Makunudu Island

Overall We have recently returned from a 10 day visit to Makunudu which couldn’t have been better. We had read the reviews before booking and noticed that many people return to the island and now, having experienced it for ourselves first hand, we can fully appreciate why! First impressions From the moment we boarded the speed boat for the transfer to the island and were handed cold towels and water we knew that we were in for a good stay. On arriving at the jetty we were lucky enough to see juvenile black tip reef sharks crusing the shallow waters which set the tone for the nature based experiences that were in store for us. Once we arrived we were ushered to the sandbar where we were given a complimentary iced tea and another cooling face towel.We were made to feel like members of the family from the outset. Hospitality The level of hospitality that we were afforded was faultless across the board. It is the type of place that anticipates what you need before you realise yourself. This was true across the board from management, to the restaurant and bar to housekeeping. The arrival and departure were handled extremely well with clear communications at all stages. The room was spotless and each day whilst were enjoying an amazing buffet breakfast whilst they were busy cleaning our room and making it like we had just arrived. Food The standard of food provided was five star restaurant every meal and they easily catered for specific dietary requirements. From the buffets, BBQs, Maldivian night, standard dining and snacks we were always excited about what was coming next. Entertainment We were lucky enough to be invited to the staff party whilst we were on the island, which was quite an experience! We also enjoyed karaoke, a local singer for the evening, Maldivian dancing and some very informative talks from the dive school team which were fascinating. Dive School The dive school deserves special mention. There were three of us in our party, one who had not been diving for years, one novice with a love of all things acquatic and one novice with a fear of water deeper than 5 feet! We were all given amazing experiences tailored to us individually from the incredibly competent, encouraging and friendly team; we have all walked away with memories that will last a lifetime. Each one of us were extremely touched with the amount of support and well created diving and snorkelling experiences. Natural environment The interior of the island is lush and green. There are hermit crabs, herons, lizards and fruit bats to enjoy before you even get into the water. The house reef is spectacular and we were lucky enough to see nurse sharks, black tip reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, eagle rays, turtles, moray eels and innumerable surgeon fish, damsel fish and anemone fish to name but a few. The only thing that got us out of the water was darkness at the end of the day! Conclusion We were all incredibly sad to leave our island paradise at the end of o

This is a world class resort, albeit on a small scale (72 beds). A true desert island situated in the North Male Atoll. Its clients are mainly returning guests who seek rest, relaxation and good food in a delightful and unpretentious environment. The warm sea and coral reef are your entertainment - with an accomplished dive team to help you enjoy it. No pools, swim up bars or other distractions spoil your relaxation. The staff, led by the GM and Operations Manager (Soonil) are very much in evidence and provide leadership and advice to a well trained staff who would be a credit to any European five star hotel. The Kitchen Brigade, mainly from Sri Lanka, provide a buffet and a la carte service of a very high standard, which compliments the delightful, rustic and very Maldivian dinning room and bar. The House Staff are mainly Maldivian drawn from all Atolls; it was a pleasure to chat to a few from Addu, so far from their home Atoll in the south, (memories of Gan being close to our hearts) as well as the ladies from the Naga Hills in Assam (to whom the British Army owes so much, and so many Commonwealth sons lie forever in their care. We remember and are grateful) (Your postcard is on the way Imli.) The Spa is excellent and provides a variety of treatments to those in need of their skilled hands. The guest accommodation, mainly crushed coral and hard wood construction, is spacious and all villas open on to the beach with a private outdoor lounging area. The Resort was one of the first to open in the Maldives and the accommodation reflects this. The King beds are very comfortable, but the bathrooms could do with an upgrade (in hand I understand). However, they are perfectly serviceable and are of an indoor/outdoor nature. The villas are serviced twice a day, and nothing is too much trouble for your room attendant. In summary, this little tropical gem is one of a very few true desert islands that provide accommodation and service to the small but discerning clientele who seek true rest and relaxation from a highly trained team who understand hospitality. As so many guests say to the GM on leaving - " change nothing (apart from the bathrooms)" That says it all. Thank you to you all. C &J G-W 12 August 2024

We have a wonderful short stay in this small and amazing island resort. We were greeted by warm and friendly front desk staff. We booked 4 beach villas, and our villa is spacious and has a lovely traditional Maldivian design. The white sandy beach is beautiful, and we also spotted a few baby sharks along the jetty area. The trails to the room are covered with well maintained trees and plants; providing a lovely canopy. Needless to say, it makes you connect to the beauty of nature. We enjoyed the delicious food, barbecue night, and the good service from the F&B team. A special thanks to Ms. Tharanga, who arranged our stay, Amitha and Bashka, for their friendly and outstanding services. Thank you, Manukudu Island Resort, for making our stay extra memorable, particularly a farewell for our friend.

I visited Makunudu with my wife back in 2021 and had a great experience at the property and the snorkelling around it. The reason for my review and rating now is that I did my first ever Scuba dive at this resort and still remember it to this day. We had a Discover Scuba session as a part of our package and dive master Claudia took us out to the water while it was raining and stormy with high-speed winds blowing. I am now a certified diver and have done dives in a few countries to know how irresponsible that was of the dive centre to take out two first timers in those conditions simply because we were 'suited up' . The island has two shores and we were taken to the water on both and had to exit the water because of how bad the conditions were. After giving up on the day, we decided to do it the next day and ended up doing two more dives with them, but to my shock they charged us for even the session that should never have happened because of adverse weather. Request the management to kindly take note, and that while divers sign waivers to incidents, it does not waive the responsibility of the dive masters to use their good sense and experience. Diving is a serious sport with risk to life, and any incident on the property assumes responsibility towards the management as well.