You will notice that about half of this list has you leaving Maafushi. That is for a good reason. Most local islands only have a couple thousand people. You can explore them within a few hours, so unless all you want to do is lay on the beach, you will have to leave the Island (any local island you choose). Maafushi has become one of the top local islands. It has more accommodation options than some of the other local islands. As a result, the bikini beaches can be extremely crowded. I was almost put off staying on this Island due to pictures of crowded beaches I saw while planning my trip. Fortunately, I did not have that experience (for context, I visited in June, which I am told is low season).

Check out my post on everything you need to know to plan a trip to the Maldives . it is a more detailed posts for planning a trip to the Maldives in general. I have summarized here as well in case you want a targeted post for just Maafushi.

Getting Here: You can reach out to your hotel to connect you with a transfer service. I used ICOM for my transfer from Male airport to Maafushi. The commute with ICOM to Maafushi was only 45 minutes, and it cost me $20 each way at the time of my visit. The public transit costs significantly less ($3 one way). It does not operate as often, and it will take a minimum of 1.5 hours to get from Male to a local Island. It can take longer depending on what local Island you choose.

Where to stay: I stayed at the incredible Liyela retreat on Maafushi Island. It has a rooftop area with some of the best views on the Island. There is also an excellent spa and a lovely restaurant. Everything about Liyela is everything you look for in a great hotel which is likely why they are almost always fully booked. If you can snag a room here - do it. A few other properties on the island looked really good, including Sunrise beach, Arena beach hotel, and Kaani grand Seaview.

Where to eat: I will usually have a list of my favorites spots but I ate all my meals at my hotel so I recommend asking your hotel for recommendation if there is no restaurant on site.

What to do: If you are following my Maldives series, you have heard of Bikini beaches - these are beaches on local islands that don’t have a strict dress code. If you venture to the public beach, aka the beaches for locals, please adhere to the dress code.

Take a half-day tour of Male: If I have one regret from my trip, it was not getting to explore the capital city and learn about the history and culture. Next time I visit the Maldives, this will be at the top of my list.

Have a beach day in Gulhi. Gulhi’s bikini beach is impressive. It rivals the one in Maafushi. Miles and miles of white sand beach. I planned to spend only three hours here; I ended up spending close to seven hours (a note: consider wearing your swimsuit under your clothes, while I was told tI could change in the bathroom of a restaurant on the beach, the proprietors were not having it when I arrived, so I had a rig a makeshift changing space to the beach - funny in hindsight but very inconvenient at the time). You can navigate Gulhi independently, so don’t pay for a tour guide. The round trip fare on the ferry was about $10 when I visited.

Have a spa treatment (at Liyela retreat and spa). I stayed here during my time in Maafushi; even if you don’t stay at this property, treat yourself to a spa service. One of the best spa experiences ever! There are a few other spas on the island, all linked to hotel properties. There was only one standalone spa on the island - Oak spa, which had good reviews, but I did not get to visit it.

Take a day trip to a resort island. If you want to experience a resort island without missing out on the authenticity of staying on a local island, a day trip to a resort island might be an option for your itinerary. The day pass rates ranged from $85 to $135 based on the acmes - most of the resort day passes come with a meal and some access to the resort amenities.

Water Sports. Several tour companies on the Island offer a variety of activities - the water spot activities were popular during my visit, including parasailing, wakeboarding, and windsurfing.

Sand Banks Tour. I am not sure how to explain the sandbank, except it felt like our private Island for a few hours; we had lunch and got to stroll along the white sand ‘island” surrounded by the Indian ocean. It was an excellent afternoon.

Floating Bar. If you follow my Maldives series - you probably know that alcohol is not consumed on the local Island. However, just off the coast of Maafushi is a floating bar that serves meals and alcoholic beverages; if you sign up for this, you will be transported from Maafushi to the boat.

Take a tour. There is no shortage of tours from the Island. However, the most recommended three were snorkeling, fishing (with an option for either day or night fishing), and dolphin safari. Depending on what time of year you visit - one of these may be less accessible/available. Whichever one you choose will be a great time.