hotel near male airport in maldives
Sep 14th, 2009, 10:41 PM
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hotel near male airport in maldives
Our trip to Maldives is less than 3 weeks away and yet we have not booked our hotel on the last day of the trip. Our departure flight is 1145pm, which means we will be spending a full day in Male. We like to stay close to the airport and budget friendly as possible.
Regards,
BC
Regards,
BC
Sep 15th, 2009, 12:08 AM
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The only hotel close to the airport is the Hulhule Island Resort, see http://www.maldiveshotels.mv/Hulhule_Island_Hotel. (They don’t seem to have their own website.). It’s on the same island as the airport, about ½ a mile away (surprisingly, you don’t hear the aircraft), and they have a free shuttle bus to take you back and forth. It is somewhat expensive for what it is, in the US$250 a night range, but they have a captive clientele who need to spend a day or night there, and really it is the nicest hotel in town. It is often quite booked up, so I would try to make a booking as soon as you can.
The other hotels are in Male itself, which is on another island across the water from the airport, and would require you to take a ferry boat (with luggage) to get to. The trip does not take very long, but could be a pain with luggage getting to and fro, as well as being quite hot even at night.
The airport hotel is quite comfortable, on a pretty beach, has a nice pool and they serve liquor. None of the foregoing would be true of any of the Male hotels. (No hotel or restaurant in Male itself is permitted to serve liquor, only the airport hotel and each resort hotel). There is a Holiday Inn on the island of Male which is about to open or may be open (not sure, check the website, I don’t think they will be able to serve liquor, and are definitely not on a beach although they probably will have a pool). Places like the Nasandhura Palace look much better on the outside than on the inside. Check the Lonely Planet website or guide and see what they say about hotels in Male itself. My experience is that the hotels in town are quite basic, and after one or two bad experiences, I have always stayed at the airport hotel. (The Holiday Inn may be an exception, but will probably be priced the same as the Hulhule.)
You could also consider the Kurumba, which is a true resort hotel (it was the first resort development in the Maldives) and is quite a pretty place, it is about 15 minutes by boat from Male. It probably is pricier than the Hulhule, but is nicer, see http://www.kurumba.com/ to compare prices, etc.
If you stay at the Hulhule or the Kurumba, you can go into Male for a ½ day or a few hours, the Hulhule hotel has a free shuttle or you can take the public ferry which costs like a dollar (they will even take US currency if you don’t have Rufiyaa). I think from the Kurumba you may have to pay for the shuttle, but check the website. Male itself is worth a little stroll; they have a small museum, some mosques, markets and a sort of old-town area in the south west corner of the island. However, on a Friday it will be quite dead until the late evening. (Lucky for you Ramadan will end next week or the restaurants would be closed most other days as well.) Two restaurants in town to consider for lunch would be:
Sala Thai
H Orchid Ameer Ahmed Magu
Moblie: 960-334-5959
This is one or two streets off the main street fronting the harbour. Just ask, a local if the hotel can’t get you a map. The little upstairs has floor seating with cushions and is charming, downstairs is nice teak tables. Closed officially on Fridays, but does open around 1 pm.
Jade
Boduthakurufaanu Magu
This is right on the main waterfront street near the pubic ferry piers, hard to miss. Casual sandwhichies, fish and chips, and good smoothies. They have free internet if you bring your PC.
Personally, I would have dinner at the upstairs dining room of the Hulhule, it has a view and probably the best food around, lost of locals eat there (for the booze too it must be said).
If you stay at the Hulhule, ask for a room in the new wing, they are a bit nicer and quieter. Ground floor ones have access right to their little beach, but for an overnight this may not make any difference to you. The hotel also has a nice spa.
The other hotels are in Male itself, which is on another island across the water from the airport, and would require you to take a ferry boat (with luggage) to get to. The trip does not take very long, but could be a pain with luggage getting to and fro, as well as being quite hot even at night.
The airport hotel is quite comfortable, on a pretty beach, has a nice pool and they serve liquor. None of the foregoing would be true of any of the Male hotels. (No hotel or restaurant in Male itself is permitted to serve liquor, only the airport hotel and each resort hotel). There is a Holiday Inn on the island of Male which is about to open or may be open (not sure, check the website, I don’t think they will be able to serve liquor, and are definitely not on a beach although they probably will have a pool). Places like the Nasandhura Palace look much better on the outside than on the inside. Check the Lonely Planet website or guide and see what they say about hotels in Male itself. My experience is that the hotels in town are quite basic, and after one or two bad experiences, I have always stayed at the airport hotel. (The Holiday Inn may be an exception, but will probably be priced the same as the Hulhule.)
You could also consider the Kurumba, which is a true resort hotel (it was the first resort development in the Maldives) and is quite a pretty place, it is about 15 minutes by boat from Male. It probably is pricier than the Hulhule, but is nicer, see http://www.kurumba.com/ to compare prices, etc.
If you stay at the Hulhule or the Kurumba, you can go into Male for a ½ day or a few hours, the Hulhule hotel has a free shuttle or you can take the public ferry which costs like a dollar (they will even take US currency if you don’t have Rufiyaa). I think from the Kurumba you may have to pay for the shuttle, but check the website. Male itself is worth a little stroll; they have a small museum, some mosques, markets and a sort of old-town area in the south west corner of the island. However, on a Friday it will be quite dead until the late evening. (Lucky for you Ramadan will end next week or the restaurants would be closed most other days as well.) Two restaurants in town to consider for lunch would be:
Sala Thai
H Orchid Ameer Ahmed Magu
Moblie: 960-334-5959
This is one or two streets off the main street fronting the harbour. Just ask, a local if the hotel can’t get you a map. The little upstairs has floor seating with cushions and is charming, downstairs is nice teak tables. Closed officially on Fridays, but does open around 1 pm.
Jade
Boduthakurufaanu Magu
This is right on the main waterfront street near the pubic ferry piers, hard to miss. Casual sandwhichies, fish and chips, and good smoothies. They have free internet if you bring your PC.
Personally, I would have dinner at the upstairs dining room of the Hulhule, it has a view and probably the best food around, lost of locals eat there (for the booze too it must be said).
If you stay at the Hulhule, ask for a room in the new wing, they are a bit nicer and quieter. Ground floor ones have access right to their little beach, but for an overnight this may not make any difference to you. The hotel also has a nice spa.
Sep 15th, 2009, 04:02 AM
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I was just back from the Maldives a week ago. I had to fly in the night before my boat left, and stayed at the Hotel Fresco on the recommendation of friends. It was quite basic, and the room was cramped, but it was okay for one night.
On the last day, I had an entire day to kill from the time my boat docked in the morning until my flight at 11:15 pm. The rest of the group opted to stay at the Hulhule airport hotel. They have a lot of different packages, from full use rooms to use of facilities. I opted for one of the cheapest packages, which for $25 got me the use of luggage storage and the showers. Other packages included use of the pool and meals. They have a free shuttle boat over to Male if you want to take in the city's limited sights.
On the last day, I had an entire day to kill from the time my boat docked in the morning until my flight at 11:15 pm. The rest of the group opted to stay at the Hulhule airport hotel. They have a lot of different packages, from full use rooms to use of facilities. I opted for one of the cheapest packages, which for $25 got me the use of luggage storage and the showers. Other packages included use of the pool and meals. They have a free shuttle boat over to Male if you want to take in the city's limited sights.
