Although I have visited at least eight islands in the Maldives — five local islands and three resorts — the first time I saw this extraordinary, magnetic blue, I was instantly captivated. Stepping onto the silky-soft white sand and feeling the gentle waves around you, it really feels as if you have arrived in paradise. And when you look beneath the surface, the beauty is just as compelling — wonderful corals and colorful fish. I was actually staying on a neighboring island because there were no rooms available here, yet I still found a way to return to Fulhadhoo three more times during my nine-day stay in the Maldives. It is simply unrealistically beautiful, and you want to experience again and again this otherworldly beauty — untouched, pure and completely natural — that still exists on Earth.

You may already be asking impatiently: which island is this? Tell us!

For a moment I wondered whether I should reveal it, but a gem this beautiful — still relatively little known — could never remain hidden for long anyway.

Its name is Fulhadhoo — the most charming local island in the Maldives I have visited so far. And quite deservedly, it appears in rankings of the world’s most beautiful beaches.

What Fulhadhoo island is like

The island is relatively long (around 1.9 km), and much of its interior is covered by dense tropical jungle. As you emerge from it toward the ocean, long white-sand beaches open up in front of you.

The sandbank

At the western end of the island there is a huge sandbank stretching into the ocean. The water here is shallow, crystal clear and filled with incredible shades of blue.

How to get to Fulhadhoo (Baa Atoll, Maldives)

Fulhadhoo island is part of Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It can be reached by a modern speedboat in around 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on sea conditions. The fare is USD 60–65 per person each way. The boat leaves Malé at 15:00, while from Fulhadhoo to Malé there are two departures — one at 06:45 and another at 12:00 noon.

Seeing what happened over roughly ten years to local islands closer to the capital, such as Maafushi — heavy development with huge 12- to 15-storey hotels — convinces me that finding places still untouched by mass tourism increasingly means traveling farther from Malé. For me, that is a small inconvenience compared with trying to “relax” among crowds of tourists and a “jungle” made not of palm trees, but of unnaturally tall hotels.

Bikini Beach: how to get there and what to expect

But back to Fulhadhoo. If you follow the path from the harbor toward the inhabited part of the island — with small guesthouses and homes of the local population, which numbers no more than around 250 people — it leads to a small beach in front of two or three charming guesthouses. I first went into the water there, but it becomes deep quite quickly.

If instead you turn right from the harbor and pass one of the island’s most popular places to eat, you soon enter the jungle. After walking through it for 15–20 minutes, you reach the fairytale-like Bikini Beach. If you arrive early — around 07:00–08:00 — there is a good chance you will be the only person on the beach and can choose your sun loungers. The view is astonishing and difficult to describe in words, so I will let the photos take you there. What impressed me most were the unique shades of blue. Where the waves seemed to “embrace” from the left and right, I could distinguish at least three different shades of blue, perfectly painted by nature.

Snorkeling, currents and tides

As you approach Bikini Beach, the long stretch on the left is better for relaxing and swimming. The water there is calmer, sometimes with gentle waves — at least during the February days when I was there. The right-hand side is better for snorkeling: beautiful corals, large colorful fish, and I even saw a small shark. There can be a strong current, so it is better to enter farther along the beach and then let the current carry you toward the end of the lagoon. The tide is quite noticeable on this side around midday. If you are not a confident swimmer and prefer shallower water, it is better to enter by around 10:30–11:00. At that time the depth was roughly 1.4 m, while in the early afternoon the same places were already around 1.60–1.70 m or deeper.

Island life and food

After around 12:30–13:00 the sun becomes much stronger, so you can spend the next hour and a half or two hours in the shade with a light breeze, enjoying the ocean view. Or you can walk back through the jungle under the palm trees and have lunch at one of the island’s restaurants. Keep in mind that many of them serve lunch only until around 14:00 and reopen at 18:00. There is also a shop where you can buy fruit, packaged food, nuts, water and soft drinks. I also found a small café serving sandwiches and locally prepared snacks, typically with a slightly spicy filling and at very good prices. I paid 25 rufiyaa for five or six snacks, a small bottle of water and an ice cream cone — less than two US dollars. It is a useful option if you miss restaurant opening hours.

Walking through the inhabited part of the island, you see charming guesthouses. The rhythm of life here naturally makes you relax, slow down and gradually slip into a state of genuine rest. Everything encourages it — from the magnetically beautiful nature to the calm atmosphere that fills the island.

After 15:00–15:30 it is time to enjoy the ocean again — all the way until sunset. And the sunsets here are magical. You become immersed in an unreal atmosphere, carried by a sense of peace and complete harmony with nature.

Some sunsets simply mark the end of the day. Others stay with you long after you have left.

I sincerely hope you get to experience this feeling for yourself — if this is your kind of holiday, of course.

How much it costs: accommodation, food and flights

Many people will say: yes, but the Maldives are expensive and unfortunately we cannot afford them. At luxury resorts, often yes — but let’s see whether that is also true on Fulhadhoo.

Accommodation on the island in a double room with air conditioning and a private bathroom — often including breakfast in charming small guesthouses — starts at around USD 130 per night and can reach USD 200. Prices in many European cities are not far from this. If you stay on one of the neighboring islands, only 10–15 minutes by boat from Fulhadhoo, double rooms can start from around USD 70 per night.

A dish in a local restaurant typically costs around USD 8, 10 or 12, while a full lunch or dinner is about USD 18 per person. Fresh fruit juice — mango, pineapple, papaya, watermelon, orange and others — is usually around USD 4–6.

Places to eat on Fulhadhoo island

full menus, prices and photos

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Excursions on Fulhadhoo island

prices and options

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So this paradise is accessible. If you are flying from Europe, return airfares are often in the range of EUR 800–1,200 per person. But the experiences you can have and the charm of the Maldives are difficult to compare with most other destinations, especially if you enjoy tropical travel and quiet holidays.

Time passes almost unnoticed here, yet it leaves precious memories that stay with you for a long time — and make you look forward to your next encounter with this paradise, captivating precisely because of its unspoiled natural beauty.

If you are also planning to visit other local islands, see: Thoddoo, Maldives – complete island guide