The Maldives - Mahibadhoo

Aug 16, 2016
2 min read

We stayed on the island of Mahibadhoo in the South Ari Atoll, around 80km from Male International Airport. We took the public speedboat from Male, costing $30 per person for the 1.5 hour ride.

We stayed for 14 nights at the Amazing Noovilu Guesthouse, booking privately through AirBnB for a budget all inclusive room. There were a great selection of activities offered at very reasonable prices (considering the costs charged by the resorts). The food was absolutely gorgeous, with meals 3 times a day, snacks in between and as much bottled water as you needed. The guys working at the guesthouse were good guides, pointing out all the different types of fish when we were snorkelling, getting us to the best spots to swim with the whale sharks, and taking us for an overnight stay on a deserted island. We found the guesthouse to be a great place to stay if you were with a large group of people, but as a couple we sometimes got forgotten about and the organisation for trips out was prioritised for the big groups.

We soon found out about another guesthouse on the island called Liberty, and for us this was the superior choice. Their accommodation was much better quality and their customer service was far better. We arranged some trips out with them (due to the poor organisation at Noovilu) and found their prices to be very good value. They took us to swim with manta rays, and our guides were fantastic. We soon found the mantas, and having gone early on a Friday morning (a rest day for Maldivians) we did not have to compete with loads of other tourists. Our guides were happy for us to stay for as long as we wanted, and we spent several hours swimming with at least 10 manta rays. Such an amazing experience!

Liberty also took Ashley to try out diving (Ellie tagged along to snorkel) and had a wonderful time. They went through all of the safety procedures and taught him how to regulate his breathing and buoyancy. They went down and along the shelves coral reefs drop into deep ocean and saw an abundance of marine life. Ashley was totally hooked and went back for several more dives.

Something that we hadn't realised was how much rubbish would be washed up on the island every day. The area outside Noovilu had lots of rubbish and there wasn't a beach, whereas Liberty on the other side of the island have a beautiful beach right outside the front door and their staff clean the beach every day.