Makunudu Island

We do not usually return to a resort as have been disappointed by others in the past. We are on our last full day of a thirteen day stay, and our second visit to Makunudu. It was great to see so many familiar faces in the resort, the staff are obviously well looked after. Our waiter in the restaurant this time was Lasantha, and he was excellent, very attentive and friendly. It was also good to see Anwar who looked after us on our previous stay. We should also mention the other restaurant and bar staff are all very friendly, we felt very welcome. The food and drink was excellent right through, with lots of choice. We particularly linked choosing from a menu for the 5 days out of 7 when this was available for our evening meal, We started our stay in bungalow No. 6 which unfortunately was not suitable for us, but after a request to the reception staff, they moved us the following day to bungalow No. 1 which was excellent, The room was serviced by Abu Talib, who also looked after us on our previous stay, and he was excellent for us. We had a total of five visits to the spa, unfortunately one of the ladies was on leave, so we could not have a ‘couples’ treatment together. However, the treatments we did have were excellent. The snorkelling around the island was just as good as our previous visit, so many corals, lots of different types of fish, sharks and turtles, it was heaven. We look forward to returning again.

we arrived to spend 5 days relaxing after a lovely 10 days in India. we arrived on the Island by speed boat which takes about 40 minutes from the main Island. Be warned it can get very bumpy , so if you have back problems, then best take the sea plane. On arrival we were warmly welcomed by the staff and shown to our bungalow. All of them face the sea. Room was clean and tidy. The shower room was open so you could gaze up to the sky whilst showering. The restaurant and bar area was very nice and the food was mostly a buffet affair, and catered for everyone. Staff were attentive and friendly. We had a complimentary 30 minute massage and also snorkelling. Every evening there was some sort of entertainment if you so wished. This is the perfect Island to come and relax and enjoy the wildlife and peace and quiet

We have recently returned from our second stay on this amazing island, which had been arranged for us by the lovely, caring, super-efficient Tharanga. Once again we experienced the superb, friendly service provided especially by Amita, Anwar, Milan, Susil, Habib and our meticulous room attendant Abu Tabil. Most welcome was the value clearly attached to returning guests, for whom special 'treats' had been arranged. And especially memorable on this occasion was snorkelling with manta rays. Obviously, we are greatly looking forward to our next stay on Makunudu and we thank everyone for another wonderful holiday.

My Swedish boyfriend & I traveled to Makunudu in December 2022. We chose an island with boat transfer proximity due to my shellfish allergy, as that felt more safe than being a flight away from Malé. After Makunudu we also went to Summer Island (island nextdoor). The difference between these two 4 star hotels was big - with Makunudu being the very clear winner. We both agree this was an outstanding experience and we will return. I am not the type who returns usually and I have visited a lot of hotels. But Makunudu now is my top 1 (Bucuti & Tara in Aruba 2nd). We chose the all inclusive package and the only thing we paid extra for was more wifi one day when we needed to get work emails sent. And we chose to, upon leaving, give a few individuals extra tip for their tremendous service. Why it was so great In the Maldives, any hotel can build nice rooms, have an amazing reef, beach, sundown, good drinks, food. But the personnel you cannot fake. We loved that people here are treated well & are happy which translates into a genuinely amazing guest experience. It makes all the difference, so kudos to the management. Milan our personal waiter was extra attentive to which type of light color & table we liked, & more importantly he paid so much attention to my shellfish allergy that I could truly relax despite my potentially life threatening condition. Suniil the F&B manager sang karaoke with me despite not even knowing the song! And Fareed and I could talk about his home Kerala for hours. On top of this, the tranquility we felt with having our own piece of the beach incl chairs and the fact that the entire hotel only has 36 rooms turned this into our new hidden gem paradise. Lastly, our cleaner Sadique carefully spent probably an hour placing imported fresh flowers like a heart on our bed the last night, despite us not even being on honeymoon. What a darling! What's more At Makunudu you feel like a friend visiting a hotel with great service. Not like a target for upselling, which sadly was the case at Summer Island where we spent 4 nights afterwards. At the other place, they tried to upsell as soon as we ordered ("why not buy a bottle of spirits with a discount"). At Makunudu they informed about possible add-ons (spa, private beach dinner) upon arrival and that's it. Which was highly appreciated, as on Summer Island we had to turn down the "offer" of an expensive beach dinner multiple times per day. Makunudu make way too little of a deal of all the prizes they've won. Maybe just because their management is humble. But I am not ashamed to claim: they are worth every single award! Weather & crowd We had rain showers every day. We would hang out in the bar hut with some of the other nice travelers reading or watching the FIFA world cup (when we were there, Italian, French, Austrian, German, British, Indian guests were there too). Noone intruded on each others' space and sphere but all kindly said hello to each other at dinner. Most other travelers we spok

Makunudu is a truly special place. We had a wonderful 8 days where we enjoyed being in contact with nature. Observing the local water hens, Makanas, lizzards, crabs, fruit eating bats and the currently nesting Terns, is so grounding and so comical at times to watch too. Having the chance to look into the ocean in close by coral reefs is an unforgetable experience. We never had the change to be so closed to turtles, mantas, nursing sharks and beautiful and unusual colorful fishes. Sayful, KD, Ricardo and everyone at the water sport center made the experiences memorable. I dont remember the names of everyone at the front desk but all were very helpful and polite, Su, the nurse,always smiling and radiating positivity. Subbu was very welcoming, always up for a chat when passing the front desk. The people at the bar and our kind and warm waiter, Anwar, have contributed to make our stay very pleasant. We admired all of them, many who have been there for a number of years dedicated to customers. I cannot speak highly enough of all of them. The island is beautiful, rustic, unpretentious, clean, rooms large with very comfortable bed. Bit tired bathrooms but all kept clean and visited by the cleaning staff 2 times a day ! and the Spa ! beautiful place with very skillful staff. We had wonderful massages. The food is pretty good and varied. Bearing in mind that you are in a small island with no fancy supermarkets in the vicinity , the chef did manage to put together decent and well presented food. Their BBQ are great and tasty and so is the Maldivian food night once a week. We simply loved everything and everyone ....our mind is still there and so is our soul. This place will remain in our memories forever... if only was closer and more affordable we would be there very often. Love to all at Makunudu from Az and Maria