Sunday, January 31, 2016

The Maldives: Staying at Himmafushi Island's Just Surf and Dive Villa

Anette 7:37:00 PM Accommodation, Hotels, Maldives

During our recent trip to the Maldives Yuma & I spent some days at a local Maldivian island Himmafushi. As I wrote about in my post about Himmafushi the government of the Maldives opened up for the possibility of having guests staying at the local islands in 2009. Although the experience is far from what you can expect staying at one of the luxurious island resorts in the Maldives it will give you a glimpse into the real life of the local people residing in this beautiful country.

Check availability for Just Surf Villa & Lodge on Agoda.com. Free cancellation.

Entrance to Just Surf Villa

About the Guesthouse

Himmafushi island is most known as a great destination for surfers, and the island attracts visitors from all over the globe for its idyllic surfing spots. Not surprisingly this is also where the guesthouse got its name from.

The surfing season lasts from April to late October with the best months being around June and July, and during this time you’re guaranteed to catch some good waves here. If you're however visiting the island outside of the surfing season you can still enjoy other water sports activities such as snorkeling or diving. Just Surf Villa also has their own dive center, Just Dive, so you'll have the chance to check out the beautiful underwater world that surrounds the island. We went on one trip with them during our short stay and we were lucky enough to among others see some sea turtles.

When staying at Just Surf you can choose between staying at their villa, which includes 4 spacious room, and a newly renovated lodge. In our case, we stayed at the lodge, which is situated on the other side of the street from the villa. Either way, you'll have full access to the common area situated inside the walls of the Just Surf Villa. Here are some of my photos from Just Surf:

The common area of the Just Surf Villa:

The common swimming pool

Surf boards available for free rental

Reception

Common room in the Just Surf Villa

Common area of the Just Surf Lodge:

Just Surf Lodge Guestroom:

Breakfast:

We spent some quiet and nice days at Just Surf. Since we were traveling outside of the high season we had their facilities almost to ourself, but I imagine that it must be a lot of guests visiting throughout the year, and especially during the surf season. The number of guest houses on the local islands is also increasing rapidly, so if you want to experience a local Maldivian island my advice would be to take a trip there soon before it becomes too commercialised.

Guesthouse staff carrying our luggage to the ferry

All in all, we had a great stay on the island. A special thanks to the staff our guesthouse Just Surf and Dive Villa!

Basic information

Name of Island	Himmafushi (Kaafu Atoll)
Map
Access	Ferry from Male’s harbor by Jetty Number 1 at 15:00 PM (Every day except Friday)
Distance to Male	17.27 km (10.73 mi)
Population	855
Accommodation	Just Surf and Dive Villa

Getting to Himmafushi

Himmafushi island is situated approximately 45 minutes north of Male by boat, and you can get there by the daily ferry that departures from Male’s harbor by Jetty Number 1 (see the picture taken from the ferry above for reference) at 15:00 PM for the cost of around 2 dollars per person. The ferry going back to Male leaves from Himmafushi at 8:00 AM. One thing you should be aware of when you plan your trip is that there is no ferry on Fridays. Your hotel will help you arrange transport if you still want to go to/leave the island on a Friday but it will cost you ten times the price of the local ferry.

Recommended Hotels in the Maldives

More Maldives hotels

Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu

Constance
Moofushi

Olhuveli Beach & Spa Resort

Huvafen Fushi Maldives

About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.