The Goldies gallivanted (took about 14 hours) to The Maldives to celebrate a 60th birthday. My birthday. What a celebration. The turquoise sea, the sharks, the stingrays, the turtles, what’s left of the coral, the soft white sand and the wonderful amazing staff at Kurumba were the protagonists of what turned out to be a glorious celebration.
Kurumba is on an island a 10 minute speedboat ride from Male, the capital island where the International airport is situated. Like most Maldivian Resorts, Kurumba inhabits the entire island. An easy stroll on the uninterrupted shoreline around the Island takes about 20 minutes.
Kurumba is the oldest resort in The Maldives but you wouldn’t know this as it is in superb condition. It is modern, beautifully maintained with stunning lush gardens and fabulous facilities:- tennis courts, basketball court, excellent spa, marine center, orchid garden and excellent Wifi – just to mention a few.
All over the Island there are hammocks (on the sand and in the sea), swings and a volleyball ‘court’ in the lagoon.
Kurumba has its’ own house reef – you walk into the turquoise lagoon, pass through the breaks in the wall (built to protect the island from erosion) and you are on the magnificent house reef. From our bungalow it took me less than 5 minutes to get to the house reef.
The spa is magnificent, beautifully designed and maintained – pricey but luxurious. Additionally one can opt to have a massage outside overlooking the lagoon. I had a back, shoulders and neck massage. Was wonderful.
Kurumba has a gorgeous turquoise lagoon surrounding it. Swimming in the lagoon is easy and protected from the currents. I was lucky enough to spot, on two separate occasions, stingrays in the lagoon.
Each type of accommodation has its’ own designated beach loungers – so there is no need to rush in the morning to ‘grab’ your spot. Makes it all so much more enjoyable and relaxing. There are a couple of beach bars around the island. I used to swim in the lagoon and pop out to one of them for a drink – not too bad at all!
marine life at kurumba
Anyone who doesn’t believe in global warming should pay The Maldives a visit. Terribly sad to see so much of the coral life dead. On any particular coral you can see parts that are dead and parts that are still alive. On a happier note we did witness a lot of coral trying to revive itself.
In the last year I have snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, The Coral Reef in Eilat and now at The Maldives. The coral at the Coral Reef in Eilat, being one of the most northern if not the most northern coral reef in the world, has been far less affected by global warming and hence the coral is in a great state – hardly any damage at all.
The fish at Kurumba, on the other hand are unbelievable and seem to this naked and unprofessional eye to be in good shape. The colors, forms, sizes and their behaviorism’s make you, or at least me, stare in absolute wonder. The house reef is spectacular and with simple snorkel equipment you enter a world of wonderment and splendor.
SNORKELING AT KURUMBA
I highly recommend taking your own snorkeling equipment. Being an Island everything extra is expensive and this includes renting snorkel equipment. And anyway why would you like to use equipment that has been in other people’s mouths! I used a full face mask which was great.
One can snorkel in the Lagoon surrounding the Island and still see a lot of marine life. However the real treat is to go beyond the Lagoon. Kurumba’s house reef is marvelous. I felt that I had entered an aquarium. The life under the surface of the water is vibrant, breathtakingly beautiful and humbling.
We did a half day snorkeling safari to two reefs. Was a great experience but honestly the Kurumba house reef for snorkeling is fantastic with an array and multitude of fish.
EATING AT KURUMBA
There are several dining plans available. We did the Full Board All Inclusive. The food was excellent and although we ate 7 days in the same restaurant (the main one) every night the food was from a different location in the world so was never boring nor the same. There are several theme restaurants but our plan did not include them and we never felt the need to try them. I highly recommend doing one of the all inclusive plans. Ordering on the spot is expensive.
male
We did a morning tour of Male, the capital of The Maldives and one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
The Maldives are devout Moslems and in fact you are not allowed to bring into The Maldives liquor or any religious artifact. The Moslems do not drink liquor and yet 10 minutes away and in all the resorts the liquor flows freely and abundantly. When you enter Male your suitcases are scanned to ensure that no item that is in contradiction with their religious beliefs is being brought into the country. We met a couple who had bought as a souvenir a small buddha in Sri Lanka. This was picked up on the scan and taken from them – they were assured that they would receive it upon exiting The Maldives. Go figure…the power of tourism – no restrictions at any of the resorts…
Male is small and there is not much to see but definitely worth visiting for a couple of hours to get the vibe of the place. Walk around the vibrant fruit and vegetable market and if your stomach can stand it go into the fish market. The buyers are predominantly men.
why kurumba?
The proximity to Male with the massive construction work going on there and in the new city which is being built next to Male together with the air traffic to and from Male is a problem. Kurumba is not your quiet deserted island with nothing to see on the horizon. However our bungalow was on the north western part of the island so we were not disturbed neither by the construction, the site of Male nor by the air traffic.
Our reasons for choosing Kurumba:-
- One of the very few resorts that offer twin beds – us gallivanting goldies (2 women) did not feel like sharing a bed…
- Proximity to the airport saved us time and money in getting there;
- The fantastic and accessible house reef;
- The fact that the lagoon is wide and circumvents the island;
- The several outstanding reviews I read before choosing – all of which are valid and accurate – it is a special resort with special people running and maintaining it.
tips
- Request a bungalow on the north western side of the Island that does not look out on to Male and on to the construction of the new city Malehulamale – we were in deluxe beach bungalow number 189 and it was a perfect location;
- Take as little clothing as possible – the resort is laid back and no one dresses up even for meals. I never put on make up, never blow dried my hair and wore flip flops (when I wasn’t bare-foot);
- No need to take any soap, shampoo and conditioner – they provide Molton Brown stuff which is great;
- Take your own snorkeling gear;
- If you need any kind of medication make sure you have enough – there is a medical clinic on the Island but just in case:
- Bring home all your plastic bottles, empty containers etc so as to protect the Island’s environment.
We went mid January 2019.
All the photos are mine taken with either my Iphone or GoPro and none of them have been edited (except for some cropping) so the colors are all original.
This post is part of my independent travel blog – I have not received any freebies, sponsorships or gifts. All my travels are self funded. So what you read is mine and mine alone devoid of any material influence and outside pressure.
Take a look at my other posts on snorkeling:- Great Barrier Reef and the Red Sea in Eilat Snorkeling on The Great Barrier Reef and Snorkeling Coral Reef Eilat Red Sea