Maafushi

General information
Things to do
Choosing a Hotel
Food and Eating
Accommodations
Tour Packages
Travel Tips

When you think of Maldives, the thought of high class resorts and dream-like luxury villas, possibly beyond your reach, will often cross your mind. However, in reality this is only partially true. Yes, Maldives is a country that boasts some of the finest, most expensive villas that are quite popular around the globe. But it’s also home to some budget resorts and Guesthouses in local islands that allows you to enjoy a budget holiday in Maldives.

Mafushi is a local Island in Maldives, located in the Kaafu Atoll, near the Maldives Capital (Male’ City). It is one of the most popular local islands in Maldives for both tourists and locals to enjoy a simple getaway. This is mostly due to the array of guest houses with drastically different prices along with the beach (bikini beach included) and the iconic turquoise waters of Maldives which surrounds the island.

Maafushi is certainly a destination that will allow you to enjoy a spectacular Maldives holiday without completely emptying up the wallet. So here is a complete budget holiday guide to Maafushi to get the most out of the island while still sparing some cash.

Transfer	Public Ferry to Maafushi Island The first one and the cheapest option is to take the public ferry which runs on a schedule. It usually costs around USD 3 per person per way and takes about 2 hours depending on the weather conditions. Ferries usually operate 6 days a week with Friday excluded. Ferries from Male’ (the capital city near the airport) usually operates every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday while the ferries from Mafushi operates every Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday, although the schedule might vary. Since there is a limited number of seats on Maafusi ferry it is advisable to book a ticket in advance by contacting the guest house or your travel operator. Public Speedboat to Maafushi Island The second option is to take the public speedboat which also runs on a schedule. Unlike the ferry, the speedboat will stop directly at the airport meaning you don’t have to travel to Male’ City to get to Maafushi. It also operates every day including Friday and takes about 35 minutes to reach Maafushi and vice versa. If you think the ferry takes a lot of time, then this is another cheap transfer option to Maldives which costs about 25 dollars. Hire a Private Speedboat to Maafushi Island Lastly, you can book a private speedboat if you like your privacy or if you find it difficult to wait for the scheduled times of the ferry and public speedboat. It does offer you a carefree ride to the island where everything is set for although it is advisable to book the private speedboat in advance. Although its quite tempting, the option is not at all suitable for a budgeted vacation in Maldives as it costs about 100 – 300 United States dollars. Cheapest way to travel to Maafushi Island Maldives In comparison, the best-budgeted option to travel to Maafushi Island Maldives is to take the local ferry. Even though you have to travel to Male’ city, which is not at all a problem with the introduction of the Bridge which connects the airport and the numerous ferry service to Male available, it is the cheapest option which will leave you with some spare cash to enjoy the rest of your holiday. With Mafushi island already being so close to the international airport the duration of the transfer will not be an issue. The only downside is that the schedule might not meet the day of your arrival flight in which case you may consider the public speedboat. Maafushi Ferry Timetable

Transfer

Public Ferry to Maafushi Island

The first one and the cheapest option is to take the public ferry which runs on a schedule. It usually costs around USD 3 per person per way and takes about 2 hours depending on the weather conditions. Ferries usually operate 6 days a week with Friday excluded. Ferries from Male’ (the capital city near the airport) usually operates every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday while the ferries from Mafushi operates every Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday, although the schedule might vary.

Since there is a limited number of seats on Maafusi ferry it is advisable to book a ticket in advance by contacting the guest house or your travel operator.

Public Speedboat to Maafushi Island

The second option is to take the public speedboat which also runs on a schedule. Unlike the ferry, the speedboat will stop directly at the airport meaning you don’t have to travel to Male’ City to get to Maafushi. It also operates every day including Friday and takes about 35 minutes to reach Maafushi and vice versa. If you think the ferry takes a lot of time, then this is another cheap transfer option to Maldives which costs about 25 dollars.

Hire a Private Speedboat to Maafushi Island

Lastly, you can book a private speedboat if you like your privacy or if you find it difficult to wait for the scheduled times of the ferry and public speedboat. It does offer you a carefree ride to the island where everything is set for although it is advisable to book the private speedboat in advance. Although its quite tempting, the option is not at all suitable for a budgeted vacation in Maldives as it costs about 100 – 300 United States dollars.

Cheapest way to travel to Maafushi Island Maldives

In comparison, the best-budgeted option to travel to Maafushi Island Maldives is to take the local ferry. Even though you have to travel to Male’ city, which is not at all a problem with the introduction of the Bridge which connects the airport and the numerous ferry service to Male available, it is the cheapest option which will leave you with some spare cash to enjoy the rest of your holiday.

With Mafushi island already being so close to the international airport the duration of the transfer will not be an issue. The only downside is that the schedule might not meet the day of your arrival flight in which case you may consider the public speedboat.

Maafushi Ferry Timetable

Things to do

A Budgeted holiday or not, it is a must to explore one of the greatest natural assets of the country. The beautiful ocean, colored with shades of blue and filled with marine life.

Top things to do in Maafushi Island

Scuba Diving & Snorkeling

With a dive center present at the island it is possible to go on specialized diving trips to the reefs near the island. You can swim with turtles as the reefs are home to these laid-back creatures of the ocean. However, the most exciting experience would be to spot and swim with one of the huge whale sharks, which is surely a once in a lifetime experience. Although the whale shark tour can be a bit costly the other snorkeling excursions are cheaper compared to the resorts.

Day trips to resorts from Maafushi

A day trip to resort from Maafushi is truly a blessing as it allows you to experience the luxury of a Maldivian resort without having to pay loads of money. Just like most of the other local islands in Maldives Maafushi is also surrounded by world famous resorts.

One of the resorts that you can visit is the Anantara Dhigu Resort. This is a great opportunity to see the reputed water villas of the resorts and what makes them special. The day trips include meals (even buffets), cocktails, beer and a short tour of the resort.

Day trips to other local islands

Similarly to the resorts, if you are interested in the local side of Maldives, you can explore other local islands near Maafushi such as Guraidhoo, Gulhi, and Fulidhoo. You get to see how the locals go on about their lives peacefully. The locals are quite friendly and welcoming and you would be surprised by how simple their lifestyle is.

You could also opt to visit sandbanks to enjoy a picnic filled with nothing but serenity.

Water Sports in Maafushi

Maafushi Water Sports Center, operated by Maafushi Dive offer plenty of water-sports activities to keep you occupied during your stay on Maafushi.

Here is a list of water sports activities you can do in Maafushi:

Banana Rides
Fun Tubes
Wake Boarding
Water Skiing
Knee boarding
Jetskiing
Fly Boarding
Hover Boarding
Kite Surfing & lessons
Wind Surfing and Lessons
Catamaran Sailing
Kayaking
Stand up Paddle Boarding
Wave Surfing

Choosing a Hotel

Maafushi is an island filled with guest houses and hotels ranging from different prices, depending on the level of luxury, the services provided, even the location that the guest house is placed. If you are on a really tight budget, it is advisable to avoid the properties near the beach side as they tend to be expensive when compared to properties which are not on the beach side. To look at it from a factual point of view this should not be a major issue since the beach is a short walk away from every property as the island itself is quite small.

Other factors which you will absolutely want to consider are the time period which you book the Guesthouse or Hotel. This means two different things. The first is the season in which you book. In resorts and guesthouses of Maldives, there is a low season (usually from May to November) where the rates are the lowest and a high season (usually from December to April) where the rates are highest with its peak being from December to February where festive seasons fall in. The second meaning is the time period which you book. It is advisable to book the accommodation a few months in advance as properties in Maafushi can cost a lot more if you wait to reserve them when it’s a few days before your stay.

Generally speaking, most of the guest houses come at a considerably cheap accommodation price. They also usually include free breakfasts, amenities for guest such as free Wi-Fi, the option for a full-board meal plan (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), and plenty of activities to enjoy. You should also note that drinks (alcoholic) are not available in any local island of Maldives. No need to worry though, as Maafushi provides alternative methods for you to enjoy your drink (mentioned in dine & wine section). Some properties we would recommend you staying in are: Arena Beach Hotel, Maafushi Village, and Kurumba Villa.

While choosing a property to stay it is also important to not only consider the rates per night but also the holiday packages to Maafushi (consisting of food, transfer, activities) that might be on display to suit your needs.

Food and Eating

Dining and wining plays an important role in the completion of a perfect holiday, subsequently making it a vital factor to consider while spending your money. There are plenty of ways to which you can satisfy your pallets in the Maafushi Island.

The first is to eat from the hotel or guest house that you are staying as they offer a wide variety of cuisines for you to enjoy with the full-board plan being available if you wish to choose it. You can also visit the other Guesthouses along the beachside and indulge in their sumptuous buffets offering you the views of the sunset. Nothing like a good meal accompanied by a fine atmosphere.

While the guesthouses may offer fantastic meals it is advisable not to take the full-board meal plan as you might to want to explore the meals that local restaurants in Maafushi have to offer. With the tourism in Maafushi island thriving it is no surprise that these places have stepped up as well. You can explore cafes of the island which offers authentic meals which vary with the time of the day. There is even a famous bakery that offers the most delicious of pastries. By opting to dine and eat in these places you will not only save some money but also experience the food of the island as a local does.

Can you buy alcohol in Maafushi?

Alcohol is banned in all local islands. But, this doesn't mean that you cannot enjoy your favorite your favourite spirits, wine and beer when you are holidaying in Maafushi.

As an alternative to the prohibition of alcohol in local islands, Maafushi has introduced the floating bar, a luxury safari boat which is placed not too far away from the island, accessible through a small speedboat ride which is complimentary.

The place is not known for its dining but it’s the absolute perfect place to go if you want to crack open a cold beer. To access the floating bar, you simply have to request the guesthouse staff for the transfer and the speedboat will arrive at Maafushi to pick you up.

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Aquzz in Maafushi

Maafushi Island

From US$ 79

Located in the beautiful tropical surrounding of Maafushi local island Aquzz Inn is an Architectural masterpiece designed to host your guests whether for honeymoon or just for fun/vacation purpose.

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