If you think holidaying in the Maldives is way too expensive, you ought to visit their local islands and one of the most stunning yet an affordable one would be Maafushi Island in the South Male Atoll. We arrived at Maafushi in a matter of 45 minutes on a speedboat from the Male Airport but you can also travel on a public ferry which will take about 1.5 – 2 hours to arrive at this paradisiac getaway. As one of the most popular tourist islands, Maafushi has plenty to offer to the avid traveler with its stunning beaches, popular yet affordable guest houses and plenty of adventure sports to keep you at your feet.

Apart from the idyllic beaches, we will take you through the many exhilarating and fascinating things to do in Maafushi. The Bikini beach is where we felt mostly free as we were able to wear whatever we pleased whereas the other beaches in the island are not allowing to expose your skin unnecessarily. At the public beach you get to see families and large groups of people enjoying the tropical weather and we managed to take a walk through the long stretches of powdery shores.

The most exciting part about the whole journey were the water sports where you get three remarkable reefs to snorkel. Turtle reef, Banana Reef and Biyadhoo Reef were exceptional with its colourful fish and coral formation. Some of the guesthouses will assist you and organise snorkel and diving excursions at your request.

At the Maafushi Active Water Sports next to the harbor we were able to try out so many water sports and if you’re willing to give it a try you will be spoilt for choice from windsurfing, parasailing, canoeing, fishing, knee boarding, jet-skiing to fly-boarding. Don’t forget to take a ride on a speedboat to watch the dolphins and we were lucky to witness those carefree creatures spinning in and out of the waters.

If you’re a foodie, you ought to try out the food at the many places we managed to experience some local as well fusion food in the island. Arena Beach Hotel has its classic Margarita Pizza that literally made my day and the BBQ dinner buffet was quite good. The best place to chill out was at the Floating Restaurant Bar where we go to enjoy the Maafushi sunset with a couple of beers. Kaalama Restaurant at the Velana Beach Hotel had some amazing grilled seafood and the velvety chocolate cake topped with ice cream was out of this world.

The island has plenty of accommodation options and affordable ones too. Kaani Beach Hotel is a decent place to stay in Maafushi nestled amidst coconut palm trees and overlooking the ocean. We enjoyed a really good breakfast and the open-air rooftop terrace is perfect to chill out with loungers and sky views. Maafushi Inn offers beachfront accommodation and we got a perfect beach view room. This place is ideal to stay with your family and oh they offer dolphin watching excursions. For a more refined stay, you ought to try out Velana Beach Hotel with chic décor and the best part about it was that it was just a few walks away from the bikini beach. Arena Beach hotel was quite nice with the property being settled over the turquoise blue lagoon and they excursions were organized by the hotel staff exclusively for the guests.

This charming island has so much to offer and be sure to visit Maafushi during your vacation in the Maldives away from the hustle and bustle.

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