EXPLORING KUDAFUSHI THE MALDIVES

Visiting the Maldives has always been one of the best holidays I remember throughout my life. Growing up I was blessed to visit the Maldives a few times with my parents, and still to this day I haven’t been anywhere in the world that quite compares to the beauty of the Maldives. When Mr C and I were looking at booking our next holiday I knew how much we’d enjoy the Maldives together as it really is a romantic hotspot. The Maldives is traditionally a pricey holiday, but I found us a great deal on the website On The Beach for a week in Kudafushi paradise.

I’d originally found Kudafushi island on Instagram and fell in love with it straight away. Kudafushi in Maldivian means tiny island, and compared to previous island’s I’ve visited it is very tiny! Our holiday came around so quickly, and after 13 long hours in the air, we landed in paradise. Normally you would catch a commercial flight to a neighbouring island and then a speedboat to Kudafushi. As I get very sea sick I paid extra and opted for the seaplane. I forgot how bumpy these little planes are and if I was to book the Maldives again I think I would opt in for the boat next time!

Kudafushi is located in the raa atoll roughly forty minutes by seaplane from Male (the mainland). One benefit of catching the seaplane is that you get to see all the beautiful islands from above. Upon arrival, the staff were incredibly helpful and kind. We had Cathy look after us during our stay, and she certainly went above and beyond to ensure we were happy during our stay and answered any questions we had. For the first 3 nights, we stayed in a beach villa with pool. We had originally booked a beach villa for the week, but the lovely PR team at Kudafushi kindly upgraded us to one with a pool and finally a water villa with pool for the last three nights of our stay. The beach villa with pool was breathtaking, I still can’t over how tranquil the outside bathroom was. With beautiful views from the pool and being able to walk straight out onto the beach – made this beach villa perfectly located on the island.

Both rooms were finished to a very high quality, with all the technology and utilities you’d need during your stay. The beds were really comfortable in both villa’s and the rooms certainly felt luxurious. I personally preferred the beach villa with pool to my surprise, simply because of the outdoor bathroom and the fact you could also sunbathe on the beach right next to your villa if you wanted to. The staff were all so helpful – Maldivians are always lovely, caring people who love to chat with you.

The island spa was a great place to unwind and relax during our stay, we were blessed to have been gifted a treatment during our stay and we both opted for the sixty-minute de-stress massage, which certainly left me feeling relaxed and aligned. It was honestly the best massage I’ve ever had and the ladies were all really friendly in the spa.

The food during our stay was divine. We dined at our all-inclusive restaurant De’North for all of our meals located in the centre of the island. They provided a wide variety of foods from all around the world, and you were certainly never stuck for choice. I’m normally quite careful what I eat abroad as I have a sensitive stomach at the best of times, but to my delight, I wasn’t ill once during our stay. Which meant I was able to enjoy indulging in all the food choices. Shiyam the restaurant manager was a delight to talk with and always made sure you were happy during your dining experience.

The water villa with pool was such a treat to stay in for our last three days on Kudafushi, although you didn’t have the beach located nearby, it was such a dreamy location and of course extremely Instagrammable! We also were able to hire snorkelling equipment thanks to the team at Kudafushi which meant we got to experience all the beautiful fish in the very blue water. Although I wasn’t very good at it Mr C managed to get some great footage on my action camera which will be in the vlog. I feel like a week was plenty on the island, as it was a bit smaller than other islands I’ve stayed at previously. I felt they could have had a bit more going on during the day for guests and activities especially when it’s raining.

During our stay we must have picked the worst week as we only had two days of sunshine, the rest was either rainy or overcast. It didn’t dampen our spirits though as how could you be unhappy in such a beautiful part of the world? May is the beginning of their monsoon season anyway in the Maldives, the best weather is normally November – April time. Although you can get great weather all year round it’s just pot luck really.

The water sports centre was also great fun, you were able to hire something for an hour once a day for free as part of your all-inclusive package. We hired a kayak one day and explored the island, then tried paddle boarding the next day. I only managed to sit on mine as my balance isn’t great at the best of times, let alone on the sea! It was great fun and you also had the options to hire jet skis and other water sports equipment for an extra cost.

The excursions available were minimal but had we had better weather during our stay, I did really want to try the lucky dolphin cruise. They had two of these a day, but I think even if we had booked – it would have been cancelled due to the weather.

All in all, we had a fantastic week away in paradise. I genuinely don’t think anywhere in the world can top the Maldives as it really is one of a kind. The sea really is that blue, which makes it great for snorkelling. Next time I will be certain not to book our stay during monsoon season as when it rained it bloomin’ rained hard! The heat wasn’t as bad as I thought originally when it was fully sunny you did sweat a lot and had to take regular breaks in the pool or in the sea. Ladies I honestly wouldn’t bother with doing your hair or makeup. I tried all week and even when it was milder, you still sweat and my hair wouldn’t straighten. So embrace your natural beauty!

A big thank you to all the amazing staff at Kudafushi island for making our stay simply divine. Also, thank you to Yannis for kindly upgrading us and giving us an amazing Kudafushi experience. You can visit the Kudafushi website here for the best rates and for more information. I hope this blog has given you a taste of the Maldives and how if you get the chance…GO! You will never regret the Maldives and with so many islands to explore you will certainly never get bored. I hope you all have a fabulous week and my next stop will be Paris this weekend for my best friend’s 30th! Lots of Love xx