Last Updated on 07/12/2024
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Maafushi Maldives Review
Maafushi island is well known for being a fun local island in the Maldives and is one of the best islands to visit for a cheap Maldives holiday. Maafushi offers lots of cheap water sports and water activities and you can find decent budget accommodation here. It is a local island close to Male and only takes about 20-25 minutes by speedboat from Male or the airport.
Maldives on a Budget – What to do in Maafushi
Maafushi Water Sports
Maafushi is one of the best Maldives islands for water sports. Water sports such as jet skiing, SUP, kayaking, banana boats and parasailing are very popular activities to do here. The cost of water sports is cheap in Maafushi, especially in comparison with water sport prices on other islands in the Maldives. For example jetskiing can be as cheap as $30 for half an hour.
Snorkelling in Maafushi
Snorkelling was disappointing off of bikini beach but snorkelling trips will take you to better snorkel sites. However the marine life in Maafushi was still great as we saw two turtles while jetskiing (and I was very wary of hitting them) and we saw spinner dolphins from the beach on several occasions.
Cheap Scuba Diving in Maafushi
Maafushi has some great dive spots nearby and very cheap rates for scuba diving. The cost of diving is approximately $40 per scuba dive including equipment. I really enjoyed the marine life diving near Maafushi and the coral was some of the best coral I have seen in the Maldives so far. On a nearby dive site we spotted white tip reef sharks, turtles, eels, a peacock mantis shrimp and also did a great wreck dive.
Maldives Budget Accommodation: Where to stay in Maafushi
You can find some very cheap hotels in Maafushi and it is a great island to stay on if you are on a budget Maldives trip. I usually compare prices on booking.com. The cost of hotels in Maafushi usually start from $30 per night up.
Bikini Beach in Maafushi
Maafushi has a small bikini beach found at the end of the island between two rocky areas. There are some nice swings for photos at the beach but the sea and beach was quite crowded when I visited. It also has large hotel buildings overlooking the beach so the view is definitely not as beautiful as other islands which have more natural backgrounds to the beach.
Maafushi Budget Hotel: Kaani Village and Spa Review
I stayed at this great accommodation when visiting Maafushi. The rooms were basic but clean and I liked the bathrooms. The swimming pool was the best feature of the hotel and we had some great photos taken here with the greenery in the background. The hotel were very helpful and even lent snorkelling equipment to us free of charge. If you work in the Maldives or are a Maldivian National, ask for a work permit discount. There was also no issue with mixed nationality couples (Maldivian + Foreigner) staying together.
One of the few hotels with a swimming pool in Maafushi with reasonable ratesDrinking alcohol in Maafushi
While it is not possible to drink or purchase alcohol on local islands in the Maldives, Maafushi has access to liveaboard safari boats which means you can drink alcohol at these floating bars in Maafushi. These bars are party boats with a small dancefloor, disco lights and DJs. Alcohol is not expensive considering what they could charge ($5 a beer or $8 spirit and a mixer). Don’t expect any fancy cocktails even though they are listed on the menu! These floating bars cannot be found on many local islands so this makes Maafushi a top Maldives destination and one of the best party islands in the Maldives.
Transport to Maafushi from Male
The best way of getting to Maafushi from Male is by speedboat. You can book onto a speedboat by calling this number and these are the timings. Additional boats go at different times so ask about other speedboat companies too. Bear in mind that if you have an early flight which is outside of these timings then you may need to pay for a private boat which is expensive. The speedboat to Maafushi costs approximately $20 per person for tourist rate and work permit/Maldivian National rate is 100 rufiya.
Regular Speedboats to MaafushiMaafushi Location
Maafushi is located in Kaafu Atoll, not far from the capital Male and the Maldives main international airport Velana. This means that Maafushi is very easy to travel to as you can access the island via speedboat and there is no need for expensive domestic flights to get there.
Maafushi Restaurants: Where to Eat
I enjoyed the local food in Maafushi as always but no one restaurant in particular stood out. Many restaurants connected with hotels offered buffet options but will also offer a la carte if you ask for a menu. Make sure you ask for ‘no straws’ when ordering drinks as Maafushi is still using plastic straws.
For a quieter alternative island to Maafushi, consider staying in Gulhi, a nearby island which has the best beach in the Maldives!
Visit an alternative local island where you can also drink at floating bars, and another really beautiful island is Thulusdhoo local island.
For more overviews and frequently asked questions about local islands read this post.
For the best scuba diving in the Maldives – read my blog post about cheap diving in Fuvahmulah island
For snorkels with turtles, check out Thoddoo local island!
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