Off season trip to Maldives

DAY 1

We took Indigo flight from New Delhi to Malé. The flight was late by 1 hour. Our flight started at 11:15 from Delhi.  We reached Malé airport at 2:30 Maldives time. After a long queue, we got our visa on arrival.  They asked for return ticket and hotel bookings at that time.  There was no Wi-Fi at airport.  When we came out, all the private resort people are standing to receive their customers.  We have booked hotel in public island named Fulidhoo.  An airport personnel suggested me to go to Information counter.  As i did not bought a sim, i was thinking how to connect to my boat person.  Then the lady at information counter told me to use phone which is free to use.  I called my hotel and told him i have arrived and also my boat person of Dream Speed which my hotel has booked for me   They told me to stay there and they will collect us from that area only.  After few minutes, Dream Speed boat person came and took our luggage and us to boat.  We started our journey from airport to fulidhoo at around 4 pm in speed boat called Dream Speed.  It was totally new experience for us   We were on sea passing through different different small islands and sand beds with water gushing on sides due to speed of our boat.  As the evening as setting in, sea and sky were coming together with clouds giving different shades. it was like sky and sea are meeting together.  It was like a dream. After 1..5 hour boat ride, we reached Fulidhoo island.  Our hotel owner, Afoo from Huvan Inn was at the jetty to receive us.  They took our luggage in buggy and we reached out hotel in just 5 minutes.  We were given welcome drink on arrival which was tasty orange juice.  We booked two rooms, one triple room and one double room. The rooms were neat and clean and beautiful.  From our triple room, there is a big window from where we can see basketball area and also sea was visible from our room.  Then Afoo took us for a walk around island and he showed us three eating restaurants and the main lane from where we can see sea at both ends.  Me and my kids, we explore the island and to our surprise we covered the whole island in just less than half hour.  The sun is getting down so we headed towards the famous place for evening on this island which is jetty area. As where one can enjoy sunset and the famous Sting rays and sharks at the shore.  As night set in, we went to Cafe de Orzo for dinner.  As my wife is pure vegetarian, we ordered one veg fried rice and for us we ordered tuna fried rice and chicken curry.  To our surprise, the person bought veg fried rice with egg omelette on it as they considered egg to be vegetarian.  So i suggest all the vegetarians to specifically tell your restaurant person to not put egg in your veg dish as my wife didn't eat that. 

DAY 2

We wake up next morning with sea visible from our room.  I and my son went outside and enjoyed the morning breeze of sea.  Then we had breakfast.  Afoo booked us day trip.  As it was Friday, all person go to mosque for prayers till 2 o'clock.  So we roam around the island and played in sea water.  Most beautiful part of this island is sunset bikini beach near the tower.  The water there is so clear and with different shades of blue. It was treat to watch.  They have made swimming area with stone wall on that side.  We played in the sea and clicked photos.  It was mesmerizing.  Then at 2 o'clock we started our day trip.  First we went to ship wreck where we did snorkeling.  For my daughter it was first time and she fully enjoyed.  Then we went to island hopping to Thinadoo island. We took a round.  It was clean island.  Then we went to sand bank.  Our boat parked a little way from sand bank as the water is quite shallow around it.  We walked in waist high water to reach sand bank.  It was awesome.  A little piece of sand in the form of small island with sea all around it wherever we see.  We spent around half an hour there and clicked photos.  It was great experience.  One must do.  Then we went to shark point.  Here we did snorkeling with bunch of sharks.  My daughter thoroughly enjoyed it.  Then we came back to our island.  As the evening has set in, we again went to our favourite place jetty and keep watching sting rays and sharks swimming at the shore.  We met Indian teachers today who are teaching at fulidhoo school. They were from Kerala.  They told us the school there is till 10th class. 

DAY 3

Today, we changed our hotel from Huvan Inn to Fulidhoo White Inn.  It was clean hotel but the rooms are small.  It's location was also good.  We can see sea from our rooms as we took sea facing rooms.  It was a leisure day for us.  We moved around island and our favourite past time to go to jetty and see sting rays and sharks on the beach.  The downside of this hotel is there is no one whole day to ask us if we need anything.

Day 4:  we had our breakfast at our hotel.  We have hired a private speed boat from fulidhoo to maafushi.  It was a 1 hour ride.  We have booked Ocean Vista hotel for 2 nights.  We were greeted with water melon juice on arrival.  The owner Arun is Indian.  We have booked two rooms here also, one triple and one double sea view room.  Both rooms were near and clean with kettle and mini fridge.  Winnie the owner's wife is ever smiling and ready to help.  After taking we rest we went for a walk around the island.  It was bigger than fulidhoo and more touristy with lots of shops and hotels and full of tourists and many of them were Indians. For next day we booked day trip tour to sun siyam private island resort tour from salt beach tours.  We went to Hot bite famous for pizza and fast food.  We took 3 pizzas with coke free.  The size of pizza was large and tasty too.  We enjoyed it.  After 3 days we had Indian dinner at our hotel and it was very nice and tasty.  I highly recommend if u want to Indian food in maafushi, go to Ocean Vista.  It was tasty and cheap also.

Day 5

We wake up and it was raining heavily.  In rain we went to our tour operator if is it possible to go for private island resort tour.  They said yes.  So around 8:30 we started for our tour.  In half an hour we were at sun siyam private island.  It was still raining.  We have to wait for half an hour for some one to guide us and receive us.  They told us which areas are allowed to go and which not.  We took battery buggy to go to the swimming pool area.  My kids enjoyed there swimming and we went to sea and roamed around.  At lunch time, we have the alloted area for eating.  The food was mainly vegetarian with very few non-veg options which are not at all tasty and the food overall was not up to the mark and not tasty.  We didn't liked it.  Then we went to other side of the resort and enjoyed sea and took photos.  At 5 o'clock in evening our boat came to take us to maafushi.  Overall, i really didn't liked it as we can eat only in the allotted time of 2 hours. We are restricted to not to go to some areas   My advice is you should opt for private island resort where you can eat and drink any time and unlimited.  We chose the expensive resort but it was low in quality.  Our hotel owner told us we should have gone to filalhohi private island resort where we would have got welcome drink, unlimited free drinks and food whole day so u must consider this type of option and moreover it is cheaper than sun siyam private island resort. As they say naam bada aur darshan chote.

Day 6:

We had breakfasr at  Ocean Vista of puri aalo and dosa which were both tasty.  Then we changed from Ocean Vista to famous Kaani grand hotel.  We have booked two triple sea view rooms for one night there.  We are greeted there with not even half a glass of mango juice (same like sun siyam, naam bada aur darshan chote).  The lady at reception was very snobbish and unfriendly.  We got two top floor rooms   the rooms were big and clean with awesome view of sea from room and sea and island view from balcony.  Today also it was a leisure day for us. We went to bikini beach area and enjoyed there in the sea .  Then again in evening we went to Hot bite and eat tasty pizzas over there. We met two Indian waiters there, one from uttarakhand and other from Punjab.  Now the worst part i want to tell you.  On insistence of my daughter, we opted to go for buffet dinner at famous Arena hotel where the price of buffet is 15 USD per person.  Let me tell you please don't waste your money there   the food was really bad and not up to the mark and not at all tasty. It was like total wastage of money.  Rather one should go somewhere and buy dishes of their own choice as it will be cheaper and i hope so tasty also.

Day 7

Finally the day has come when we have to come back.  We had our speed boat booked from our hotel at 12 o'clock as our flight was at 3 pm.  It's an half an hour journey from maafushi to airport. our indigo flight was delayed by 1:30 hours  we started at around 4:30 pm from airport and reached Delhi at around 8:30 pm

Expenses per day and overall

Return Flight ticket of indigo was 19500 per person

Speed boat charges from airport to fulidhoo is 40 USD per person

Huvan Inn was double room for 45 USD and triple room for 60 USD per night with breakfast.  So Total 210 USD for 2 nights

Food expenses were around 100 USD for all six of us for one day

Excursion trip to ship wreck, sandbank, Thinadoo island and shark point costed us only 200 USD for six persons with snorkeling included

Fulidhoo White Inn hotel was 65 USD per room per night with breakfast.  So total for 2 rooms is 130 USD

Private boat from fulidhoo to maafushi is 130 USD for all six of us

Ocean Vista we got 2 rooms at same price as Huvan Inn that is 105 USD for 2 rooms per night with breakfast.. so for 2 nights total 210 USD.

Food expenses around 100 USD for day

Private island resort day tour costed us 635 USD for all six of us.  (Not worthed the most expensive)

Kaani grand 2 sea view triple rooms with boat transfer from maafushi to airport= 380 USD

Buffet dinner at hotel Arena= 81 dollars

Important tips:

1. Please go to Information counter at airport if you have booked hotel in local island as you can make free call from there to contact your hotel owner regarding Speed boat as buying sim is not advisable

2.  Try food at Dream Hut Fulidhoo as i came to know a chef from private island resort has opted to open his own restaurant and people say the food is tasty there. (I came to know this too late to try there)

3.  For Indians, please book Ocean Vista as it is near and clean with awesome owners and more importantly If you want to eat tasty Indian food at good price than others.

4.  Please opt for only that private island resort tour where you have the choice of unlimited and whole day food option.

5.  It's okay to go in off season. There is no such thing that one cannot enjoy during that period.  Take one or two extra days for rain then also it will be cheaper than peak season and moreover you will enjoy more days at less price.

6.  If you are going to fulidhoo, my personal recommendation is Huvan Inn.  Afoo is gem of a person and always ready to help.  Hotel is neat and clean and the hospitality is excellent.

For any other queries, you can ask me any question anytime.  Thanks