Living in an island in the Maldives and still wanting to visit islands might sound strange to you but it is really my goal to see as much islands of the Maldives while I am here, while the islands are still in their natural state (before a foreign company takes over and turns it into a resort and changes the entire island).
One may think that all islands are the same. They have sand, palm trees and are surrounded by the sea. But then, each island has its own charm and no two islands are ever the same. And no matter how beautiful these islands are on photos, you will never know that island feeling until you step foot on its jetty.
Me and my colleague visited Dharavandhoo Island last September for one, we would like to take a break from our resort life and two, it was the Manta Season and we wanted to see them. It’s not like we have not seen Mantas yet. There is a Manta point near our resort as well however, Dharavandhoo is famous every Manta Season. It is very close to Hanifaru Bay where you can see 30 or more Mantas plus Whale sharks if you are lucky. However, my colleague and I weren’t that lucky to see that much and I have posted about our Manta adventures here.
Dharavandhoo Island is a small quiet island in Baa Atoll in the Maldives and here are 3 things I like most about the island.
- Dharavandhoo has all you need during your holiday.
The island is small and quiet that it even looks deserted at times but it has all that a traveler would need.
- First and foremost, an airport. Not all faraway islands has an airport and sometimes it can be challenging to reach a certain destination.
- It has an ATM so one will not worry about running out of cash.
- It has guest houses and cafes and it is suitable for budget travelers. We stayed in Kihaa Beach and surprisingly, the size and the design of the room is similar to a 4* resort. It has its own restaurant, a pool and a spa. Since we had almost all our meals in the same restaurant, we tried to look for another place to eat so we had a dinner at the Cafe in Aveyla, which is another guest house, and the food was good.
- It has its own house reef and is near Hanifaru Bay.
Well, for those like us who would like to see Manta Rays, then this is a good place to stay. It also has its own house reef for those who would like to snorkel. A dive center called Liquid Salt Divers can arrange dives for divers.
- It’s still really Maldives.
The island is very quiet and although it has guest houses, it is not so commercialized yet and you can really feel that it is a local island. It has a good beach and a bikini beach for those who would like to sunbath.
The people are nice and friendly and we get all smiles and greetings. While walking from our guest house to the bank, some guys driving a vehicle greeted us and offered a hitch.
I would love to come back to this charming island again, given a chance.
aysabaw.com 
I’d love to hear from you!