Fly to Thoddoo (Maldives), find a hotel on your own, eat in a cafe – such a holiday will cost 3 times cheaper than a holiday in the simplest resort. But this is a radically different format of recreation. Thoddoo is a beautiful green island with a luxurious beach, but there are no villas on the water and bungalows with ocean views, as well as there is no service present in resorts. Thoddoo is ideal for those who only need a beach with snow-white sand on the shore of a warm ocean.
General information
Thoddoo Island is located in the north-west side of the capital of the Maldives, Male Island, at a distance of 67 km from it.
Thoddoo is a local island where Maldivian citizens live. According to data for 2024, its population, including foreigners, was about 2000 people.
By the standards of the Maldives, Thoddoo Island is quite large: 1.7 km long, 1.2 km wide, and about 5 km in diameter. On foot along the sea, you can get around it in an hour, and go around by bike even faster – in 15-20 minutes.
A third of the total area is occupied by the settlement, and another third is reserved for agricultural land. Thoddoo produces a variety of fruits and vegetables that are shipped to the capital and other islands of the Maldives. Watermelons, papayas, bananas, mangoes, coconuts, pineapples, cucumbers grow there.
Infrastructure of the island
Payment terminals on the island are extremely rare. That is why in the Maldives, and in particular, on Thoddoo, you need to take cash dollars with you.
There are several shops on this island, and the souvenir trade is especially popular. There is a pharmacy and a hospital. There are 2 good diving centers that are popular with tourists.
There are many local cafes and small restaurants. As a rule, the waiting time for an order is from 30 minutes to one hour. Food in a cafe costs $ 3-5-10, similar dishes in restaurants will cost$6-10-15.
Thoddoo has beautiful nature and plenty of places to go for a walk. But the big drawback is local roads. There is no asphalt anywhere, even the central road is just a packed ordinary soil, that is, earth and sand. It is especially uncomfortable when it rains: the roads are flooded from end to end, they turn into a solid puddle.
Beaches on Thoddoo
There are 2 bikini beaches on the island – this is the name of the beaches where you can relax in a regular swimsuit. Tourists can also visit beaches intended for the local population, but they will only have to swim there in closed clothes.
Sunrise beach
The small Sunrise beach is located next to the marina where boats from Male dock.
The territory is ennobled: there are 2 toilets, showers, many sun beds. The entrance to the water is gentle, but there are a lot of coral fragments and beautiful blue shells on the bottom.
Sunset or Toddhoo beach
Sunset beach is long and spacious, located on the opposite side of the island. The color of the water is exactly the same as in the advertising photos, and the sand is perfectly clean. The entrance to the water is sandy, but after a few meters from the shore, the depth is 1.5 meters.
Not far from the shore there is a coral reef, which constantly swims a lot of turtles and colorful fish.
There are many free sun beds on this beach, as well as many different swings and beautiful photo zones. You can sit both in the sun and in the shade of trees. There is a Water sports center where you can rent a sap or shoot video from a drone for$ 10 per hour.
The central part is almost always crowded and noisy, while the outskirts are quieter.
Best hotels in Thoddoo
Unlike the resort islands of the Maldives, hotels on Thoddoo Island are not located on the beach, but are located in the center of the village.
When choosing accommodation, you can focus on the reviews of tourists and the rating on Booking. Below is a list of the best hotels on this island.
Fairytale Inn
Fairytale Inn offers beautiful and comfortable rooms, a spacious terrace, and a luxurious on-site garden. Fairytale Inn is located next to Bikini Beach and has its own private beach.
Guests of the hotel can use bicycles, masks and fins, and barbecue facilities free of charge. Room service is also available.
An airport shuttle service can be arranged if necessary.
Tourists who have lived in this guest house leave warm reviews about its owner. “Nice, polite, sociable Nani will help with any questions.”
- The price of a double room in high season starts from$100.
- Fairytale Inn’s rating on the Booking website is 9.7.
Holiday Cottage Thoddoo
Holiday Cottage Thoddoo is a guest house with a terrace and a shared lounge, with a beautiful garden. Other facilities offered at the property include an ATM and currency exchange.
There is a luxurious playground for children, and babysitting services are available.
A shared kitchen is available at this hotel, and room service is also available. There is a restaurant that serves Indian and Italian dishes. Vegetarian and gluten-free meals can be prepared on request.
Bicycles can be rented at Holiday Cottage Thoddoo. According to tourists, the bike park is decent, all bikes are in good condition, there is plenty to choose from.
- For a double room, you will have to pay from$77.
- On Booking, the Holiday Cottage Thoddoo rating is 9.5.
Coco Villa
The new Coco Villa guest house is located at a distance of 800 m from the nearest beach. The rooms are stylish and clean, with their own small patio. Very beautifully designed area with lots of greenery.
An airport shuttle service can be arranged for residents by prior arrangement.
Coco Villa also offers room service. Guests can enjoy a continental or full English/Irish breakfast. As tourists write in the reviews, the breakfasts were never repeated and were always very tasty. Tourists recommend immediately registering a settlement with full meals, because “a delicious dinner on the spot can not be compared with dinner in any cafe on the island!”.
- Prices for a double room in high season start at $ 85.
- Coco Villa rating on Booking.com – 9.6.
Ahola Thoddoo
4* Hotel Ahola Thoddoo, Maldives is located just 500 meters from the nearest beach, but has its own quite decent beach.
The territory of the hotel is fully ennobled, there is a beautiful garden, free Parking, a safe playground for children.
The hotel has a restaurant and guests can order food and drinks in the room. The administration organizes airport transfers for its residents.
Tourists who have lived in Ahola Thoddoo share their positive impressions: “We were very warmly received at the hotel. Fresh water and coconuts were waiting for us, and the bed was decorated with original folded towels.”
- Prices for a double room in high season start at $ 95.
- Ahola Thoddoo Hotel rating at Booking.com – 9.5.
Lagoon Villa Thoddoo
3* Lagoon Villa Thoddoo Guest House provides guests with beautiful new rooms. There is a lot of greenery around, including shady trees. A currency exchange service is available for residents.
Lagoon Villa Thoddoo is just 800 metres from the public beach, but has its own private beach. Snorkeling masks and fins can be borrowed free of charge, and manta rays and sharks can also be booked on a guided tour.
Lagoon Villa Thoddoo has a restaurant where you can order food delivery. In the morning, each guest is served a standard rich breakfast.
- A double room in high season starts at$77.
- On Booking, the rating of this hotel is 9.3.
Diving and snorkeling opportunities
As in general in the Maldives, on the island of Thoddoo, the most common activity for vacationers is diving and snorkeling.
Thoddoo is surrounded by a vibrant living reef. The coral forests are home to octopuses, turtles, and other underwater creatures.
Self-snorkeling is desirable only on the inner home reef. You should not swim out alone, because there are strong currents outside. But even near the shore there is something to see: a lot of live growing corals, turtles, a variety of fish and even squid.
There are several diving centers on Thoddoo, where tourists can go fishing, canoeing, water skiing and motorcycle riding. There are dolphin excursions for$ 50-70 per person, diving tours with fish and manta rays for$ 85 per person.
Fish Head Nature Reserve is popular for diving enthusiasts. There are a lot of turtles and a variety of exotic fish, there are reef and whale sharks.
How to get to Thoddoo Island
There are several ways to get to Thoddoo Island from Male Airport.
Speed Boat
Speedboat is the most common type of transfer among those who travel independently to the Maldives. Compared to other Maldivian islands, the Thoddoo transfer will be very fast and very cheap. A speedboat that runs to Thoddoo from Male or directly from the airport is between 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes away. Travel costs$ 35 per person.
Departure to Thoddoo is available in 9:30, 11:00, 15:00 on all days except Friday. Boats depart back to the airport at approximately 6:30-7:00 and 12:00-14:00.
There are several companies operating on this route, and you should definitely check your schedule. There is a convenient site for finding and booking speedbots.
However, it is best to book a speedboat seat through the hotel administration or the guest house owner. A representative of the host party will book seats on the speedboat for the desired date and time, meet you from the boat and immediately take you to the hotel.
Just arriving at the marina in Male and sailing to Thoddoo Island on the same day is almost impossible for several reasons:
- There is no single place that sells boat tickets for all carriers.
- Places are reserved not only by tourists, but also by local residents. That is, in high season, the influx of passengers is huge and there are practically no empty seats.
- In low season, if the required number of passengers is not reached, the flight may be canceled.
The departure time, especially on the way back, must be planned with a margin. Delays happen very often for many reasons, but you need to get to the airport on time.
State ferry No. 303
A public ferry departs from the Vilingili Ferry Terminal, located in the south-west of Male Island. This is where you need to get from the Hulhumale Ferry Terminal, where boats from the international airport dock. You can take a taxi, which costs only $ 2, and if there is no heavy luggage, you can walk.
When traveling by ferry from Male to Thoddoo, you will need to change at Rasdu Island, there is no direct flight. In total, the road takes 7-8 hours, the fare is about$10.
Flights are available only on Mondays and Thursdays. The ferry departs from Male to Rasdu between 9: 00-12: 10 and departs from Rasdu to Thoddoo at 15: 10-16: 20. On the site atolltransfer.com you can view the current schedule and prices, and then plan your route.
Ferries are cancelled in bad weather. If the wind and waves caught you on the ferry, it makes sense to move to the bow of the ship – there is no such pitching.
Fruit ferry
Cargo ferries in the Maldives are called “fruit ferries” because their main task is to deliver fruit from local plantations to the market in Male. A trip on freight ferries is chosen by the most economical travelers.
There is no clear timetable for the movement of “fruit” ferries, it can be different on different days of the week and change arbitrarily. But such ferries move mainly at night and dock near the market.
Thoddoo Island weather: when is the best time to visit
Like all the islands of the Maldives, Thoddoo has a sub-equatorial climate. Throughout the year, the air and water temperature there is kept at +24…+30°C.
The high season, when it is sunny and warm, there are almost no waves – this is the time from mid-November to mid-April. It is at this time that the highest prices in hotels in the Maldives and Toddu in particular.
The low season, when it rains and strong winds raise high waves, lasts from mid-April to early November. At this time, it is much easier to find a good hotel, and the prices are lower.
Useful tips and interesting facts
- Swimsuits and other clothing on Thoddoo must be brought with you, because on the islands it is difficult to find something good. Be sure to take light pants and a long-sleeved top, because such clothes will help protect you from the wind and mosquitoes.
- In the evenings, and sometimes during the day, there are mosquitoes on Thoddoo. In local stores, you can buy an effective Indonesian spray against these insects for$ 2.
- Cafes and restaurants on Thoddoo open from 12: 00, so it is better to book a hotel with breakfast. Breakfast can be immediately included in the price, or it can be paid separately in the amount of$ 8-15 per night. Some guest houses offer not only breakfast, but also full meals. This is convenient, but from a financial point of view, it is more profitable to have lunch and dinner in a cafe.
- Some tourists try to pet the turtles, ride them, or pull them ashore for photos. Don’t do that! For turtles, this is a terrible stress.
- The most interesting man-made attraction on Thoddoo is an ancient Buddhist manuscript. In the 1950s, the head of a Buddha statue and a manuscript from 90 BC were discovered on the island – this is incredible for a country that has been practicing Islam for many centuries.
- Tourists who are interested in architecture and religious buildings should visit the local mosque. Built in the 17th century, it is considered one of the most beautiful mosques in the Maldives.
- On Thoddoo (Maldives), as on all local islands, you must have cash with you. It is advisable to go there only with dollars, since the euro exchange rate is usually too unprofitable.
Male – The Royal and Tourist Island of the Maldives
Video: A brief and useful overview of Thoddoo Island. Be sure to check it out!
