Our second destination in the Maldives was Maafushivaru, a resort owned by the same owner as Kuramathi and Kandolhu. We stayed there for two nights and had a magical time snorkeling, paddle-boating, dining and visiting a tiny paradise island alone for 2 hours.
Maafushivaru is a smaller resort in the Maldives, and here you get that real desert-island-feeling. It takes around 10 minutes to walk around the island, but I must admit that the island feels bigger than it is. You’ve got the whole reef around to explore, and in addition to that, they also have another neighboring paradise island that you can visit during the day.
We had two wonderful nights there, and down below you can read more about our experience in my Maafushivaru review!
Table of Contents
Room Standard (2 Bedroom Villa with Pool)
Let’s start this Maafushivaru review with our villa, which was one of the most important things during our stay. We got to stay in on of their beach villas at Maafushivaru. Before going there we really wanted to stay in a water villa, but I must say that it’s just as nice to stay on land in a beach villa. They have different types of beach villas at Maafushivaru, and the one we stayed in was a 2 bedroom villa with private pool. It was beautiful indeed, and we had such an amazing time staying there. It was so nice to have our own sunbeds and pool to splash around, and also to have only a couple of meters down to the crystal clear and turquoise waters by foot.
We had a look in one of the water villas, and they’re also beautiful, but I must say that I liked our villa just a tiny bit more!
In our villa we had everything we needed, and more. We had two bedrooms, so we just used one. In our bedroom, we had a comfy bed, air conditioning, minibar, couch, closet and also a big bathroom with both indoor and outdoor shower. Outside the bedrooms, we had our own terrace with a private pool – which I thought was pretty cool. We even had a small hut that we could relax in during the days.
I really liked our villa, since we got much privacy, and also because it was so beautiful haha!
This is what you get when booking a 2 Bedroom Villa with Pool
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Comfy beds with soft sheets
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Bathroom with indoor and outdoor shower (free toiletries)
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Terrace with sunbeds, private pool and cozy hut for shade
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Couch
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TV
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Desk
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Air conditioning/fan
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Robes & slippers
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Coffee/tea making station
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Minibar
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Closet
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Daily cleaning
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Safe
Breakfast
We had breakfast in the cuisine gallery each morning, and there they had a broad selection of things to eat. They offered hot dishes (both traditional, Asian, and continental), eggs of your own choice, pancakes, fresh fruits, yogurt, bread and spreads, juice and coffee/tea.
Personally, it wasn’t my favorite breakfast, since I wanted more of the fresh fruits, salad, darker bread, and freshly squeezed orange juice. I’m more of a healthy-breakfast-person hehe.
Outside the room
When you’re not in your water- or beach villa, there are actually many things for you to do around the island. Maafushivaru Maldives offers a great selection of watersports, such as; kayaking, paddle-boating, snorkeling, and diving.
Other than that, they also have a spa, restaurants, bar, gym, pool and even a private island next door.
Lonobu Island
One of the best things about Maafushivaru is that they have a small twin island located just a couple of minutes away by boat. It’s a real paradise island where you can have private dinners and stay in the islands private villa (needs to be booked in advance).
Alex and I got the chance to stay on the island for 2 hours completely alone, and it was magical. We really got that desert-island-vibe, and it was so cool to be there all alone and just hear the sound of the waves and the wind blowing through the palm trees. The reef around the island is also great, so don’t forget to bring your snorkeling gear!
It’s free for the guests to visit during the day for one hour or two.
Dinner
Our two night at Maafushivaru we had dinner at their two restaurants. The first night we spent at the Cuisine Gallery where they offer a dinner buffet. I’m not a big fan of buffets, but the food was good and they offered several dishes and desserts.
Our second night we had dinner at their Teppanyaki Restaurant. A more intimate restaurant where you have direct contact with the chef. This was more of my kind of restaurant, and it was fun to ask the chef questions about the food and also see when he cooked our food. It was, of course, Japanese food at the Teppanyaki restaurant, and everything was delicious with good flavors! It was also very fun to see when he cooked the food since he was so funny and friendly!
If you stay at Maafushivaru I think that you should visit their Teppanyaki Restaurant at least once to experience the show and the food.
Staff
The staff at Maafushivaru was very friendly and helpful. They always smiled towards us and the other guests, said good morning and generally was very welcoming.
WiFi
This Maafushivaru review cannot be completed without mentioning the WiFi, since that’s something the most people want to know before booking their stay. The WiFi worked well throughout our whole stay and we tried it at the restaurant and also in our room. Outside the restaurants and rooms, I don’t really know how it works, since I didn’t use my phone while splashing around in the water or while I was sitting in the sauna at their spa!
Location
Maafushivaru is located in the South Ari Atoll and is surrounded by lush nature, white soft sand and a beautiful reef with colorful fishes. It takes around 25 minutes by seaplane from their lounge at Male Airport.
Summary of my stay
Both Alex and I enjoyed our stay at Maafushivaru, and we would be happy to go back and experience more! Our villa was beautiful, the food was good, snorkeling was great, and the island had that desert-island-vibe that we wanted.
It really is a nice resort in the Maldives, especially if you want a more private and calm island for a romantic getaway. And a big plus was the twin-island where you could spend the night or have a romantic dinner!
I can highly recommend you to stay here while you’re in the Maldives. It was a real pleasure for us to stay there!
Useful Information about Maafushivaru
Flights and Hotel
What other guests say about Maafushivaru on Tripadvisor:
Other guests who’ve also stayed at Maafushivaru has written on Tripadvisor that they absolutely love the resort and that it’s really something special. People especially appreciate the fact that the island is quite small, yet feels private and bigger than it really is.
Another favorite among the TripAdvisor reviews is without a doubt the Lonobu Island. The only complaints I could find at the Maafushivaru reviews on Tripadvisor was that a handful of the guest didn’t like the food very much. However, it’s safe to say that the big majority of other guests love the resort and the island just as much as we did.
Difference between all inclusive and full board
Full Board
When you book full board you have all meals included in the Cuisine Gallery.
All Inclusive
Main Meals: Your breakfast/lunch/dinner buffets in the Cuisine Gallery. À la carte dining and private dining experiences are not included in the all-inclusive packages.
High Tea: From 15.00 to 17.00 you can have both tea and coffee + snacks at the Library Lounge between 15.00 – 17.00.
Beverages: The beverages included in the package are soft drinks, such as Coke, Sprite, Fanta, canned juices including orange, pineapple and apple, spirits and liquors, cocktails, house wines by the glass, Carlsberg draught beer and house mineral water. In the minibar in the villa non-alcoholic beverages are included.
Use of snorkeling equipment: Equipment can be borrowed for free. Basic knowledge is required, lessons are at extra cost.
Excursions: One Sunset Cruise is included in the package (per person per stay.)
Map of Maafushivaru
Down below you can see a map of where Maafushivaru is located in the Maldives.
Hope you enjoyed this Maafushivaru review! If you have any further questions about the resort, don’t hesitate to leave a comment with your questions!
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