Continuation of the story about the guest houses of the Maldives
So, I will continue my previous story about the next 2 islands. Next on the agenda we had Mathiveri and Ukulhas. To do this, we had to return to Rasdhoo, because there is no direct boat from Thoddoo to Mathiveri. So at 7 in the morning we boarded a local boat with 3 passengers (including 2 of us), which during the day goes around the main local islands of Alifu Atoll and is called Atoll Ferry (MTCC Maldivian transport company). We got from Thoddoo to Rasdhoo in about an hour. We paid 20 rufiyaa per person (slightly more than $1). On the same day at 15.00 we were to sail from Rasdhoo to Mathiveri. Since we arrived early in the morning at 8.00, there was still enough time before the next boat.
We again met with our friend Adam and went to his guest room to drink coffee and take some pictures of the surroundings. At this time, they were just waiting for the arrival of the guests, and a couple of Chinese were already located in the room next to mine, where I decided to take a nap for an hour before the road. The Chinese were noisily enthusiastic and thanked Adam in English for the room, which they all immediately liked very much.
At 15.00 our boat was here and, after saying goodbye to Adam once again, we went to the next island. As it turned out (I didn’t know then), the boat was the same as in the morning and the conductor, he immediately recognized me and asked where we were sailing, said that there was no need to pay (fortunately, I saved the tickets in the morning). I showed them to him and he said that the ticket is valid during the day, so, as they say, ride, I don’t want to! The journey took 2 hours. In general, logically, it was possible first to Ukulas, since he was the first on the way from Rasdhoo, but they were waiting for us at Mathiveri and we went there. So after an hour the first stop - Ukulas - is not ours, then after 40 minutes another island, and after 10 minutes our Mathiveri. This time it was no longer possible to travel with 3 passengers. The boat was full and full. Families with children, with a lot of goods and other things, especially on Ukulas, a lot of people got hooked.
At Mathiveri we were again met by our friend Samir, who manages the recently opened guest house Mathiveri inn. First, we went to have a bite to eat at a local cafe (a very traditional local cafe), and after we were taken to the guest room. I was pleasantly surprised as I didn't think it would be as good as I thought. The fact is that I knew that this guest room was converted from an ordinary Maldivian residential building. The photos that we had were not very successful and looking at the multi-colored walls of the rooms (blue, orange, pink), I thought that the look of the rooms would be shabby and outdated. Nothing like this! All the furniture is new, the walls, though multi-colored, but freshly painted, no wear, very clean, spacious, comfortable. There is a safe in the closet, so smart, not just a wooden box with a key. Soft blanket. In the bedside table, a plan of the island, a flashlight and candles. The bed is double, but if necessary, 2 separate beds can be placed on request. As well as a small room that is planned to be equipped as a kitchen in the future, so that you can cook yourself. I didn’t like the shower room with a toilet a bit, it was a bit cramped, in the sense there was not enough space for taking a shower. But the water is hot and cold. There is no ventilation, which is also bad, because the water, again, has a smell and this smell does not disappear. But there was no smell in the room. Air conditioning and ceiling fan are ok. A window with access to the courtyard, although it’s not even a courtyard, but a wall-fence from the outside, that is, there is no view from the window, but what you liked, along this fence there is a clothesline and hangers - you can dry. Many of these seemingly trifles, but necessary. In other rooms, by the way, I looked - the shower room is bigger. At the moment, 3 rooms are ready to receive guests at any time, additional 2 rooms will be equipped with everything necessary for the winter, and as a result, 5 rooms. Finally, the patio differs from the previous guest rooms, but the whole charm is that there is not a single similar guest room, no matter where we have been - everywhere has its own unique flavor, everywhere you feel your own individuality, this is very pleasing! So the patio is lined with multi-colored tiles, there is a table and chairs. Further, the entrance to a small hall, which represents the reception area and from there the doors lead to the next 3 rooms. It turns out that 2 rooms with a separate exit are not connected to the reception area.
We went to inspect the sandy spit, where all tourists are sent to sunbathe and swim, since Mathiveri itself does not have a suitable beach for this, and, as already mentioned in the previous story, you are not supposed to be in a bikini. It took only 5 minutes on a motorboat, we were driving almost to sunset. The island is quite large, and tourists come there not only from Mathiveri, but also from the nearest resort islands. For example, at that moment a couple of tourists were already resting there. I really liked the island, on one side the beach is wider, but dirtier, the wave is no, no, yes, it will beat a slipper or a bottle or a bag, and the other side is narrower, but clean. There are bushes in the middle of the island, in the very depths of these bushes there are such wilds, and sometimes through them you can look like into a rabbit hole on the other side of the island and see the blue ocean. From the side that faces Mathiveri, a wonderful view opens up, and we took a lot of photos. The sand is just a miracle, the lagoon is awesome, gradual descent into the water, sandy bottom, turquoise water, everything is ideal. At times, when the water subsides, you can wade to this island from Mathiveri. In addition, for the new year, tourists are planning to have a party on this island with torchlight, music, tables for dinner. I didn’t want to leave the island, especially before sunset - it was so good to sit and plunge into serene calm and thoughtful daydreaming under the splash of waves..... but our boat arrived and we continued our excursion.
We returned to Mathiveri and went to inspect the island already at sunset and in the coming dusk, continuing to take pictures and talk with Samir. In the evening we had dinner at a local cafe, again cooked on request - I asked for chicken legs, because for some reason they were busy with fish (these were the days before Ramadan).
The next morning we set sail for Ukulas. The boat was about 10 am, we reached the island in an hour, immediately went to the guest Coral Reef View Inn. I’ll tell you right away about the advantages of a guest room (and there are 2 of them on the island). From the guest room there is direct access to the beach, and on this stretch of the beach you can swim and sunbathe in a bikini. There are even sun loungers (2) . A very beautiful place, though swimming is not very pleasant, as there is a constant wave. The beach area is small, that is, it is quite comfortable for 2 people, but for 4 or 6 people it will be crowded there. The guest room itself is very beautiful, here, like nowhere else, I saw some interesting design ideas, the walls are decorated with fish figures carved from wood, a luxurious mosaic on the tiled floor in the middle, figures of sailing yachts and artificial flowers in a vase in the reception area. Bright red sofa. In general, tropically bright, juicy and attractive. And in the rooms there is the same riot of colors, burgundy curtains, bright bedding, in our room the bathroom was lined with orange tiles - very sunny. The rooms are cozy, the furniture is also good, everything is new, not scratched or worn, although they opened more than a year ago. What I liked here is the presence of adapters in sockets, you usually have to ask at the reception and not always there is what you need. But here, there were several outlets and at least 2 with adapters. In our room there were already 2 windows, which is rare, with a beautiful view of the courtyard. The guest room also has a kitchen area, with dishes, a kettle and a stove, you can cook. But, maybe because it was not the season, the kitchen looked a little neglected, and I had no desire to cook something there, only coffee or tea. The rooms are all with a mini-bar in which there is content. From the kitchen side there is access to the patio, and there is a table with chairs and even a mini souvenir shop. The guest's impression was good, the only thing that was bad again was the smell of water, which (despite the ventilation in the shower room) spread throughout the room. As soon as we arrived, the room smelled of dampness. I came across this feature in the Maldives, in general, it’s understandable: there were no guests for a long time, the room was not properly ventilated. Otherwise, there were no negative emotions in the rooms.
I’ll tell you about the cafe separately, the prices are clearly too high. They have a very colorful menu, with a choice of dishes, which is rare on local islands where there are few guests, but compared to other places, it is expensive. And this is not only my opinion, but also from the reviews of other guests as well. At the time that we were, again, 70% of the dishes offered were missing, apparently, again, on the eve of Ramadan, or because it was not the season for tourists. But of the possible options, what was prepared, I did not like. This is also a minus. Although, perhaps in season, everything is even very tasty. The next day was the beginning of the Muslim fast, and from the evening of the previous day, people were actively having fun on the beach. And later they prepared treats and ate until late at night. There was already a fast in the morning and I did not count on any food in the guest room, so I bought fruit in advance. However, they took care of me, which is nice! They brought breakfast directly to the guest house.
It is interesting that a guy from the Netherlands works at the reception, who for some reason fled Europe a long time ago and settled in the Maldives outback. As he said - for about 10 years he has been living in the Maldives and in particular for the last 4 years in Ukulas. He himself is a Muslim, half Dutch, half Indonesian, very friendly and good-natured guy. He told us about some of the features of the holiday here and what tourists usually complain about.
Our journey was coming to an end and we were already making the return trip on a seaplane. From Ukulas we were taken by speedboat about 15 minutes to the resort island of Velidhoo and at 17.00 we had a plane. 20 minutes of flight over all this beauty and we are at the airport. This is how the trip turned out, I hope you can find something useful for yourself from the description of guest houses, beaches and the method of transportation. If you have any questions, write with pleasure. If you want to know the prices, write in a personal. Good day to all! Alena.
