Short answer
Take a speedboat if the resort is within about 50 km of Malé: it costs $90 to $200 per person return and operates after dark. Take a seaplane for anything further, at $250 to $450 return, but note seaplanes fly only in daylight, roughly 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The transfer method is set by the resort, not by you, so it is really a filter to apply while choosing where to stay. Resorts in North and South Malé atolls and parts of Ari atoll use speedboats and take 20 to 50 minutes. Anything in Baa, Raa, Lhaviyani or the far south needs a seaplane or a domestic flight plus a boat.
The daylight restriction is the part that breaks itineraries. A connection landing at Malé after 4 p.m. cannot pick up a seaplane, so you spend an unbudgeted night at a Hulhumalé airport hotel, at $90 to $170, plus a wasted resort night you have already paid for. Since most routings out of Kathmandu arrive late afternoon, this is a live risk rather than a theoretical one.
Seaplanes are also weight-restricted, usually 20 kg checked and 5 kg cabin per person, with excess charged at around US$5 per kilo. Against that, the twenty-minute flight over the atolls at 300 metres is genuinely one of the better things about a Maldives trip, and many people count it as an experience rather than a transfer.
| Transfer | Cost per person return | Duration | Operating hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speedboat | $90–$200 | 20–50 minutes | 24 hours, weather permitting |
| Seaplane | $250–$450 | 15–45 minutes | Daylight only, ~06:00–16:00 |
| Domestic flight plus speedboat | $200–$360 | 45–90 minutes total | Scheduled, mostly daytime |
| Ferry (local islands only) | $5–$10 | 1.5–4 hours | Limited, no Friday service |