The third of our hotel stays meant getting back to Male airport for a seaplane transfer to the South Ari Atoll – around a 30-minute flight. What’s worth noting is that you have to wait for the flight, and although there are around five flights a day between the island and the airport, you may have to wait a while (this is particularly notable if you’re going straight on after getting off the international flight). The new domestic seaplane terminal is unlike one you’ve ever seen, with each hotel group having its business-style lounge. The Constance lounge is large, with a selection of snacks and even has showers in the toilets if you want to freshen up. They also complete check-in here, to make the process easier when you arrive on the island.
For those who haven’t been on a Maldivian seaplane before – although it looks glamorous, there isn’t any air conditioning and it’s an extremely tight fit onboard. Yes, it is quite an experience, but there are compromises.

Maldivian Sea Plane
It was quite an impressive landing at Moofushi, where we got to dock directly onto the jetty on arrival. (Note that when we left, because of the weather conditions we had to be ferried over to a pontoon by boat, and board slightly further out, which takes up a bit of time).

Landing at Moofushi
From the moment you arrive, you get the feeling that this is going to be a completely different experience. A lot more rustic, and you get the vibe that it’s more of a Robinson Crusoe, desert island experience – none more so than them providing flip-flops in your welcome pack. The jetty invites you into the main part of the island, where there are a couple of shops, a bar and a reception.
What strikes you is how impressive the beaches surrounding the whole island are with powder-soft sand. Once again, the room types are really simple – there are beach villas (my favourite, and also the cheapest), water villas (which I had the furthest from the mainland), and sand villas – the same as water villas but over the sand on the most impressive beach.

Moofushi Water Villa
The water villas are a decent size, but it’s worth noting that it’s nearly 500m from my villa to the shore and there is no buggy service or bikes as seen in the other hotels – so you need to be able-bodied here (or have a beach villa, which is very close to all the facilities). The room is split between bedroom and bathroom, with a semi-outdoor shower (although there isn’t a view even being at the end of the row). There’s also a really big sofa and a big balcony with sun beds on. What I like about the room is that it has plenty of plug sockets, which is not something you often find in hotels.)
Dining is also a bit different here. There are only two restaurants – a buffet which has a different theme every day, and an ala carte which is included once in your stay. This may be a bit of an issue for some. The feet-in-the-sand experience though is taken the whole way through the resort – with all the restaurants featuring sand everywhere! Again, this is a love-it-or-hate-it type arrangement. They certainly know how to throw a party though, with the bar staff taking it onto the beach with a light show and DJ, which went on to the early hours of the morning (this is infrequent though, and ad-hoc).
We also had a private wine tasting, whilst standing in the water – a novel and interesting approach that I had never seen before. Nithin from India, giving an overall to different wines from around the world – including non-alcoholic wine which was also a first for me.

Wine Tasting
Like Bolifushi, Moofushi has its house reef easily accessible (and at times of high tide, accessible from the water villas). Just a few meters from the shore you’ll find a huge number of fish, and I even saw a couple of sharks (note these are friendly nurse sharks, and won’t eat you alive!).
You get the vibe that it’s a hangout for those who just want to get away from reality, and not particularly suited to children unless it is older children and teenagers who can keep themselves occupied.