How to use the planner
Type your budget, say whether it is for the two of you or per person, then set the nights and the airport you fly from. Choose a villa type and tick the extras that matter: private pool, seaplane, a special dinner, a couple spa treatment and excursions.
The right-hand panel shows the estimated cost for two, your budget, and whether it fits. Below that, the money splits into seven lines: return flights, villa, transfers, taxes, meals and drinks, experiences, and a buffer, each with its share of the total.
If the plan costs more than your budget, the planner lists up to four realistic alternatives and highlights the closest one that fits. You can copy the summary, print it or send it with your trip brief. For a general trip that is not a honeymoon, the trip cost calculator gives more control over each line.
The rates and rules behind it
Every figure is a planning rate, set out below so you can check it. Rates were researched on 11 October 2026 and use RM4.09 per US dollar unless you change it.
| Item | Planning figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Beach villa | USD 450 | Per night, before tax |
| Water villa | USD 950 | Per night, before tax |
| Water villa with pool | USD 1,400 | Per night, before tax |
| Ultra-luxury pool villa | USD 2,800 | Per night, before tax |
| Service charge, then GST | 10%, then 17% | On the room rate |
| Green Tax | USD 12 | Per guest per night at resorts |
| Seaplane / resort speedboat | USD 620 / USD 180 | Per person, return |
| Flights from KUL | RM1,800 | Per person, return economy |
| Special dinner / couple spa | RM1,200 / RM950 | Per couple |
Flights from Penang, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching connect through Kuala Lumpur, so the planner uses RM2,200 to RM2,400 per person for those. Meals and excursions scale with the villa type: RM200 per adult per day at a beach villa resort and RM275 at a water villa resort.
Taxes sit on their own line so you can see them. How the service charge and GST stack is explained on the Green Tax and GST calculator.
Worked example 1: water villa and seaplane on RM25,000
A couple from Kuala Lumpur sets RM25,000 for the two of them, five nights, a water villa, seaplane, special dinner and excursions. These are the planner's default settings.
| Line | RM |
|---|---|
| Return flights (2 × RM1,800) | 3,600 |
| Villa (USD 950 × 5 nights × 4.09) | 19,428 |
| Transfers (USD 620 × 2 × 4.09) | 5,072 |
| Taxes (28.7% of villa + Green Tax RM491) | 6,067 |
| Meals and drinks (RM275 × 2 × 5) | 2,750 |
| Experiences (excursions + dinner) | 3,450 |
| Buffer | 800 |
| Total | 41,167 |
That is about RM16,200 over budget. The alternatives shown are three nights in the same villa (RM28,969), a split of two beach villa nights and three water villa nights (RM35,903), the water villa at a speedboat resort (RM37,567) and a beach villa at a speedboat resort for five nights (RM22,207). Only the last fits, so it is highlighted.
Worked example 2: a per-person budget from Penang
A couple flying from Penang thinks in per-person terms: RM10,000 each. They choose four nights in a beach villa, no seaplane, and keep the special dinner and excursions.
The planner doubles the budget to RM20,000. Flights are RM2,200 each because of the connection through KLIA, so the flight line is RM4,400 and the whole trip comes to about RM19,940. That leaves roughly RM60 to spare, which is too thin for comfort.
In this case, dropping the special dinner frees RM1,200, or an extra night in the same villa adds about RM3,100. Both choices are visible by ticking and unticking, and the split updates instantly.
Who it suits, and when another tool fits better
The planner suits couples who know their total budget and want to see what it realistically buys. It assumes two adults in one room at a single resort.
If you are mixing a local island with a resort, the split stay cost calculator is the better fit. If you already have package quotes, compare them like for like with the quote normaliser. For the wider picture, start at the honeymoon and romance hub.
What to do next
Note the closest option that fits and the line that takes the biggest share. Then shortlist two or three resorts in that villa and transfer category, check their real rates for your dates, and replace the planning figures with them.
Questions travellers ask
Why is my budget shown for the two of us when I entered a per-person figure?
Are the villa rates real prices for a specific resort?
Why does a private pool add so much?
What is in the buffer line?
Sources and checks
Last reviewed: · Prices researched:
- MIRA, circular on changes to the TGST rate · mira.gov.mv · Checked 11 October 2026
- MIRA, circular on Green Tax rates from 1 January 2025 · mira.gov.mv · Checked 11 October 2026
- immaldives.com, Maldives transfer costs · immaldives.com · Checked 11 October 2026
- Traveloka, Kuala Lumpur to Male flights · traveloka.com · Checked 11 October 2026
- Holiday.com.mv, Maldives vacation cost guide (service charge practice) · holiday.com.mv · Checked 11 October 2026
Send the plan with your honeymoon brief and we reply with resort options that fit the split, with the real rates for your dates in place of the planning figures.
Planning your honeymoon?
Tell us your dates, the villa style you are dreaming of and your budget. We shortlist honeymoon-friendly resorts and show what each one includes, line by line.