Guraidhoo Island in the Maldives: everything about rest, prices, locations

This small local island is located in South Male (Kaafu) Atoll about 30 kilometers from the Maldives capital. Quiet Guraidhoo, with a population of around 1,800, is not as popular with tourists as neighboring Maafushi and offers guests a more authentic holiday experience.

Interesting fact: in ancient times, the island served as a refuge for the sultans, where they were during political unrest.

Currently, the island has shops (including souvenir shops), a hospital and a pharmacy, a police station, a school and a playground, restaurants, cafes and eateries, diving centers, and an ATM.

Characteristics of Guraidhoo Island:

Population - about 1800 people
Length - 675 m
Width - 500 m
Atoll - South Male or Kaafu
Distance from Male - 30 km

Ithaa Beach Maldives

How to get to Guraidhoo

Getting to the island is easy using a public ferry or speedboat.

The public ferry departs from Male 5 days a week (except Monday and Friday) at 15:00 and arrives in Guraidhoo at 17:00, making stops along the way at Gulhi and Maafushi islands. The nuance is that tickets for it cannot be purchased online on their own. These can be purchased upon arrival in the Maldives at the ferry counter or by contacting your hotel / guesthouse with a request.

Read more about ferry service in the Maldives here.

In addition, it should be remembered that in bad weather or due to an epidemiological situation, the ferry could be canceled, so when choosing a trip on this type of transport, you should always have a "plan B" and consider alternative types of transfer or the likelihood of spending the night in Male.

The public speedboat leaves the airport daily (except Friday) at 12:00, 15:10 and 21:20, and on Friday at 9:00 and 21:20. The cost of the trip is USD 30-35 and its duration is 35-40 minutes.

You can also sail to the island by private speedboat. You can order a transfer on a public or private speedboat at the guesthouse where you book your accommodation.

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Hotels and guesthouses on Guraidhoo

There are about 20 guesthouses on the island offering both budget and more luxurious accommodations for travelers. Among them:

Athens View Hotel is an inexpensive 3-star hotel 100 meters from the beach. There is a restaurant, shared lounge and parking ($ 50 with breakfast).
Rosy Villa Hotel is a clean and well-maintained hotel close to the beach. Facilities include a restaurant, pool, billiards, shared lounge, children's play area (about $ 115 with breakfast).
Wind Breeze Sunset View Inn is a nice guesthouse located on the waterfront. There is a restaurant, free bike rental, the possibility of ordering excursions ($ 90 with breakfast).
IRIS Beach Residence is a comfortable and modern guesthouse on the beach, consisting of 11 rooms. There is a swing, a terrace, the possibility of organizing fishing and visiting interesting locations for snorkeling (about US $ 70 with breakfast).
Ithaa Beach Maldives is a guesthouse with caring staff and a private beach area. It has its own restaurant, lots of natural shade, the opportunity to go fishing near the guesthouse and barbecue on the beach. Nearby there is a children's park ($ 100 with breakfast or $ 160 with all-inclusive meals).
Guraidhoo Palm Inn is a pleasant guest house with a restaurant (the menu mainly serves local cuisine), two terraces, one of which is equipped with a sound and light system, which allows entertainment for guests here, including a traditional dance show Boduberu. There is a pool table and table football, many excursions.
Medhufaru Inn Guest House is a small guesthouse consisting of 6 rooms. There is a good restaurant and its own boat for excursions and water sports, opportunities for surfing and diving, and wedding ceremonies.
Ocean Retreat and Spa is a 3-star hotel consisting of 17 rooms. There is a restaurant and sun terrace with scenic lagoon views.

Ithaa Beach Maldives

Nutrition

Popular places to grab a bite to eat on the island include Café Amore, which serves local, Asian and international cuisine, as well as vegetarian options at very affordable prices.

Café CHAMBAO, located next to the beach, is renowned for its delicious food and fun, casual atmosphere. In addition to mouth-watering local and Mediterranean cuisine, as well as fresh juices, guests can enjoy pleasant music, hookah, karaoke and good family service.

Another popular place on the island, The WALL Cafe & Bistro combines simple delicious food (including local and Indian dishes, as well as pizza), courteous staff and reasonable prices.

What traditional food should a tourist in the Maldives try? Read in our article.

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Things to do on the island

All conditions have been created on the island to make the guests' leisure time rich and exciting. Among the entertainment:

snorkeling (half day, full day or night swimming) and diving;
night or early morning fishing with the subsequent preparation of your catch;
watching dolphins play in the ocean;
trips to sandbanks, which may include dinner at sunset;
swimming with turtles at Turtle Point and snorkeling with manta rays at Manta Point;
meetings with whale sharks;
picnics on uninhabited islands;
travel to neighboring atolls;
active water activities (catamaran, windsurfing, canoeing, jet ski, water skiing, wakeboarding and others).Z

Beaches

The island has a clean and well-groomed beach opposite the luxurious Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, but swimwear is officially prohibited on the beach. For a beach holiday in a bikini, you need to take a minute walk across the small footbridge to the neighboring uninhabited island of Lhosfushi.

Snorkeling and diving

The noteworthy reef is located quite far from the island, so local hoteliers organize snorkeling safaris for their guests, during which you can appreciate the variety of marine life around the island.

As far as diving is concerned, diving in this region is possible throughout the year. The South Male Atoll area is home to large schools of fish, tuna and shark, sea turtles and manta rays, napoleons and moray eels, there are many corals and caves, as well as one wreck.

Dive Point Guraidhoo (SSI) and Manta Divers (PADI) island diving centers, equipped with high quality equipment, offer their customers a full range of services, while paying great attention to safety standards:

courses for guests of all skill levels (from beginners to advanced divers);
diving with a guide for certified divers;
exciting dives with an underwater scooter.

Dive Point Guraidhoo School Estimated Prices :

1-5 dives for certified divers - about $ 60;
SSI Basic Diver course - about $ 100;
SSI Scuba Diver course - $ 370;
SSI Open Water Diver course - $ 540.

Some of the most beautiful and famous dive sites to visit:

Guraidhoo Kandu;
Guraidhoo Corner;
Losfushi Kandu / Corner;
Medhu Faru;
Kandooma Thila;
Kandooma Caves;
Kuda Giri (rack);
Cocoa Corner.

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Surfing

It is no secret that the Maldives is one of the most famous countries in the surfing world. In addition, off the island of Guraidhoo there are a number of famous surf spots suitable for athletes of all skill levels - Foxy's, Riptides and Kates. Here you can hone your skills and receive individual and group lessons in this undoubtedly vibrant and exciting sport.

When and where is it better to surf in the Maldives? Find out about it from our article.

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Visiting resort islands (Resort day trip) and local islands

Travelers looking to pamper themselves with impeccable service and stylish relaxation can visit one of the resorts that host guests from the local islands:

The cost of the trip, as a rule, includes payment for transfer and entrance to the territory of the resort, food and drinks (including alcoholic ones), a towel and a sunbed, the possibility of using infrastructure facilities.

Detailed conditions and cost of such a trip should be inquired at your guesthouse.

In addition, close to Guraidhoo are the local islands of Maafushi and Gulhi, which can be reached by public ferry, or request such a trip from your hotelier.

Biyadhoo Island Resort