Last month I spent a few dreamy days at Kuramathi Island Resort in The Maldives, the mile long stretch of paradise is one of the largest and most established islands in the Maldives and my short stay was a sweet one!
Following on from my recent posts in the Maldives here’s another look-in to my idyllic week spent in the Indian Ocean with my girlfriends. This time online wandering through Kuramathi island resort. The hotel is located in Ari Atoll and just 56km from the international airport of Male meaning the hotel can be reached by boat or via sea plane depending on your budget, as we were travelling with a nervous flyer this was great for our group as we were able to opt for the boat transfer which took around an hour and a half.
Upon arrival to the resort my first impression from stepping onto the traditional wooden jetty was just how huge it was! Arriving midday the sunshine did it’s best job at displaying those familiar and enviable ocean blues beneath our walkway and the welcome team ushered us quickly into the comfort of the towering palm tress that lead into the reception. Whilst sipping on our sweet arrival cocktails we heard more about the true expanse of the island and itinerary for the couple of days ahead before being shown to our accommodation.
There’s a large range of room types at Kumrathi ranging from deluxe water villas to two story beach houses. Travelling as a group we were booked into the latter. Rather luckily for is as the beach houses were divine! They were spacious and fresh with a cooling white decor and a welcome splash of bright colours in the furnishings. The two stories were set out the same with a large central bed, desk area, mini bar and in both, a breath-taking out-to-sea view. The bathrooms are the true wow factor for these rooms, in my opinion, as both feature an open air shower. The upper floor looks up to towering palms and on the lower floor you gaze up first to pretty pink blossoms and then those iconic paradise trees. The beach house is (stating the obvious) located on the island’s fringe and just a few steps away from your bed you’ll feel the warm sand switch to the salty sea.
Every day we spotted reef sharks and shoals of fish swimming through the morning glisten, gloatingly, for both full days spent on the island, we were lucky enough to enjoy a bright blue sky.
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The island is so big that in the 48 hours that we had to play with we still weren’t able to get ourselves around the entire resort. It boasts 10 beachfront restaurants, 6 bars and three infinity pools, plus the ultimate when it comes to Maldivian resort, a private and picturesque sandbank.
I wrote an article recently about how the Maldives for me, is a holiday that everyone should have the pleasure of visiting at least once and I’m pleased to say that the island resort of Kuramathi is one of the more affordable options when it comes to the stunning scatter in the Indian Ocean. The other great thing about this resort are the food and beverage options available for guests, you can chose from bed & breakfast only, half board, all inclusive and all inclusive plus. So you are able to fully budget for your trip before heading out to the resort. It can be quite a pricey escape when travelling to the Maldives and to add on your food, drink and activity extras it can be quite an unwelcome shock after a week of relaxing bliss! So knowing early on in this blogpost that ‘this could be you’ should hopefully make for more of an awe-inspiring read 😉
One of the coolest spots at Kuramathi is the Laguna Bar and Pool which is perfectly located between the beachfront villas to provide the absolute sweetest spot for watching the sunset.The infinity pool is a dream pre-pastel skies as the clouds reflect beautifully on the huge swimming pool. There’s a really cool vibe indoors with exquisitely modern interiors, a funky DJ set and a long list of cocktails which were enough for us to work our way through when watching the evening colours fill the sky.
Speaking of sunsets the evenings glow is, without a doubt, best viewed from the dreamy sandbank as most guests who have stayed at the resort will tell you. The stretch of sand is so slim you have the illusion of walking on water and the spectacular partly-submerged island end is by far the most popular place to watch the sunset and most island wanderers will meet you there to see away the day.
As the resort is so large you’re never short of something to do when residing on the white isle but if you did want to escape and explore further then the hotel does offer a range of diving and snorkeling excursions. One morning we jumped on one of the resort boats to adventure beneath the surface at one of the best snorkel spots I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in the Maldives. As a certified & advanced diver it takes quite a lot for me to determine a ‘good’ snorkel site but the reef we were taken to really was something special. The underwater world was alive with colour (luckily this spot has not succumbed to the horror of bleaching yet) and the marine life was a-plenty! Within moments of jumping in we saw a stunning sea turtle and the sealife sightings continued on with every stroke we swam. Large black tip reef sharks were seen below our fins and a moray eel slinked around the corals before my eyes. In just half and hour we must have seen over a thousand fish going about their day to day in the Indian Ocean our instructor also spotted a octopus but my eyes just wouldn’t let me see it!
This particular trip offered two separate snorkel spots and instructors stayed with the group the whole duration in the water and guided us guests through what we were seeing and where to look. It was a really great morning in the water and to top it all off the last thing I saw was another gorgeous turtle when swimming back to the boat!
The resort also has a beachfront spa for guests to amp up the wind down vibes! I had a day-dream-worthy massage with the gentle sound of the waves lulling me into perfect relaxation and each one of the girls throughly enjoyed their treatments too. After my hour of bliss I spent a little extra time in the spa on the plush day beds gazing gratefully out to the sea and wishing I could extend my trip by a few extra days!
Kuramathi for me offered a really great insight into an affordable and excitable trip to the Maldives;Â the crystal clear waters visible at every corner, the power white beaches fringed with towering palms, those unforgettable sunsets that are saturated with colour and the magical under water world just steps away from where you sleep, The Maldives.
Watch the wonder of Kuramthi come to life in this week’s youtube video:
Sabrina x