We Spent 7 nights at Makunudu Island for our honeymoon at the end of February 2014, and it was simply spectacular!!
From the moment we arrived everything was just perfect, we were greeted at the airport by extremely friendly representatives from Makunudu and escorted us to our speedboat. The sea was not the calmest, and in some places the trip to the island was a bit choppy, but by no means unpleasant as you are mesmerized by the absolute stunning scenery of this magnificent part of the world.
After about a 50min trip on the boat, you can see Makunudu approaching in the distance, thinking it's still miles away, but it's not, this Island is VERY small, and within 5min we were greeted by the calm, glass-like turquoise infused waters on the South side of Makunudu Island where the jetty is located. Upon arriving at the jetty, we were welcomed by Adrian who guided us through to the Sandbar where he set the mood for what was to become the best holiday we have EVER had!
We were then taken to our bungalow, no.30, which is located on the South side of the island and upon opening the door we were welcomed by a beautiful heart-shaped towel figure on the bed, decorated with red flower petals, a bottle of white wine and a plate of fresh fruit. The bungalow is basic, some people may even call it ''old'', yet it has an overwhelming air of desert island romance about it with its high palm leaf sealing, wooden floors and support pillars. The outside bathroom was neat and clean, with everything that you would need. A friendly chap by the name of Saeed was in charge of cleaning our room on a daily basis, and the room was always kept squeaky clean with a daily supply of fresh towels and every night there was a different display of towel creativity by Saeed on our bed, from a stunning little elephant, to an elaborate double swan on the last day.
When we opened the door leading out to the front of our bungalow, we stepped out into a wonder world of soft sea sand, with two beach chairs under a natural roof of overgrown island vegetation that opened up to a view of pure, heavenly ocean scenery, with nothing but pure white sands, married to an almost unmoving sheet of blue and turquoise water as far as the eye could see. This was to be what felt like our own private desert island beach for the next seven nights, very secluded, we never saw or heard our neighbours, as our private forest of overgrown vegetation acted like a natural wall infested by the most adorable hermit crabs housed in an endless variety of different shells and sizes.
About 10 meters from our bungalow was the lagoon, which was a paradise of underwater life and color, we spent hours just snorkeling around the island, where literally everyday, we saw beautiful sea-turltes, angel rays, eels and what seemed like a billion different species of fish all around the great house reef. The south side of the island, where we stayed, had a great little reef, easy to reach, almost no current and crystal clear waters. The north side of the island had a truly magnificent reef, it seemed to go on forever, here the water can be a bit more choppy, but can still be conquered with ease, and once you reach the reef, it is well worth it. It is also possible to snorkel around the entire island, which was great, as you get to see different habitats that all house some sort of strange and amazing creatures.
We were also treated to two complimentary excursions, one, a snorkeling trip to a nearby reef, just a kilometer or two south-west of the island, where we saw nurse sharks, octopus, sea turtles and rays, the other a sundown, traditional hand line fishing trip. The fishing trip was a great experience, if not for the fantastic fishing, where we even caught two small black-tip reef sharks ( these were obviously thrown back ) then for the jaw dropping ''sea-world'' like dolphin display against the back drop of the setting sun!
Except for the bungalow and the restaurant, the entire island is cover in soft white sand, however, in places around the beach, the washed up coral can be a bit sharp and prickly, but not unmanageable with bare feet.
The Staff were always incredibly helpful, even though it's obvious that english isn't their first language and sometimes having to rephrase your question in a number of different ways was necessary, they were always friendly and up to the task! Our bartender Habib was one of the highlights of our stay with a constant smile and always willing to chat.
Now onto the food, every review we read about Makunudu always praised the great dining on the island, and trust me, they were spot on!! Breakfast was pretty much a standard buffet lay out, complete with the usual suspects of bacon, sausages, mushrooms, french toast and flap jacks. A chef would happily prepare you your eggs for you or make you tasty omelet.. and if this wasn't enough, there was a waffle station and an endless selection of fresh fruit and a couple of fruit juices.
Lunch was a bit more adventurous, buffet was also the order of the day here, but it was amazing, a wide variety of well..almost everything, there was always some sort of fresh reef fish on offer, and if you were not in the mood for a buffet, they chef will make you a tasty toasted sandwich on a selection of different breads with any filling of your choice, served with some hand made chips.
Dinner was by far the most indulgent, most nights were menu based, that included a starter, an in between, a choice of mains that consisted of either fresh fish, meat or a vegetarian dish, finished off with spectacular deserts. The week also included one night of beach barbecue buffet and a traditional Maldivian night served in a buffet style.
The food was truly incredible, and far outstrips the island's three star rating, the fish was always as fresh as you can get, prepared in the most delicious ways, the steaks were perfectly prepared to our liking and the deserts were heavenly, especially the Dark chocolate mouse, and the layered Ice cream cake! 5 Star..nothing less!
The Island is incredibly small, with 36 bungalows, it was fully booked when we were there and we were surprised to find out that so many guests were repeat visitors to Makunudu, yet we barely saw anybody during the day, it was relaxation at its best. There was no entertainment in the evenings and no loud music, just pure relaxation as we grabbed a cocktail after dinner and stared at a blanket of stars!
This Island is not for everyone, if you have children or if you need lots of things to keep you busy, it's not for you, it is a piece of utter unspoiled serenity, peace and quiet, an unassuming piece of paradise in the middle of the Indian Ocean...
Already saving to go back! :)
