Kuramathi Review • Enjoying the Best Dive Spots in the World
Kuramathi Maldives is one of the largest resorts in the Maldives located on a gorgeous island. Don’t let the size of the resort deceive you as this is still some of the best of what the Maldives has to offer.
You’ll find luxurious rooms, champagne bars, pools, water activities, abundant marine life, and plenty of spots to hide away from it all. In between dives and snorkeling, we spent our days relaxing on the back deck of our overwater villa at Kuramathi. Check out what Kuramathi Maldives is all about for yourself!
Kuramathi Maldives Review
Arrival to Kuramathi
There are two options for transfers to Kuramathi – via seaplane or boat. The boat transfer is done on a large boat twice a day (depends on season) and is generally cheaper, but it’s done in groups so you could end up waiting until all flights have arrived in Male to depart for Kuramathi.
Boat transfers take a little over an hour on a comfortable speedboat. The second option would be to take a seaplane with TMA, the ride will take about 20 minutes from the airport.
We’re mixed on which is the better option as the planes can at times be hot and between checking in, loading, and unloading the plane can take just as long. To book the transfer you must consult Kuramathi directly as TMA does not offer individual bookings.
The Kuramathi Property
Kuramathi Island is one mile long and shares a name with the resort. It’s in the Rasdhoo atoll in the Northeast section of the Maldives and offers access to some amazing marine life and gorgeous beaches.
A particular highlight of the property is the spectacular sandbank that extends out from the end of the island. Sunsets here are a must.
There is a wide selection of modern rooms spread across the islands ranging from double rooms, beach bungalows, water villas, and pool villas. Altogether it’s a resort that leaves you seeking a golf cart or buggy as walking the whole thing may take close to an hour!
The Rooms at Kuramathi
All of the rooms at Kuramathi are modern and updated, especially the new overwater villas. We stayed in one of their deluxe water villas and had a fantastic time.
The villa was larger than most apartments with a comfortable king bed, bar, couch, and a large bathroom. Features like an in-wine cooler stocked with over 16 bottles of wine made sure we had no need to leave the room – just had to call in order for some room service. A bathtub located in the center of the bathroom provided views out to the Maldivian blue water.
All of the water villas have a large patio deck with lounge chairs to enjoy the sun in privacy. We spent most of our time on the back deck of our villa taking dips into the water via our private staircase. With decently deep water we may have taken a few jumps off the back deck before rinsing off in our outdoor shower.
I don’t know if we’d advise going fully nude on the back deck as you can still see much of the resort and your neighbors have access to the water as well. It’s possible to snorkel right from your villa so you may end up seeing some stray snorkelers every once in a while.
The Food at Kuramathi
The food varies on your meal plan; however, every booking includes breakfast which is served at your correspondent restaurant. Most people will go with a full board meal plan and that includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a buffet.
For buffet food, we found the ambiance and views better than your average buffet. The food was fresh and the menu actually changed every day while catering to an international audience. That being said we could have done with more options for vegetarians, a full salad bar, and more fresh fruit.
Two of our nights at Kuramathi we had meals at their ala carte restaurants – The Palm and Island BBQ. The Palm is a contemporary restaurant with seafood dishes with the particular specialty on various ragouts.
The island BBQ is pretty self-explanatory located near the reception where there is an Indian Restaurant, Coffee shop, and bar. They have a wide selection of grilled meats and seafood offering flambéed dishes tableside. I would highly recommend booking at least one dinner at one of Kuramathi’s ala carte restaurants!
The Staff at Kuramathi
The staff at Kuramathi are incredibly kind and helpful. Every excursion we had was met with prompt and courteous staff members from all over the world!
The Diving at Kuramathi
We had no idea what to expect when we arrived in the morning for our first dive at Kuramathi with Rasdhoo Divers. However, when we met up with an experienced diver who proclaimed we were about to dive on her favorite site in the world it raised an eyebrow or two.
Maadivaru is a small ridge that sits at about 19 meters deep with strong currents and a nice edge that is often populated by sharks. We had no idea what to expect when we reached the ridge until we set anchors. For about a half hour we watched dozens of sharks, a fever of eagle rays, and a few thousand fish swim next to our faces. The experience was nothing short of extraordinary when the rays began doing acrobatics in the water while the sharks circled.
If you are dive certified a dive at this site is an absolute must. In fact, it probably draws in a number of repeat guests to Kuramathi along with their other phenomenal dive sites. The dive center here runs three dive trips a day and Maadivaru is always on the itinerary.
The Activities at Kuramathi
If all you want to do is relax on the patio of your villa — go ahead. That’s likely part of the reason you traveled to the Maldives. However, there are still many activities for all to enjoy at Kuramathi. For starters, if you want to be off on your own you can rent a mask and some fins and snorkel around the resort.
We like to travel with our own fins, mask, and snorkel so we didn’t have to keep paying for rentals and it was an amazing decision. Plus the gear fits us and no one else has slobbered over the snorkel. If you’re really into snorkeling I can’t recommend bringing your own gear enough. It was a great decision as we’ve been working on our recreational free diving. Though it can be hassle while traveling through airports.
Other activities include group snorkeling, dolphin watching, kayaking, stand-up paddling, kite surfing, and fishing.
Overall Impressions of Kuramathi
Kuramathi is an easy choice for the right guest. If you’re keen on diving, water activities, or a wide selection of bars/restaurants Kuramathi is an easy choice. It’s a big resort with a lot to offer everyone.
All aspects of Kuramathi are modern and new, and the sandbar is the most amazing we’ve seen in our 15 days in the Maldives. However, if you’re looking for an intimate barefoot holiday you might want to look at a smaller property like Maafushivaru.
