Maafushi, Maldives

Maafushi, Maldives

Colleen and Xander
Want to check out the Maldives without breaking the bank? Check out our guide to Maafushi, one of the local islands in the Maldives that is budget friendly and great for students.
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Where To Stay

Maafushi is a very small, walkable island, so you don't need to worry much about the location of your acommodation. We stayed at Alaika Maafushi, and loved it. The prices were very reasonable, and the staff helped us arrange our speed boat transfer from the airport, picked us up from the port, and took good care of us. 

Alaika Maafushi
@Passportsandpolyglots
Cute accommodation with great staff, and reasonable prices!
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What to Do

Relax at the Bikini Beach

The Maldives is a Muslim majority country, and has certain areas designated as "Bikini Beaches", where you can where whatever you want. On Maafushi Island, the bikini beach is behind Arena hotel. You can swim there, enjoy the beach, and even see fish swimming in the coral a bit farther out! You don't need to stay at the hotel to enjoy the beach front, but you can't use their umbrellas or chairs.

Arena Beach
@Passportsandpolyglots
Free beach to enjoy the sun, white sand beaches, and beautiful water!
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Take a Day Trip Snorkeling

Maafushi is a great location to do excursions, such as half day or full day trips snorkeling, swimming with nurse sharks, or really anything you want! We did a half day trip snorkeling, with lunch included, with iCom and it was a great experience. We even saw dolphins on our boat ride back from Gulhi island, where we had lunch and relaxed on the white sand beach! On the main strip there are many different tour companies to book with and most have similar if not equal prices. We went with iCom and had a great time!

iCom Tours
@Passportsandpolyglots
One tour company in Maafushi that we had a great experience with.
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Water Sports

One fun activity to try is water sports, like stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, or jet skiing! The prices are very reasonable, and the views of the water and island are stunning. One hour of stand up paddle boarding was only $10. You can head to the water sports beach and check out whats being offered.

Water Sports Beach
@Passportsandpolyglots
Try out different water sports like stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, and jetskiing.
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What to Eat

We found that most food on the island revolves around seafood, traditional Indian dishes like dhal, paneer, and curries, or touristy food like pizza and pasta. If you're big on seafood, you'll love the affordable fish dishes available everywhere, and should try traditional Maldivian foods made from preserved fish! If you don't like or eat fish, like Colleen, you should be able to find veggie friendly dishes at most places. 

Sunbeach café
@Passportsandpolyglots
Despite its name, this restaurant has an amazing full food menu, and was super cheap and great food those on a budget! You can try traditional Maldivian seafood dishes, as well as plenty of veggie options. Our favorite place we ate at!
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Masala Street
@Passportsandpolyglots
We had lunch here multiple times on our short trip, as well as dosa for an afternoon snack! The prices were very affordable and the food was delicious. They have mostly Indian food, with a few Maldivian classics like Garudihya, a fish soup.
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Mr.Octopus - Your holiday Chef
@Passportsandpolyglots
Restaurant with more Western style foods. We had pesto pasta and veggie pizza.
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Moonlight - FOOD . DRINKS . SHISHA
@Passportsandpolyglots
Cute place for drinks (non-alcoholic on local islands) and ambiance. A bit pricey compared to other spots on the island.
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Tips for Maafushi

Bring Beach Essentials with you

Products like sunscreen, sunglasses, goggles, and towels are super overpriced on the island. Bring these with you to avoid paying 2-3x what you'd spend on them at home. If you don't have room in your bag (because who uses checked bags nowadays!), you can ask your hotel for towels to bring to the beach. We definitely recommend bringing goggles because you can see fish swimming in the coral at the bikini beach!

Use the Public Ferries when you can

We arrived in Male at 8:30 PM, so we had no choice but to take a speed boat to get to Maafushi. This costs about $25 per person, and takes about an hour. However on our way back to Male for our return flight, we used the public ferry which was only $2. This is a huge difference, and we really recommend the public ferry! It's a bit longer (2.5 instead of 1 hour), but is a beautiful ride. You can contact your hotel for the public ferry schedules, just make sure to plan ahead because the public ferries only run once or twice a day, and don't run on Fridays.

Keep in Mind this is a Local Island, and be Respectful to Locals

Unlike other islands in the Maldives that only have resorts, Maafushi is an island people actually live on. Keep this in mind and be respectful. You won't be able to drink alcohol on the island, so plan for that. Bringing a coverup will also help avoid any drama or issues that walking around in a swimsuit could bring. Respect the local people's culture and remember that people still live on this island.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Colleen and Xander
We're Colleen and Xander and we're currently living and studying in Abu Dhabi, in the UAE. We've been to over 28 countries together in the past two years, but are also on student budget. When we're not traveling, we also love studying foreign languages, and speak five between the two of us!
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