Maldives with quick/speedboat transfer

[DaysofHoney]

Hello,

Can anyone help with suggestions for a family friendly Maldives resort that doesn’t require a sea plane transfer please?

We are only going for 5 nights so need to be efficient with timings. We’ve looked an Bandos so far which looks good but keen to know if any other options.

Thanks!

Hi, we stayed on Bandos which was a quick speedboat transfer. Was family friendly and we had the best time there.

We stayed at Summer Island last year, I think it was about a 40 minute speedboat transfer.

Paradise Island in the North Atoll. Over twenty years since we went.

We stayed at Kurumba for 4 nights in August with our kids. we also needed something close to the airport due to only having 3 full days. My criteria for selection was choice of a la carte restaurants, snorkeling off the beach and a resort swimming pool. Kurumba ticked all of those boxes, the only negative being proximity to the city, you can see the city infrastructure from most (but not all) parts of the island. When I was choosing a resort Bandos looked a bit less luxurious but as a plus is also a bit further away from the city. The other time we went to the Maldives in 2016 with kids we stayed at Anantara Dhigu, a bit pricier than Kurumba but more deserted island feel, you definitely can't see the city. Really enjoyed our stay there too. Dhawa Ihuru gets good reviews too, but not been myself. Have a look at Simply Maldives website, their search functionality works better on a laptop than a phone, but you can plug in your dates and any other requirements like speed boat transfer, kids clubs, a la carte dining etc and it will give you all a set of options with prices.

Thanks everyone.

any reviews of Sun Siam Oluhelvi?

Velassaru - a beautiful resort and about a 25 minute speedboat ride. We went in 2019.

www.velassaru.com

Meeru?

If you want good snorkelling and don’t mind a more no frills resort then check out Eriyadu, Thulhagiri, Biyadhoo or Embudu Village. But check recent reviews as they may be getting a bit run down by now.

If you want more upscale but less bothered by house reef then agree Velassaru does look lovely.

Re the Sun Siam resorts, a lot (not all) are on man made islands which personally I avoid as no reef and damage done in building them. I am not sure about Olhuveli.

OBLU Helengeli also worth a look if you want a house reef.

Do you need a kids club? Not all the above have one

One thing I didn't mention before but it seems like some resorts target guests from a specific country, for example Kurumba the menus were in English and Russian, and they had Russian speaking staff, there was definitely a Russian contingent of guests when we stayed. Other resorts very much target the Chinese market. Maybe worth talking to a travel agent about the resorts if that would bother you.

Oooh this is all very helpful insight, thanks you. Off to look at Velassuru

Ozen Life Maadhoo / Ozen Reserve Bolifushi

Reethi Rah is speedboat only and absolutely glorious for families

Thanks so much everyone, please keep them coming.

I have ruled out Kurumba and Bandos as too close to Male. I definitely do not want city views!

Velassuru is current favourite but would prefer more space in the room/villa.

Meeru looks nice but possibly a bit dated?

Wild cards:

Hard Rock???
Oaga Art?