(INTRODUCTION) TAKE YOUR TIME, THIS GONNA TAKE A WHILE TO READ BUT ITS WORTH IT ! :-) So, where do I start? This was our second time on this beautiful Island. Our first trip was in July 2018 for our Honeymoon. This time we travelled in September 2023 (so anyone who has thoughts about the weather in the off season - keep reading :D ), this time for a Babymoon and it was nothing but perfect (again).
(FLIGHT/ARRIVAL) We flew with Qatar Airways (first trip was with Emirates - which is the better choice IMO) with a short layover in Doha, flights were good although we were slightly exhausted as we arrived in Male. But all the exhaustion was forgotten immediately as we inhaled the salty sea air and by the greetings of the Kuramathi staff at the airport. We took the boat transfer to the island, took about 1h 10min because the sea was a little rough but nothing to be afraid of. Boats are big and with A/C, you get a cold towel (which is a blessing!) and some water bottles.
(CHECKIN) I had an email correspondence 3 months prior to our arrival with the reservation department to speak out a room request. It was perfectly taken care of as we had a specific area in mind when we made the booking. As we arrived at the island, we were greeted with big smiles by the front office staff, took a seat at the reception and filled out a form with our personal informations. In the meantime some welcome drinks arrived and again a cold towel. We were lucky enough that we did not have to wait for our rooms to get ready, so the time between our arrival at around 12:15pm and our first steps in our room weren’t even 30 minutes. And this is where the beauty of the island and the people started to unfold. We were greeted by the buggy driver „ALOK“ who took us to our room. With his incredibly nice way of communicating, his voice and the way he was driving the buggy to avoid any uncomfort, he won over our hearts immediately. We have seen him quite often throughout our stay and he never lost his smile. On our last day he saw us again and he wished us a safe trip back home, so attentive and nice, we fell in love with this guy <3
(ROOM) We stayed in the Deluxe Water Villas (our room was 406, located on the left side of the deck) which is the way to go if you want to have the luxurious feeling of the Maldives. There is no need for a pool if you have the ocean under your feet :-) The room is huge, all the amenities you will ever need are present, A/C works perfect, water pressure in the shower is the best i have ever experienced in any of my hotel stays. You have the outside deck with 4 loungers, 2 seats, a table and a shower. Your room gets cleaned twice, sometimes even three times a day. Unfortunately i forgot to write down the name of our room boy, but I still wanted to point out that he did an incredible job every time. Props to him and a big thank you!
(FOOD/BARS) We have opted for Basic All Inclusive which is everything you could ever need IMO. The buffet offered everything your taste buds could ask for. Except for the breakfast the selection changed every day and there were plenty of choices to satisfy every craving you could develop :-) Lunch and dinner menus changed daily with meals from different countries and cultures. I was blown away by the quality and the presentation. Desserts are on a different level. This is where I would like to speak out my biggest props to the head chef of the Farivalhu restaurant, „SUMANDRA“ (I hope I am writing his name correctly). We had a small chat and he explained to me how the menus are created and how he makes sure that the quality standards are complied with. He was present every time we went there and had an answer to every question you could throw at him. Thank you for everything, Chef! Another big thank you goes out to „SIFAAN“ and „ASHRAF“ from the Farivalhu for their excellent service! It has been a pleasure with these two guys, thank you very much! This time we wanted to try the other buffet restaurants as well which we did and we were not disappointed. Same food quality, same service although the drink service was just a bit slower that at the Farivalhu. We have also gone for an evening dinner at the Island Barbeque where you have to (!) try the Steak Diane. They prepare the meal in front of your eyes on a cart. It’s a flambéed dish which is a feast for your eyes before it’s a feast for your tummy :-) Midday-Snacks were served at the Inguru and the Island Coffee Shop, we went mostly to the Island Coffee Shop where we had a very nice chat with the Food&Beverage Supervisor „ASIM“. An unbelievably nice person, taking care of you like no one else. The topics we were talking about were quite deep and very „worldwide“ ;-) Thank you for everything, Asim! Coming to the bars of the island, we were mainly at the Laguna Bar because it was the closest to our room and restaurant. The pool, the loungers, drinks quality, service speed, attention to detail and presentations were top notch. Staff was incredibly nice, always open for a short small talk with the guests and very attentive. We tried all the other bars as well, same story for every one of them. The Dhoni Bar has a very nice and big open deck where you can spend your day watching sharks and rays swim by, or your night slurping on cocktails and watch shooting stars :-) The Athiri Deck is just close by, perfect for some Instagram shots :-) The Fung Bar had the Live Music Shows on some nights, very nice atmosphere, perfect location on the island to watch dolphins swim by and cocktails as we are used to :-)
(ISLAND) Coming to the island itself, being one of the biggest on the Maldives, you will see a diversity in plants and animals like no where else. It is so big that you feel like you are in the middle of a jungle. Different trees, bushes and plants which grab your attention, you are blown away by the looks of it and your curiosity about them will also be satisfied because there are informations about everything you see along the way on signs. The Banyan tree is a sight to behold. The botanic walk, the nature trail, the hermit crab walk, all of them are incredibly interesting, take the time and try them out, you will not be disappointed if you are a nature lover. Walking down the whole island can be done in around 45 minutes, but can be exhausting sometimes when it is so hot that you are soaked in sweat :-) Don’t forget to walk down the famous Kuramathi Sand Bank for a sunset. I don’t think there is a better sunset view anywhere on the world when the sun disappears in the Indian Ocean. The (electric) buggies which are driving up and down the island all day will pick you up and drop you off at any location you like to, there are also buggy stops where you can sit and wait for them. A novelty to our last stay are the water refill stations at the buggy stops. The best thing this island could offer you, they make their own water which tastes so good! You will understand what I mean when you drink it. You also get a bottle of water with every lunch/dinner you eat at the restaurants. I loved the feeling the island gave you when you were just strolling around, soaking up all the views and feelings of it. Any employee you encounter will greet you with a smile and a „hello“, which made us feel welcome and appreciated. This is one of the main reasons why we came back, the people there are the best! So warm hearted, so nice and welcoming.
(WEATHER) Anyone who has concerns about the weather in the rainy season: we had 2 days of rain over our 10-day stay at the island. One day was purely rain, the other one was just a shower for about 2-3 hours and then it was a bit cloudy for the rest of the day. The rest of our stay was pure sunshine with the occasional cloud, and thats it! Nothing to be worried about, my first stay also had only 1,5 days of rain, the rest was picture-perfect weather. Never ever trust the weather apps, they can’t tell you the truth because it is very dynamic. The big storm cells may travel 10km north of your location but the apps will say that the whole country is flooded with rain :-)
(WATER SPORTS/ACTIVITIES) We spent our time mostly in the waters around the island with our snorkeling masks on our faces :-) With all inclusive you have access to snorkeling gear at the aqua sports center, you can rent them free of charge. We have only gone for the flippers and swimming vests because we had our own full-face-masks (best investment ever!). The underwater world is something you do not see every day so you should use the possibility when it’s given. Fishes in every color imaginable, crabs, sharks, rays, corals, we have seen all of them in a single day! You can not imagine how diverse and beautiful it is. Snorkeling channels for advanced swimmers/snorkelers are on the reef side of the island, the lagoon side is easier to use for beginners. (watch out for the currents/waves!) We have used the channels as well, the diversity gets better the further westwards you go on the island. Believe me, it is a sight you will not forget. Bring your GoPro/underwater camera to capture the beauty of the waters and to remember them forever. We have made use of the sunset cruise as well, not because of the sunset (mainly) but the dolphins. Unfortunately the dolphins had other plans and did not show up. Still a very nice activity, you get some sparkling wine to enjoy the and some spectacular views of the sun disappearing on the horizon. There are also some other activities which have a charge, in our opinion there is more than enough the island has to offer that we did not use any of them. Although the Sea Turtle Cruise was quite interesting :-)
And with all this, our last day arrived and we had to leave again. Left our room at 11:45, left our suitcases in front of the door (just to see them at the airport again) checked out at 12:00, sat at the Fung Bar until 14:00 with our drinks which were still included, and then left the island with the boat at 14:30. The checkout progress is as seamless as the checkin. You take a seat at the reception where you are called when the boat is ready and then they bring you to the airport where the sadness sets in :-) Just don’t forget to fill out the review form for your stay which you will find in your room and hand them out at the reception!
All in all, would recommend 10/10 and we will come back for sure. We just have to wait for our small babyboy to arrive in good health and then to grow for 2 years, so then we can make use of the Bageecha Kids Club :-)
Thank you for everything my dear Kuramathi Team! We will see us again very soon hopefully.
Shukuriyaa, dhanee!
