Where to stay in the Maldives? Guide to islands close to Malè

Where to stay in the Maldives? This question is actually too generic given the size of the nation (it would be like saying “where should I stay in Italy?”).

In this guide, therefore, we will look at the options for staying in the Maldives while remaining a short distance from the Malè airport (the only international airport in the Maldives), so islands easily reachable by ferry or speedboat without needing to take other internal flights or seaplanes.

Area considered and map

The Malè international airport (Velana airport MLE) is located precisely near the city of Malè, the island’s capital. In the map below, we see the location of the airport, the islands we will talk about (in blue), and the mentioned resorts (in yellow).

Better a resort or “local” islands?

Before moving on to talk about islands, a premise about the types of accommodation available is necessary. The Maldives is a nation composed of over 1000 small islands, not all inhabited. The inhabited islands are divided into two categories:

• resort islands (i.e., private islands where the entire island is used as a resort and only guests can access it);
• islands where common people live, opened to tourism a few years ago and where it is therefore possible to find hotels and services for tourists.

Which one to choose? Let’s now look at each option in detail.

The resorts

On a resort island, you will surely have excellent sea, postcard views, beaches and sunbeds where you can completely relax, and all-inclusive solutions. A resort could be the choice for staying in the Maldives if your goal is not to move for a few days and not think about anything, not even the ferries, because almost all nearby resorts will pick you up at the airport.

For resorts, however, you need a significant budget since the classic overwater bungalows you’ve seen in social media videos cost from €900 per night upwards, and even the less scenic bungalows on land start from €400 per night.

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If, instead, you don’t have that much money to spend, if you don’t mind organizing ferry trips independently (find out how to travel between the islands), if you like visiting the more authentic nature of the Maldives, and you want to hop multiple islands and excursions instead of staying for a week on the same beach, your choice will surely be a “local” island. Let’s start looking at them one by one now!

And if you are still curious about visiting a resort island, there is a cheaper alternative: many of these offer packages for a “daily visit” for about $100: you won’t be able to sleep in the overwater bungalows, but you can visit the island during “daytime” hours (typically 9-17), use the remaining services, the beach, lunch, and the free bar!

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Islands of Malè or Hulhumale (capital)

Pros: Fast and cheap bus connection with the airport.
Cons: Like being in a busy city of any nation. Unremarkable sea.

Let’s start with an area where I do NOT recommend staying. This is the island of Malè (or the nearby Hulhumale, an artificial island built to give more space to residents), and it is the capital of the island. They are islands connected to the airport via a bridge, so these are the only ones you can reach also by bus or taxi without getting on a boat.

It is a city in every sense, populated, busy, full of people, activities, services, and skyscrapers. But if you came all the way to the Maldives, I don’t think you came to see a busy city.

Let it be clear, there are things to visit here too: mosques, markets, the monument dedicated to the tsunami victims, but the sea is absolutely not “Maldives sea”.

I would recommend staying in Malè only for 1 day for those who have flights with inconvenient times; in all other cases, choose other islands for staying in the Maldives.

Maafushi

Pros: One of the largest islands, close to the airport, cheap and well-served;
Cons: The sea is unremarkable and the island is becoming quite built-up.

Maafushi is one of the most popular islands for staying in the Maldives.

This island is indeed about 30 minutes away from the airport by speedboat at a cost of $15 (or $1 with the normal ferry which, however, makes only one trip a day). In the guide on how to get to Maafushi you will find all the details.

Maafushi is perhaps the most complete island in the south Malè atoll. It is an island where locals live but which is also equipped for tourism, with numerous hotels and guesthouses, supermarkets, an ATM (find out more in the guide on how to pay in the Maldives), restaurants and bars. There are also numerous boat tours of various kinds and watersports.

It is also probably the cheapest island in the area. The island has both a “Bikini beach” and classic beaches (remember that this is a Muslim nation where it is forbidden to be in swimwear and shirtless, even if you are in the water: it is only allowed on the so-called bikini beaches).

So far everything seems perfect, but what are the flaws of Maafushi?

One disadvantage of choosing Maafushi for staying in the Maldives is that the sea of this island is not among the best. Indeed, it is often quite murky compared to the Maldivian average.

For this reason, therefore, unless you want to stay on a mediocre beach in front of a hotel (but you could have done that near home), during the day you either take some boat excursion or there isn’t much else to do, also because it happens that the island is invaded by the smell of diesel at certain times when they refuel the many boats. In the evening, however, when all the tours return, the island comes alive: no wild nightlife, let’s be clear, but there are a good number of restaurants, some bars, and also an option for those who want to dance or drink alcohol, which I will talk about at the end of this guide.

I therefore recommend staying in Maafushi if your goal is to spend as little as possible on accommodation and then move around during the day with one of the many excursions available. Here you will find all kinds: snorkeling, diving, visits to sandbanks, visits to resorts, searching for turtles, whale sharks, and so on.

However, I do not recommend staying here if you want to stay on the island during the day without getting on a boat. It is not the right island for that.

And if you want to see Maafushi from above directly with your own eyes like in the photo, try this Parasailing!

Gulhi

Pros: Beautiful island with nice sea;
Cons: very small island with little life;

Gulhi is a small island (the smallest we will see, about 250 meters in diameter) near Maafushi, which you can consider for staying in the Maldives if you like the idea of a really small island but where you can enjoy a beautiful sea. There is also a famous swing in the water where you can take photos but don’t worry, there are swings on almost all islands so don’t choose just based on the swing.

You can also get to this island both by public ferry and by speedboat (here you can find the prices).

The disadvantage of this area could be the lack of evening life, or the fact that besides the two beaches the island offers, there isn’t anything else, unless you move around with boat excursions. But this will be a common factor wherever you stay, unless you want to plant yourself on the beach and not move again until the end of your holiday 😀

Of course, boat tours are not free, they range from $30 to $100 depending on duration and program, but it would be a waste not to try some considering the infinite variety of beauties the Maldives offer! Read my guide about what tours and excursion to do in Maldives to find out your favourite.

If instead you are curious about this island but don’t want to stay here, you can visit it for the day by taking a tour like this!

Fulidhoo

Pros: size of the island, tranquility, many beaches;
Cons: increasing distance from the airport.

With Fulidhoo we go further south and move to the Vaavu atoll.

The island of Fulidhoo is an excellent island for staying in the Maldives if you are looking for a more spacious island than the others (but let’s be clear, we are talking about 600 meters in diameter), very green and with beaches along the entire perimeter of the island.

Fulidhoo has an even more relaxed pace than the previous ones, however, there are hotels, a handful of restaurants and markets.

This island does not have a real port but only a few jetties, which help a more natural view. The nearby south coast is an area where you might spot stingrays near the shore, as even the guided tours bring people there to see them. If you are lucky you could thus take the opportunity to see them for free. 😉

Here I also explain how to get to Fulidhoo (here you find the ferry prices).

Thinadhoo

Pros: size and beauty of the island, tranquility, many beautiful beaches;
Cons: higher distance from the airport, more expensive.

Thinadhoo, also in the Vaavu atoll, is one of the most beautiful islands I have seen in the Maldives.

And I say beautiful not only for the beautiful beaches that stretch along the perimeter, with very tall palm trees and postcard-perfect corners, but also for the island’s internal areas, in some parts very well-kept and with houses made of bamboo.

Staying in the Maldives on an island like Thinadhoo inevitably costs a bit more than elsewhere but, if you plan not to move around too much during your holiday, this island could be the perfect one, because… it’s really beautiful!

Here too, hotels, a handful of restaurants and some small markets are present, you shouldn’t lack anything. The journey to get there is inevitably longer and more expensive, find out here how to get to Thinadhoo.

Thulusdhoo

Pros: A fairly green island with various beaches, not far from the airport, good prices;
Cons: perhaps the coca-cola factory?

We now move to the Malè atoll, so also further north of the airport, and look at Thulusdhoo, also an island a short ferry ride away and like the previous ones, quiet but equipped with everything necessary.

This island is often mentioned or advertised on the internet for the presence of the coca-cola factory, as if it were an unmissable tourist attraction.

Here the prices are a bit lower than average, roughly at the levels of Maafushi.

Find out also ferries to Thulusdhoo.

Dhiffushi

Pros: A fairly green island with various beaches, not far from the airport;
Cons: Maybe none?

Further north still, we then find Dhiffushi, another island with good prices. Also on this island there is plenty of green and various beaches, with quite beautiful sea.

Find out also ferries to Dhiffushi.

Where to stay in the Maldives for young people?

If you are looking for nightlife, perhaps you should really change destination. The nightlife in the Maldives is one of the most limited in the world.

It is essential to know that this is a Muslim nation where alcohol is forbidden, so besides being forbidden for residents, it is also “unfindable” for tourists.

I used quotation marks because the only places where alcohol can be obtained are the resorts (and they are intended for the facility’s clients), or on a boat stationed a short distance from the coast of Maafushi which acts a bit like a “free port”, where it is possible to go to dance and drink something alcoholic via a free small boat that constantly shuttles back and forth from the port.

So if you want to drink and dance, your only choice is to stay on the island of Maafushi. Apart from this, nightlife in the Maldives is limited to restaurants and some bars where there might be music or someone singing.

Where to stay in the Maldives with children

Almost every island is suitable! Obviously, always keep an eye on the children since the beaches, however calm, are always facing the ocean. Perhaps choose an island that is not too small and has sufficient markets or services in case of need.

Where to stay in the Maldives on a budget?

If you organize well and book in advance, on some local islands you might find accommodation at a good price. Usually, but not always, in Maafushi you can get slightly lower prices, and the price of the speedboat to the airport is also the lowest.

Now that you know everything about where it’s best to stay in the Maldives… also discover how to get to the islands, how to get a cheap eSim for your smartphone data and find a cheap flight with the box below!

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