Thulusdhoo Island in the Maldives: everything about hotels, prices, locations

Thulusdhoo is a small local island with a population of about one and a half thousand people, located 27 kilometers north of the capital of the Maldives, Malé. Travel time by ferry is about 1.5 hours, and by speedboat - about 20-30 minutes. Like most local islands of the Maldives, Thulusdhoo is a great solution for tourists who are on a budget. There will be no luxury villas and restaurants, but there are several good guesthouses and 3-4 star hotels. As for nature, the Maldives are the Maldives: you will definitely like it, especially if you are on the islands for the first time. In addition, Thulusdhoo is famous for its excellent surfing spots. After all, the island's infrastructure is primarily focused on surfers.

Characteristics of Thulusdhoo Island

• The population is about 1400 people.
• Length - 1.58 kilometers.
• Width - 650 meters.
• Area - 33 hectares.
• Atoll - Kaafu.
• Other names of the island are Thulusdhoo, Thulusdhu, Thulusdu, Tulusdhu.
• Distance from Malé - 27 kilometers.

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Infrastructure in Thulusdhoo

The island has several small mini-markets and souvenir shops, a pharmacy, a first aid station, several cafes and restaurants, an ATM (it only gives out Maldivian rufiyaa, so it is better to bring US dollars with you) and a playground. However, the main attraction of the island is the Coca Cola plant, which is unique in that it is the only plant in the world that uses desalinated water to produce drinks.

There are two beaches on Thulusdhoo: both are sandy, but with some admixture of coral remains and palm leaves. In the water you can meet sea creatures camouflaged on the bottom, so it is better to have special shoes with you. You will find a turquoise lagoon, a good house reef and world-class surf breaks, excursions and traditional Maldivian entertainment, the opportunity to communicate with locals and immerse yourself in the culture of the Maldivian islands. Of the minuses, the beaches are rarely cleaned, and there is not as much greenery on Thulusdhoo as, say, on the island of Thoddoo, but still a beautiful Maldivian picture of palm trees and a lagoon opens up on the beaches.

Season Paradise

How to get to Thulusdhoo

The most budget-friendly way to get to the island is by local ferry, which departs from Malé daily (except Fridays), stopping on the islands of Himmafushi and Huraa along the way. It runs several times a day. It is important to note that in bad weather the ferry can be cancelled or delayed. Fortunately, bad weather rarely happens in the Maldives, especially in the dry season - from late December to March. The cost of a ferry ride is within a few dollars. Ferries, or often public boats, depart from the northern pier on the main island of Malé.

A faster and more convenient type of transfer is a speedboat. In this case, the trip will take about 30 minutes and cost about $30. You should talk to your guest house about the possibility of booking.

Tourists who are not short of money and prefer to travel in comfort can use the services of a private transfer.

When planning a trip, it is important to consider that the ferry and speedboat schedule may change depending on the weather, holidays, so be sure to check the latest information immediately before the trip. Contact the online chat - Wiotto managers will help you plan your trip.

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Hotels and Guesthouses in Thulusdhoo Island

• Season Paradise is an award-winning, and by local standards, large, 4-star hotel located steps from Bikini Beach. There's a restaurant, rooftop infinity pool, spa and gym (around $110 self-catering, or from $140 with breakfast and dinner).
• Reef Edge is another great 4-star hotel with great food, located next to Bikini Beach. There is a barbecue area and free bike rentals (around $120 with breakfast).
• Surf Deck is a budget guesthouse near Bikini Beach. Popular surf spots Coke's and Chicken's are nearby. Several types of excursions are available upon request (from $55).
• Iru Maldives is a cozy and beautifully decorated guest house on the beachfront. There is no restaurant of its own, but it is possible to pre-order meals from the menu and organize some excursions. There is a free bike rental ($180 with breakfast).
• Akiri Surf Retreat is a modern three-room guesthouse about 300 meters from Bikini Beach. They have free bicycles, provide guests with local SIM cards upon request, and organize excursions (about $65 with breakfast).
• Dream Inn - 3-star hotel 5 minutes' walk from the beach. There is a restaurant offering a variety of dishes and the possibility to book excursions ($140 with breakfast).
• Canopus Retreat is a two-story guest house near the beach. There is a good restaurant, a spa, bicycles and equipment for snorkeling and water sports.
• Orimas Retreat - a nice guest house near the beach, consisting of 5 rooms. There are boats, canoes, water sports equipment for rent ($95).
• Samura Maldives is a beachfront guesthouse with a common area for relaxation equipped with awnings, tables and umbrellas. Meals and a selection of excursions are provided.
• Villa Kudi Maldives is an elegant Italian-run villa that has been welcoming guests since 2017. It is a couple of minutes' walk from Bikini Beach. Meals are available and the owners can help plan your leisure time ($90).

Season Paradise

Resorts Near Thulusdhoo

There are several resorts very close to Thulusdhoo, one of them is even visible from the island. From there, guests are often organized excursions to Thulusdhoo. You can also combine your vacation: spend a few days on a local island and a few days on a resort island.

Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives

Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives is a 5-star hotel. The island has beach and water villas and residences. All have a private pool, spacious bedrooms, terraces. The exterior and interior have a modern design: not the classic Maldives with thatched roofs, but minimalist rectangular shapes. Very beautiful against the backdrop of lush vegetation and a snow-white beach.

The resort also offers:

• 8 bars and restaurants with a variety of cuisines. Be sure to try the grilled fish.
• A large 150-meter swimming pool. By the way, the largest in the Maldives.
• Access and all the equipment you need to some of the best surf spots in the world, including Chicken’s Break. Surfing lessons are also available.
• Tennis court and library.
• Land and water sports, gym.
• Children's club.

Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives

Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi

Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi is a 4-star resort with water and beach villas. The hotel is a little simpler in terms of comfort than Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives. For example, the villas do not have private pools. But the island and the hotel are cozy. This is a classic Maldivian resort, where the villas have thatched roofs, lots of greenery and sun loungers under the palm trees.

The resort also offers:

• 7 bars and restaurants with several world cuisines.
• Two common swimming pools. One of them is for children.
• Spa center.
• Children's club.
• Water sports, as well as a gym, yoga pavilion, etc.
• Everything you need for diving and surfing.

Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi

Cafes and restaurants in Thulusdhoo

On Thulusdhoo, as on other local islands visited by tourists, most guesthouses have their own cafes or restaurants that will never let you go hungry.

One of the island's most popular dining options is Fusion Restaurant, located in the Canopus Retreat guest house. The menu features local cuisine (including its flagships mas huni and roshi), as well as dishes from around the world, Southeast Asian curries, seafood, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, fresh fruit juices, smoothies, mocktails, tea and, of course, coffee.

At Aveli Restaurant and Grill, guests can dine indoors or outdoors surrounded by nature. In addition to sampling Maldivian and international cuisine, guests can enjoy live music by local musicians on Friday evenings.

Tourists who want to have a budget snack in the company of locals can drop in at the RSR snack bar. And for fans of a more comfortable atmosphere, we recommend visiting the Santa Rosa restaurant, which is part of the guest house of the same name. Here, guests can enjoy dishes of European, Asian and Maldivian cuisine. If there is no time or desire for a full meal, you can limit yourself to snacks, juice or ice cream.

The main principle for choosing food establishments is the following: the quality and menu of restaurants and cafes are similar on average. On the coastline, a dish will be a few dollars more expensive than in an establishment located a little deeper on the island. Prices are approximately as follows: soup - 4-7 dollars; meat or fish dish: 7-10 dollars; etc. Dollars are also accepted for payment, but it is more profitable to pay in rufiyaa - cafes can often calculate the exchange rate in their favor.

Season Paradise

Things to do in Thulusdhoo

Local islands, as a rule, do not have animators and regular hotel entertainment programs. But the owners of local guest houses and hotels try to do everything possible to organize interesting leisure for their guests. Upon request, tourists can be offered lessons in Maldivian cooking and painting, playing national drums, making products from palm leaves. However, Thulusdhoo is not limited to introducing guests to Maldivian crafts and traditions. So be sure to take the chance and try the best that the island has to offer:

• snorkel at Coral Garden, home to sea turtles and reef sharks;
• go fishing on a local dhoni fishing boat, accompanied by an experienced fisherman;
• join an exciting safari with cheerful dolphins;
• discover the beautiful underwater world by scuba diving in the depths of the Indian Ocean;
• take a look behind the scenes at the national Coca Cola factory;
• purchase a day pass to a luxury island resort or visit nearby local islands;
• treat yourself to a candlelit dinner on the beach;
• swim with the mysterious manta rays;
• take a ride on a banana boat, water skis or a glass-bottom kayak;
• observe island life from the inside during a bike ride;
• catch your first (and best) wave at one of the best surf spots in the country.

Be sure to visit one of the three sandbanks located about 20 minutes by boat from Thulusdhoo: One & Only Sand Bank, Asdho Sand Bank and Infinity Sand Bank. Here you can spend time enjoying a picnic, admiring the endless views and all sorts of shades of blue, sunbathing and snorkeling.

Approximate prices:

• Sandbank trip - $30-35;
• Coral Turtle Garden visit - from $20;
• dolphin cruise - from $20;
• snorkeling - from $20 per person;
• Manta Point visit - $45;
• BBQ - $15.

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Beaches in Thulusdhoo

There are only two beaches on the island. One is public, the other is wild. They are located on opposite sides of the island. They are rarely cleaned, so you can find remains of vegetation, corals and sometimes garbage on the sand. However, this is not so critical. You can find a corner for yourself to relax. In general, you can refresh yourself at any point on the coastline - the lagoon around the island is shallow, but there are only two spacious beaches.

Since almost all of the island's inhabitants are Muslim, it is recommended to wear covered clothing when walking along its sandy streets as a sign of respect for the local culture.

Bikini Beach

Thulusdhoo has a small Bikini Beach where you can sunbathe and swim in a swimsuit. There are conditions for snorkeling and relaxing on a sun lounger. It is worth noting that excursion boats moor at the Bikini Beach, so vacationers should be careful in the water. There are also cafes, equipment rental, etc.

Wild Beach

The beach is not completely wild. There are a few simple sunshades, but none of the offerings that Bikini Beach has. The lagoon is not deep to the corals - knee-deep, waist-deep.

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Diving and snorkeling

The house reef of Thulusdhoo Island is home to a variety of corals and fish, turtles, moray eels and other marine life.

You can snorkel on your own or buy packages offered by guest houses. By purchasing such a tour, you can use the services of a guide, and also get the opportunity to arrange an underwater photo shoot, having discussed the conditions of its implementation in advance.

Since the Maldives places great emphasis on environmental conservation, visitors to the islands are asked to be respectful of the underwater world and not to break corals.

If diving is the main purpose of your trip to the Maldives, visit the island dive centers Feenaa or Sea Star Diving, which are a few minutes' walk from the Canopus Retreat guest house. Professional instructors will be happy to share their experience and show you the best diving locations in the North Malé Atoll area, including:

• Meeru Corner
• Long Reef
• Lankan Manta Point
• Aquarium
• Colosseum
• Kani Corner
• Miyaru Faru

The estimated cost for a single dive for a certified diver is $65, with two dives costing around $105. A dive for beginners on the Discover Scuba Diving program will cost $100.

As for PADI courses, their approximate cost is as follows:

• Open Water Diver - $520
• Advanced Open Water Diver - $450
• Rescue Diver - $550
• Dive Master - $1100

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Surfing in Thulusdhoo

The Malé Atolls have long been popular with surfers. Thulusdhoo Island is one of the most famous surf spots in the Maldives, home to popular surf breaks such as Coke's, which is directly accessible from the island, and Chicken's, which is a short boat ride away.

Additionally, Thulusdhoo Island is in close proximity to other famous surf spots including Ninja's, Jailbreak's, Sultans, Honkey's and Tombstones.

The best time to hit the waves in the Maldives is from April to October. But, despite the fact that March and November are considered transitional months, surfing can be quite good at this time too.

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Island Hopping

Near Thulusdhoo there are island resorts open to visitors, we wrote about them above. During visits to such resorts, travelers get the opportunity not only to enjoy all the benefits of a fashionable holiday, but also to taste alcoholic beverages, the consumption of which is strictly prohibited on the local islands. You can find out the cost of such a trip and additional information about it in your guest house or in our online chat.

Additionally, Thulusdhoo Island is close to other inhabited islands such as Dhiffushi, Himmafushi and Huraa, which can be visited by public ferry or by booking a speedboat transfer from your guesthouse.

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