TME Retreats Dhigurah

TME Retreats is a guest house on Dhigurah, a long, narrow island in South Ari Atoll on the edge of the marine protected area where whale sharks are seen all year. Its rooms come in eight types, from a simple standard room to beachside rooms with an outdoor shower and rooms sharing a plunge pool. The shared speedboat from the airport takes 105 to 120 minutes.

It suits couples, friends and families who come for the whale sharks and the beach and want to pick the kind of room they stay in. Every price includes the room, your meal plan, the return speedboat and every Maldivian tax, green tax included.

What you pay

There are eight room types. The Noovilu Standard Room is the simplest and the cheapest. The Shairose and Beach House Deluxe Rooms cost the same and are a little under a tenth more. The Rihiveli Deluxe shares a plunge pool, and the Beachview and Beachside rooms sit by the beach, two of them with an outdoor shower; these are about a tenth to a sixth more than the Standard Room. The Nalavehi Deluxe Family Room takes three adults, or a family with an extra bed, and is the most expensive, about a quarter more than the Standard Room. Prices shown cover two people sharing.

Half board adds dinner and comes to about a third more than bed and breakfast on a three-night stay. Full board can be arranged on request.

The season moves the price. From 16 December to the end of February the same stay costs about a sixth more than in November and early December; March and April are a little dearer than November, and May to September is the cheapest time. The speedboat is a large part of a short stay, so each extra night adds far less than the first three.

What's included, and what isn't

In the price: your room for the nights you pick, breakfast, or breakfast and dinner, the return shared speedboat from Velana airport with seats booked by the hotel and help at the airport, and every Maldivian tax including the green tax.

Not in the price: whale shark trips, excursions and diving, lunch, the optional gala dinners on 24 and 31 December, a domestic flight transfer if you want one, your international flights, travel insurance, Indian TCS, and anything not named above.

Who this isn't for

Anyone on a short trip. With close to two hours each way on the boat, three nights is the least that makes sense, and four gives two chances at the whale sharks.

Anyone who wants a drink with dinner. Dhigurah is an inhabited island and no alcohol is served on it. Dress modestly in the village and away from the bikini beach.

Anyone who suffers badly from seasickness. The crossing is open water and can be rough in the wetter months.

Before you book

The speedboat runs to a timetable, not to your flight. Boats leave the airport at 11:00 and 16:00 (10:00 and 16:00 on Fridays) and return from Dhigurah at 06:30 and 13:30. Land by mid-afternoon to make the last boat; if you land later, we will plan a night near the airport. The ferries are run independently and can be delayed or cancelled at short notice in bad weather. A domestic flight to Maamigili with a ten-minute boat ride can be arranged instead with at least three days' notice.

Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out by 12:00. Cancelling 21 days or less before arrival costs half the stay, and 14 days or less the full stay; no-shows and early departures are charged in full.

Children under two stay and eat free, and children under ten pay half for the meal plan. An extra bed for a child can be added in most rooms.

Send us your dates, who is travelling and when you land. Message us on WhatsApp or send us an enquiry, and we will come back within 24 hours with the right room, the boat that fits your flight and one price for the stay.