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Wish You Were Here Maafushii

Jan 04 2016.

A tropical island with a local twist

Maldives is often considered an expensive holiday destination given the fact that the resorts are extremely expensive. However this should not deter the budget conscious traveller as Maldives does have affordable options for backpackers and those on a limited budget.

For a change, this year I decided to spend the Christmas period away from Sri Lanka and after some research it appeared that Maafushi, an atoll in the Maldives was the perfect location. Flights are available daily to the Maldives on a variety of airlines and Maafushi is a two hour ferry ride away from the Male airport or a 30 minute ride away by speedboat which is the more convenient option.

With a population of just under 3000 people, the island of Maafushi has a thriving economy. Locals benefit directly from fishing and tourism. In 2010 the government regulations allowed the opening of guest houses in local islands and Maafushi was the first to secure an investment in this area. Tourists from local islands visit Maafushi for island hopping. The island itself is about 1.75kms in length and 260m wide. There are no taxis on the island but many of the hotels and guest houses have bicycles which you can use to get around the island.

The islanders are known for their hospitality and welcoming nature which we experienced first hand. The various online hotel booking sites have a variety of offers and we chose the Summer Villa Guest House which was just perfect. The owners were warm and friendly and went that extra mile to ensure we were happy with everything. So much so the owner met my request of getting some excellent quality Maldive fish from Male just for me. Most of the guest houses which are of star class hotel quality with spacious rooms, hot water, free WiFi and buffet breakfasts. They also offer great lunch and dinner options with seafood BBQs being the most popular dinner options. Some of the other more popular hotels are Kaani Village and Spa (which has its own swimming pool), Crystal Sands and the latest to open, the Velana Beach Hotel are excellent choices for accommodation.

Maafushi has two excellent beaches with powdery white sands and water in various shades of blues. The public beach is mainly for locals while the ‘bikini beach’ is for foreigners and allows people to wear Western swimwear. There are coral reefs further out to sea and most people can walk up to the reefs as the water is waist deep and see the beautiful coral and fish. The beaches are safe as there are no waves and resembles a huge swimming pool. Hammocks a la Maldivian style are aplenty and you can join the relaxed locals as they lounge on their hammocks seeking respite from the harsh equatorial sun under the fronds of the palm trees.

The sandy roads are narrow and the best time to explore the island is early morning or early evening away from the searing heat. Large parapet walls or fences shield the local houses of which all have brightly coloured doors which add a burst of colour to the dominating sandscape. Being an Islamic country there is no alcohol on offer on the island, however if one wishes to imbibe there is a floating bar which you are taken to by boat for a small fee. Seafood dominates at mealtimes with tuna being the number one choice of many. Crustaceans are on offer but can be slightly expensive.

The island also have several dive centers and along with them the hotels too offer excursions to various islands and sandbanks. One of the most popular activities is an excursion to a sandbank where you have a BBQ lunch, three points to snorkel and a visit to Guiradhoo island. The excursion we opted for enabled us to see a huge pod of dolphins in addition, the snorkelling points had a variety of beautiful fish and the icing on the cake was seeing three huge manta rays gliding beneath us. The manta’s fluid movements resembled a trio of ballerinas gliding gracefully. It was indeed a beautiful and memorable sight. The guide and divers in charge of us were excellent and always ensured that not only was my son safe at all times while snorkeling but also that he had the best views of the marine life beneath the crystal clear waters.

Four days on Maafushi was just about enough to rest, rejuvenate and recharge our batteries before flying back to Sri Lanka to see the new year in. Maafushi is a great tropical island with a local twist which is sure to leave you with a lifetime of great holiday memories.

Text and photographs by Tina Edward Gunawardhana