Fihalhohi: A Piece of Paradise on Earth (Madives Diaries)

The wind whistled at 2:45 AM yet I was able to get back to a restful sleep. But by 4:45, a dissonant singing of a call to prayer woke me up again. Unlike other places, it was short and unobtrusive. Humanity after all requires sleep without religion getting in the way.

7:15AM. A Caucasian couple was finishing their breakfast when I entered Kaani’s restaurant which was homey. Log pieces were hanging down the ceiling. The buffet spread was sparse: eggplant stew, fried rice, bread, paratha, fruit choices, orange juice and eggs cooked to your preference. Not too filling but not shabby either. The waiter kept double checking for my room number. Did I look like a stray? “Yes, here, upstairs,” I emphatically replied. Don’t mess with my morning, dingbat.

There was a steady flow of Chinese guests, everyone mostly loud and moving around like they constructed the place from Creation. This populace has gradually but surely given a reason for people to discriminate against them – and that isn't pleasant.

9:00AM. With sunblock covering every inch of my body, I was ready to go. I've booked for an island excursion to Fihalhohi Resort Island, located 20 minutes southwest (by speedboat) from Maafushi. An odd interracial Polish-Filipina couple joined and we had to walk to the other Kaani (Kaani Village, which boasts of a swimming pool) to wait for other Polish party who that late in the day wasn't ready – so we proceeded to the jetty and found our seats to relax while the royalties were to be waited on.

The trip took 20 minutes, speeding through other resort islands. Upon arrival, there was chaos at the front desk counter. Reason: Chinese guests (again!) who could hardly speak the universal tongue - so everything took time because “orientation” about the facilities were made individually.

This resort needs to get their system in order. We were given arm bands with numbers (5006) that identified how many people were in each group. We need to show this at the restaurant, officially identifying us as guests. Entrance to this island was $25; $49 if with lunch at the Palm Grove Restaurant served between 11:30 AM and 1PM (Fihalhohi time). Quite affordable for a resort island.

Fihalhohi jetty

If you're staying in another island, your speed boat will meet you here.

9:45 in Maafushi and Male, 10:45 in Fihalhohi. Be aware of the time difference.

Like Rihivelli before, time at Fihalhohi moved 1 hour into the future. We arrived at 10:45AM Maafushi time, and stepped into the island an hour into the future. Fihalhohi had a mixture of local and Caucasian staff running the place.

The Aeolus Dive Center mostly had an international diving team, headed by a girl. There were a couple of bars, including Fisherman’s, Blue Lagoon/Bar/Surf Cafe, Anggerik Spa, a souvenir shop, and cottages all over the island. Some signs were translated in several languages: English, German, French, Italian, Chinese. In the last 2 decades or so, the Japanese (which used to be the universal traveler) have been shying away from the wandering scene.

The tall Polish guy, who must be in his mid-60’s, came up and hushed, “Boracay has better beach,” which I had to agree, but underwater dive all over the Maldives is something else. I'd like to believe that more underwater creatures inhabit the Laccadivian seas.

Fihalhohi’s piece de resistance lies somewhere at the other end of the entrance. Water bungalows with trademark Maldivian architecture line the shore, with ramp that leads to a cabana. From a certain vantage point, the meeting of planks form what seems like a heart And if that doesn't take your breath away, you must have croaked and gone to Heaven. And it feels like you’re in some place quite close to one.

I took a dip. The sand on my feet weren't as fine and corals occasionally hurt. The waters were clear, but Rihivelli’s was clearer. In fact boats docked in the latter looked like they floated. I took shelter by the bush alongside a family of Koreans who took 2 hours to cover every crevice of their body with sunblock, the stench grew strong, as though a factory of the substance was being manufactured nearby. Behind me was a Malaysian couple (a Malaysia Air employee and his wife). Further on was a fit Russian couple: the guy looked movie star ripped and the girl moved her cot under the searing sun as her T-back protected what was left to cover.

The planks leading towards the cottages on stilts became platforms for frolic and photography all day. Chinese tourists stayed on – and on! – monopolizing the place like the worldly photo bombers that they have become. Had they shut their loud mouths, it would have been paradise.

At 12 noon, I entered the restaurant. There were 4 table spreads worth of food, while a glass of drink was complimentary. It was like any other buffet with nothing exquisitely tasty that deserved seconds. But yeah, little pieces of food could fill you up anyhow.

Palm Groove Restaurant. There are several other restaurants and bars all over the resort island.

After lunch, I roamed the place anew. Parrots, lizards, bats live here. I’ve never been in an island resort with authentic Maldivian water cottages before: not Rihivelli, Biyadhoo or Bandos. If you googled for Maldivian cottages, you'd find multi-star resorts. Most of them probably don’t allow day-tour guests. But who doesn't want money?

Your own natural "pool" just outside your cottage.

The sun was mostly up and it was nothing short of a perfect day. Blue skies, scorching heat, noisy Chinese tourists. Perfect, didn't I say?

Our Kaani speedboat came back at 4:45 PM and we were seated thereafter. We had to wait again for the Polish group who took their sweet time like they were more special than the rest for us. Don’t you just hate inconsiderate dweebs? The ride back was breezy. It’s always been a favorite moment of mine. Coming “home” from the resort islands in time for the dramatic sunset of Maafushi. The day wasn't over for me.

After showering, I walked to the other side of the island to find a deserted beach with its shoreline teeming with kelps. In fact, even the waves broke several meters away from what looked like stagnated waters. There were speed boats dotting the boulevard. Back in the main town, I reunited with the center of town, far from the strip navigated by tourists: Maafushi school, the football field, the mosque, kilometer zero, an arch with two giant manta rays on display (the iconic symbols of Maafushi), and corner after corner of authentic Maldivean cots.

That night, I had dinner at Venturo’s which, aside from being a guesthouse and a diving center, serves buffet meals at $6, $7 if you ordered soda. The place was well lit and colorful, though outside, it didn't even look like there were guests inside. It's a new place for me so I won't complain much. Just another day in paradise.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

If you're not staying in a water bungalow, these villas are the other option.

Heron, an endemic avian species roam the island and they mostly ignore the human kind.

Just across Palm Groove Restaurant and Fisherman's Bar (just beside Palm Grove).

Reception

Souvenir Shop

Their website: http://www.fihalhohi.com.mv/

A Morning in Maafushi Part 1 (Maldives Diaries)

Mornings in Maafushi are mild, and the colors are ever so vivid. I love these mornings. On my first morning during my second visit, I only had a short time to take in the calm surroundings of the promenade. There were puddles from last night's rain, but the sun graciously shone, rendering blues to the sky and the ocean. So early in the morning, there weren't anyone swimming at Bikini Beach, the island's only area where bikinis are allowed. After all, Maafushi, with its population of 1,300, is still a "local island", thus is governed by certain norms of behavior. Nowhere in the island can you buy alcohol too.

INTERNET CONNECTION

Kaani Beach Hotel is a great hotel to stay in, but if wifi connection is essential to your holiday, then look elsewhere. When I complained about the difficulty in getting through any of their half-a-dozen signals, the front desk man said, and I quote, "It's the same all over the island." Ugh. Not true. I stayed in "Stingray Inn", a delightful, well-enclosed hotel located inland - and it had excellent wifi signal and fast internet. In fact, if you wanted to download stuff, you could because of the speed - not that I went to Maldives for that. Internet connection, these days, is a travel essential when you need to connect to home or work without paying for exorbitant long distance calls. It is not "the same all over the islands". Unfortunately, there are no internet cafes in Maafushi (unless I missed them).

Breakfast in Kaani Beach Hotel was interesting, though it had limited options. The eggplant (aubergines) dish was particularly tasty. Rice had embellishments of vegetables, and didn't seem cooked the way we do fried rice (i.e. it isn't oily). My plate had paratha but heaven knows it doesn't belong with my rice.

The restaurant staff of Kaani is very attentive, and they know how to make their guests feel welcome. Meanwhile, I was gearing up for my excursion of the day.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Concrete slabs are placed at Bikini Beach to help avoid erosion.

Part of the "sea view" from my 3rd floor balcony. If however you absolutely require a wifi connection, then you'd have to look elsewhere for this. Kaani's wifi is almost non-existent. There are bout 5 to 6 signals (and their corresponding passwords - including signals from the two other Kaani hotels in the island) but nothing worked. I almost lost hair out of desperation catching wifi during my 4-day stay.

My very limited buffet haul. I also had fried egg delivered to my table.

Eggplant dish

This was a tuna meal, I think. :)

Flan cubes

Fresh catch are on display at the bay, near the harbour. Mornings in the islands are always characterized by fisherfolk selling their fish. I haven't seen an officially designated "market" in Maafushi.

Rooms at Kaani Beach Hotel have a choice of either standard or deluxe - and a family room - and "sea view" or "city view". Above is the "city view" which is understandably cheaper than the beach-fronting rooms. To quite honest, the options don't make much difference. "Sea view" is shown below. - and has partial vie of the ocean because of the tall coconut trees. It has a better view - than the roofs - but barely. The family room is quite a catch though because of its space.

A Tempestuous Ride to Maafushi (Maldives Diaries)

The ride to Maafushi was something else. The sea wasn't turquoise; it was dark blue. And the ride rocked like there was no tomorrow. I tried to be calm but I was consciously aware of the possibility of us tipping over. 

My previous rides were a constellation away – they were smooth sails, like being ushered into paradise. This, on the other hand, was akin to the horror genre, and I don’t scare easily. This made the rowdy Chinese clam up. As if that wasn't enough, 1 ½ hours into the ride, the boat recklessly bumped against the Gulhi port, the only stopover for this trip before reaching Maafushi.

Ticket booth that serves Villingili, Maafushi, Thilafushi (the garbage disposal island), Gulhifalhu, cargo shipping, Guraidhoo and parking tickets.

Jetty waiting area. Entry requires a ticket.

There was backlash against the impact and I was shaken for 10 seconds or so. Instead of being apologetic, the ferry staff laughed. Laughed! A child was crying because she fell off her seat – and they all laughed. Talk about insensitivity. They opened up the machine box and decided that we could get off the boat to wait. 

Twenty minutes later, we were sailing southwestward once again. But midway to our destination, the boat conked out again. We were at a tempestuous area, and rocking sideways. They had to secure the anchor while they tried fixing the machine. That didn't take long, but that was more than enough trouble to last me a week.

Alighting from the boat was another problem, as they found it difficult to position the boat where they could maneuver the passenger ramp. To cut the long story short, we were met by the people from Kaani Beach Hotel, with their baggage cart in tow. We leisurely walked a hundred meters south until a familiar facade greeted me. It sounds Hawaiian than anything Maldivian. Kaani.

Gulhi

Gulhi is a local island, a stopover for rides to Maafushi.

From Gulhi, you can see some of the islands of Anantara resort island.

Gulhi Harbour

At the hotel lobby, I was handed a watermelon drink. After registration formalities (involving a lot of forms to fill), I waited some 20 minutes to get my room fixed.

Meanwhile, I started arranging for my daily excursions for the next two days. I went outside and just enjoyed the cool breeze blowing all my cares away. The wind was a magical panacea that temporarily dissipated all hints of stress.

In a snap, I rolled with the waves and my spirit was set free. There are perks of a holiday that’s hard to describe. This was one of it.

Like other hotels, Kaani Beach Hotel representatives will meet their guests at the harbour. Baggage trolleys wait with them, then it's a 10-15 minute walk to the hotel.

Buffet breakfast is served here from 7AM to 10 AM at the restaurant of Kaani Beach Hotel.

Room 201 is a family room with a "sea view" and a balcony. Our other room 204 is a standard with "sea view" as wall and is smaller. Most standard rooms have "city view", i.e. a view of the roofs.

The view from my glass window at room 201.

Kaani Beach Hotel has an enviable location - beach front.

Maafushi is the biggest island of the South Male Atoll, with a population of 1,200. It is the atoll country's most popular "local island" visited by tourists. While it's home to the national penitentiary, it is also fast developing as an independent tourism island, with so many guest houses and hotels sprouting every tourist season. This, of course, is different from Maafilaafushi which is part of the northern atolls.

Bikini Beach at dusk.

This much is true. No one comes to Maldives scrimping. It just isn't the place for keeping moolah in your pocket. Staying in Maafushi, a "local island", is a conscious decision to splurge your dollar by eventually visiting the luxurious "resort islands" in the vicinity. Maafushi, until recently, has been closed to foreign visitors. Opening it to the world is a peek into real Maldivian life. Resorts don't show authentic Maldivian living otherwise; but are mere laps of luxury not exactly shared by its population. Having said this, there are rules, conventions,if you will, that have to be followed. Nudity and public display of affection are not allowed, as are alcohol, etc. The beach strip in front of Kaani is called "Bikini Beach". It is the only place in Maafushi where bikinis are allowed. I've even seen ladies going topless. The locals are pretty much tolerant, but foreigners should not test their limit.

That night, I window shopped and learned that a mask bought for $70 in Male was just $15 in Maafushi. That gave me a jolt. Baligtad ata. From where I come from, islands and resorts fetch higher prices than city shops. In Maldives, local products (carvings from jackfruit trees) fetch amazingly affordable prices. 

Tuna Kothu Roshi is a popular gastronomic dinner staple said to have originated from Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. Ingredients include chopped roshi mixed with curry sauce, vegetables, egg and meat (tuna). It has an interesting taste but I wasn't very fond of the tuna after taste. This cost me 49 Rf, plus 17 Rf coke. I also ordered mixed fried noodle as my main meal.

I found the local restaurant where I used to have dinner last November, the name I still couldn't read. Time has faded the sign board, and no one seemed to care.  I ordered mixed fried noodle at 60 Rf ($4) and Tuna Kothu Roshi to sample it. Why pay the extravagant 200 Rf meals when you can get decent food in a local restaurant? Fortunately for me, I roam and I discover. Can I just say that in all my visits to this anonymous restaurant, I have never seen another foreigner eat there? Conveniently, this restaurant accepts US dollars, though I think most of the Maldives do. 

Public ferry leaves the Male pier ones daily at 3PM (boarding time is 2:35PM), except Fridays, and costs $2 per person. This is the same port that serves commuters to Villingili and Guraidhoo. Travel time to Maafushi is approximately 2 hours, with one short stop at the island of Gulhi, which is barely 20 minutes to the final destination. The boat's name is Ranthari but this isn't written anywhere on the boat so tourists bound for Maafushi should repeatedly ask the guys at the pier for updates, just to be sure you won't get left behind. Return trips to Male run daily, and leaves Maafushi pier at 7:30AM, except Fridays (a holy day for the Maldivians). 

This is the Eye in the Sky!

One of the two iconic symbols of Maafushi.

The beach side promenade at night is bright but mostly deserted. 

Kaafu aka South Male Atoll