Dharavandhoo is the fourth island we have visited in the Maldives over recent years – if you want all the glamour and show, visit a resort island not a traditional ‘residential’ island like Dharavandoo. If you are a real person wanting to experience the true Maldives, its beauty, and the nature beneath the waterline, THIS is the island for you.
The island hosts about ten guest houses and small hotels covering a range of budgets, we stayed at the LVIS Blancura with about 12 rooms in total. It is directly on the beach (bikini beach) and met all of our needs completely. The food was excellent, hospitality from the staff was 1st class.
But more about the island itself. Dharavandhoo is a local residential island so local rules have to be observed and followed (discrete clothing in the community areas and of course no alcohol). While we were there, there was a small catamaran where you could go and have a drink for the evening, just call and they would collect you and drop you off. (around $10 a drink).
Yes, Dharavandoo is the regional airport but you never notice the few planes that come and go at all. It is quite a large island but there is a good amount of places to enjoy that you would not find on a resort island. There is a new botanical garden being built, a school for the local children, a hospital, a pharmacy (very well-priced) a well-stocked good sized supermarket which serves the local people as well so is very affordable and a few other market stores. There are a couple of gift shops and around 6 café and restaurants as well as guest houses and hotels where you can eat when you like.
Our holiday was about diving and the beach too. To be fair the beach areas were never busy and always beautiful day, evening, or night just a tropical paradise. We were very selective of our choice of dive center as we always are careful to choose the one with safety and experience above all others. Dharavandhoo Divers run by Jessica and Vergillio is exceptional. They have ten years’ experience on the island they refer to as ‘the rock’ and employ a first-class team of guides, boat captain, and support staff. Having dived in lots of places around the world they are exactly what you want to make your dive holiday exceptional and provide the very best chance of you seeing interesting large and small residents of the sea.
One of the things you should do is to stop by the local fisherman's hut near the harbour in the evening. There are usually four to five large rays and often three or four large nurse sharks waiting for some free food to come to them – take a torch and watch for a while. They are big but completely harmless, and a good way to spend some time in the evening...
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