.
Changing your dates
Before arrival, tell us as early as you can. If we can move you to different dates we will, and we would rather do that than take a cancellation charge. Where a change cannot be accommodated, the table above applies.
Moving to dates in a different season changes the price, because room rates are seasonal.
After arrival, the booked stay is charged in full. Leaving earlier than booked, or shortening the stay once you are here, does not reduce the bill. By that point the room is out of the market for those nights and cannot be resold.
Cancelling the excursion or transfers
Neither is priced separately within a package, so neither is refunded separately.
If the 4-in-1 Ocean Combo cannot run during your stay because of weather or sea conditions, we reschedule it to another morning. If conditions rule it out for the whole stay, tell us and we will put it right. That is a conversation, not a clause, and it has never come down to the fine print.
Speedboat transfers run to the operator's schedule. If a flight delay causes you to miss a boat, tell us as soon as you know and we will move your seats where the schedule allows.
If we have to cancel
If we cannot honour a confirmed booking for any reason, you receive a full refund of anything paid, and we will help you find somewhere else on the island. With three rooms and no overbooking system, this is not something that happens by accident.
Insurance
We would recommend travel insurance for any Maldives trip, particularly one booked in advance from a long way away. Flight disruption, medical cover and cancellation for reasons outside this policy are things insurance handles and we cannot.
Questions
If you are unsure whether a change counts as a cancellation, ask. It is almost always easier to solve before it happens.