'Everyone says the Maldives is expensive. I just went for under $1,000.'

Are you dreaming of visiting the Maldives but finding it a little out of reach? Well, here's a travel secret you need to know: you can have your dream Maldives holiday on a stunning tropical island for just $100 a day.

For less than the price of a stay at a caravan park up the coast, you could be relaxing in beachfront accommodation, lazing on a white sand, palm-fringed island with turtles and manta rays just a short paddle from shore. You could watch pods of dolphins diving through the water at sunset, snorkel over incredible coral reefs and surf at famous breaks — and come home with change in your wallet!

Let me introduce you to Thulusdhoo, one of the local Maldivian islands that tourists can visit for a fraction of the price of a resort. It's the perfect way to have a budget Maldives adventure or extend your luxury Maldives dream holiday.

Watch: So, you know where to go. What about what to wear?

My daughter Em and I spent a fabulous week on Thulusdhoo island a few years ago, and it gave me an entirely different awareness of the Maldives and its people. Plus, we could stretch our holiday further by not spending the whole trip at resorts.

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We were able to do this because in 2009, the Maldivian government allowed guesthouse tourism, which means that locals can earn an income directly from hosting tourists on their islands. Since then, local island tourism has boomed with budget holidaymakers who realise they can have the Maldives holiday without the hefty bill.

I researched where we could stay, and Thulusdhoo was easy to get to. It's part of the Male Atoll and just 30 minutes by speedboat from the airport (your guesthouse can help with transfers), so I booked a room in a guesthouse and off we went.

Resort holidays in the Maldives are what dreams are made of, that's for sure. But, they can be very expensive, so combining a local stay with a resort stay means that you can stay longer and explore more. And it's good for the soul, too, as a local island stay means you can contribute to the island community by supporting family-owned guesthouses, local cafés and tour operators.

Our guesthouse was small, clean, and family-run, and it's where I first tried home-made mashuni, a traditional Maldivian breakfast that comprises a mix of tuna, coconut, red onion, lime and chilli wrapped in roshi (flatbread). It's still one of my favourite dishes.

Em and I took life really slowly on Thulusdhoo. We rode the sandy streets on pushbikes, played in the kids' playground, swam at the bikini beach, took boats to brilliant white sandbars, and snorkelled with turtles. It was heaven.

Fun fact — while the island's main industries are boat building and sea cucumber fishing, it is also home to Coca Cola's only desalination bottling plant, which is also the name of the island's famous surf break, Cokes!

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Accommodation on Thulusdhoo ranges from around $65 for a basic guesthouse to upwards of $200 for beachfront rooms with gorgeous outlooks across the beach to the blue water.

Snorkelling tours and water activities are much cheaper than at the resorts, too. You can set off for a snorkelling trip to deserted islands for around $50AUD, and you're paying the boatman directly, so all the money goes to his family.

There are a few local cafés scattered around the island — Indulge Thulusdhoo is owned by Aussie ex-pat Kristie Murray, who now calls the island home with her Maldivian husband. Together, they earn money through tourism, photography and their café, with its combination of western and local menu items, live music, and general chill.

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There are, however, a few important things to be very conscious of. The Maldives is a strict Muslim country, and when you stay on local islands, it's very important to be respectful, which means following some basic rules.

Swimming is only permitted at designated bikini beaches on the island, where wearing swimming costumes is approved. However, off the island, on snorkelling tours for example, it's fine to dress in your cossie. Generally, make sure you're dressing modestly and respectfully — don't wear bikinis or revealing clothes when you're wandering around the island, for example.

Alcohol is not allowed on local islands. However, as with anywhere in the world, enterprising locals have figured out how to get around this and have set up booze boats offshore. So, if you're desperate for a drink, just jump onto a boat transfer (around $25AUD) and head out to sea for resort-priced drinks. Beer starts at around $8 AUD for a Tiger, and it's $25 AUD for a wine. Otherwise, if your next stop is a resort, you could use this time to dry out a bit before you hit the all-inclusive bars!

What about the resorts?

Of course, at the other end of the spectrum are the envy-inducing, extremely luxurious Maldives resorts most of us can only dream of, like the jaw-dropping magnificence of Soneva Jani, with its private overwater villas and personal slides into the water. It's a bucket list spot for me (and most of us), but if I ever made it there, I would feel like I had reached my peak, and you would not get me off that waterslide!

While we all can't stretch to the ultimate luxe stay, it's possible to land somewhere in the middle and live the dream within a budget. I've found Club Med Kani to be the most affordable all-inclusive resort in the Maldives.

Located on a stunning private island, it costs around $2,800 AUD for five days in shoulder season with everything included. And 'everything' is more than simply accommodation, fabulous dining and drinks — it's also chock-full of activities that would otherwise set you back hundreds of dollars a pop.

Two daily guided snorkel trips are included at Club Med Kani, and each snorkel trip goes by boat to a different location on the reef. Jump in and spot turtles, rays, reef sharks and eels — we often saw huge pods of dolphins on our 10-minute boat trip from the island before we'd even started our snorkel trip.

When you're not snorkelling or swimming in the unbelievably blue water, you can try beach yoga and pilates, sailing and aquafitness, trapeze classes, evening entertainment, and of course, the most important when travelling with the family — KIDS CLUB!

At the end of the day, you will find me relaxing on the Club Med Kani beach, watching the sky turn pink, orange and red as the sun sets, cocktail in hand with the sounds of live music floating across the sky — pinching myself that this is actually real life.

There are many ways to make your Maldives dream come true (and maybe not even break the bank!), and you absolutely deserve it. Happy bucket list holiday!

Evie Farrell runs group trips for women, mums and kids, including to Club Med Kani in the Maldives! Find out more at www.mumpacktrips.com and follow her at @mumpacktravel

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