Originally Posted by
s879
We are planning our first trip from the UK. Have already booked the flights. However, realised that my children will be 12 years and 10 years by the time we travel next year and re the seaplane transfer, the 12 year old would get charged the adult amount. With the weak pound, this is bringing the cost of our family even more than the actual flights for all 4 of us! Any other suitable, good and very reliable way? I know people will say Rangali is not a place to save pennies but it is coming up to well over $2000 for the seaplane transfers.
Cheaper transfers? Yes, you can, but it certainly won't be fun! You could take the public ferry to Mandhoo (I think that's about an 8 hour ride in an open-sided dhoni with no facilities on board but only costs a few dollars per person) then ask Conrad to pick you up from there. As Mandhoo is close, they may do it free of charge or for not a huge amount. However, I think that trip would be everyone's idea of hell, even if it would save you around $1,800.
A marginally more serious suggestion would be to book a night in a nearby guesthouse, who could arrange cheaper domestic flight transfers, but then you've still got to pay for the boat to take you to Rangali. And really, do you want to spend your first night in paradise in a guesthouse?