Rasdhoo Island in Maldives: this is Paradise!

Rasdhoo Island in Maldives was one destination included in our Maldives itinerary, and it was the first island with beaches we visited. In this trip guide we’ll give you advice and useful information to visit Rasdhoo Island on your own, based on our experience.

We’ll tell you why we chose this island, our thoughts on its beaches including Rasdhoo bikini beach, its house reefs, our chosen accommodation, and places to eat, so that you have all the information needed to organize your trip.

Where is Rasdhoo Island located?

Which is Rasdhoo Atoll? Rasdhoo Island in Maldives is located in Alif Alif Atoll, 56 km away from the capital city, Malé.

Why to choose this island: our reasons

In our trip to Maldives, we were planning to stay on local islands. After some research, we decided to visit Rasdhoo Island first.

Our main reasons were:

➤ There’s a Bikini beach (the only beach where foreigners can wear a bikini or swimsuit.)

➤ It’s communicated with Malé through public ferry service, so we spent less than five dollars to arrive in paradise.

➤ We had read, and then confirmed, that house reefs were spectacular there, perfect for snorkeling.

Do you need any more reasons?

How to make it to Rasdhoo Island?

The most common way would be leaving from Malé, Maldives capital city. However, we may need to depart from any other island where we’re staying, or we may have plans for other destinations in Maldives after Rasdhoo.

Let’s see the different alternatives in order to organize your trip.

1. How to go from Malé to Rasdhoo: transport

Our first stop in paradise would be Rasdhoo Island, taking a direct four-hour ride from Malé by public ferry, which operates twice a week. Its schedule matched the arrival of our flight from India. It was convenient for us to get the tickets in advance, without staying too long in Malé (which we would be visiting at the end of our trip).

There’re two transport options to go to Rasdhoo: public ferry, the one we chose, and speedboat.

Malé to Rasdhoo by public ferry

The public ferry or slow boat No. 303 covers the route Male-Rasdhoo on Mondays and Thursdays at 9:00 a.m., arriving on Rasdhoo at noon. In Male, it takes off from Villingili ferry station.

It costs 57 Maldivian rufiyaa, some 3.70 dollars (exchange rate for reference 2023: 15 rufiyaa = 1 dollar approximately) and the duration is three and a half hours.

We bought the fares the night before at the port, but there were people buying them that same day.

After arriving on Rasdhoo, there was staff from the hotel we had booked waiting to help with the luggage.

The other way around, from Rasdhoo to Malé, ferries take off on Sundays and Wednesdays at 11 a.m.

From Male airport to Rasdhoo by speedboat

From Malé airport, two speedboats leave for Rasdhoo daily, costing around 40 dollars per person, per ride. The duration is one hour and a half, depending on the weather and the sea state.

From Male airport to Rasdhoo, speedboats take off at 10.30 a.m. and 4 p.m., except from Fridays, at 9.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. To come back, they run daily at 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., except from Fridays, at 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.

It’s convenient to book this service in advance. It’s much more expensive than the public ferry but the advantage is that, besides of how fast it is, it operates every day.

⭐Book here the Male/Rasdhoo speedboat.

Taxi – private speedboat

A more expensive alternative to the traditional speedboat is to rent a private speedboat, just for you and your group.

It can be a very good option in case your flight does not coincide with the scheduled times of the speedboats or also in case you travel with several people (for example, being 6 people it would cost around 120 usd each).

⭐Book here your private speedboat to Rasdhoo.

Arriving by seaplane

It’s the worst alternative. Although it’s just 15 minutes to reach the island, it costs over 200 dollars and you’re not taken to Rasdhoo, but to the island in front of it, where Kuramathi resort is located. If you’re staying at that resort, it might be a good option.

2. How to go from Rasdhoo to other Maldives islands

Rasdhoo isn’t just communicated through ferry with Malé, but with other islands in the atoll. We’ll tell you about the combinations among islands we visited, like Thoddoo or Ukulhas.

How to go from Rasdhoo to Ukulhas or Mathiveri

To go from Rasdhoo to Ukulhas, some 50 minutes away, or to Mathiveri (90 minutes away) the public ferry or slow boat (No. 301) takes off on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m. (this ferry then goes up to Mathiveri.) For the other way around, Ukulhas-Rasdhoo, ferries take off on the same days at 9:40 a.m.

Another alternative to go to Ukulhas from Rasdhoo is ferry No. 303 on Mondays and Thursdays at 12:15 p.m., or on Sundays and Wednesdays at 7:45 a.m. (and then it comes back from Ukulhas at 2 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays and at 9:45 a.m. on Sundays and Wednesdays).

You can also book in advance a speedboat to go from Rasdhoo to Ukulhas at 11.45 am or 5.15 pm. The duration of the trip is 40 minutes and the cost is around 60 dollars per person.

⭐Book the Rasdhoo to Ukulhas speedboat here.

How to go from Rasdhoo to Thoddoo

In order to go from Rasdhoo to Thoddoo Island, the public ferry takes off on Mondays and Thursdays at 3:10 p.m. and comes back on Sundays and Wednesdays at 6:30 a.m. The duration is 70 minutes.

3. Rasdhoo all-inclusive

Would you like to visit the island romantically? An ideal alternative if you do not want to worry about anything when visiting Rasdhoo, is to hire a 6-day all-inclusive experience, ideal for couples.

The experience includes 5 nights of accommodation, breakfast and dinner, transfers to the island and excursions. Details can be checked at the following link.

⭐ Check the price & availability of this complete experience here.

What’s the best time of the year to visit Rasdhoo?

The best season or weather to visit Rasdhoo is during dry season, which is the same in the rest of Maldives:

• Rainy season from May to October.
• Dry season (and, hence, high season) from November to April.

However, you can visit Rasdhoo during any time of the year. The only precaution to bear in mind is booking accommodation in advance if you’re planning to travel in high season.

What’s Rasdhoo island like?: getting to know the island

Arriving in Rasdhoo: first impressions

As it was our first Maldives destination after Malé, it was surprising to see how different the rhythm and buildings were from the capital city.

As soon as we got off the ferry, we saw an amazing port sheltered by a withholding wall to calm the waters and allow for a comfortable disembarkation. I still remember that intense turquoise color of the sea.

We were walking on the dock when we met our host, who would accompany us to the lodgings we had booked for the next few days. Then we realized, during our stay on different islands, that the host could either be the owner or a member of staff. They usually are young people from Bangladesh coming over to Maldives to work, as both countries have made agreements, allowing them to send money to their families.

While we’re chatting, we walk with amazement on sand streets, with no cars, we see low buildings; everything’s so different from Malé. Our first impression of Rasdhoo is we love it. This is the Maldives we were expecting to see.

Along with the conversation and the islandic environment, we made it to our lodgings.

Visiting the island

Once we set ourselves at the hotel, we went out to get to know the island where we would stay the following days.

Rasdhoo, in brief, is 500 meters long, so a few hours should be enough to see everything.

On the island, we found a few supermarkets or shops (where to get basic groceries), some guesthouses, local gift stores, a few restaurants, a hospital and an ATM machine (we didn’t use it because we had exchanged money at Malé airport).

The two mosques on the island are worth an own paragraph. If you stay on local islands in Maldives, you’ll hear the call to prayer five times a day, as Islam is the main religion. The mosques are lovely and simple, tuned to the relaxed islandic environment.

In the daytime, especially at noon, the weather is hot and streets remain quiet and desert. But early in the morning or when the sun goes down into the horizon, streets come alive, people walk around, ride their bikes, and you see children playing with balls.

We’d rather not mention trash management in Maldives (there actually is a trash isle). All the same, Rasdhoo is one of the cleanest islands we visited.

Rasdhoo bikini beach and other beaches

Surrounding Rasdhoo Island we found sand, rock and coral shores, but bear in mind that only on Rasdhoo bikini beach are tourists allowed to wear a swimsuit.

The best beach is always aimed to tourists. Not only do they clean it daily, but you will also find chairs and loungers free of charge.

This is an easily recognizable beach: you only need to follow the signs of “Bikini Beach”.

Outside this area, remember to dress in a sober and respectful way, as not only is it punished by law, but because respecting costumes, culture and religion means preserving peoples’ identity. Being tolerant and respectful toward diversity, regardless of our personal opinion, ennobles our humanity and fuels our love for traveling.

Rasdhoo bikini beach is small but beautiful; it has white sand and some trees. Not all people love this beach, but we did like it. Though it’s true that the best of Rasdhoo isn’t on the surface: the sea is captivating. Or, let’s say, underwater is.

Here we saw the most astonishing house reef in our trip to Maldives. In fact, it now is on our personal top list of best snorkeling experiences, together with the Philippines. A few meters from the shore we saw stingrays, morays, fish of every color.

The reef nearby is a whole marine life world, and it’s even better if you get across it. Be prepared, however, to see some reef sharks and who knows what else. Breathtaking!

If you enjoy snorkeling or scuba diving, Rasdhoo must be on your list of local islands to visit.

There’s a local beach on the opposite end of the island. It’s dirtier (they don’t clean it like bikini beach) and it isn’t a bikini beach. Hence we must be dressed at all times, even when getting a dip in the water, because of the reasons we mentioned earlier.

💯 If you’re traveling with children, Gulhi island beach is perfect, as its waters are shallow.

Where to stay in Rasdhoo: hotels and accommodation

Our chosen guesthouse

We booked our lodgings while in India, one month before traveling to Maldives, through Booking. We chose Rasdhoo Coralville Hotel. Our reasons? Location and price.

It’s 100 meters away from bikini beach and, at the moment of booking, it had an excellent price of 40 dollars per night, including breakfast.

The room was nice (and, after India, it even looked luxurious!) though this was our less favorite lodgings among all the islands we visited.

It had air conditioning and was equipped with a flat-screen TV, mini-fridge and safe deposit box. There was a hairdryer in the bathroom, and although it’s not necessary in Maldives, I know many people can’t manage without it.

We had read reviews insisting on tours, but this was not our case. They indicated us the available tours on arrival.

Wi-Fi works well in common spaces (there’s a front sand yard, where it’s nice to spend noon hours sheltering from sunlight).

✅ CHECK RATES & AVAILABILITY FOR RASDHOO CORALVILLE

Other hotels to stay in Rasdhoo, Maldives

Around the corner of our guesthouse was Aqcua Blu hotel, with similar prices and excellent reviews. One amazing thing is that, within certain times of the year, they might offer room upgrades to genius members of Booking (you become a genius member once you’ve made a few reservations through the platform) so you pay for a standard room and you may be upgraded to, for example, a room with a private balcony.

If you make your reservation in advance, the cheapest one is Madivari Kro, in the middle of the island, a bit farther from the beach (though we know this is a really small island, so the sea is always nearby).

One employee at the hotel took us to the island’s most important spots as soon as we arrived. We were allowed in White Coral, a building of several floors (more than we would like) near the port. We went up to the terrace to have a high view of the island. This is a new hotel and it features both full board and half board service, one of the best in Rasdhoo.

You’d prefer accommodation with a modern design? In that case, Club Gabbiano might be the best option. It’s beautiful and close to the beach, though it doesn’t feel like you’re on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

If sleeping seafront is a must for you, Beach Cottage might be the best option. There is another one, Rasdhoo Inn Beachfront, it has the perfect location and really good reviews. We’d only like to tell you about some French guys we met on the beach, who had booked a room there directly with the hotel. When they arrived, however, it was overbooked, and they were sent to another hotel owned by the same people, I guess. It was Madivaru Kro hotel, which was just as good according to them, but they were upset (of course) because it was not what they had booked.

Unfortunately, we heard a similar story in our visit to another island. It’s just because of this that we use Booking.com. Why? If any lodgings anywhere in the world are overbooked, they will most likely put first those reservations made through Booking, to avoid bad reviews on the platform. Reviews are everything!

One positive detail to bear in mind is that most lodgings allow you to extend check-out time (by 2 p.m.) for you to enjoy that morning on the beach.

Almost all lodgings charge taxes separately (they indicate how much to pay for rates right below the price). The only hotel to include taxes was Quicksand, which at first sight would seem more expensive, but actually this is reason.

Apart from that, most lodgings allow free cancellation until a few days or weeks before check-in, which is particularly good in case of any plan changes.

In summary, if you’re looking for:

➤ discounts in accommodation: Aqcua Blu

➤ inexpensive accommodation: Madivaru Kro

➤ hotels with a nice design: Club Gabbiano | Quicksand

➤ seafront hotels: Beach Cottage.

Resort islands near Rasdhoo, Maldives

There’re two resort islands near Rasdhoo.

From bikini beach you can see the island where Kuramathi hotel is located. It’s really luxurious and, as one of the guesthouse employees told us, Lionel Messi stays there when visiting Maldives.

Evidently, said resort is not part of our list of recommended inexpensive resorts in Maldives, because it’s a not so budget-friendly option for us. But if you’re down for once-in-a-lifetime luxury, or you’re planning your honeymoon in Maldives, this might undoubtedly be the alternative in the world.

A few kilometers away is Veligandu Resort, close to one of Maldives most beautiful sandbanks. They offer both full board and all-inclusive accommodation, but it’s not working now and it will reopen in november 2024.

Where to eat

Regarding restaurants, we tried Café Olé, Lemon Drop and Palm Shadow. The first two are good night options. All of them serve typical Maldivian dishes, with a base of rice and fish.

Café Olé has a nice ambiance, but food wasn’t as great. But we must mention that Wi-Fi worked better than in the guesthouse. They no longer offer food, just drinks.

Lemon Drop’s ambiance is relaxing, and the terrace is the best about it.

Icoco is another option, right above Rasdhoo Dive Center, but we didn’t give it a try.

We must bear in mind that in most places the service is slow and relaxed, but we’re on vacation after all, right?

We often grabbed a midday bite at grocery stores to eat under the shade of a tree on bikini beach. Groceries aren’t cheap, but logically they’re cheaper than restaurants.

Food was simple, but no gourmet dish could compare to the amazing views on the beach.

Things to do in Rasdhoo, Maldives

Even though you’ll mainly commute from the hotel to the beach and vice versa, there’re a few activities or tours in Rasdhoo worth doing. You can do some on your own, but most of them can be booked through hotels.

• Resort day visit: some tours consist in spending the day in a luxurious resort, generally including drinks.
• Scuba diving: there’re several diving schools on the island, since Maldives is one of the best places for diving. Each dive costs some 50 euros.
• Snorkeling: the bikini beach area has a snorkeling reef (reached only swimming). From the islands we visited, Rasdhoo had the most wonderful house reef. On our way to Maldives we thought it was necessary to dive in order to see something interesting, but we were wrong: in Rasdhoo we got to see reef sharks, morays and colorful fish just by swimming a bit from the shore.
• Swimming with mantas: we did this activity from Ukulhas Island. It’s amazing, though it’s offered in Rasdhoo as well.
• Night fishing: we also did this on another island, and generally you can ask to eat what you caught.
• Visiting a sandbank: sandbanks are like sand tongues in the middle of the sea, that paradisiacal image we all have in mind. Nearby Rasdhoo is one of the most beautiful sandbanks (Madivaru). During the tour, either half-day or whole-day, you’re taken to the sandbank and generally they set a picnic, beach umbrellas and all, on Picnic Island (Madivaru Finolhu). Round way transfer costs some 25 dollars.
• Renting a kayak: half day costs 20 dollars.
• Watching sunset on Rasdhoo bikini beach: you’ll get to see spectacular sunsets, the sun going down behind Kuramathi luxurious resort. Also, by the water’s edge, you can see morays and stingrays close to the shore without snorkeling.

How long to stay in Rasdhoo?

This is rather personal, but if you’d like to enjoy great house reefs, I’d stay at least 3 or 4 days.

If you don’t like snorkeling or scuba diving, I’d stay at least 2 days – one on local beaches and getting to know the island, and the other visiting the sandbank and Picnic Island.

Advice for visiting Rasdhoo

• Rasdhoo is a local island, so you’re not allowed to drink alcohol.
• You’re only allowed to wear a swimsuit on bikini beach.
• Be mindful of what you dress like around the town, as a way of respect.
• Don’t kiss in public spaces.
• Don’t step on or touch corals or any marine life beings (not even starfish!)

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I hope this Rasdhoo Island travel guide was useful to plan your trip. Have fun!