My second resort after a week in the Maldives with Maldives TV was one away from the North Male Atoll. About 60 kilometers East of the capital there is a little Atoll called Rasdhoo and coincidentally I had already been there last year on my first visit to Maldives. Rasdhoo itself though is a local island and in 2016 I took a local boat to live like a local in Maldives. This time I traveled to an island next to it: Kuramathi Island Resort.
Getting to Kuramathi Island Resort
The invitation to come to Kuramathi Island Maldives came through the same PR Agency that arranged my stay in Kurumba Maldives. If you have read that blog called Trouble In Paradise then you know why I was a tiny bit skeptical about working with a PR Agency. But fair enough I have worked with so many hotels resorts around the world that my first slightly negative experience was not going to ruin my confidence of the work I deliver and the content I create. Besides that it was not the fault of the PR Agency I was working with in the first place.
Anyway I was happy to make my way to the Kuramathi airport counter and waited for the boat to depart. Remind you Maldives resorts with free airport transfer don’t exist and I tried to find out for you how much this transfer cost but I could not find it on the Kuramathi Island website. The ride was smooth and took about 1,5 hours. There is also a seaplane option, which I found how much cost: $342 for a return trip. At that time I had never taken a seaplane, but a week later I did when I checked in to Lux South Ari Atoll.
Kuramathi Island Resort Beach Villa
A lot of people, especially Europeans, think about overwater bungalows when they think about Maldives and fair enough that is the ideal Maldives picture, right? But these overwater bungalows are only made for romantic getaways, what about friends traveling together or families? Kuramathi Island Resort recently opened a lot of different room types and reconstructed the complete West side of the island. We stayed in one of the brand new two story 2-bedroom beach villas with direct access to the beach.
It did not take long before I opened the huge floor-to-ceiling doors to the patio and walked out onto the picture perfect beach and coincidentally saw a bunch of blacktip reefsharks (harmless) swimming just a couple meters off shore. Damn it I already loved this place! ;)
The Kuramthi Island resort beach villa has two stories with another bedroom and big balcony upstairs, a big semi outdoor bathroom downstairs and another bathroom upstairs.
Some of these beach villas are having a private pool for those people who seek complete privacy. These beach villas are one of the highest room categories at Kuramathi Resort.
Kuramathi Island Maldives
This resort island has been here for almost 40 years now and Kuramathi island has changed a lot. There are about 3 areas on the island which all have their own identity. The East part is where the resort started and if you walk towards the West you will come across the center of the island where you will find the first expansion of the resort. All the way to the West there are the brand new constructions, which only opened recently.
There are constantly hop-on-hop-off buggies driving for the convenience of the guests as the island is pretty long.
The sand bank before sunset, a popular place for guests to unwind.
An early morning stroll on the Kuramathi sand bank to start your day.
The island is about 2 kilometers long and is blessed with lush vegetation. It is pretty easy to get lost in the green center of the island where trees have made nature tunnels and where you can find one of the biggest Banyan Trees of the Maldives that is about 30 meters high. Believe it or not but there are a bunch of nature trails around the island.
Eco friendly
During our island orientation tour we quickly learned that Kuramathi Island is doing a lot of effort towards sustainable tourism. The resort has been granted multiple awards which can be found in their eco center where a marine biologist is always around giving lectures to guests who are interested in learning more about the fragile ecosystems in the Maldives.
The resort has put measurements in place to reduce the waste of water and is recycling most of its fresh water and is using green energy. Kuramathi Island also produces 70% of its greens used in all the meals on the island, think about herbs, salads, etc.
Pros and cons Kuramathi
- Sunset Bar with Ibiza vibes
Its new Laguna Bar with its resident DJ will unmistakably get you in the holiday mood. With Groovy dance tunes, cocktails, a fairly younger crowd, the perfect infinity pool and the ultimate sunset spot. This is where you want to celebrate the end of the day trust me.
- On point wellness
Super lovely staff, great sauna and steam cabin complex separate for men and women. Signature massage was worth it and relaxing area looking out over the ocean made me fall asleep. Perfect setting!
- Sand bank
The Sand Bank all the way at the West side of the island is a massive addition to this alreadt great island. This feature is amazing to stroll out into the ocean at the end of the day. You will see a lot of people coming for a stroll on the beach and everyone is is so happy to be here. Great to see the happiness in peoples eyes.
- Cool house reef for snorkeling
I went snorkeling one afternoon and saw sharks straight away. Don’t worry these guys look big, but are harmless.
- Big natural island
Not every stretch of sand in Maldives is like Kuramathi Island. The lush vegetation, the big trees and the size of this island are not what you expect from Maldives and in terms of nature it is one of the best islands to go in Maldives.
- Wide range of accommodation available
There are many differnent room types and packages available. The island has been refurbished many times and walking from the East to the West you can see the difference in room types with the most modern rooms all the way at the West side. Wherever on the island you book, you are free to go anywhere.
- Very well equipped big gym
As a fitness fan I always check out the gym. Unfortunately they have a closing time which I think is not really necessary in a resort and pretty much a pain in the ass to me because I like to go to the gym around 10pm. The gym closes at 8.30pm already though.
- 3 pools, 15 restaurants and bars
No need to tell you that you wont get bored here!
Cons Kuramathi
- Buffet food is limited and not the worlds best
The buffet food in Farivalhu is pretty standard and limited.
- Very bad WiFi
Damn Kuramathi I really like your island but please do something about the WiFi. I know it is not easy in Maldives but I have been at resorts in Maldives where the WiFi was really good so I know it is possible it is just a matter of how much you are willing to invest. While laying at the pool watching the sunset and drinking cocktails at Laguna Bar all your younger crowd is on their phones and everyone is getting a little annoyed your WiFi is not working trust me! Fix it, it is getting so incredibly important!
Dissapointed the WiFi was bad! :(
Kuramathi island resort reviews
Neeedless to say but I had a great time staying at Kuramathi and I would definitely recommend this island to you guys. It officially is a 4 star resort, but to me it felt like 5 stars and I think that is a big compliment to the Kuramathi Island Maldives. My stay was arranged through a PR Agency and therefore I stayed only two days and in and between creating content there was hardly time to do some activities, but I reckon there are plenty things to do as well. The summer vibes and tunes at Laguna Bar makes that little difference if you are looking which island to go in Maldives.
See here how much this paradise island will cost you! I already found overwater villas under $400 per night.
For an ultra luxurious 5 star resort in Maldives read about my time at Shangri La Villingili at the most Southern island in Maldives.
