Island-hopping to Gulhi

Background on Maldives tourism

A bit of background is useful in order to understand tourism in Maldives and why it used to be so expensive (and still is for some people).

It is a very low-lying conservative Islamic country consisting of 1190 small coral islands in 27 atolls.  Its highest point is only 2.4 metres above the sea level!

When I first visited 24 years ago, I considered it a “once in a lifetime” destination due to its high-end pricing (even though we did our trip on last-minute deals).

The government had a “One Island, One Resort” policy which suited the high-end market where the seaplane transfer from the airport to the resort can cost as much as an international air ticket!  Other islands were strictly off-limits to foreigners to preserve the local values of the country.

This changed in 2009 when selected islands were opened for tourism by way of locally-owned guesthouses and small hotels.  Other islands still remain unavailable for tourists to stay in.

Perhaps it’s a way of making money to fund the economy in preparation for the country disappearing under the sea due to global warming.

In keeping with local values, alcohol (and pork) is not permitted except in the exclusive island resorts.  It keeps away the “Pattaya type” people.  Fine by me.

By the way, dog ownership is also not possible and there are no dogs in the country apart from that for law enforcement.

Maldives on the cheap

Here’s how I do Maldives on the cheap:

• Be guided by the fact that speedboat transfers (or seaplane transfers) and exclusive resorts (meaning they occupy the entire island) are expensive.
• Choose islands which are open for tourism, that are connected by public ferries. These ferries are very cheap but one has to fit in with their schedules.  Some routes operate daily (except Friday), others less frequently.  It does limit how many islands you can “hop” within a one or two-week period. For this trip, I’ve limited myself to the islands near Male.  There are faster public ferries that go to islands further afield but it’s hard to fit in such travel within a week.
• When public ferries aren’t available, it is possible to buy a day-tour and abandon it at a suitable point and foregoing the return portion to the starting point. For me, this was a theoretical ploy which I considered but didn’t have to use.
• Stay in small hotels on the islands that are open for tourism. I manage to get nice places for around USD55 per night.  This is a fraction of resort prices and with some tourist beaches that are drop-dead gorgeous, things don’t get much better than this (for simple folk like me).

While Maldives isn’t cheap compared to most Asian countries, it’s certainly affordable for most people doing it this way.  It’s a decent price to pay for a slice of paradise.

Note that on the local islands open for tourism, conservative dress is required except in the dedicated “bikini beach” which is reserved for foreigners only.

Ferry to Gulhi

The public ferry left Male’s Hulhule Ferry Terminal promptly at 1500 rather empty. Eight years ago, there were many passengers and considerable cargo too. Most passengers were on the port side as the starboard side was expected to be in the sun, since we were travelling to the south.  Many people lay down on the benches.

The 1h15 ride went quickly with nothing to see but the deep blue sea.  To my surprise, despite the many open windows and the open front door, it was very still and a little stifling with the heat.

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Settling into Ghuli

Disembarking at Gulhi, the Pearlshine hotel was expecting me and came to the boat with a wheelbarrow to assist with luggage.  I had none, so we took the 1-2 min walk together to the hotel.

I settled into my room briefly before taking a walk around the island.  Gulhi is tiny, measuring around 670m x 230m and is home to around 1000 people.

I found the Bikini Beach but didn’t swim.  My concerns were growing as I found only two eating places, one a nice restaurant and another a local kind of place.  I was told that the restaurant was the only one open for lunch.  It seemed like a mistake to spend 3d/4n here.

Fortunately, after sunset and the breaking of fast, things livened up and I found three more eating places.

I took dinner around 1845 and was tired by 2000.  I made myself stay up till 2100 before sleeping.