KIHA Beach — Hotel in South Maalhosmadulu

Stayed in a deluxe room with balcony for 4 nights for ~USD140/night. ||LOCATION |I came to the Maldives for manta rays and for this purpose Dharavandhoo is perfect, only takes about 15 minutes by boat to get to where the mantas congregate. As for location of the hotel, Dharavandhoo is a small island so location doesn’t matter much. ||ARRIVAL |Hotel will send a golf buggy to pick up guests from the airport. If there are a few guests arriving at the same time, check-in will take a little while but no problem since not in a hurry. ||ROOM|Room is decent size, everything clean, aircon is strong which is important given the hot and humid weather. Bedding is reasonably comfortable. TV signal didn’t work when I arrived but they got someone to come fix it a few hours later, it was ok for rest of the stay. Wifi stable and fast enough for streaming and also uploading all my mobile pics and videos onto cloud.||FOOD|Breakfast is good, eggs cooked to order, love the hash brown. I had a few lunches and dinners, have to say the food was pretty disappointing overall. Chicken satay was so dry that even having it with the sauce didn’t help much, the fish was bland with not enough sauce, then the broccoli and beef was way too salty. Tuna sandwich and the pizza were decent. Most meals were around USD20 including 26% tax. I was expecting quite a few seafood main courses on the menu and was quite surprised at the lack of it. A la carte can take quite a while but you can order in advance.||EXCURSIONS|I did 4 manta ray excursions with the hotel during my stay, each manta swim is USD60 (no tax). You basically wait for the reception to call then head down to the lobby and rest is taken care of. You can borrow snorkel set and life jacket for no additional charges. ||On the first 2 excursions, there weren’t that many manta but the experience was lovely as there weren’t that many other people in the water. On the day where there were a lot of manta (I counted 50 manta within 50 seconds in one of my videos!), it was an absolute mayhem as there were a lot of people and a lot were kicking and you could barely move around, not Kiha Beach’s fault but just so others are aware. Still worth it though for that spectacular sight. ||Everyone is only allowed 45 minutes in water, the guide will keep track of time and remind you when it’s time to get back to the boat. They have different size boats depending on how many guests from the hotel are doing this, they were all easy to get back on.||One thing I wasn’t aware or beforehand was there’s some sort of system for Hanifaru Bay where priority is given to local islands and resort islands on different days. So if you really want to see the manta madness. it’s best to stay a few days and do as many excursions as possible to increase your chances.||After one of the manta swims, the guide heard about a whale shark nearby. We were asked whether we wish to go swim with it. There will be extra charges for those who wish to go into the water. Unfortunately when the boat got there the whale shark has left. ||I also went for a half day snorkelling with sandbank, it was alright. Excursions require minimum 4 or 6 people so they may not run if there are not enough people. ||MASSAGE|Had a massage, the spa lady got great skills and the massage was very relaxing. ||The pricing is very odd though, it’s USD60 for 50 mins but USD120 for 1h 20 mins i.e. 80 mins. Any massage place I had been it’s always cost less per hour for longer massages, so it should be something like USD100 for 80mins or USD120 for at least 100 mins. Note 26% tax on top of prices above.||I got really sunburnt and enquired about after-sun treatment, unfortunately they didn’t have the products for this which was disappointing.||STAFF|Staff is outstanding – all warm, friendly, caring and hospitable, from reception to restaurant to the spa lady and the manager. The manager saw me walking to the shops and offered a ride, really appreciate it. ||There were 2 guides for the manta excursions, the taller guy is quite aloof, the other guy is more friendly and attentive.||On my last night, there was this huge group of loud tourists who woke me up in the middle of the night at like 1am, they were playing drinking games or something in the room right next to mine, it went on and there was no sign of stopping, so I went downstairs and thankfully there was a night staff. I let him know what’s happening and he went to that room to sort out the problem, the noise stopped and I could finally get back to sleep. ||PAYMENT |For settling the hotel bill, there is 3.5% for paying with credit card. Can also pay in cash but only USD or EUR but not MVR, any bank notes must be issued later than 2006. ||OVERALL|Enjoyed my stay. My flight was in the evening and they were kind enough to let me have a late check-out, obviously this depends on availability and not guaranteed. ||I was quite worried about mosquitoes and dengue fever before my trip, I brought bug spray and bracelet, fortunately didn’t have any problem even though I forgot to spray anything when I headed out for...

We are a couple from Switzerland and stayed the first 2 Weeks of November at Kiha beach. We had a exceptionally enjoyable stay with great value and recommend the hotel to anyone who wishes to get a glimpse at an authentic Malediven island.

The booking was made with the Hotel directly. Communication via Email and WhatsApp Chat/ Call was quick, efficient, always accommodating and friendly. Booth Ana and Sara were very professional in answering all our questions. A transfer via Plane from Male to Dharavandhoo Island at Baa Atol was organized very uncomplicated by the hotel.

We stayed in the "Ultimate Room" with a freestanding bathtub, which was spacious enough for two people with a nice balcony facing the ocean and well taken care beachfront. Tea, and instant Coffee as well as Water were refilled every day and a mini fridge was available in the room. Shampoo and soap as well as Bathrobes were in the room. No other amenities.

Continental Breakfast offered freshly prepared egg whatever style you would prefer, toast and pastries, Fresh fruits, Canned Meet, Sausage, Baked Beans, basic juices, Coffee, Tee and Milk. Barista coffee or fresh juices could be ordered and were not included in the breakfast. If

Since we booked half board, we did not eat lunch at the hotel, but there is a a-la-card menus with reasonable prices. Dinner buffet was a changing selection of soup, salats, warm dishes (fish, chicken, meat), deserts and fruits for dinner. One night the hotel offered BBQ fish which was amazing. Should you plan eat three meals a day, we recommend booking full board. If you would like to have a dinner in private just approach the reception and they make dinner possible tailored to your wishes.

Our main motivation to visit Dharavandhoo was to be able to get in touch with the locals, and the reviews about the good house reef. It was only when we arrived, that we discovered that the nearby hanifaru bay is very popular with marine life enthusiasts for their mantra ray population. Please make sure you travel at the right time of the year since gathering of the mantas is a seasonal event.

The ocean and beach at the hotel was clean and the beach cleaned daily by the hotel staff. We also noticed Dharavandhoo inhabitant to walk the beach once a week to clean the beach. The hotel beach had wooden and plastic sun loungers (we prefer wood) just looks more like paradise in good condition. Cushions and towels were provided.

The house reef experienced just like many parts of the Maldives bleaching of the corals, unfortunately you may not expect many colorful tray like hard coral. Soft coral and fish are plenty though. We saw lion fish, part fish etc., turtles, reef sharks (harmless), doted sting ray and octopus as well as lobster at the house reef. When you take one of the more affordable (35USD) snorkeling group tours with the hotel they bring you to the more colorful reefs nearby.

The Manta tours are a little more pricy (60USD) and limited in time (45 minutes water time) by law. You may only snorkel or free dive and can not touch the animals, and no selfie sticks please (it disturbs the fellow guests and animals). It is with it tough and I recommend one or two trips.

If you wish to explore Dharavandhoo we recommend just walking the streets or taking one of the free bicycles. There is a couple of supermarket for basic things like soap, shampoo, snacks and fruits and even ice cream. At the cafes you get fresh coffee or coconut for a very reasonable price of 1 to 2 USD (there is a ATM at Dharavandhoo Airport where you can get local currency, we recommend to bring USD though with new bills no older then 2006 or they might be rejected).

Staff was always very friendly and made all our wishes possible with a smile on their face. The owners of the hotel stayed in contact discretely with the guests making sure everyone felt welcome and had all we needed.

We would love to thank everyone at Kiha Beach for memorable stay. We hope...

“Underwhelming experience with room for improvement” We stayed at Kiha Beach in August 2025 as a couple with our 14-year-old, mainly for a week of diving. While the location itself has great potential, and there are certainly positives, our experience was overall disappointing.

First, the positives. The room was clean, the shower was good, the mattresses were comfortable and there was a nice beach as well. The views from the lobby were great and all the staff were friendly and spoke some English. There were also bikes available for guests (though in need of maintenance) which made going places more fun and efficient.

However, there are also negatives. On our last day, the pool had turned completely green with algae, and nobody seemed to be taking any notice or doing anything about it. The dining experience was another major let-down. Guests are required to pre-order food a day in advance unless they are prepared to wait 40 minutes even for something as simple as a salad. Breakfast was repetitive, there was no coffee machine, and the overall quality of meals was well below average. Desserts were virtually non-existent—no ice cream or pudding offered—and dining hours were restrictive, with breakfast not starting until 7:30am. For divers leaving at 8:00am, this made mornings unnecessarily stressful.

Prices were also totally inappropriate for the standard of food and drink on offer: e.g. $7 for a cappuccino for breakfast (the same as at the 5-star Barceló in Malé ad-hoc) and $25–$30 for a below-average buffet dinner felt truly excessive. The BBQ party, which could have been a highlight, was spoiled by loud music that felt completely at odds with the otherwise relaxed setting. When I asked the manager what food would be served, the reply was little more than a vague list of “beef, chicken, fish, salad, soup,” with “fresh fruit” as the only dessert. When I asked about ice cream, the answer was, “Mmm… we could try to do this.” Hardly reassuring.

Other areas of the property also gave the impression of neglect. Construction was ongoing next door, creating noise and disruption. The island itself has strict restrictions on alcohol and dress, which may not be an issue for some but will not suit everyone. Mangy cats wandered freely around the beach and entrance areas, and the wooden boat feature in the lobby was dusty and unkempt. Even the kitchen equipment appeared rusty and outdated. Our room, meanwhile, had its own frustrations: some lights were not working, housekeeping was inconsistent and patchy, no snacks were provided, and the walls between rooms were so thin that there were no secrets about what was happening next door. On the beach, the experience was equally underwhelming—tatty furniture, no parasols to provide shade, and towels that were useless. The games room, was also sadly lifeless, offering only a snooker table and a few old, worn-out board games. What was most disappointing was that at no point during our stay were we asked for feedback. In summary, Kiha Beach has the right location and decent staff, but the overall standards—particularly when it comes to food, pricing, maintenance, and guest experience—fell short of what we expected. What could have been a fantastic base for diving was instead spoilt by issues that could be...