Makunudu Island

Visited March 2024 forgot to review Typical bounty type beaches with only 37 rooms. This was our 3rd visit to this island and was surprised at the amount of sharks that came into the bar bay around 4 - 5 o clock (see photos). First time we visited in 1999 you could swim with nursery sharks once a week but not now. The bungalow are clean and compact. You must go fully inclusive as everything imported in and can be expensive. The staff were lovely especially Milon who went over and above to make our stay enjoyable We had returned to the island as our previous visit was November 2023 Beautiful island and great for snorkelling

The best part of my trip was the diving school. Ricardo and Susan are a unique team who cared for my entire family Upon arrival, we were given welcome drinks and cold towels. We were given a briefing and taken to our rooms. The staff are super friendly and tried their best to accommodate all our needs. We went to the dive school, and Ricardo gave us details of the PADI open water course and checked if he could rearrange his schedule. He took the classes personally. We extended our stay to finish the diving course. They took their time to teach every single member separately.

This was my first trip to the Maldives, visiting Makunudu Island in December 2024 with my mother. Having traveled to many Asian countries, I can confidently say this resort is the best I've ever experienced, and I look forward to returning soon. The experience was incredible; it is truly a paradise with stunning beaches and an authentic tropical island vibe. Our bungalow, though not yet refurbished, had a nice beach on the jetty side and partial sea views directly from inside. The staff was kind and welcoming, making us feel at home. Mr. Shri, the reservation manager, contacted me via WhatsApp before our arrival, which made me feel more comfortable and reassured about our upcoming stay. Our waiter Bhasker was friendly and attentive, always mindful of our halal food preferences. While this resort isn't ultra-luxury by Maldivian standards, everything was of high quality: the accommodation, service, food, and beds, plus free Wi-Fi. Contrary to some reviews, our speedboat transfer from Velana Airport was smooth with no waiting time. The departure was also well-organized; our flight was in the evening but we were lucky to enjoy the resort until 4PM. Because it was a rainy day, we received a late checkout and could stay in our room until 1:30 PM and our last lunch was included. Our six-night stay flew by, and we wished for more time. We left the island feeling as if we were leaving home. Thank you, Makunudu, for an unforgettable stay! Small remarks: There has been leaks in the bathroom sink and hopefully will be refurbished soon. The speedboat transfer is quite expensive (249$ per person) Overall, these minor issues didn’t overshadow the wonderful experience we had. I highly recommend this resort to anyone seeking relaxation in a beautiful natural setting. Thank you, Makunudu team; we will definitely return and see you all again soon!

Lovely small resort with friendly staff. Enjoyed my stay there with my husband. Food was excellent. You can enjoy Table Tennis 🏓 and badminton. Also snorkeling 🤿 possible in the reef 🪸 and some water sports. Also they have Suba dive center too.

We have been regulars to the Maldives for over 12 years. We always stayed at a beautiful laid back island called Rihiveli which is currently undergoing renovation. In search for another island with a similar atmosphere, we came across Makunundu Island. After reading lots of reviews, I gathered that there were some bungalows with hardly any privacy and no sandy beach in front or very clumsy beach access. When making the booking directly with Makunundu, I specifically asked for a bungalow with easy beach access which was "well noted". However, when we arrived we were given possibly the worst bungalow on the island. Unless you wanted to climb over a tree trunk and sharp rocks, a blue pipe and some discarded sand bags, you had no direct access to the sea from your property. The only option was to cross over your neighbours properties to make it into the water. The sun beds were cramped into a shaded area with no space to move them anywhere else if you wanted to sunbathe. My husband went back to the reception and asked for a different bungalow, but the island was fully booked and no alternative could be offered until "maybe tomorrow". We tried to find sun beds to spend the afternoon but the handful of them in the common area were all occupied. We tried to get our free snorkelling equipment but no sizes were available for me: "maybe tomorrow". We returned back to reception to speak to the GM and also mentioned that we specifically ask for a certain type of bungalow and were told: "We do not entertain requests from first timers. When you come back as a repeat guest, we will give you what you ask for".... This was quite a harsh statement and makes you not want to come back to be honest. The next morning, we were prepared to leave the island and move to a neighbouring resort if no other option had become available, but luckily we were moved to a new place. The new location was paradise, we had privacy, direct beach access, a beautiful view. It made all the difference and we were the happiest people for the remainder of the holidays. The bungalow itself was also bigger and although not upgraded yet, it was sparkling clean and very comfortable. Apart from the unfortunate room allocation, everything else was perfect. Food was delicious with tons of choices, staff always eager to help and make your stay better (special thanks to Ismail in the restaurant and Mohammed from the housekeeping team). The island itself is tiny but beautiful and the house reef stunning. Mosquitos are an issue so bring along your repellent. Fumigation happens regularly but there are still plenty of them around. After a very rough and disappointing start, we had a wonderful holiday on the island and will definitely come back again if a bungalow in a nice location is available and guaranteed. If you would like to see a comparison of the "beaches" of our and our neighbours bungalow, check out the photos. The discrepancy between the bungalows is huge and considering everyone is pa

This was our 3rd visit to this beautiful little island that we now call our 2nd home, we have only been home a week and already missing our little beach bungalow. We were lucky to get bungalow 6 which has been updated with a new bathroom and a lovely sitting area outside with a little walkway down to the beach. The bungalow is a classic example of the Maldivian rustic charm that we have come to love, the room was always cleaned to a high standard with fresh towels every day and bottled water. The bathroom has shampoo and conditioner, shower gel and body lotion. The bungalow has a kettle and a supply of coffee and tea which was topped up daily. Beach towels are also supplied and changed every day for you. We used the spa, and really enjoyed our treatments, it was lovely to see the ladies in the spa again. The food at Makunudu is a buffet breakfast and buffet lunch with an a la carte menu for the evening meal, there is also a BBQ night and a Maldivian night. There is plenty of choice for even the pickiest of eaters. If you are vegetarian ask for the separate vegetarian menu to get an even better choice. When you arrive you are allocated a waiter and they will look after you for your stay, it was lovely to see Anwar again and to be looked after by him and also to see Lasantha and other members of the team, they all made us feel very welcome. The sea life at Makunudu is just simply stunning, we saw turtles, sharks, rays and many fish. The reef is very safe and even though some areas are very deep you can always see the bottom. There is very little entertainment in the evenings but this suited us. The bar staff are always friendly and always happy and chatty. The reception team and the manager were always friendly and helpful. We are already looking to come back next year as we don't think we will find anything that matches the magic of Makunudu.