On a Chinese website Zhang Xiaolei discovered two-way air tickets between Beijing and Male for 1999 renminbi ($290) in October. "Seized by excitement, I bought the ticket in a rush, only to realize, minutes later, that the price of the hotels were beyond my means," said the 34-year-old. "Because the ticket has a huge discount it was nonrefundable. That was the beginning of my crazy rendezvous with the Maldives."

After doing some research on www.qyer.com - the must-visit website for serious frugal travelers from China - Zhang found his solution.

"Local islands, islands inhabited by native Maldivians, was my answer for cheap accommodation. I made a reservation through www.booking.com for a guest room for two on a local island called Maafushi. For the five days I was there I was ferried every morning by local fisherman from Maafushi to a nearby resort island and was ferried back every evening."