When organizing a trip to the Maldives for free, the same question always arises: what are the best islands of Maldives? Which to choose? And it is that deciding between 1,200 islands is not mucus of turkey!

How to choose the best island in Maldives? This depends only on your tastes:

• If you want local atmosphere and live the real Maldives, the ones that don't appear in the tourist brochures.
• If you want to bathe in a bikini: it seems silly but in most local islands, due to Muslim law, it is forbidden to swim in a bikini… although it is also true that, in the majority of “local island” there is at least one “bikini-beach”.
• If you want to snorkel or dive: The underwater world of the Maldives is one of the most interesting and beautiful in the world ... are you going to miss it?
• If you want to throw the house out the window and go to a resort. If you have the economic possibility ... why not do it?

Or… better yet, a mix of all the previous ones 🙂

Do not worry, today we are going to try to clarify your ideas a bit and we will tell you what they are the best islands of Maldives (according to our taste, of course!).

:: Local islands ::

On our first trip to Maldives we stayed on a local island, Dhangheti, that we fell in love with! It may not be the most beautiful island in Maldives but we found it perfect in its imperfection and best of all? We were the only tourists! Dhangheti will always have a place in our traveling heart because here we discover that it is possible to travel cheaply to the most exclusive destination in the world 🙂

+ Pros: Deserted and beautiful beaches, there is no mass tourism, local and authentic atmosphere.

- Cons: there is no bikini beach (update: apparently for a year now there is, although it is quite small), the local ferry does not work every day, there are quite dirty areas of the island (trash problem ... common in almost all the islands ).

⇒ ¿How to get to Dhangheti island? First you have to take the 307 ferry in Male (Villigili Terminal) to Mahibadhoo and then change to the 308 ferry that makes the next stop in Dhangethi. Eye that does not circulate every day! The schedules are in the links.

Take a look atour experience on this local island of Maldives.

Diffushi is one of those little islands we had on the whishlist. The reason? White beaches, crystal clear waters, tranquility (or not: there are many options for snorkeling, sand bank, diving ...). And a few weeks ago we were able to "cross out" our listings of "places to go." We were not disappointed at all: what's more, we both agreed that it far exceeded expectations.

Here you have a complete travel guide to Dhiffushi, with everything to see and do on this beautiful (and cheap) island of Maldives.

+ Pros: bikini beach, beautiful beaches, little tourism.

- Cons: There is not much restaurant or nightlife.

⇒ ¿How to get to Dhiffushi island? Route 301, here you can see the public ferry schedules to Dhiffushi Island.

One hour by ferry from Malé is this island surrounded by turquoise waters, local atmosphere and lots of nature. Near it there is a Club Med and a Four Seasons (and you know ... these resorts are only located in paradisiacal places!).

Update 2019: we write these lines right from Huraa and we have bad news (we hope that temporary). At this moment the island is being "remodeled" and it is simply ... they are expanding it! To do this they have loaded the previous bikini beach and put tons of sand to enlarge the island. We have been told that they will leave Huraa very pretty, but for now ... we do not think it is worth spending a few days here. We will continue to inform 😉

Here is our travel guide to Huraa.

+ Pros: bikini beach (right now “under construction”), local atmosphere, proximity to Male. It has few restaurants but there are two (The Harbor and Blue Terrace) that are very good.

- Cons: currently the island is "under construction" so we recommend you to inform yourself about the state of the bikini beach, before coming.

⇒ ¿How to get to Huraa island? Route 301, here you can see the public ferry schedules to Huraa Island. There is also a speed boat for 150MVR or $ 10 per person that takes you here in 30 min from Male.

If you are looking for an idyllic spot where you don't do much more than take a dip in turquoise waters or throw yourself in the bartola ... Gulhi is your place. Your bikini beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Maldives and after seeing it with our little eyes ... we can only tell you one thing: do not hesitate to go!

+ Pros: There is a beautiful beach bikini, very quiet. It is very close to Maafushi so you can make a combo of both destinations.

- Cons: If you like the 'party' maybe you get bored a bit since there is NOTHING to do, beyond sunbathing and swimming.

⇒ ¿How to get to Gulhi island? Ferry Route 311. Here you can see the public ferry schedules to Gulhi Island.

An hour and a half from Male is one of the most beloved islands for backpackers in Maldives: Maafushi. Here there is quite a range of cheap accommodation, restaurants, a beach where you can swim in a bikini and a variety of activities such as snorkeling, picnic in sand banks, diving and more! We have just returned from there and we have to confess that we liked it much more than expected, especially thanks to the immense offer of tours (from $ 20!). We will be back, we are sure.

In this post we tell you what to do in Maafushi, the cheapest island of Maldives.

+ Pros: bikini beach, many more restaurant / local options, varied and cheap tours.

- Cons: It is a very popular island so you will never be alone. In the bikini beach there are some hotels next to the sand, so the feeling is more that of being in Benidorm than in an island lost by the Indian Ocean (luckily if you look towards the sea the magic returns suddenly).

⇒ ¿How to get to Maafushi island? It is Route 310. Here you can see the public ferry schedules to Maafushi Island. There is also a speed boat that, for about $ 20-25 takes you from Male to Maafushi in 30-45min.

:: Resorts Islands ::

If you want to take advantage of your stay in Maldives to feel like a real VIP, there is good news: sometimes the Resort offers very interesting offers and you will not have to spend all your extra pay to spend a couple of nights in a cabin in the middle of the sea! They can even combine the types of accommodation on your vacation, opt for a few nights on a local island in cheap accommodation and last nights go to a Resort! Not a bad plan, right?

¿How much does it cost to sleep at a resort in Maldives? From about € 200 per night to thousands of euros! It is best that you go looking at offers for example:

Olhuveli Beach And Spa Resort: It usually costs about € 520 although we have seen offers for € 280.

Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma: It usually costs about € 400 but there are offers for € 237.

Fihalhohi Island Resort: It costs about € 163

How to choose the best resort in Maldives? There are some things that you have to consider according to your tastes:

1. If you can easily reach the island (is transportation included?).
2. If there are meals included (for the most part they include at least half board).
3. If it is worth spending so much money to go to a Resort (how nice is it justified? Are there activities that are worth it? If you like snorkeling do you have reef?)

:: The capital: Malé ::

The capital island of Maldives is one of the least leading destinations in the Maldives and that we thought was an interesting city. We always recommend spending a day (and maybe a night) in Male. Here we tell you what to see and do in Male.

Video: TOP 10 Maldives Best Resorts 2018 OFFICIAL by Dreaming of Maldives YOUR DREAM. YOUR CHOICE. (April 2024).