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.

I've had my fair share of travel to Maldivian resorts, but this is by far the best one. The highlight of my trip was the dive school. It changed my entire worldview. Ricardo and Susan are a unique team who took care of my entire family and taught us many valuable lessons, both in and out of the water. Right from the get-go, we received a completely different treatment than at other resorts. We were given cold towels and water bottles on the boat ride. This was a whole new experience. Upon arrival, we were given trinkets, welcome drinks, and more cold towels. They have thought of everything. I feel that the management actually traveled as local guests and put themselves in our shoes to anticipate the customers' needs. We were given a briefing and taken to our rooms. The staff are super friendly and tried their best to accommodate all our needs. If we asked, they'd try their absolute best to make our dreams come true. We went to the dive school, and Ricardo introduced himself. He gave us all the specifics of the PADI open water course and checked if he could rearrange his schedule. He even tried to get another instructor to come and help him out so he could help us with the classes. Finally, he said that he'd take the classes personally. I was at first disappointed that there was no all-inclusive option in the packages. But look no further; with this resort, they'll bring delicious meals from all parts of the world and a variety of options to your dinner table. You wouldn't want an all-inclusive option. Truly, money well spent. All the meal times were like this. Set meals or buffet, you'll leave the restaurant fully satisfied and full of energy. We extended our stay to finish the dive course. If I were to write about the dive course and the instructors, I could write a book, and it would only be filled with compliments. They leave no stone unturned. They take their time to teach every single member separately and empowered us to move past our comfort zones. They are a dynamic duo who will play a huge role in bringing back returning customers. I definitely am returning to Makunudu Island. This trip will always be remembered, and I hope they only get better with time to make our stay as comfortable as possible.

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.

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.

The overall experience was excellent! The Hotel staff was incredibly supportive and friendly. The food was great. At dinner we had usually 3 different choices of food. So everyone was happy. And diving with Finn, Marie, Ricardo and Sue was a blast! The dives were very professionally managed and great fun. Incredible! I can highly recommend them.