Maafushi: Discover Maldives’ Best-Kept Secret

You might wonder – why is Maafushi island the best island to stay in the Maldives? Well, read on!

How to Get to Maafushi Island – the Best Island to Stay in the Maldives

The Maldivian island Maafushi is located only a 30-minute speed boat ride from Male, the capital of the Maldives. You can also catch a public ferry, which is about 3-10$ (while the speedboad is 50$ per person), but the ferry can take well over 2 hours. We chose the speedboat, as we wanted to get to the best island to stay in the Maldives as soon as possible. Usually your hotel help you arrange the transport – just contact them in advance, most will send a concierge to meet you and help you with your luggage.

When to visit Maafushi Island

Generally, high season in the Maldives is considered from November to March. This is when dry season is – the weather is more pleasant with clear skies and less humidity overall. Low season is from March to November where you will probably encounter cloudy weather with a few storms every now and then. However, low season has two main advantages: first, the prices are usually lower, and second, marine life is more abundant.

It’s up to you to choose when to visit Maafushi island, both options are great and have their own charm. We chose to go at the very end of low season – end of October + beginning of November. And yes, the first few days definitely had a few storms (we even landed in one – kudos to our pilot). The humidity was pretty bad in the beginning, I sometimes had a hard time scrolling on my phone! But hey, everything worked well inside the hotel room with the AC on 😁 The sunsets were incredibly dramatic after these storms, though, so it was absolutely worth it.

Is Maafushi Island a Public or a Private Island

Maafushi is a public island, so no alcohol is allowed, as well as no inappropriate clothes (including bikini on the beach!). Luckily, we stayed in Arena Beach hotel which is right next to a “bikini beach”. It is a typical Maldivian island with all the great views the Maldives can offer, and best of all – it’s very affordable!

How Large is Maafushi

Maafushi is a quite large island, compared to most islands in the Maldives. It still only takes about 30-40 minutes to walk around the whole island. While enjoying one of our romantic walks, though, we were really surprised to find out that this gorgeous island harbors a prison! Can you imagine – a Maldivian prison? It is very safe, though, the walls are pretty high, but make sure you don’t go too near, still. The island has a few mosques, but they were far enough from our hotel not to bother us with noise.

The House Reef of Maafushi Island

Luckily, Maafushi also has a house reef. It is pretty shallow and we were very careful not to go too far from shore, as the two times we snorkeled there, there was a strong current. There are still many fish which were very friendly, most of the time they actually swam along us. There was even one really curious fish that was trying to eat our camera! If you’re looking for more snorkeling inspiration – check out this post on the unbelievable underwater world of the Maldives.

The Sunsets <3

One of the most beautiful things about Maafushi are its sunsets! They were so breathtaking, they made me want to never want to leave this stunning place. As I mentioned above, the sunsets are a lot more dramatic during low season – due to the storms, the colours of the sky turn all shades of pink and orange, a sight to behold.

Maafushi Island Hotels

Arena Beach Hotel truly exceeded our expectations, we were very lucky. The staff was incredibly nice and helpful. They welcomed us with yummy fresh watermelon juice. They also have a great menu, check out their pineapple sundae!

We were so eager to plan our trip beforehand that we even wanted to book all of our trips beforehand. However, when we arrived, we found out that they have a daily board where you can see the trips for tomorrow and sign up for any of them (sometimes even two at a time – one in the morning and one in the afternoon). During our last day, we even recommended a few trips to some new guests, we went on so many and we were then self-proclaimed experts.

Here are a few other great places you can stay in on Maafushi island:

• Most reviewed hotel – Kaani Palm Beach – Booking.com rating: 8.4, Price per night: $200
• Most affordable hotel – Island Ambience – Booking.com rating: 9.4, Price per night: $76
• Luxury hotel – Kaani Grand Seaview – Booking.com rating: 8.3, Price per night: $260
• Our pick – Arena Beach Hotel – Booking.com rating: 8.3, Price per night: $178

Maafushi Island Activities

Even though drinking is not allowed in Maafushi, there are still lots of ways to have fun. True, there won’t be a party like on some Thai islands, but it can still be quite entertaining.

Go snorkelling

As I mentioned above, the Maafushi island house reef is a good option for a daily hassle-free snorkel. We did enjoy it a few times and didn’t regret it at all 🙂

Have fun at a dinner party

Some hotels and restaurants prepare pretty awesome dinner parties. There might not be alcohol allowed but it’s still pretty fun. Some will even go as far as to organise “crab races” for you, the ultimate fun. There’s sometimes loud music and DJs available, so you can dance the night away.

Go on an evening boat party

Okay, okay, there’s an option to *kind of* bend the rules a little bit. Technically, if you’re inside the waters, alcohol is allowed. Thus, you can go on a boat party (usually leaves around 10-11 pm) with a few alcoholic choices and even a DJ on deck. I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds pretty awesome. It’s not available every night, but ask your hotel and they’ll let you know when it’s available.

Go on a day trip

There are many, many day trip options from Maafushi. The two main types are snorkeling trip or resort island visit and the prices vary. Here are a few examples:

• Full-day trip – it usually includes 3 snorkeling points, a sandbank visit and lunch. Prices start at about $80-90 per person. (For more info on snorkelling locations, check out this post.)
• Half-day trip – this includes a 2-point snorkel and it’s great if you want to go back to the hotel for a long afternoon nap.
• Picnic island visit – a full-day visit (with lunch included) to Vashugiri island which has abundant marine life and crystal-clear shallow waters.
• Resort visit – Adaaran Vadoo – an awesome high-end private resort where you also have abundant lunch and alcoholic drinks included.
• Resort visit – Biyadhoo island – this is not usually offered as a day trip, but we really wanted to visit the island. It’s super close to Maafushi and even though the resort itself is not impressive (it doesn’t have the typical water villas), the house reef is absolutely stunning. Most full-day and half-day trips from Maafushi include Biyadhoo’s reef and that’s how we fell in love with it. It’s much cheaper than the other resorts, so you can ask for them to arrange a day visit – don’t forget your snorkeling gear!
• Other resort visits – ask your hotel or agency about options, there are constantly new resorts and options to explore.
• Whale shark tour – this is rarely available, as it’s quite far (2 hours by speedboat each way) and there’s never guarantee that you will see the whale sharks. However, it’s really worth taking the risk to spend your day on a speedboat – these huge creatures are quite magnificent.

The Verdict

Overall, Maafushi island is gorgeous and full of marine life with stunning scenery. It’s definitely the perfect budget option and the best island to stay in the Maldives!

And again, be careful when walking around the beach, there are tons of tiny creatures crippling around. (P.S. Their pinches hurt! :).

Tips for a First-Time Visit to Maafushi Island

• Respect the local culture in the Maldives by wearing attire that covers your knees and shoulders while avoiding revealing cleavage—keeping in mind the predominantly Muslim population.
• Prioritize marine-friendly sunscreen, selecting brands free of toxic chemicals harmful to underwater life. Consider donning a white T-shirt for extra protection during swimming.
• Refrain from collecting corals or shells as souvenirs, as it is strictly prohibited. During departure, airport scanners will inspect checked-in luggage, necessitating the disposal of any collected shells or corals. Avoid potential fines and adhere to these guidelines to ensure a culturally sensitive and environmentally responsible visit to the Maldives.

Bonus tip

Maafushi has bioluminescent plankton (shines in the water at night)!! You can ask some of the hotel staff and they will be really kind and take you to see it. It is not that abundant, but it is still beautiful. As I didn’t have my proper camera with me on Maafushi, here is a photo of the plankton on Thoddoo island: