Makunudu Island

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!

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

I can now understand why this island has such a loyal following of repeat visitors. If you want a traditional sand between your toes Maldivian island with an amazing house reef then this is for you. The enthusiastic dive team are great at looking after people like us who just wanted to snorkel, making sure the free hire kit fitted well, explaining the best reef access points and sharing where daily unusual sightings were etc. The service and food were excellent exceeding our expectations. After visiting various other Maldives islands, we would happily join the list of returners here.

A friend and I recently went on a diving holiday here and were not disappointed – the Maldives are simply breathtaking and Makunudu Island is a little paradise itself! The staff, the accommodation, and the food exceeded our expectations! We had the pleasure of diving with the dive team Finn and Marie. We thoroughly enjoyed each of our 12 dives and experienced the underwater world to the fullest. Finn and Marie's professionalism and friendliness provided us with the best diving experience possible - both underwater and on land. We would definitely come back and are already looking forward to diving with Finn and Marie again, wherever their next adventure takes them.