Lonely Planet Maldives

,

• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781786571687
• eBook ISBN: 9781788681476

North & South Male Atolls

Around Male

Hulhumale

Hulhule

Villingili

North Male Atoll

Kaashidhoo

Gaafaru Falhu

South Male Atoll

Maafushi

North & South Male Atolls

Why Go?

North and South Male Atolls are home to many of the country’s most famous and best established resorts, and all the islands here are within easy reach of the capital city and Velana International Airport. South Male Atoll is also home to Maafushi, the biggest success story of Maldives’ opening up to independent tourism on inhabited islands, where there are now more than 50 guesthouses and multiple dive and water-sports centres, although concerns about overdevelopment abound.

Both atolls have a wealth of natural draws too: excellent dive sites pepper both sides of Vaadhoo Kandu, the channel that runs between North and South Male Atolls, while Gaafaru Falhu Atoll, north of North Male Atoll, has at least three diveable shipwrecks. Some of Maldives’ best surf breaks can be found in North Male Atoll, which is home to a small, seasonal surfer scene, and the beaches are superb almost everywhere.

When to Go

• Jan–Apr Divers will experience the best visibility in the water at these times.
• May–Nov The best months to surf North and South Male’s excellent breaks.
• Dec–Mar High season brings the best weather, with almost unbroken sunshine common for weeks at a time.

Best Resorts

A One & Only Reethi Rah

A Cocoa Island by COMO

A Gili Lankanfushi

A Jumeirah Vittaveli

A Rihiveli Beach Resort

Best Guesthouses

A Coke’s Beach

A Kaani Village & Spa

A Crystal Sands

A Arena Beach Hotel

A Canopus Retreats Thulusdhoo

Around Male

With Male bursting at the seams, several surrounding islands are being developed to relieve the housing pressure on the capital. The following islands are worth a visit from Male by local ferry.

Around Male

1Sights

1China-Maldives Friendship BridgeC3

2 Activities, Courses & Tours

2Banana ReefC2

3Hans Hass PlaceA3

4Honky’sD1

5JailbreaksD1

6Lion’s HeadA3

7Maldive VictoryC3

8Manta PointD1

9Okobe ThilaC1

10Sultan’sD1

4Sleeping

11Angsana IhuruA1

12Bandos Island ResortC1

13BarosA1

14Gili LankanfushiD1

15Hotel Ocean Grand at HulhumaleD3

16Hulhule Island HotelC3

17Kurumba MaldivesC2

18Le Vieux Nice InnD2

19Paradise Island Resort & SpaD1

20Planktons BeachD2

21Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & SpaD2

5Eating

Bombay Darbar(see 15)

Family Room Cafe(see 20)

22Ravin’sD3

8Information

23Elysian MaldivesB3

8Transport

FlyMe(see 25)

24Hulhumale-Male FerryC2

25Male FerryC3

Trans Maldivian Airways(see 25)

Hulhumale

Hulhumale is Maldives’ brave new world, an overflow island for Male’s population that has been planned in great detail and now measures several times its original size following land reclamation projects that have even swallowed up a second island.

Built 2m above sea level to protect against sea-level rises, this large island is mainly of interest to travellers as a place to overnight cheaply when transiting Male, though anyone interested in urban planni...

Table of contents

• Table of Contents
• Welcome to Maldives
• Maldives’ Top 10
• Need to Know
• What’s New
• If You Like…
• Choosing a Resort
• Diving, Snorkelling & Surfing
• Big Creatures of the Deep Gallery
• Eat & Drink Like a Local
• Local Life Gallery
• Independent Travel
• Regions at a Glance
• Male
• North & South Male Atolls
• Ari Atoll & Around
• Northern Atolls
• Southern Atolls
• Understand Maldives
• Maldives Today
• History
• Maldivian Way of Life
• Wildlife in Maldives
• Environmental Issues & Responsible Travel
• Arts, Crafts & Architecture
• Directory A–Z
• Transport
• Health
• Language
• Behind the Scenes
• Our Writer