Tipping etiquette at Angsana Ihuru

Hi.

We are visiting Angsana Ihuru later this year and wondered if anyone could enlighten us on how to tip. We have read various thoughts on tipping in the Maldives in general but they do seem to vary. Some say tip little and often, some suggest just a big tip at the end of your stay and others recommend a decent tip at the start and another at the end. Any advice would be really welcome. Thanks all.

regards Tony

Tipping etiquette at Angsana Ihuru

Hi Tony

Welcome to the Maldives forum.

Tipping is a part of life in the Maldives and is expected. Take small denomination US dollars.

Tipping is also a very personal thing and everyone does it differently!

On our last visit to the Maldives we were there for 2 weeks and tipped as follows:

Suitcase porter: $5

Room boy: $30 (he was very helpful)

Waiter: $30 (ditto)

Favourite bar staff: $15 each

Cooking station chef: $10

We tend to tip at the end of our holiday. Others do it on a weekly or even daily basis.

If you visit the spa or dive school you might want to tip your masseuse and/or dive instructor.

If you go on any trips, you might want to tip the boat.

We were on a mid-budget island. Clearly if you stay at a 5* deluxe resort, the expectation for amount of the tip might well be higher!

Hope this helps. Have a great holiday!

OD

Tipping etiquette at Angsana Ihuru

Hi Tony,

This is a tough one, as you say everyone has a different approach.

The original etiquette was tip once per week, room boy; restaurant waiter; bar waiter; ground staff %26amp; anyone who has gone out there way to serve you during your holiday. I still do this regardless of what island I am on.

Some islands over the years have adopted these mixed approaches to tipping based on the popularity of guests, to give an example one guy I met on holiday tipped the garden leaf sweeper $50 per week - this type of tipping over the years has made %26#39;some%26#39; staff expect big tips, this funnily enough tends to be cheaper more popular islands.

So to get to my point - Ihuru is gladly one of the true original natural islands, that staff are proud to work at, so you will not experience this big tip culture, so I would do whatever you feel most comfortable doing, whatever you choose the staff will not make you feel like they are waiting for tips!

I personally would tip on a weekly basis - this would be the most popular option and the one the staff are most used to, regardless of of them receiving tips, they will give you fantastic service.

Hope this helps!

Regards

Emu

Thanks very much for your advice Officer Dibble and Emu. Certainly tipping at the end of the week seems a far more convenient way of doing things, I guess I was just worried that I would be thought of as a skinflint for not tipping as I went along. Thanks again Tony.

Hi

We went in November 2008, and found that you don%26#39;t need nay money as it all gets booked to your room and you pay at the end.

Saying this we tipped everyone at the end of the holiday (last night before leaving).

As for how much depnds on the service you get from the various staff on the island.

Waiter you will have teh same waiter and room boy throughout you time there.

Hope this helps.

Thank you Cockney Rebel. That is very helpful. I was hoping that would be the norm and we wouldn%26#39;t need to carry cash around during our stay. Any other hints or advice regarding staying there would be gratefully accepted.

Cheers

Tony