Best Island to Stay in the Maldives – Maafushi Island

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

How to Get to Maafushi – 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 speedboad, as we wanted to get to the best island to stay in the Maldives as soon as possible!

Is Maafushi 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 – the Best Island to Stay in the Maldives

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.

Where to Stay in Maafushi – the Best Island to Stay in the Maldives

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.

The Verdict:

Overall, Maafushi is a gorgeous island – 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! :).

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.