Maafushivaru Maldives is just a 25-minute seaplane journey from Male, offering a small island charm with contemporary architecture in the pristine South Ari Atoll. The island is over 350 meters in length. Its lush vegetation encircled by white beaches partially shades Maafushivaru.
This time, to reach our last but most definitely not least resort in our Maldivian trip, we flew in a seaplane for the first time in our lives. Upon your arrival on the Island, Maafushivaru’s excellent staff welcomes every single guest, and to each one of us, they say, “welcome home.” And you know what? We felt at home!
Renovation
After a year-long renovation, on 1 July 2020, Maafushivaru returned renovated and refreshed but lost none of its tropical island charms. The resort is back and ready to reclaim its place in the Maldives luxury market.
The 5-star resort is the second best resort on the South Ari Atoll and number six of all 412 resorts in the Maldives. How awesome is that?
Accommodations
At Maafushivaru Maldives, you will have five options: Beach Villa, Water Villa, Beach Pool Villa, Duplex Pool Villa, and Water Pool Villa.
If you are traveling with your family, the Duplex Pool Villa is the perfect villa for you as it’s right at the beach and you have plenty of space.
Our room
If you are a massive fan of an overwater bungalow (like us), check it out in our room below.
We stayed in their Water Villa. A gorgeous room with a large deck with direct access to the ocean, a bathroom with a beautiful bathtub in front of a fantastic window so you can appreciate the view while relaxing. Also, the bathroom has a shower with a glass door from where you can access the outdoor deck.
The outdoor deck also has a shower beside the ocean stairs. Super convenient!
Prices
The price range ranges from USD 384 to $552 USD. Price may vary depending on the season. Click here to go to their website and check more info about prices.
Meal Plans
At Maafushivaru, you will find three types of meal plans: Half board, Half board plus, and All inclusive. Below, we’ll explain each one of them.
Half board: Breakfast and dinner at the buffet.
Half board plus: Breakfast and dinner at the buffet and alcoholic drinks included
All included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner either in the buffet or at any of their a la Carte restaurants, plus alcoholic drinks.
In our case, we got the Half Board plus but also could enjoy some of their a la Carte restaurants.
The funny thing is that Maafushivaru was the only resort we stayed at where you could have a half board with alcoholic drinks. The half board also consists of some afternoon snacks at the library lounge.
Buffet & a La Carte Restaurants
Their buffet was one of our favorites on the whole trip! The variety is fantastic!! It has everything you can imagine. To give you an example, there’s Japanese food at breakfast! Haha
So imagine dinner? The food is fantastic, with plenty of options!
We tried out the buffet on our first night there.
On our second night, we went to their Japanese restaurant, UMI. Beautiful restaurant with the option of teppanyaki. Of course, we had an amazing, fantastic time as we love Japanese food. We’ve tried several things from the menu, and everything was great. We super recommend it!
Last night, we went to their signature restaurant, Moodhu Grill. We can’t recommend this restaurant enough. We ordered completely different things from the menu, which were all fantastic. Also our waiter, “Zupa,” was just the best. He was the one who suggested our dishes, from appetizers to main primary and desserts. As we always say, what makes a hotel five-star is the people, and Maafushivaru is a legit 5-star resort.
In our opinion, as we mentioned in previous posts already, the best meal plan you can get in the Maldives is the all inclusive all-inclusive. Even if you don’t drink, it’s still worth it. You pay for everything beforehand, and there are no surprises.
There are usually a few other advantages in the all-inclusive meal plan, such as non-motorized water sports on a complimentary basis, snorkeling excursions or sunset cruises, and discounts. For more info, click here.
When to visit?
The best time to visit the Maldives is from November to April (also the high season), with little precipitation and warm temperatures. May to October (Low season and cheaper) is considered the rainy season, with the islands seeing between 5 and 10 inches of precipitation monthly and often strong winds. The island nation is warm and sunny year-round but consists of a dry season and a wet, rainy season and wet, rainy seasons. Temperatures average between 26 °C and 29 °C throughout the year.
What to do inside the resort?
Their buffet was one of our favorites on the whole trip! The variety is fantastic!! It has everything you can imagine. To give you an example, there’s Japanese food at breakfast! Haha
So imagine dinner? The food is fantastic, with plenty of options!
We tried out the buffet on our first night there.
On our second night, we went to their Japanese restaurant, UMI. Beautiful restaurant with the option of teppanyaki. Of course, we had an amazing, fantastic time as we love Japanese food. We’ve tried several things from the menu, and everything was great. We super recommend it!
Last night, we went to their signature restaurant, Moodhu Grill. We can’t recommend this restaurant enough. We ordered completely different things from the menu, which were all fantastic. Also our waiter, “Zupa,” was just the best. He was the one who suggested our dishes, from appetizers to main primary and desserts. As we always say, what makes a hotel five-star is the people, and Maafushivaru is a legit 5-star resort.
In our opinion, as we mentioned in previous posts already, the best meal plan you can get in the Maldives is the all inclusive all-inclusive. Even if you don’t drink, it’s still worth it. You pay for everything beforehand, and there are no surprises.
There are usually a few other advantages in the all-inclusive meal plan, such as non-motorized water sports on a complimentary basis, snorkeling excursions or sunset cruises, and discounts. For more info, click here.
When to visit?
The best time to visit the Maldives is from November to April (also the high season), with little precipitation and warm temperatures. May to October (Low season and cheaper) is considered the rainy season, with the islands seeing between 5 and 10 inches of precipitation monthly and often strong winds. The island nation is warm and sunny year-round but consists of a dry season and a wet, rainy season and wet, rainy seasons. Temperatures average between 26 °C and 29 °C throughout the year.
What to do inside the resort?
If you want even more fun in paradise, Maafushivaru Maldives will get you ready. They have water sports like windsurfing, glass bottom boat, Tubing and banana ride, Kayak, SUP, wakeboarding, water skiing, and more.
If you want to explore those beautiful waters and sea life, they also offer Snorkel Safari, Sunset Cruise, Sunset Fish, Manta Ray Excursion, Whale Shark Excursion, etc.
You can also enjoy DJ afternoons and open-air movie nights!
They also have a gym with an ocean front view and a SPA with an infinity pool inside ocean front view, and an indoor SPA with an infinity pool. Everyone in the resort has access to this infinity pool inside the SPA yo; you don’t need to have a massage scheduled or anything like that to use it.
We did the whale shark excursion. It’s Fred’s TOP thing on his bucket list. Since we got together 7seven years ago, Fred has talked about that. It’s his dream to dive with whale sharks.
Great day ahead
Our guide and biologist said there’s a 50% chance of finding a whale shark. The conditions can be perfect, but they are still wild animals, so you can never guarantee you’ll find one. A day before, they did find one, so we got our hopes high and were super excited.
We sailed out to try to find this magnificent animal. In the middle of the excursion, we saw some gorgeous dolphins and, to our surprise, a manta ray!
Just wow
We all went into the water and had this fantastic, unique opportunity to swim with it. What a magical moment! It looked like the manta ray was flying under the water. And it was!
After a few hours out there trying to find the whale shark, unfortunately, we didn’t find any. As we said above, It’s never guaranteed to spot one, no matter the conditions. Even our guide (a biologist) was amazed that we didn’t find it in such perfect conditions.
This only means we’ll have to return to the Maldives soon so we can try it again.
The experience was unique, though. We were fascinated by the manta ray—first time diving with it.
Final thoughts
It Maafushivaru Maldives is without question an incredible five stars hotel. The staff is excellent; the resort is gorgeous and cozy, as the island is not huge. The alternative is brand new, renovated, and has incredible food, drinks, and much more.
What about you? Planning on going to the Maldives? Still have questions about It Maafushivaru? Let us know your thoughts.
Xx
Luana & Fred
