OUTRIGGER Maafushivaru is a 25-minute seaplane flight from Velana, in South Ari Atoll. Seaplanes fly in daylight only, so your flight from India needs to be on the ground at Malé by 15:30. Land later and you overnight in Malé at your own cost. That is the single most common way people lose a night on this island.
The island runs a little over 350 metres across, carries 81 villas, and has a house reef along the beach. Snorkelling equipment and an hour of non-motorised watersports a day are included on every meal plan.
The house reef, honestly
Sharks are the reason to snorkel here. Blacktip, whitetip and nurse sharks come in close, grey reef sharks patrol the outer edge, and eagle rays, sting rays, barracuda and moray are regular. Turtles turn up, but they are not a given.
Three routes are marked and the reef cuts are buoyed. The shortest swim to the drop-off is the ladder at the end of the Over Water Villa with Private Pool pier. There is a second ladder at Sunrise Jetty and beach entry in front of the main pool. A gentle drift circles the island, so you go in up-current and come out at the next cut. From the standard Over Water Villas the swim is longer and the current runs harder.
The coral is the caveat. The resort runs a propagation programme with a resident marine biologist and guests describe coral being regrown around the island. Snorkellers who have seen a lot of the Maldives call this reef good rather than exceptional. If a world-class house reef is the whole reason for your trip, tell us and we will point you at two or three islands that beat it.
Choosing a villa
One thing worth knowing before you pick: the Beach Villa prices above the Over Water Villa in every single season on this rate. If you assumed beach was the cheaper option, it is not here. The Over Water Villa is 95 sqm with a ladder straight into the lagoon, and it is the least expensive room on the island.
The Sunset Over Water Villa with Hot Tub is the same 95 sqm, west-facing, with a heated tub on the deck. The pool villas step up to 151 sqm over water and 120 sqm on the beach. All six categories on this rate take three adults, or two adults and one child.
If snorkelling matters to you, the Over Water Villa with Private Pool is worth the step up for a reason that has nothing to do with the pool: its pier ends closest to the reef drop-off.
What this offer does not cover: the Family Beach Villa and the two-bedroom beach villas with private pool. If you need two separate bedrooms, tell us and we will price those on their own.
What this actually costs
Every price shown is per villa, two adults sharing, three nights, half board, with return seaplane transfers included. The 10% service charge, 17% T-GST and green tax are already inside the figure. Nothing is added at check-out.
Half board means breakfast and dinner at Cuisine Gallery, the buffet restaurant. Drinks are charged as you take them. Half Board Plus adds alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks from noon each day. Dine-Around All Inclusive opens lunch at Edgewater and dinner at any of the à la carte restaurants. Both upgrades are a per-adult, per-night supplement. Ask us and we will put the current number inside your costing rather than let you meet it at reception.
Eating
Cuisine Gallery is the buffet and where half board is served. Moodhu Grill is a grill house spread across five over-water dining platforms. Art-i-san sits at the highest point on the island and is the fine-dining room. Koto does Japanese and a teppanyaki table over the sunset lagoon. Book the à la carte venues before you arrive; they are small and they fill.
Families
There is a Treehouse Kids Retreat, a 9-hole mini golf track and a games area, so the island works for children even though the villas on this offer are two-adult-plus-one rooms. Navasana Spa, a PADI dive school and a doctor’s clinic are all on the island.
Who this isn’t for
Anyone landing at Malé in the evening. Seaplane-only access with a 15:30 cut-off is unforgiving and there is no speedboat alternative. It is also the wrong island if you want a big resort with several pools and a long list of bars. One infinity pool, one social bar, a short walk end to end. And if you are a serious snorkeller chasing pristine coral, this is not the reef for you, whatever the sharks are doing.
For current rates, villa availability and transfer costs, message our Maldives specialists on WhatsApp or send us an enquiry. We reply within 24 hours.